Ryle challenges you to be holy, Packer does a little less

books:


	• Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J.C. Ryle J. I. Packer Crossway Books, 2002 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 4 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Combo On Packer's Review and Ryle's Holiness

Dr Packer emits an appreciative Yay! to the man and Puritan bishop, JC Ryle.
Cast in the same mould as the Puritans before him, and true to their way of life and biblical soundness, Ryle gave nothing to compromise and asked nothing of modern criticism, he sought only to see Christ glorified - even in his battles with opposing Christian views in the rise of Liberalism.

Ryle was cast in the same mould as that of another Victorian Puritan, Charles Spurgeon, and Packer is brief, but shares their healthy respect, one for the other. This godly man suffered because of his preaching of uncompromising truth, and as Spurgeon, as contemporaries, they were ousted by their own denominational leadership, who gave sway to higher criticism.

So Ryle's life is one of personal trials and professional testing, yet always remaining true to his convictions. He readily refers to the Puritans and their works, way of life and doctrinal standards, as those he clearly espouses and refuses to do away with.

The second portion is the well-known book, Holiness, which he published in 1877. It is a modern classic.

This is a favorite read. No too theological, yet inspiring of great good that can be achieved in the hands of a great God.

'To hear some men talk, and read some men's writings, one might imagine that our blessed Lord, when He was on earth, never taught anything but doctrine! The slightest knowledge of the four Gospels ought to tell us that this is a complete mistake.' pg 131

'In justification our own works have no place at all, and simple faith in Christ is the one thing needful. In sanctification, our own works are of vast importance, and God bids us fight, watch and pray, and strive, and take pains, and labour. Justification admits of no growth or increase... sanctification is an imperfect work, and will never be perfected until we reach heaven.' pg 134

for more information click here

Ryle challenges you to be holy, Packer does a little less

This is a beautifully produced book, with contents that really deserve to be read, Packer should be commended for re-presenting it to a readership it may not otherwise have received. Packer's has written a semi-autobiographical long introduction (longer than Ryle's text, hence the title of the book I guess) to the first (considerably shorter than the second) edition of JC Ryle's classic 'Holiness'.
The first half or so is a large number of short chapters by Packer, appreciating JC Ryle, his life, work, theology etc. You get a good feel of the man who was an amazing Christian, who stood firm for truth, and truly believed in the Church of England despite it's massive faults and so didn't take the easy way out but stayed to do great good. Although his life wasn't the most exciting story (no dramatic conversion, no physical persecution) I found this made him easier to see in my reality, although he was definitely a Victorian. This means that Packer's 'appreciation' isn't as riveting as it otherwise would be, and the fact that Packer does nothing other than 'appreciate' makes it a little unbalanced a look at the man. It was great to see his concern at the number of nominal Christians in the church with no concern for personal holiness, and that really hit home because although this is not quite as big an issue in the UK now as it was then, it is still common. Ryle pleads for these people to change, and for us Christians not to become like them.
Holiness, the actual book, is wonderful, and really outshines Packer's contribution (I think). Packer choose the much shorter first edition because it was more coherent, not as much of a random collection of essays like the more common second edition, and I think he made the right decision considering the purposes of this book.

The book is basically an exploration of the titles/topics of the chapters (Sin, Sanctification, Holiness, the Fight, the Cost, and Growth), which are all relatively self-contained, although, as Packer notes, the flow of thought is obvious.
Ryle does spend quite a bit of time in the book refuting and explaining the consequences of a error about sanctification prevalent in his day, though not so much now, but it is not much of a distraction and in fact challenges us to think of our responses to similar problems today.
Ryle's writing confronts you with your life, and I don't think you will be left unchanged, and so I cannot fail to commend this book to you. The language is not hard, only a hundred years old, and style has not changed that much, and the different context in which it is wrote does not distance you too much from the points he makes.
This book is well worth buying, and reading, especially at this incredibly [low] price.

for more information click here

for more information click here

Persevering against the Odds

"I only know it is far easier to be a Christian among singing, praying, sympathizing Christians in a public room, than to be a consistent Christian in a quiet, retired, out-of-the-way, uncongenial home."
As the other reviewers have said, this is an appreciation and should be read sa such. Appreciation or no, Packer reaveals the facts and this makes Ryle enjoyable to read about. Ryle was a man among men in his day and would be a demi-god among men in our day, with so little doctrinal preaching in our midst. What caught me about Ryle was that he was widowed twice and he outlived his third wife, and yet still proclaimed the Word of God.
To be honest, his book holiness is not easy to read. BUt as John Piper said, "Raking is easy, but all you get is leaves. Digging is hard, but you might find diamonds." Ryle stands in the old Puritan tradition. Maybe tough to read, but extremely edifying to the saints when read. His view on Holiness stands in direct contrast with the view of Finney. But that is okay because the Bible stands in direct contrast with Finney. THis book should be read by all denominations: Anglican/Episcopal so that they may appreciate one of their own. Baptists, becasue he preaches like one. Charismatics--so that they might be rescued from their erring ways.
This is a good introduction to Ryle's life and hopefully will accomplish the task that Packer hopes, that one may read more of Ryle, along with the other puritans.

for more information click here

A superbly presented tribute to Bishop John Charles Ryle

Faithfulness And Holiness: The Witness Of J. C. Ryle by J. I. Packer (Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a superbly presented tribute to Bishop John Charles Ryle, a man who challenged his parishoners to seek greater holiness. Bishop Ryle's own testimony "Holiness," first published in 1877, is included in its entirety within the pages of Faithfulness And Holiness. A profound reflection upon Ryle's life, ideals, work, and legacy is a powerful and moving work of faith and joy, Faithfulness And Holiness is very highly recommended for Christian Studies reading lists and reference collections.

for more information click here

As heir to a fortune, J. C. Ryle had a hopeful future until the day his father declared bankruptcy. In a single moment, he was stripped of everything. And yet, had this not happened, Ryle would probably not have become one of the most influential evangelical leaders of the 19th century. Along with J.I. Packer's own reflections on the life of this clergyman is a reprint of Ryle's classic, Holiness--all here in one volume to encourage Christians that, just as what could have broken Ryle became the very instrument that led him towards holiness, so too does God use our trials to lead us in our journey toward holiness.

for more information click here