Transformed by His Glory. By Charles C. Ryrie. Wheaton: Victor Press, 1990. 144 pp. Cloth, $12.99.

I must admit at the outset that my love and respect for Dr. Ryrie as a man of God—for who he is and for what the Lord has done through him—do not allow me to be objective in reviewing his latest book. I began reading many of Ryrie’s works while still a minister in the Churches of Christ. Even then I found them biblical, clear, concise, and helpful. This book is no exception.

Subtitled Regaining a Sense of the Wonder of God, the book is concerned with understanding in our minds and reflecting in our lives the glory of God. Ryrie believes that the glory of God is a neglected topic, even, by his own admission, omitted in his Basic Theology! The only other works I could think of which treat this glorious theme were J. Dwight Pentecost’s The Glory of God and John Owen’s classic work, The Glory of Christ.

Dr. Ryrie writes: “Too many Christians live lives that for all practical purposes exclude God’s presence and are therefore glory-less. For such people God is a convenience to be used when necessary, but not the control to be submitted to always. They want God to be a solver of problems, not a sustainer in the midst of them. And in their minds, love can only mean that God will cuddle us, never chasten us. But His glory will return as we clean out the temple of our lives.” He rightly points out that the goal of the Christian is conformity to the image of Christ and a reflection of His glory.

Of special note to readers of JOTGES is his satisfying treatment of John 15 entitled “Bearing Much Fruit to the Glory of God.”

Ryrie’s style of writing, which I greatly respect and desire to be able to imitate, is, as always, concise and clear. However, I believe even he would agree with Wilbur M. Smith’s confession in writing The Biblical Doctrine of Heaven, that his rhetoric was not grand enough to match the glorious reality of the theme.

In conclusion, to say Transformed by His Glory is pure Ryrie is to give the highest recommendation and motivation I can think of to buy and read this book.

Lanny Thomas Tanton
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church
Lincoln Park, MI