EBOOK
About
Evangelicals are known for their emphasis on conversion. But what about life after conversion and beyond justification? Desperately needed is a comprehensive theology of the Christian life from beginning to end, along with the means of formation and transformation. In Called to Be Saints, Gordon Smith draws on a distinguished lifetime of reflecting on these themes to offer us a theologically rich account of our participation in the life of Christ. Both profound and practical, this book is a trinitarian theology of holiness that encompasses both justification and sanctification, both union with Christ and communion with God. Smith unfolds how and why Christians are called to become wise people, do good work, love others and enjoy rightly ordered affections. If holiness is the ongoing journey of becoming mature in Christ, then there is no better guide than Smith. Christians in every walk of life will find this a rich resource for learning what it means to "grow up in every way . . . into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).
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Reviews
"Smith has written a comprehensive and compelling volume on the central importance of maturing in Christian life. He prophetically challenges anemic views of Christian conversion and living, ones that do not involve the imperative of growing into holiness."
Arthur Boers, Christianity Today 2015 Book Awards (Book of the Year), January/February 201
"Like so many of his other books, Called to Be Saints is a well-written, informative, and spot-on treatise. This book hits just the right balance between depth and accessibility. It will benefit pastors, professors, administrators, and students in Christian higher education, Sunday school teachers, and everyone in between. In my estimation Smith is saying the kinds of things that need to be heard by believers today and he is doing it in a way that is both wise and joyful."
Greg Peters, Journal of Spiritual Formation Soul Care, Fall 2014
"In Called to Be Saints, readers can gaze upon a genuine human being--ever more thoroughly rinsed from sin's contamination--whose mind and heart have been shaped by the wonder and glory of the image of the invisible God, Christ himself. Christ's holy image bearer has been both created and re-created, and the result is joy."
Christopher A. Hall, Christianity Today, March 2014