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Quotes by William Hendriksen

1

If one is filled with revulsion at the thought that such vengeance is ascribed to a Savior whose love and tenderness are beyond all imagination and description, might not the solution be that these very attributes make hating and rejecting such a Savior worthy of supreme retribution?

2

The man of sorrow sees it coming toward Him. He already senses something of the perfidy, the hypocrisy, the calumny, the mockery, the pain, and the shame which like an avalanche threatens to overwhelm Him. Yet, He does not retreat or even stand still. With unflinching determination, He walks right into it, for He knows that this is necessary in order that His people may be saved. “Having loved His own…He loved them to the uttermost” (John 13:1).

3

Never futile is the work of the church, for it is a product not of the mind of man but of the sovereign grace of God.

4

A hypocrite says one thing but means something else. He pretends to do one thing but intends to do another. He is play-acting, dissembling. He is hiding his real face under a mask.

5

What we have here in Matthew 5:33-37 (cf. James 5:12) is the condemnation of the flippant, profane, uncalled for, and often hypocritical oath, used in order to make an impression or to spice daily conversation. Over against that evil Jesus commends simple truthfulness in thought, word and deed.

6

The cross exposes man’s desperate state, his utter bankruptcy that made such suffering necessary. Accordingly, it reveals the folly of all human pride. It teaches man to say: “I never knew myself as a sinner, nor recognized Christ as my Savior until upon the cross I saw, My God, who died to meet the law that I had broken; then I saw, My sin, and then my Savior.” No one is ever able to see on that cross “the wonder of God’s glorious love” until he also sees “his own unworthiness,” and “pours contempt on all his pride.”

7

Christ’s resurrection was the work of the Triune God. The Father raised Him from the dead (Rom. 6:4; Gal. 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:3). So did the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). And the Son took back the life which He had laid down (Jn. 10:18; cf. 2:19, 21; 11:25). For the comfort of believers, these three are and always will be One.

8

The truly godly person is not interested in becoming rich. He possesses inner resources which furnish riches far beyond that which earth can offer.

9

The Lord grants us opportunities for service in accordance with our ability to make use of them. Accordingly, since not all men have the same ability, therefore not all have the same, or equal number of, opportunities. In the Day of Judgment the number (of opportunities for service, “talents”) will not matter. The question is only, “Have we been faithful in their use?” (see Matthew 25:14-20).

10

God’s grace is His active favor bestowing the greatest gifts upon those who have deserved the greatest punishment.

11

“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink. I don’t swear. Hallelujah, I’m a Christian.” If a telephone pole could talk, it might say the same thing. But a series of zeros do not make a Christian. A million negatives do not produce even one positive. We may pity the man with an empty mind. But what about the person with the empty heart?

12

The underlying figure is that of a condemned man who is forced to take up and carry his own cross to the place of execution. However, what the convict does under duress, the disciple of Christ does willingly. He voluntarily and decisively accepts the pain, shame, and persecution that is going to be his particular – note: his, not someone else’s – lot because of his loyalty to Christ and his cause.

13

[God’s] providence in time is as comprehensive as is His decrees from eternity.

 

14

In order to discern the will of God for their lives believers cannot just depend on their conscience. Conscience is indeed very important, but it must constantly be sent back to the school of Scripture to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit. It is in this manner that believers become and remain aware of God’s will. Which will? Decretive (secret) or Preceptive (revealed)? The latter, of course… In this way the will of God will become an increasingly well-established or proven component of the consciousness and lives of God’s children. The more they live in accordance with that will and approve of it, the more also, through this experience, will they learn to know that will, and rejoice in that knowledge. They will exclaim, “Thy will is our delight.”