“Free To Be Holy” Book Review by Joseph Seger

In the last year of his life, John Wesley wrote in a letter something profound, “I am glad brother D—has more light with regard to full sanctification. This doctrine is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists; and for the sake of propagating this chiefly He appeared to have raised us up.” *

Wesley saw full or entire sanctification as the guiding light for the people called Methodists. It carried the gospel and the people through the centuries, across the world, and to the dozens of denominations which see Wesley as their forebearer. 

Historians and theologians understand this. Pastors talk about this. However, the average layperson often has a blank stare at the mention of such a doctrine, and can hardly articulate sanctification alone. Maybe this is part of why there has been such a decline in recent decades.

Matt O’Reilly has taken up the charge to bring focus and clarity back upon sanctification with his powerful little book, Free To Be Holy.

Speaking of how the church has failed so many in the late 1900’s and early 2000’s, he writes, “This widespread version of Christianity, offering heaven in the next life but not freedom from sin in this life, offering freedom from the consequences of sin but not from the power of sin, promises deliverance from guilt but not from the things that produce guilt.” Matt goes on to talk about scriptural holiness is the second half of the gospel so many need for today.

Matt works out a holistic understanding of holiness in the life of the believer. “For us, then, to be holy is to be formed in such a way that we consistently do what we ought to do – like God does. And when our lives are transformed in this way, our words and our actions consistently tell the truth about God and his character.” 

Rather than just rehashing what Wesley and others in the tradition have said about holiness, Matt does the hard work of grounding holiness in the exposition of Scripture with language for today. He starts in the beginning of the Bible. From Adam onward we see this call to be set apart. God created image bearers set apart for mission. In the fall, Adam falsely represents who God is. Many see that the purpose of the gospel is forgiveness to get us back in right relationship with God. Only this falls short of the whole gospel.  “Forgiveness of sin isn’t the ultimate goal. It’s the necessary first step to making us holy so that we can fulfill our missional purpose which is to fill the earth with disciples who embody the beauty of the character of the triune God.”

Adam not only needed forgiveness, he also needed to reorient his life on who God is and the tasks God has called us to. This means overturning our idols and following where God leads. “True worship cultivates the holiness necessary for the faithful mission.”

Matt lays out the truth that holiness is what God has always wanted for us – not just required of us. He wants us to bear His image well, to know and take on His character. We are like God and bear his image. This means digging deeper into the will and heart, “The initial experience of reconciliation isn’t the goal of our mission. Instead, it’s a necessary first step. The goal of our mission is thoroughgoing transformation of the heart.”

Continuing to dive into scripture we see clearly that we can be perfect in as much as we are holy. That is we can have the perfect love of 1 John 4:18. This is a gift of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit through obedience to Christ. But this love can let us truly take up our call to be the humans God created us to be. With holiness, we can have “real human life! – free from the power of sin…real human life…holiness is about becoming more fully human.”

With this holiness we have the freedom and power to truly follow Jesus. In community, we can be like Jesus and truly love one another.

Without overt references, Matt comes alongside Wesley’s own understanding of the importance of holiness within Christianity.  “O do not take any thing less than this for the religion of Jesus Christ! Do not take part of it for the whole! What God hath joined together, put not asunder! Take no less for his religion, than the “faith that worketh by love;” all inward and outward holiness. Be not content with any religion which does not imply the destruction of all the works of the devil; that is, of all sin.” This “[Sanctification] is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul.”

Holiness comes from true worship, telling the truth about God’s character, and moving into the world with love. With the grounding in Scripture and a comprehensive look at holiness, Matt writes what has emerged as the obvious reality, “Holiness is a life turned away from self-interest and marked by love for God and neighbor (and enemy).” “Holiness should be the normal posture of the Christian life.” 

This book brilliantly and succinctly brings an older doctrine into the hands of everyday Christians. It breaks the chains of cultural baggage and theological obscurity. It breathes life into the ideal of spreading scriptural holiness across the land.

Thanks be to God that we are free to be holy.

World Methodist Evangelism will be hosting a book study on Free To Be Holy. This will be a live event with the author on June 18th at 9 AM United States Central Time / 10 AM United States Eastern Time. Join us on Zoom by clicking here. You can purchase the book here.