Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle (Redesign)

by J.I. Packer

Book Overview

As eldest son and heir to a fortune, John Charles Ryle had a hopeful future in Britain's Parliament until the day his father declared bankruptcy. In a single moment he was stripped of everything. Ryle was devastated.

And yet, had this not happened, J. C. Ryle would likely not have entered the clergy and become one of the most influential evangelical leaders of the nineteenth century. From his ministry Ryle went on to publish many important...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1433515822
• ISBN13: 9781433515828
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Crossway
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Combo On Packer's Review and Ryle's Holiness

Cast in the same mould as the Puritans before him, and true to their way of life and biblical soundness, JI Packer reviews the life of Bishop JC Ryle, who gave nothing to compromise and asked nothing of modern criticism. His constant want was to see Christ glorified, evidenced in his battles with opposing views and the rise of liberalism. Bishop Ryle was appreciative of another Victorian Puritan, Charles Spurgeon, and JI Packer is brief, but shares their healthy respect for the other. This godly man suffered because of his preaching of uncompromising truth, and suffered a similar fate as Spurgeon as they were both ousted by their own denominational leadership, who gave in to the demands of rationalism. 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. Dr Packer spends several valuable chapters in painting the 19th century on the canvas of Ryle's life. The second portion is the well-known book, Holiness, which Ryle published in 1877. It is true of this modern classic that Ryle wished he 'might have chosen a subject more popular and pleasant...but I...could not have chosen one more seasonable and more profitable to our souls.' p 139 This is a favorite read. No too theological, yet inspiring of great good that can be achieved by the hand of a holy God. Bishop JC Ryle's view of justification and sanctification stand in stark contrast to Bishop Moule, who stated that 'We are not to think of the giving of the Spirit as of an isolated deposit of what, once given, is now locally in possession'. To wit, Ryle might well have rebutted: 'I fear it is sometimes forgotten that God has married together justification and sanctification. They are distinct and different things, beyond question, but one is never found without the other.' p 153 And in distinction to Rome who made salvation dependent upon sanctification, JC Ryle made it indispensable to a life of holiness: 'A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will not only live the life of faith in Him, and draw from Him all his daily peace and strength, but he will also labour to have the mind that was in Him, and to be 'conformed to His image' (Rom 8:29).' p 140 'The Puritans taught that a 'regeneration' that leaves men without the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and without the practice of holy living is not what is promised in Scripture.' Joel Beeke, Living For God's Glory p 292 He defended the doctrine of justification by faith in clear and supremely biblical terms, yet entirely in opposition to Rome: '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

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.

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.

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.