Book Review: Holiness by J.C. Ryle

I just recently finished Holiness by J.C. Ryle, written in the 1800s. I must start by saying that this book was exceptional and that I would recommend it to anyone of any denomination. It's possibly the best book (aside from the Bible) that I've ever read, and it's at least in the top 5.
Background: One must first understand that this book was written over a hundred years ago and that Ryle was a minister of the gospel in the Church of England. Ryle seemed to be very concerned with the current state of England and of the world in general, and perhaps that was his motivation for writing this book. I shudder to think of Ryle's reaction if he could see what England and America look like today.
Theme: This book is very challenging, charging the Christian to live a life of holiness. Ryle does an exceptional job in explaining some theologocial ideas such as sanctification, sin, growth, the fight, the cost, and assurance among others. He then uses Moses and Lot as fine examples of the things he talks about and finishes the book with a strong emphasis on Christ himself. The idea of the book to me as I read it was simple but hard at the same time: real Christians fight with sin every day and absolutely must strive to be holy and free from sin in order to live the life we are called to live...a lack of desire for holiness could indicate a lack of the Holy Spirit. The book instilled a strong spirit of perseverance in my heart, making me want to fight daily against the sins that plague me and persevere to the very end, not on my own strength but through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Remarkable correlation: God is amazing sometimes. In the past few months, most of my studying has been on the book of Hebrews, The Pilgrim's Progress, and Holiness among other things. The theme of the book of Hebrews is definitely perseverance and pressing on with the faith. The Pilgrim's Progress has a similar theme and references the book of Hebrews several times. Holiness used several passages from The Pilgrim's Progress in order to make a point. It was insane how well the three all fit together to teach me a hard lesson. And wait, it gets better. I started reading John Piper's God is the Gospel tonight, and the first book he referenced was Holiness. No joke. I am utterly amazed.
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