In Part 3 of our Gospel Podcast series on J.C. Ryle’s Holiness, we wrap up this powerful sermon with a deeply personal and reflective challenge: Are you holy?

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, we encourage you to go back and listen so you can journey with us through the full depth of Ryle’s timeless message.

In this final portion, Ryle brings the conversation on holiness from theological truth to personal application. The message moves from “what is holiness” and “why is it necessary” to the simple but piercing question: Is this true of you?

---

A Sobering Legacy: Learning from the Reformers

Jeff begins this episode by highlighting how Ryle’s convictions were shaped by the martyrs of the English Reformation—men and women who paid the ultimate price for their commitment to the truth of the Gospel. Ryle frequently looked back 300 years to the brutal reign of Queen Mary (“Bloody Mary”), during which Protestant believers were burned alive for their faith. These were not mere historical footnotes to him—they were reminders that true holiness is costly and never casual.

Their courage exposed a painful irony: those who persecuted the reformers claimed to be the Church of Christ, yet their actions blatantly violated Christ’s command to love even one’s enemies (Matt. 5:43–44). Ryle’s point is clear: fruit reveals the root, and false religion—however outwardly pious—cannot produce the holiness that God requires.

---

Summary: Holiness Must Be Personal

Ryle presses us to ask: Am I holy?

Not:

• Do I attend church regularly?
• Was I baptized?
• Do I enjoy reading about holy people?
• Do I approve of holiness in others?

But simply: Am I holy—or am I not?

It’s not about feelings or vague spiritual interest. It’s about a changed life. Are your desires different? Your actions different? Your priorities different? If holiness is required to see the Lord (Heb. 12:14), then we must honestly examine whether that holiness is being worked out in our lives.

---

Common Objections—and Ryle’s Answers

Ryle tackles several common excuses that people raise:

• “Holiness is only for great saints.”
  Scripture says otherwise: “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).
• “It’s impossible to be holy and still handle daily life.”
  Ryle reminds us—with Christ, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).
• “If I lived that way, I’d be different from everyone else.”
  That’s exactly the point. God’s people are called to be “a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9)—set apart and holy in a world that is not.

---

The Narrow Road: Count the Cost

Quoting Matthew 7:14, Ryle reminds us: “Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Holiness requires denying self, turning from sin, and walking a path that often runs against the grain of our culture and comfort. But Jesus never promised an easy road. In fact, He said that “whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27). The Christian life is freely given—but costly to live.

---

Holiness & the Modern Church

Ryle lamented in his day what is still true in ours: many churches are cautious about preaching holiness. They fear sounding too legalistic or losing people. Instead, they focus on felt needs—relationships, finances, parenting—without calling believers to personal sanctification.

But holiness is not a threat to grace—it is the fruit of grace. Ryle calls out the false comfort of religion without regeneration. True faith always produces real change.

---

Rooted in Christ Alone

In the final words of his sermon, Ryle brings us back to the source: Christ Himself.

“The way to be holy is to come to Him by faith, and be joined to Him.”
“Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Sanctification is not our personal achievement—it is the Spirit’s work in us, growing us into the likeness of Christ. The only true holiness is Christ-centered holiness. The only way to grow is to abide in the Vine.

---

Discussion Takeaways

1. Why is this sermon important?
Because holiness is the true test of our profession of faith. It reveals the genuineness of our salvation. The transformed life is not what earns salvation, but what flows from it.

2. How can we hold to a high standard while extending grace to others?
By remembering that sanctification is a process—and by leading with humility and love. Holiness is not sinless perfection; it’s a life that mourns sin, strives for godliness, and points others to Christ by example.

---

Final Encouragement

Holiness is not optional—it is the evidence of our salvation, the reflection of our love for Christ, and the preparation for our eternal home. But it must always begin and end with Him.

“He is the Manna which you must daily eat, and the Rock of which you must daily drink. His arm is the arm on which you must daily lean, as you come up out of the wilderness of this world. You must not only be rooted, but you must also be built up in Him” – J.C. Ryle

May we be a people known not just by what we say, but by how we live.

Disclaimer: This summary was generated using AI based on the original podcast script. It has been reviewed and approved by Yonas and Jeff for accuracy and clarity.