Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.
J. I. PackerRead
To mend our own relationship with God, regaining God's favor after having once lost it, is beyond the power of any one of us. And one must see and bow to this before one can share the biblical faith in God's grace.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that restoring our relationship with God is a task beyond our individual abilities, requiring humility and recognition of divine grace.
J. I. Packer illustrates the profound truth that the restoration of our relationship with God, particularly after straying from it, is not something we can achieve through our own efforts. It requires an understanding of our limitations and a recognition of grace, which is central to the biblical faith. This dependence on God's favor serves as a foundation for developing a true and meaningful faith.
Themes
GraceRelationshipFaithHumilityGod
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of humility in faith, you could use this quote to highlight our dependence on God's grace.
More from J. I. Packer
All quotes βHe that has learned to feel his sins, and to trust Christ as a Saviour, has learned the two hardest and greatest lessons in Christianity.
J. I. PackerRead
We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the psalms, and that the habit of celebrating the greatness and graciousness of God yields an endless flow of thankfulness, joy, and zeal.
J. I. PackerRead
The fruit of wisdom is Christlikeness, peace, humility and love. And, the root of it is faith in Christ as the manifested wisdom of God
J. I. PackerRead
Were I asked to focus the New Testament message in three words, my proposal would be ADOPTION THROUGH PROPITIATION, and I do not expect ever to meet a richer or more pregnant summary of the gospel than that.
J. I. PackerRead
Only when it is seen that what decides each individual's destiny is whether or not God decides to save him from his sins, and that this is a decision that God need not make in any individual case, can one begin to grasp the biblical view of grace.
J. I. PackerRead
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