Christian Writers and Preachers

Knowing God in Christ brings with it eternal life, imperturbable joy, and heavenly blessedness. These are not merely effects, but the knowing of God is itself immediately a new, eternal, and blessed life.

—Herman Bavinck

For the Holy Spirit comes in the Father’s and in the Son’s name and authority, to put the last hand to the work of our salvation, by bringing all the fruits of election and redemption home to our souls in this work.

—John Flavel

And from the time we are accepted through the Beloved, reconciled to God through His blood, He loves, and blesses, and watches over us for good, even as if we had never sinned.

—John Wesley

If I, like some people, believed that the success and the future of the Christian Church was dependent upon human ability and power and organization, if I believed that organized campaigns and so on were really going to solve the problem, I would be entirely hopeless.

—Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Oh, how I longed to be with Christ, to be employed in the glorious work of angels, and with an angel’s freedom, vigour, and delight! And yet how willing was I to stay awhile on earth, that I might do something, if the Lord pleased, for his interest in the world!

—David Brainerd

I humbly trust I have humbled myself before God and come to him through Christ and though my heart be so hard and cold and inconstant yet I will humbly trust that his mercy will be extended, even to me.

—William Wilberforce

Do nothing on which you cannot pray for a blessing. Every action of a Christian that is good, is sanctified by the word and prayer. It becomes not a Christian to do anything so trivial, that he cannot pray over it.

—John Wesley

In the evening, the hand of faith seemed to be strengthened in God; my soul seemed to rest and acquiesce in him; was supported under my burdens, reading the 125th Psalm; and found that it was sweet and comfortable to lean on God.

—David Brainerd

Unite with a church that has a real active interest in the salvation of the lost, where young Christians are looked after and helped, where minister and people have a love for the poor and outcast, a church that regards its mission in the world to seek and save the lost.”

—R. A. Torrey

If you are ever tempted to think any promise of the Word too large and that you must discount it, remember that Christ is risen and that therein you have a proof and illustration of the “exceeding greatness of the power to us-ward who believe.”

—R. A. Torrey

We must be very careful not to mix in our good works at all as the ground of salvation. We are not forgiven because of Christ’s death and our good works, we are forgiven solely because of Christ’s death. 1/2

—R. A. Torrey

God is always true to what He promises to do. He made promises to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua, and did He not fulfill them? He will fulfill every word of what He has promised; yet how few take Him at His word!

—D. L. Moody

How often, as we ponder some new tender mercy, so undeserved, so dewy with the freshness of love that we long for words of glory to sing that love, we can only say, Lord, Thou knowest me. I am all open unto Thee—and yet Thou hast done this.

—Amy Carmichael

… until we truly humble ourselves, forgetting other people, and those who are worse than we are, until we see ourselves as we are in the sight of God, and confess our sins and come it ourselves into His Almighty hands, we have no right to look for peace and happiness.

—Martyn Lloyd-Jones

There is another kind of divine working that may occur without our being aware of it, or at least without our recognizing it for what it is. This is that wondrous operation of God known in theology as prevenient grace.

—AW Tozer

But they put it on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house: in like manner, it is the design of God that every Christian should be in an open point of view; that he may give light to all around, that he may visibly express the religion of Jesus Christ.

—John Wesley

Own thyself guilty of eternal death; and renounce all hope of ever being able to save thyself. Be it all thy hope, to be washed in His blood, and purified by His Spirit, who Himself bore all thy sins in His own body upon the tree.

—John Wesley

…the Christian is assured that though he may be a person who is physically disposed to be thoroughly alarmed, he may experience not only strength but positive joy in the midst of danger.

—Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The treasure of merit is therefore not deposited by Christ anywhere on earth, not in the hands of a pope or a priest, not in a church or a sacrament; but the treasure of merit lies solely with and in Christ himself.

—Herman Bavinck

The application of Christ to the soul effectually, though it be so far wrought in the first saving work of the Spirit, as truly to unite the soul to Christ: yet it is a work gradually advancing in the believer’s soul, whilst it abides on this side heaven and glory.

—John Flavel

I look to him with humble hope, I disclaim every other plea than that of the publican, offered up through the Redeemer; but I would animate my hopes, trusting in him that he will perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle me.

—William Wilberforce

I don’t object to seeing men weep over their sins. I don’t know why it is not manly for a man to weep over his sins. It is more manly than to trifle with salvation, and make light of serious things. A great many men seem to be ashamed to shed tears over their sins.

—D. L. Moody

All these men that are trying to pick the Word of God to pieces, trying to destroy our confidence in the Word of God, tell us it is not true; but any one who has ever tried God, who has ever proved God, has found Him to be true.

—D. L. Moody

It is not theft, properly speaking, to take secretly and use another’s property in a case of extreme need: because that which he takes for the support of his life becomes his own property by reason of that need.

—Thomas Aquinas

Some people hold the truth, but in such a cold stern way that it will do no good. Other people want to love everything, and so they give up much of the truth; but we are to hold the truth in love; we are to hold the truth even if we lose all, but we are to hold it in love.

—D. L. Moody

Christianity is no less than the real, supreme work of the Triune God, in which the Father reconciles his created but fallen world through the death of his Son and re-creates it through his Spirit into the kingdom of God.

—Herman Bavinck

Not law but gospel, not demand but promise is the center of revelation, even in the days of the old covenant, to which man’s part is to respond in faith and in the walk of faith (Gen. 17:1), just as Paul in Romans 4 and Galatians 3 understood the revelation of God to Abraham.

—Herman Bavinck

God did not reveal himself, so that from his revelation we might construct a philosophical concept of God, but so that we might receive, acknowledge, and confess him, the one true, living God, as our God.

—Herman Bavinck

He who has been smitten with the love of God & the wonder of the cross can never again be tolerant in things that touch his soul & the souls of his fellow men. He will live beside, be patient with, minister to, pray for & love anyone, but never will he compromise the truth

—Tozer

How wonderful that a private man should have such an influence on the temporal and eternal happiness of millions; literally, millions on millions yet unborn! O God, make me more earnest for Thy glory; and may I act more from real love and gratitude to my redeeming Lord.

—William Wilberforce