Here Methodist pastor Matt O’Reilly of Christ Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and who teaches at Beeson Divinity School and Wesley Biblical Seminary, discusses his new book Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification. Watch it below on IRD’s YouTube channel:
Downloadable podcast audio can be accessed here on IRD’s SoundCloud channel:
Comment by Salvatore Anthony Luiso on October 7, 2025 at 6:50 pm
YES! Christians are free to be holy. Amen.
Thank you for this very short article and the recordings of the discussion with Matt O’Reilly about his book * Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification*. I listened to all of it on YouTube.
I heartily agree that holiness should be a prime concern of every Christian and that it should be characteristic of every Christian.
The lack of holiness–of even a knowledge of holiness–among Christians in America bespeaks a crisis.
A church cannot be truly healthy without being truly holy.
Comment by Wilson R. on October 8, 2025 at 3:01 pm
I only had the opportunity to listen to about 2/3 of this interview, but I think he well captures the Methodist idea of what holiness means and why Methodists should emphasize it.
We’re in the midst of a confirmation class for our young people, and instead of relegating that task solely to the pastor or youth director, we involve adult laypersons who also participate and lead some of the sessions. Last week I had the privilege of leading a conversation about how Methodists fit into the “family tree” of Christianity and what are the hallmarks that make us Methodists. So we spent some time on the ideas of sanctifying grace, personal holiness, and the journey toward “perfection.” I think it’s important for the young people to understand that holiness does not mean holier-than-thou and that it is the product of a transformation that gradually occurs within us as we respond to the work of Christ within our lives.