In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'That is mine!'.
Abraham KuyperRead
There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is a beauty which God grants when by His grace men are born again. That kind of beauty never vanishes but blooms eternally.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote distinguishes between physical beauty, which fades over time, and a deeper, spiritual beauty that endures through faith.
Abraham Kuyper's quote highlights the difference between transient physical beauty and the enduring beauty of the soul that arises from a spiritual awakening or rebirth. The first kind of beauty is superficial and temporal, much like a flower that eventually withers, while the beauty granted through divine grace signifies deeper qualities such as love, wisdom, and character that remain vibrant throughout one's life. This implies that true beauty is linked to one's inner spiritual state rather than outer appearances.
Themes
BeautySpiritualityFaithGraceInner BeautyEternal
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth and spirituality, one might reference this quote to emphasize the importance of inner qualities.
More from Abraham Kuyper
All quotes →A charity which knows only how to give money is not yet Christian love. You will be free of guilt only when you also give your time, your energy, and your resourcefulness to help end such abuses for good, and when you allow nothing that lies hidden in the storehouse of your Christian religion to remain unused against the cancer that is destroying the vitality of our society in such alarming ways.
Abraham KuyperRead
When the principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then the battle is your calling, and peace has become sin. You must at the price of dearest peace lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy with all the fire of your faith.
Abraham KuyperRead
Do not bury our glorious orthodoxy in the treacherous pit of a spurious conservatism.
Abraham KuyperRead
God created hand, head, and heart; the hand for the deed, the head for the world, the heart for mysticism.
Abraham KuyperRead
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