The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
Let your Christianity be so unmistakable, your eye so single, your heart so whole, your walk so straightforward, that all who see you may have no doubt whose you are, and whom you serve.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of living one's faith openly and wholly so that others can clearly see one's commitment to that faith.
J.C. Ryle's quote encourages individuals to embody their beliefs in a way that is transparent and authentic. It suggests that a strong and sincere demonstration of Christianity through one's actions and character can inspire others and leave no question about one's faith or purpose in life. The imagery of having a 'single eye' and a 'whole heart' implies that a believer's focus and integrity are vital in serving as a reflection of their commitment to their faith.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of living one's faith authentically.
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.
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.
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
Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
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.
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People are ridiculous only when they try or seem to be that which they are not.
For the beginning is assuredly the end- since we know nothing, pure and simple, beyond our own complexities.
Most of us are reflecting life and not affecting it. Your inner speech mirrors your mind, and your mind mirrors God. If you_x000D_ do not change your thoughts, you haven't changed their activity. And if_x000D_ you do not change their activity, the conditions of your life cannot_x000D_ change, for they are only bearing witness to the inner action of your_x000D_ mind.
If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn’t the whole airplane made out of that stuff?
But now we got weapons _x000D_ _x000D_ Of the chemical dust _x000D_ _x000D_ If fire them we're forced to _x000D_ _x000D_ Then fire them we must _x000D_ _x000D_ One push of the button _x000D_ _x000D_ And a shot the world wide _x000D_ _x000D_ And you never ask questions _x000D_ _x000D_ When God's on your side
Western Christians have imagined that, at the end of the day, God is going to throw the present space-time universe into a trashcan and we'll be sitting on clouds playing harps. The ultimate future that we're promised is much more interesting than that. It's new heavens and a new Earth with new bodies to live in.