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
If we don’t want to define ourselves by things as superficial as our appearances, we’re stuck with the revolting alternative of being judged by our actions.
You can know all there is to know about life and mankind, but what do you really know about yourself?
Be as the sailor who keeps the polestar in his eye. By so doing we may not arrive at our port within a calculable period, but we will maintain a true course.
God's pleasure--the beauty creation possesses in his regard--underlies the distinct being of creation, and so beauty is the first and truest word concerning all that appears within being; beauty is the showing of what is; God looked upon what he had wrought and saw that it was good.
"Do you have information that there's an android in the cast? I'd be glad to help you, and if I were an android would I be glad to help you?" "An android," he said, "doesn't care what happens to another android. That's one of the indications we look for." "Then," Miss Luft said, "you must be an android."
We are doomed to cling to a life even while we find it unendurable.