This truth is a remedy against spiritual pride, namely, that none should account himself better before God than others, though perhaps adorned with greater gifts, and endowments.
Johann ArndtRead
In short, all things that please the natural man in this world, are, to a true Christian, only so many crosses and temptations, allurements of sin and snares of death, that continually exercise his virtue.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The pleasures of the world are seen as challenges to the virtues of a true Christian.
This quote suggests that what may be appealing or enjoyable to a natural human being can represent temptations and moral challenges for a true Christian. Rather than viewing worldly pleasures as solely positive experiences, Arndt highlights the responsibility of Christians to navigate these allurements carefully, recognizing them as potential obstacles to their spiritual growth and virtue.
Themes
VirtueTemptationSinChristianityChallenges
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon about temptation, one might use this quote to illustrate the struggle between worldly desires and spiritual integrity.
More from Johann Arndt
All quotes →But since the world, which thou art to strive against, is not without thee, but within thee, it follows, that it is also to be conquered not without, but within thee.
Johann ArndtRead
Whatever man uses without the fear of God, whatever he applies to the mere gratifying of his flesh, cannot fail to operate as a poison to the soul, however pleasant and salutary it may appear to be to the body.
Johann ArndtRead
Similar quotes
Those who talk of the bible as a monument of English prose are merely admiring it as a monument over the grave of Christianity.
T. S. EliotRead
The issue is not whether there are horrible cases where the penalty seems "right". The real question is whether we will ever design a capital system that reaches only the "right" cases, without dragging in the wrong cases, cases of innocence or cases where death is not proportionate punishment. Slowly, even reluctantly, I have realized the answer to that question is no- we will never get it right.
Scott TurowRead
In a certain sense the Good is comfortless.
Franz KafkaRead
No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue.
George MasonRead
When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity.
George Bernard ShawRead
The schematicism by which our understanding deals with the phenomenal world ... is a skill so deeply hidden in the human soul that we shall hardly guess the secret trick that Nature here employs.
Immanuel KantRead