The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
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
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that limiting God's love to a select group misrepresents God's true nature and can lead to serious misconceptions.
J. C. Ryle argues that those who believe that God's love is only for a chosen few misunderstand His character and attributes. He warns that humans can create systematic theological frameworks that, while seemingly orderly, may stray from the biblical portrayal of God's inclusive love, highlighting the danger of idolizing human constructs over divine truths.
Themes
GodLoveTheologyBeliefUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon on the nature of divine love.
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.
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Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
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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
If anyone feels his sins, let him come at once, straight, direct, not merely to church, or to the sacrament, or to repentance, or to prayer, but to Christ Himself.
J. C. RyleRead
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