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You are here: Home / Practical Theology / Kevin DeYoung’s “The Hole in Our Holiness”

Kevin DeYoung’s “The Hole in Our Holiness”

August 31, 2012 by Andy Naselli

holeThis book is as good as advertised:

Kevin DeYoung. The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness. Wheaton: Crossway, 2012. 159 pp. | 20 pp. sample PDF

DeYoung emphasizes what some who hold a Reformed view of sanctification tend not to emphasize: effort (i.e., Spirit-powered, gospel-driven, faith-fueled effort). And it helps that he can flat-out write.

I ordered the audiobook for my wife (who found Kevin’s T4G sermon so helpful that she listened to it three times).

DeYoungTOC

My favorite section is where Kevin lists forty ways that “the Bible motivates us to pursue holiness” (pp. 57–60).

Some random excerpts:

  • A tender conscience is a terrible thing to waste. (p. 43)
  • If you try hard enough you can find idols of the heart lurking behind every good deed. Some Christians are prone to go on lengthy idol hunts and can’t feel good unless they feel bad about something. That’s why I tell my congregation at times, “You don’t have to feel conviction for every sermon. Some of you are actually obedient and faithful in this area.” Not perfectly, of course, but truly and sincerely. (p. 75)
  • Unmarried Christians, the general rule is this: don’t do with another guy or girl what you wouldn’t do with your brother or sister. (p. 115)

Justin Taylor interviews Kevin about the book:

Related: Let Go and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology

Update on 8/23/2017: My latest book attempts to survey and analyze “let go and let God” theology more accessibly:

No Quick Fix

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Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: Keswick theology, Kevin DeYoung, sanctification

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