Jackie Hill Perry’s “Holier Than Thou”
“If God can’t sin, then He can’t sin against you. If he can’t sin against you, shouldn’t that make Him the most trustworthy being there is?”
Because I am only now dipping my toes in Christian literature (I waited too long, I know), Jackie Hill Perry’s Holier Than Thou, is the first book I’ve read on God’s holiness, next to the Bible, that is. I am at once stunned by all I didn’t know, in awe of the nature of our God, and so greatly enlightened with a new understanding of what it means to be loved by a God who is holy and how this new knowledge of Him ought to radically impart my living, my choices, my passions as a child of God.
Having listened to Jackie speak over the years, I am aware of the value she places on how things are written and said, and so it was no surprise to see the lyrical and poetic quality that her language is marked by. As a reader and writer who pays particular attention to how ideas are framed and articulated, this was exciting for me (which also explains my love for Charles Spurgeon’s writing style) and there were very few times I felt they distracted from the message, if at all. That said, I can see how a different reader might appreciate a less figurative style of writing.
Either way, it becomes quickly evident as one reads that this is a book about God, and it cuts straight to the heart with reflections grounded in and supported by the Word and written in conversation with the work of Christian scholars like A.W. Tozer, R.C. Sproul, John Piper, etc. There is no deviation from God Himself as His very nature and essence are captured on each page. In fact, you’ll encounter several pages in the book where the writer, as if so preoccupied with her own amazement of God, pours out words of adoration, and praise and bears witness to the trustworthy, loving, good, and sovereign God. I hope you can brace yourself for a truly captivating reading experience.
Your idea of holiness will be challenged as mine has been: You will learn how God’s holiness makes Him compassionate and also just; the completeness and transcendence of God, and what was so mind-blowing to me—the miracle of regeneration—in that a Holy God gifts us the Holy Spirit who makes us alive, and in this new life, we behold God and believe His word, and thus, are transformed into His image.
I’m not even upset that this is starting to read more like a reflection on the book than a critical review of some sort because what I truly hope to do is think about the ways in which this book has spoken so clearly on subjects I’m curious to learn about, and in writing about this, I am revisiting what I found compelling, reminding myself of some of its revelations and of course, keeping a record for a day I’ll need to examine my heart and ask, “Am I existing in this world in such a way that one can look at me and accurately imagine God? What do I know and believe of God and is that knowledge influencing how I live my life? What do I pay attention to and what do I behold? For I am only able to reflect what I have actually seen.”
I have been so incredibly blessed by this text, so enriched by its depths of godly reflections, and challenged in my understanding of Who I call Father. My favorite chapters from the book are Transcendence (3), Unholy gods: Idolatry (4) and Behold, We Become (7). I suppose they resonated most for these reasons:
On Transcendence: This was simply something I’d not really given serious consideration to. Sure, I was aware of His attributes, but to be able to grasp it in this reverence-inspiring way? That He is self-existing, unique, needing nothing outside of Himself, powerful within Himself—that kicked the commonplace belief out of me. I can see how an attribute could simply place a lid on the mysteries and truly unbelievable parts of the ‘otherness’ of God. How could we not be in awe once we come to really see the magnitude of this Being? How do we not stop short at His boundless and distinct existence? Hallelujah! To think The Highest of Kings calls us His own!
John Piper:
“…The Scriptures reveal God’s glory. This glory, God willing, is seen by those who read the Bible. This seeing gives rise, by God’s grace, to savoring God above all things—treasuring him, hoping in him, feeling him as our greatest reward, tasting him as our all satisfying good. And this savoring transforms our lives.”
On Idolatry: Jackie expounds the notions of a dead god and a Living God. Again, it sounds familiar, right? Until I started to see the thread she weaves on the aliveness of God—Because He is alive, He possesses the qualities of a living, functioning, and active God, which means He is attentive to sin and the suffering of all people, He is aware of our needs and not apathetic and indifferent to us, He is compassionate and is moved to act because He has ears to hear, a mouth and a voice to speak, a heart to feel (I love, too, that this has actually changed my approach to prayer and who I believe is listening to me).
On Behold: We Become: This insightful chapter (and Holy Vision) have been so instrumental in shaping my understanding of sanctification. I had always been curious about the continuous work of renewal, the Holy Spirit’s role in my wrestle with sin, and also, my own active participation in being transformed. Holier Than Thou, through the wisdom of God, has filled the gaps in my knowledge and brought me such clarity and hope on the subject.
Jackie Hill Perry has written a crucial text that not only exposes the root of our sins and radically points out all the real and rebellious ways we choose everything but God, but also a book about Who (a holy God), Why (there is nothing, in all the earth, better than His goodness & nothing eternally satisfying as the Bread of life) and the How (to behold Him in the Word, and to believe, by the power of the Spirit, that He is all things holy and good and love and perfect and as such, better than anything an unholy and broken and unloving and imperfect world could ever give.)
Quotes
Because God is holy, all that He says is true and all that He does is good...Having an erroneous view of the unblemished ethical nature of God tempts us to doubt His word, leading to the denial of His worth. If His character isn’t trusted, His words won’t be believed. (54-55)
We must never take our cues from a dying thing (the world) on how to live. (165)
