The New Testament is of full authority and open to the understanding of simple men as to the points most needful to salvation.
John WycliffeRead
We should know that faith is a gift of God, and that it may not be given to men, except it be graciously. Thus, indeed, all the good which we have is of God; and accordingly, when God rewardeth a good work of man, he crowneth his own gift.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Faith is a divine gift and all good deeds come from God.
This quote emphasizes that faith is not something we earn or attain on our own; it is a gracious gift from God. Wycliffe suggests that any good we are capable of performing is ultimately a reflection of God's goodness, and when we are rewarded for our actions, it is really a recognition of the divine grace that has empowered those actions in the first place.
Themes
FaithGiftGraceGodGoodnessDeeds
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing the importance of faith in our actions.
More from John Wycliffe
All quotes →No man is to be credited for his mere authority's sake, unless he can show Scripture for the maintenance of his opinion.
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By the law of Christ, every man is bound to love his neighbour as himself; but every servant is a neighbour of every civil lord; therefore every civil lord must love any of his servants as himself; but by natural instinct, every lord abhors slavery; therefore, by the law of charity, he is bound not to impose slavery on any brother in Christ.
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The higher the hill, the stronger the wind: so the loftier the life, the stronger the enemy's temptations.
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The gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere - any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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I shall not die, but live; and again declare the evil deeds of the friars.
John WycliffeRead
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