TRUTH

'If orthodoxy is to attain vitality - and stop frightening the rest of professing Christendom away from biblical thinking by producing such monuments as the American Bible Belt and South African Calvinism - orthodoxy must enlarge its task to include cleaning its own house along with detecting and denouncing heresy.'

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.286.

SOCIAL ACTION

'A stategy in which the church becomes a silent presence in the world is therefore an ineffectual form of mission, which reveals to non-Christians our doctrinal confusion and spiritual impotence rather than commending our humility. Good works done in silence are often a necessary part of pre-evangelism, but in themselves can only win others to moralism or repel them in bafflement. The sheep can be led into social righteousness, but they will not follow unless they hear the voice and words of the Shepherd.'

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.283.

WORD & SPIRIT

'....to proclaim Christ in living power it is necessary for us to depend on him in a double way. On the one hand, for accurate knowledge of the incarnate Word which he inspired through the Spirit and which is the continuing instrument through which his mind is made present among believers. On the other hand, for illuminated understanding of the written Word, who is alone to enliven the dead conceptual knowledge of the fallen human mind through the sanctifying operation of the Holy Spirit, and to focus it existentially so that it will be wisdom in the biblical sense and not mere knowledge.'

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.279.

PREACHING

' I always preached right to the consciuence. Every sermon with my eye on the gun to hit somebody. Went through the doctrines; showed what they didn't mean; what they did; then the argument; knocked away objections, and drove home on the conscience.'

Lyman Beecher in Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.276.

PREACHING

'A Puritan sermon was never a tape-recording session in which abstract doctrinal information was transferred from the pastor's memory to that of the congregation. It was always an operation on the spiritual lives of the hearers in which no doctrinal tool was used which did not vitally relate to the needs of some class among them. The preacher who was content to rehearse and admire doctrines without applying them to the life and the world of the congregation in such a way that believers sensed the guiding control of the Holy Spirit and heard the voice of God addressing them in concrete situations, was not for the Puritans a physician of souls, but an aesthetician or tool-salesman, displaying the instruments of healing but refusing to employ them.'

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.275.

THE DEVIL

'...the devil on our shoulder is only truly dangerous because of the devil that's already inside us.'

Alan Jacobs, Orginal Sin, p.92.

 

GRACE

'A wonderful story is told about St. Martin of Tours, who was born in what is now Hungary about forty years before Augustine and whose early career was as a Roman soldier. Probably when still in his twenties, he had a dramatic conversion to Christianiaty, abandoned military life, and eventually founded one of the first Christian monastic communities. The story says that because Martin and his fellow monks acheived such deep piety and lived such pure and righteous lives, Satan was angered and began to appear to Martin and tempt him to sin. Failing at that, the Evil One turned, as he so often has throughout his career, to biblical exegesis. Does not the Lord himself counsel us to be perfect (Matt. 5:48)? Does not St. Paul the Apostle simply assume that he and his fellow Christians are perfect (Phil. 3:15)? Does not the beloved disciple John  say that whoever abides in Christ does not sin (1 John 3:6)? Yet Martin and his monks still, sometimes, sin; they are therefore damned. The wages of sin is death. They belong to Satan, not to God: it is clearly demonstrated in Scripture itself!

To this Martin replied - so says the tale - O Prince of this world. not only can I and my monks be saved, thanks to the infinite mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, but you too, if you repent, can be saved! It is not too late! Turn from your dark ways, your rebellion, your pride! Turn to the God who loves you, beg his pardon, and He will forgive! And upon hearing these words Satan departed from Martin and troubled him no further.

This is, I think, my favourite story about any saint. Such zeal for the Gospel! And such hopefulness, to think even the Great Rebel himself is capable of ammendment of life! And why not?'

Alan Jacobs, Original Sin, p.88.

JUDGEMENT

'Only our concept of Time makes it posible for us to speak of the Day of Judgment by that name; in reality it is a summary court in perpetual session.'

Franz Kafka in Alan Jacobs, Original Sin, p.79.

HERESY

'Elements of truth can be found in almost any system, if not because of common grace, then because the devil needs an admixture of truth in order to market a lie successfully. The most effective heresies have capitalized on important elements of truth which were lacking in current Christian understanding.'

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, p.218.

GRACE

'We are not saved by the love we exercise, but by the love we trust.'

PT Forsyth in Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiriutual Life, p.213.