Synopsis "God's Way of Holiness"
Most people know Horatius Bonar for his soul-searching hymns but he was also a respected author and had a strong concern for evangelisation and the onward life and witness of Christians. Bonar's pastoral books always address people realistically, there is no 'super spiritualism' here or an unattainable standard for the Christian life. Everyone can benefit from this book. Bonar explains that the way of peace, and the way of holiness, lay side by side. Peace may come first but the Spirit of peace Is the Spirit of holiness. You cannot say that you have peace whilst living with sin, you cannot say you have holiness if you are not consciously reconciled with God and fellow believers.Each chapter starts with a list of helpful scripture passages to set the scene for the ensuing discussion. Bonar deals with rebirth, the indwelling, of the Spirit, what gives us strength against sin, the power of the cross, the role of the law, the influence of the world, and a special section on Romans chapter seven.Bonar also helps us understand how concepts of holiness and spirituality are changed outside the Christian viewpoint. He shows the dangers of harsh orthodoxy, un-anchored idealism, mechanical devotion, superstition, self-righteous mortification, the sentimentalism of liberal theology and the woolly, warm dreams of Eastern pantheism.
