The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
J. C. RyleRead
The cross is the foundation of the Bible: If you have not yet found out that Christ crucified is the foundation of the whole volume, you have hitherto read your Bible to very little profit. Your religion is a heaven without a sun, an arch without a keystone, a compass without a needle, a clock without a spring or weights, a lamp without oil. It will not comfort you; it will not deliver your soul from hell.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that understanding the crucifixion of Christ is essential for truly comprehending the Bible's teachings.
J.C. Ryle's quote stresses the importance of recognizing Christ's crucifixion as the central theme of the Bible. He explains that without this understanding, one's engagement with the scriptures is unfulfilling and lacks depth, similar to having essential elements missing from different objects or tools. The analogy highlights that just as certain things cannot function properly without their key components, faith and the scriptures cannot provide true comfort or salvation without a proper understanding of Christ's sacrifice.
Themes
CrossBibleChristCrucifixionFaithComfortSalvation
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the core message of Christianity, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of Christ's sacrifice.
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.
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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.
J. C. RyleRead
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
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Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
J. C. RyleRead
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.
J. C. RyleRead
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