The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges (1929-2016) 

Though there is not very much public information on Jerry Bridges, what we do know helps us to understand who is writing the book in question. Bridges received his education in engineering from the University of Oklahoma. Though he never received any Bible degree, he studied the Scriptures thoroughly. It was during his time spent in the Scriptures that he found a deep conviction for the importance of holiness.  

He was twice married and twice widowed, served as an officer in the Vietnam War, and joined The Navigators, a Christian discipleship organization where he wrote his books which he is well known for today including The Pursuit of Holiness, The Practice of Godliness, and Trusting God.  

Description of the book 

Despite the books' short length, it contains a massive amount of wisdom and guidance in the topic of holiness and personal sanctification. And even though he conveys such a large amount of information (even in every sentence), Bridges does so in a way which is very easy to comprehend for the modern reader. Each chapter is written like a short sermon with key points and takeaways. This provides easy sections for quick reading sessions while also giving the reader something to reflect and contemplate upon and practice in daily life. 

This book is extremely valuable to the modern reader because it addresses a topic that is near and dear to every true Christian: living to Christ and killing of sin. Bridges exhorts the reader to live out the commands of God, while also guarding the reader against legalism and only doing works for the sake of appeasing God’s wrath. Every modern reader would benefit greatly by reading this book.  

Three Quotes from the book 

“We often say God hates the sin but loves the sinner. This is blessedly true, but too often we quickly rush over the first half of this statement to get to the second. We cannot escape the fact that God hates our sin. We may trifle with our sins or excuse them, but God hates them.” - p. 32 

“Holiness is not a series of do’s and dont’s but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God.” - p. 72 

“Our thoughts are just as important to God as our actions and are known to God as clearly as our actions.” - p. 117 

Where this book is currently published 

This book is currently published by NavPress and can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, and with a study guide.