The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
Let your Christianity be so unmistakable, your eye so single, your heart so whole, your walk so straightforward, that all who see you may have no doubt whose you are, and whom you serve.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of living one's faith openly and wholly so that others can clearly see one's commitment to that faith.
J.C. Ryle's quote encourages individuals to embody their beliefs in a way that is transparent and authentic. It suggests that a strong and sincere demonstration of Christianity through one's actions and character can inspire others and leave no question about one's faith or purpose in life. The imagery of having a 'single eye' and a 'whole heart' implies that a believer's focus and integrity are vital in serving as a reflection of their commitment to their faith.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of living one's faith authentically.
More from J. C. Ryle
All quotes →Good hymns are an immense blessing to the Church. They train people for heaven, where praise is one of the principal occupations.
When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this - that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual mindedness more marked.
Those who confine God's love exclusively to the elect appear to me to take a narrow and contracted view of God's character and attributes....I have long come to the conclusion that men may be _x000D_ more systematic in their statements than the Bible, and may be led into grave error by idolatrous veneration of a system
Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached...let us not rush into God’s presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise.
Similar quotes
Conservative evangelicals don't want government support for our faith, because we believe God created all consciences free and a state-coerced act of worship isn't acceptable to God. Moreover, we believe the gospel isn't in need of state endorsement or assistance. Wall Street may need government bailouts but the Damascus Road never does.
The quality of mercy is not strained
I feel shame, not for the wrong things I have done, but for the right things that I have failed to do.
God is to be praised with the voice, and the heart should go therewith in holy exultation.
Reflection is only a partial understanding of truth if it does not translate itself in practice into commitments to the common good and justice. Truth is not mere abstraction but something to be done and is only apprehended when this is realized.
We are all ghosts of yesterday, and the phantom of tomorrow awaits us alike in sunshine or in shadow, dimly perceived at times, never entirely lost.