Wholly His

Jesus paid the penalty for our sin and made it possible for us to receive a right relationship with God and eternal life with him. We receive this eternal life based solely on and completely by God’s grace, through our faith in Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about what Jesus did for us on the cross and through the resurrection. It’s all about us receiving that wonderful gift by grace, through faith. It’s clear enough what Jesus saved us from. But what did Jesus save us for? What kind of life does he call us to live right now—every day—as we wait for his return? The absence of a clear answer to this question has created great confusion in the lives of many Christians. It is the source of many spiritual train wrecks in individuals and churches. It is the main reason sincere people who want to honor God with their lives get stuck spiritually. It is the main reason why the lives of so many Christians look no different from the lives of people who do not claim Christ. While we struggle to move forward spiritually, this confusion stubbornly remains.

Covering seven weeks with five days of study per week, Wholly His explores God’s call to live as people who have been made holy through Christ even as they daily commit themselves to live out that holiness in ways that will impact their families, friends, places of work, communities, and the world. Whether used on your own or for study with others, this book will help the concept of holiness come alive for you in new and practical ways.

On the one hand, when our lives are ‘hidden with Christ in God,’ we are holy as a gift. We are spiritually alive and belong to Jesus. Our heart is now formed in him, which changes the desires of our heart. We love Jesus, and we love what he loves. Our mind is now transformed, so that we increasingly see the world as Jesus does. Our thoughts and values change to reflect his. Our will is now conformed in Christ, too, which creates a posture of surrender before him. We want to obey Jesus even when it’s hard. On the other hand,…we fight for a life of holiness every day. There is a daily battle to take on visibly who we already are in Christ spiritually. It’s a fight to kill sin, and it’s a fight to live out the holiness of Jesus in real and practical ways. As long as we are in Christ, we are holy, but each day we must seek God for the wisdom and power we need in this fight for holiness, so that our manner of life may be worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to him.

Wholly His, page 14

Here’s a sample of what can happen when you read Wholly His:

Discover why truly understanding what holiness is makes us long to experience it.
Get a clearer picture of how much you have been made new in Christ—and how far you still have to go.
Learn why a right relationship with God produces a right posture for holy living.
Learn how to experience a supernatural “relationship rehab.”
Find out how being an overcomer under the Lordship of Jesus means a life very different from the lives of those who are not his.
Catch a vision for sharing the living water of the gospel with others so they can also drink from the well of life.
Allow the fruit of holiness in us to “ripple out” into the world, affecting those who need justice restored to them and those who need to join in the effort to restore justice to others.

In this brilliant book, Pastor Jim Feirtag calls the modern church to embrace the truth that holiness is still right—a Christian distinctive, tied to Christ’s work on the cross and inseparable from believers’ purpose on earth as they await his return. Wholly His unearths and unpacks what day-to-day holiness looks in a practical and readable fashion. Pastor Feirtag makes it clear that holiness involves living a lifestyle that is tied to Jesus and the peace and justice he provides and calls his servants to provide to others. I recommend this book for all who sense there is more to your journey with Jesus than keeping a list of rules, being consumed with shame or self-righteousness, and being caught in a cycle of majoring in minors.

Kevin Earley, Senior Pastor, Community Church Atlanta

Wholly His is a compelling call to pursue the life we were saved for—a life of holiness. This book reminds us that holiness is the very goal of our redemption as followers of Jesus, as well as the means by which we can leave an eternal legacy. From the foundational call to be set apart for God’s purposes, to the necessary work of repentance, to the Spirit-filled life that reshapes how we relate to God, ourselves, others, and the world, you will be encouraged to connect personal holiness to justice, mercy, and shalom. You will be reminded that to follow Jesus fully is to care deeply about the vulnerable, the hurting, and the oppressed.

Lori Fast, Executive Director of Leadership Focus, Church of God Ministries

This book pulled at my heart more than anything I’ve read in a long time. We don’t hear much about holiness in the twenty-first century, and yet Wholly His teaches it with humor, conviction and unforgettable metaphors. The book presents a theological treatise on holiness while also being very accessible to the average reader; clergy will want to keep it handy for the sermon illustrations that bring the topic of holiness to life. I hope you will pick this book up, but most importantly I hope you will take it to heart.

Dan Turner, Northwest Community Church, Washington, D.C., founder of Dying to Restart Ministry