Happy Holiness: Bishop Ryle's Holiness up-dated and edited for a new generation by J.C. Ryle
To talk of happy holiness can be a shock to many people. Although the prophet Isaiah said Jesus would be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, Jesus was not a grim faced holy man which led to the Pharisees' disapproval, especially when they saw him enjoying meals with publicans and sinners. Hurting people came to Jesus and left rejoicing, and children enjoyed his company. The psalmist encourages us to Serve the Lord with gladness! and says, Happy the people whose God is the Lord! The late Dr W. Graham Scroggie wrote, Holiness and happiness go together. Faith in Christ is the root of all holiness and union with Christ by faith is the secret. There will be sorrows, struggles, even failures sometimes, but we can be glad and happy as we discover more of the unsearchable riches of Christ.