How dangerous it is to join anything of our own to the righteousness of Christ, in pursuit of justification before God! Jesus Christ will never endure this; it reflects upon His work dishonorably. He will be all, or none, in our justification. If He has finished the work, what need is there of our additions? And if not, to what purpose are they? Can we finish that which Christ Himself could not complete? Did He finish the work, and will He ever divide the glory and praise of it with us? No, no; Christ is no half-Savior. It is a hard thing to bring proud hearts to rest upon Christ for righteousness. God humbles the proud by calling sinners wholly from their own righteousness to Christ for their justification.
— John Flavel (1627–1691), Puritanischer Prediger
Topics: Grace & Redemption, Faith & Trust, Humility & Pride
Occasions: For Reflection
John Flavel
John Flavel war ein englischer puritanischer Geistlicher und Autor des 17. Jahrhunderts, der nach dem Verlust seiner Pfarrstelle durch die Uniformitätsakte von 1662 vor allem verdeckt in Dartmouth wirkte. Er wurde durch theologische Schriften über die göttliche Vorsehung, innere Herzensprüfung und seelsorgerlichen Trost in Krisenzeiten bekannt. Heutigen Bibellesern vermittelt sein Werk einen Einblick in die Verbindung von reformierter Glaubenslehre mit praxisnaher Seelsorge und Alltagsfrömmigkeit.
All quotes by John Flavel (30)
It wasn't the nails that held Jesus to the cross. It was love.
Max Lucado
Grace, like water, flows to the lowest part.
Philip Yancey
In our own woundedness, we can become sources of life for others.
Henri Nouwen
God does not love us because we are lovable, but because his nature is love.
Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers
God counts on your failure far more than you do yourself.
Hans Peter Royer
Ultimately mourning means facing what wounds us in the presence of One who can heal.
Henri Nouwen
The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.
Tim Keller