Holiness! It must be the goal of every Christian who is serious about their relationship with God in the here and now and the blessed hope of seeing Him then in the hereafter and throughout eternity. Why are we so convinced of this? Because we believe the Word of God when it says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Repeat: without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. Can it be any plainer than that? It's a frightening thought, especially in today's society where most of us are far from living a holy lifestyle. This may be because we hope God will judge us all on the curve, but it's probably because of an unfounded teaching among many Christians that simple belief in Christ's death and resurrection qualifies them as holy in the sight of God-no further action required; they are eternally secure. This erroneous teaching could cost souls their heavenly rewards, if not their eternity with Christ. In Holiness we try to discount and disprove that false teaching and lay the groundwork (according to our understanding of God's Word) for the model walk before God, a walk that ensures we will see God when this current reality ends but also our only real hope in these troubled times that, we believe, are a prelude to the Great Tribulation, the end of time, and the return of Jesus Christ.

Growing up the son of agnostics, John Koessler saw a Catholic church on one end of the street and a Baptist on the other. In the no-man’s land between the two, this curious outside wondered about the God they worshipped—and began a lifelong search to comprehend the grace and mystery of God. A Stranger in the House of God addresses fundamental questions and struggles faced by spiritual seekers and mature believers. Like a contemporary Pilgrim’s Progress, it traces the author’s journey and explores his experiences with both charismatic and evangelical Christianity. It also describes his transformation from religious outsider to ordained pastor. John Koessler provides a poignant and often humorous window into the interior of the soul as he describes his journey from doubt and struggle with the church to personal faith

Why is God's beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God's beauty—even more rarely do they consider how God's beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer's desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord, Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God's beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty? The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics.

The hole in our holiness is that we don't care much about holiness. Or, at the very least, we don't understand it. And we all have our reasons too: Maybe the pursuit of holiness seems legalistic. Maybe it feels like one more thing to worry about in your already overwhelming life. Maybe the emphasis on effort in the Christian life appears unspiritual. Or maybe you've been trying really hard to be holy and it's just not working! Whatever the case, the problem is clear: too few Christians look like Christ and too many don't seem all that concerned about it. This is a book for those of us who are ready to take holiness seriously, ready to be more like Jesus, ready to live in light of the grace that produces godliness. This is a book about God's power to help us grow in personal holiness and to enjoy the process of transformation.