The Pursuit of Holiness

Jerry Bridges

“Be holy, for I am holy,” commands God to His people. But what does that look like in everyday life? Because of grace we don’t have to earn our salvation. But sometimes that leaves us wondering what our part in holiness should be. Jerry Bridges helps us see where we should rely on God―and where we should accept responsibility and exercise discipline. Both compassionate and convicting, this theological guide to living a holy life encourages you to dive into Scripture and discover what it means to have:

  • Holiness in body
  • Holiness in spirit
  • Habits of holiness
  • Joy in holiness

This book's Disciple Making Purpose

This book only appears in our Extra Books category of our Reading Plans. The Pursuit of Holiness adds practical challenges to the ideas of “be holy as I, the Lord Your God, am holy.” It is an exponential push into the physicality and daily choices that spring from being holy. It is a “Be comes before Do” book.

Key Topics or Truths

Modesty
Decorum
Holiness
Sanctification
Our Part in Holiness

This Book is Good For...

“Free to be me Christians”, new Christians, and those headed toward consecration, being wholly holy and sold out to God.

How We Use this Book to Make Disciples

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This book opens up a few cans of worms in a non-legalistic, eye-opening way. We leverage it before step nine on the Discipleship Pathway (consecration). We are called to, and there is value in living the holy that we are (be) inside. God values holy action (do) and that outside holiness is for our good. We read this short book in two weeks with review following the reading. There is little work for the disciple maker when it comes to generating discussion. The chapters are concise in topic with the topic being enough to reinforce the truths.

Our team does not use the study guide portion of this book when leading a group of disciples. However, we encourage those reading this book outside of formal discipleship to work through the study guide as we find it helpful.

We always focus on calling disciples to action on every topic. Here is a reading plan and sample questions,

Week 1 – The Call to Holiness (50 pages)

  • Day 1: Introduction, and Chapter 1 (Holiness Is for You)
    Question: Where have you misunderstood holiness in the past?
  • Day 2: Chapter 2 (The Holiness of God)
    Question: How does seeing God’s holiness change your desire to be holy?
  • Day 3: Chapter 3 (Holiness Is Not an Option)
    Question: What changes when you view holiness as essential instead of optional?
  • Day 4: Chapter 4 (The Holiness of Christ)
    Question: Which aspect of Christ’s holiness do you most want to imitate?
  • Day 5: Chapter 5 (A Change of Kingdoms)
    Question: What daily choices reveal that you belong to God’s kingdom?
  • Day 6: Chapter 6 (The Battle for Holiness)
    Question: Where is your greatest battle with sin right now?

Week 2 – Practicing Holiness (80 pages)

  • Day 1: Chapter 7 (Help in the Daily Battle)
    Question: How can you depend more on the Holy Spirit this week?
  • Day 2: Chapter 8-9 (Obedience—Not Victory & Putting Sin to Death )
    Question: How would focusing on obedience change your fight against sin?
    Question: What sin do you need to decisively address?
  • Day 4: Chapter 10 (The Place of Personal Discipline)
    Question: What habit could help you grow in holiness?
  • Day 5: Chapter 11 – 12 (Holiness in Body & Holiness in Spirit)
    Question: How can you honor God with your body this week?
  • Day 6: Chapters 13 – 15 ( Holiness and Our Wills, Habits of Holiness & Holiness in Faith)
    Question: How does holiness change your choices?
    Question: What habits/actions can you build/take to amp up your holiness?
  • Day 7: Chapters 16 & 17 (Holiness in an Unholy World & The Joy of Holiness)
    Question: How is holiness your gift back to God?

 

Real Life Story

Sissy just didn’t see what everyone saw around her, and no one wanted to tell her. Her free-to-be-me dress caused others to look up and away. She was a child of God. But she did not get Peter’s words, “Let your beauty come from within.” Was she wrong? Was she a flirt? Seeing too much of her caused a boy to be a boy. He flirted. She liked the attention. And both of them fell. Did her style reflect honor as a child of God? Were people seeing the beauty of a child of God? Not to sound a bit too conservative, I always wonder how many painful moments could be avoided if our words, our dress, and our choices reflected the holiness inside.

Know Issues or Controversies

No known issues

We love this old-school book because it addresses the idea of living holy in this physical world. Christians are spiritually holy but so often we do not see the value in being/living holy physically. From modesty in dress, to language, to behaviors, the author pushes us to ask, “Does my outside reflect my inside?”

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Jerry Bridges
Book Details
Pathway Steps: 9
  • Phase: Year Extra Books
  • Book Type: Non-Fiction
  • Flair: Eye Opening, Instructive
  • Tags: Applying Truth, Christian Living
Reading Time
Two Weeks
9 Pages per Day
14 Minutes per Day
Related Reads

This book compliments Ten Words to Live By and pairs well with How to Avoid Peeing on Snakes.