The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul
Week 4: Chapter 3 — The Holiness of Christ
Read Chapter 3 of The Holiness of God. Key Scripture: Luke 5:1–11; Mark 1:21–28.
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If holiness is the defining mark of God, then encountering Jesus should produce the same kind of awe and undoing that Isaiah experienced in the temple — and Sproul shows us that it does. Consider as you read how the holiness of God becomes tangible and visible in the person of Christ.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Sproul points to the miraculous catch of fish in Luke 5 as a revealing moment: Peter's response to Jesus's power is not celebration but prostration — 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' Why would a miracle of abundance produce a confession of sinfulness? What was Peter perceiving about Jesus?
2.Sproul draws a direct parallel between Peter's 'Depart from me' and Isaiah's 'Woe is me.' What does the recurrence of this pattern across the Old and New Testaments suggest about what authentic encounter with the holy God — in any form — always produces?
3.In Mark 1, the demon in the synagogue cries out to Jesus: 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God.' Sproul notes the irony that demons recognize Jesus's holiness more quickly than his followers do. What does this say about how familiarity can dull our perception of who Jesus really is?
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