Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry

Author Jackie Hill Perry’s exploration into the nature of God’s holiness was precipitated by questions she longed to find answers for: “If God is holy, then he can’t sin. If God can’t sin, then he can’t sin against me. If he can’t sin against me, shouldn’t that make him the most trustworthy being there is?”

Hill Perry explores the nature and manifestations of sin, pointing out that God can’t sin. She wonders why we often treat God as if he is untrustworthy like humans are: “Is it that we’ve mistaken the Second Adam for the first and thought of him as a ‘better’ version of ourselves? Is it that we think his goodness, though great, isn’t consistent? Or that his commands are true only when they don’t hurt? As if when his instruction costs you an arm, leg, or life, then he must be lying?” 

This biblically sound, spiritually discerning book—suitable for individual enrichment or small group study, though it doesn’t include discussion questions—is Hill Perry’s attempt to show that “somewhere lurking at the bottom of our unbelief is the thought that God isn’t holy.” Holier Than Thou explores themes of God’s moral perfection, transcendence, and justice; discloses the nature of idolatry as it is revealed in biblical times and the present day; and celebrates the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the regenerative, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Hill Perry invites readers to behold God’s holiness, believe in the one true God, and become more like Jesus, knowing all the while that because God is holy, he is completely trustworthy. (B&H Books)