Book Review: Habits for Our Holiness by Philip Nation

When one thinks of holiness, the tendency to think purity or set apart. We call God holy because He is set apart from the world. He calls His people to be holy, "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

In being holy, we are not to hide from the rest of the world to live as monk. We are to be out in the world yet set apart because we are the children of God. As we live in the world, we are called to do things that do set us apart. We are to pray, read the Bible, share the gospel, etc. We call these things spiritual disciplines.

Philip Nation addresses how holiness and spiritual disciplines are linked together in his book, Habits for Our Holiness. Nation defines spiritual disciplines as "a mental and physical act and a habit that expresses our love for God and fosters a greater display of His glory in our lives and a deeper understanding of His character and agenda." As he puts it in simpler terms, "it is the practice of our relationship (to God) and theology."

The first chapter serves as a reminder of how sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve followed by God's relentless pursuit of us. The rest of the book deals with the disciplines that Christians need to be engaged. He does not write them in some legalistic form, which tells us do these things if you want to stay saved. He has the gospel in mind when he writes about these "habits" knowing that we are holy in response to what God has done for us through the finished work of Christ.

Nation writes about worship, Bible study, prayer, and fasting, which is something the church needs to talk about a lot more. He even addresses fellowshipping with the body of Christ as a discipline. It does take work to talk with people and even getting out of bed after a long week at the office. Some other disciplines addressed in the book were surprising because you normally don't talk about these things as disciplines. They are rest, submissions and simple living.

Finally, Nation address the discipline of disciple making. This is for all Christians, not just those in leadership positions. Because of what God has done for us, we are to share that good news with everyone. Though it will be difficult, as all disciplines are, all Christians are called to make disciples.

This is a great book. I highly recommend it to all believers, not just new ones. I love Nation's approach to spiritual disciplines and how God-centered he kept it throughout the entire book.

Thanks Moody Publishers for letting me review this book.