The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
J. C. RyleRead
To say that we are sorry for our sins is mere hypocrisy, unless we show that we are really sorry for them, by giving them up. Doing is the very life of repentance.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True repentance requires action, not just words of remorse.
J. C. Ryle emphasizes that expressing sorrow for one's sins is insignificant unless it is accompanied by a genuine effort to change one's behavior. He argues that true repentance is demonstrated through actions that reflect a commitment to abandoning wrongful behaviors, highlighting the importance of doing over merely stating regret.
Themes
RepentanceSorrowActionsHypocrisyChange
In practice
Example use cases
A pastor can use this quote in a sermon to encourage his congregation to take actionable steps in their spiritual growth.
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.
J. C. RyleRead
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
J. C. RyleRead
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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