Quotes by Louis Berkhof
Louis Berkhof (1873–1957) — Theologe · Reformiert · USA
Louis Berkhof war ein US-amerikanischer reformierter Theologe und langjähriger Professor sowie Präsident am Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids. Er steht für eine didaktisch klare Gesamtdarstellung der reformierten Orthodoxie und wurde vor allem durch seine einflussreiche »Systematische Theologie« sowie seine Verteidigung der Lehre von der allgemeinen Gnade bekannt. Bibellesern dient sein Werk bis heute als strukturiertes dogmengeschichtliches Nachschlagewerk zum Verständnis einer klassisch-calvinistischen Schriftauslegung.
Era: The 20th Century
Recurring topics: God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit, Grace & Redemption, Church & Congregation, Growth & Character, Wisdom & Understanding, Faith & Trust, Guilt & Forgiveness, Freedom & Truth
Quotes by Louis Berkhof
True liberty consists exactly in self-determination in the direction of holiness. Man is never more free than when he moves consciously in the direction of God.
Louis Berkhof
According to Scripture the essence of man consists in this, that he is the image of God. As such he is distinguished from all other creatures and stands supreme as the head and crown of the entire creation.
Louis Berkhof
If the Church on earth is the militant Church, the Church in heaven is the triumphant Church… In these two stages of her existence the Church reflects the humiliation and exaltation of her heavenly Lord.
Louis Berkhof
Man can know God only to the extent that God makes Himself known.
Louis Berkhof
Moreover, true repentance never exists except in conjunction with faith, while on the other hand, wherever there is true faith, there is also real repentance. The two are but different aspects of the same turning-a turning away from sin in the direction of God. The two cannot be separated; they are simply complementary parts of the same process.
Louis Berkhof
[Grace is] the free bestowal of kindness on one who has no claim to it.
Louis Berkhof
In God there are no three persons alongside of, and separate from, one another, but only personal self-distinctions within the Divine essence, which is not only generically, but also numerically, one.
Louis Berkhof
Perseverance may be defined as that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart, is continued and brought to completion. It is because God never forsakes His work that believers continue to stand to the very end.
Louis Berkhof
Sanctification is a work of the Triune God, but is ascribed more particularly to the Holy Spirit in Scripture… Though man is privileged to cooperate with the Spirit of God, he can do this only in virtue of the strength which the Spirit imparts to him from day to day. The spiritual development of man is not a human achievement but a work of divine grace. Man deserves no credit whatsoever for that which he contributes to it instrumentally.
Louis Berkhof
[The church] has never tried to explain the mystery of the Trinity, but only sought to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity in such a manner that the errors which endangered it were warded off.
Louis Berkhof
[The] Church is said to be invisible, because she is essentially spiritual and in her spiritual essence cannot be discerned by the physical eye; and because it is impossible to determine infallibly who do and who do not belong to her.
Louis Berkhof
The denial of the doctrine of perseverance virtually makes the salvation of man dependent on the human will rather than on the grace of God.
Louis Berkhof
Sin has darkened the understanding of man and exercises a harmful influence on his mental life.
Louis Berkhof
The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is to the effect that they whom God has regenerated and effectually called to a state of grace, can neither totally nor finally fall away from that state, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end and be eternally saved.
Louis Berkhof
This is quite essential for maintaining the purity of doctrine and for guarding the holiness of the sacraments. Churches that are lax in discipline are bound to discover sooner or later within their circle an eclipse of the light of the truth and an abuse of that which is holy. Hence a Church that would remain true to her ideal in the measure in which this is possible on earth, must be diligent and conscientious in the exercise of Christian discipline. The Word of God insists on proper discipline in the Church of Christ (Mt. 18:18; 1 Cor. 5:1-5, 13; 14:33, 40; Rev. 2:14, 15, 20).
Louis Berkhof
Strictly speaking, it may be said that the true preaching of the Word and its recognition as the standard of doctrine and life, is the one mark of the Church. Without it there is no Church, and it determines the right administration of the sacraments and the faithful exercise of Church discipline. Nevertheless, the right administration of the sacraments is also a real mark of the Church. And though the exercise of discipline may not be peculiar to the Church, that is, is not found in it exclusively, yet it is absolutely essential to the purity of the Church.
Louis Berkhof
The divine essence is not divided among the three persons, but is wholly with all its perfection in each one of the persons so that they have a numerical unity of essence.
Louis Berkhof
The Trinity is a mystery…man cannot comprehend it and make it intelligible. It is intelligible in some of its relations and modes of manifestation, but unintelligible in its essential nature…. The real difficulty lies in the relation in which the persons in the Godhead stand to the divine essence and to one another; and this is a difficulty which the Church cannot remove, but only try to reduce to its proper proportion by a proper definition of terms. It has never tried to explain the mystery of the Trinity but only sought to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity in such a manner that the errors which endangered it were warded off.
Louis Berkhof
It is possible that some who belong to the invisible Church never become members of the visible organization… On the other hand there may be unregenerate (people) who, while professing Christ, have no true faith in Him…and these, as long as they are in that condition, do not belong to the invisible Church.
Louis Berkhof
It is sometimes said that the doctrine of predestination exposes God to the charge of injustice. But this is hardly correct. We could speak of injustice only if man had a claim on God, and God owed man eternal salvation. But the situation is entirely different if all men have forfeited the blessings of God, as they have. No one has the right to call God to account for electing some and rejecting others. He would have been perfectly just, if He had not saved any, Matt. 20:14, 15; Rom. 9:14, 15.
Louis Berkhof
21 quotes in total — browse the collection.
Sources: banneroftruth.org, christianstudylibrary.org, reformedarsenal.com, reformedbooksonline.com
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