Wholeness in Christ: Toward a Biblical Theology of Holiness

Rating:
Summary: A carefully researched presentation of biblical holiness
Review: This most helpful and quite readable treatment of the biblical foundations of the Wesleyan perspective on the life of holiness comes from the prolific pen of William M. Greathouse, General Superintendent Emeritus in the Church of the Nazarene. A university educated churchman, he writes out of a life spent in the pulpit, the classroom, and leadership positions in church and academia, as well as in research and writing.

As he lays out before the reader the Old Testament roots and the New Testament teaching on Christian holiness, William Greathouse blends his pastoral and evangelistic spirit with careful biblical exegesis and scholarly exposition. Fully knowledgeable in the pertinent scholarly literature, he presents an optimism of grace that will inspire the heart of every Christian. The Old Testament ideal of the holy, the Christian experience of the Holy Spirit, the New Testament concepts of sanctification and perfection, and the Sermon on the Mount as a "kingdom ethic" are convincingly related to the contemporary Christian life. Both those who seek to understand the traditional Wesleyan concern for the holy life and those who proclaim it will see it firmly grounded here in Scripture. This fine work is well suited for use as a textbook or supplementary reading in courses on spiritual formation and the theology of holiness.