When a sinner refuses to come to Christ, he is guilty because he has made a free choice. It reflects his own state of mind, feeling and attitude toward God and His Son. He has acted voluntarily without coercion. It is his decision.
Man’s Will-Free Yet Bound, The Banner of Truth magazine, Issue 140, by permission Banner of Truth, Carlisle, PA. May 1975.
Why do men not accept the gospel? How can they refuse the tender overtures of the gracious Son of God? Why do they even take offense at the cross? Let us consider an analogy. An etiquette book is a very valuable accessory. It is useful on many important occasions. A good one costs considerable money. Who would not be glad to have one, if it were given him? You wouldn’t? Why wouldn’t you be glad to be given such a book? Because it would imply you needed it! That is the reason proud sinners do not come to Christ. Their coming would imply they needed Him. They are too proud and self-righteous in their natural state to admit that!
Theology for Everyman, Moody, 1965, Chapter 6.
To forsake Christ for the world, is to leave a treasure for a trifle, eternity for a moment, reality for a shadow.
Jesus produced mainly three effects: hatred, terror, adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild approval.
Those who reject Christ do so because they are content with darkness. And because they choose darkness rather than light, they will forever have darkness rather than light. Eternity simply crystallizes the choice into permanence.
Ephesians, Moody, 1986, p. 208.
All false religions have their own diversities, but all false religions agree in taking a position opposite the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Rejecting the King’s Authority. The sermon originally appeared (https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/42-244/rejecting-the-kings-authority) at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
Sinners still live with the illusion that they can make a judgment on Jesus Christ and avoid Him making a judgment on them… You judge Jesus wrongly, and He will judge you rightly… The question is not what will you do with Jesus, the question is when you see Him face-to-face, what will He do with you.
Jesus Accused Before Pilate. The sermon originally appeared at: www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/42-279/jesus-accused-before-pilate-part-2 at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
If you wrongly judge Christ, He will rightly judge you… All men render a verdict on Christ…and it is a verdict that has massive consequences for eternity.
The Sinless Savior Before the Sinister Sanhedrin. The sermon originally appeared at: www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/42-277/the-sinless-savior-before-the-sinister-sanhedrin-part-2 at www.gty.org. © 1969-2008. Grace to You. All rights reserved. Used by Permission.
Offer men the smaller gifts, and they will run over one another in their scramble for them; but offer them the highest, and they will scarcely hold out a languid hand to take them.
Expositions of Holy Scriptures, Baker, 1971, p. 100-101.
Our local deity is not Jesus. He goes by the name Jesus. But in reality, our local deity is Jesus Jr.
Our little Jesus is popular because he is useful. He makes us feel better while conveniently fitting into the margins of our busy lives. But he is not terrifying or compelling or thrilling. When we hear the gospel of Jesus Jr., our casual response is “Yeah, that’s what I believe.” Jesus Jr. does not confront us, surprise us, stun us. He looks down on us with a benign, all-approving grin. He tells us how wonderful we really are, how entitled we really are, how wounded we really are, and it feels good.
Jesus Jr. appeals to the flesh. He does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him. He is not able to understand them, much less impart them, because Jesus Jr. is the magnification of Self, the idealization of Self, the absolutization of Self turning around and validating Self, flattering Self, reinforcing Self. Jesus Jr. does not change us, because he is a projection of us.
Blog Post: Jesus Jr. July 7, 2009, Used by Permission.
Wisdom without Christ is damning folly – righteousness without Christ is guilt and condemnation – sanctification without Christ is filth and sin – redemption without Christ is bondage and slavery (Robert Traill).
Taken from Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Moody Publishers, copyright 2010, p. 106.
To the graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is light and easy.
Treasury of David, Commentary for Psalm 2:3.
Objection is sometimes made to the doctrine of total depravity. If men turn away from God in anger, I can understand it. If men turn aside from God in justice, I can understand it. But when they so hate God that they will not even have his salvation, when they refuse pardon through the precious blood of Christ, when they will sooner be damned than reconciled to God, this shows that their heart is desperately wicked. The cross rejected is the clearest proof of the heart depraved.