John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

Oh, let us cherish and hold to and defend this "faith of the Gospel," and let us count no one a Christian who does not abide in this "doctrine of Christ," nor ask him into our houses, nor seminaries, nor churches, nor bid him Godspeed! - John R. Rice

To repent? What does it mean? It means that God has commanded you to change your mind and change your heart attitude. You cannot change your nature- God must do that; but you can change your attitude toward righteousness and toward God. You can, like the prodigal son, say that you have played the fool and that you have been wrong, and come to your senses and decide to go home to the Father. That is repentance. - John R. Rice

It is no wonder that heathen races intuitively know that there is a God to whom they must give an account. When heathen tribes worship the sun, moon, and stars, when they worship bulls as the Egyptians did, or serpents or birds, as others have, that is a perversion, of course. We are well familiar with people who go through the forms of worship in our churches without a heart understanding. We know some people have the "form of godliness without the power thereof." And so it is when heathen people worship things in nature. But thus do they acknowledge there is a witness to a living God who made all things and who controls all things and to whom we must give an account. - John R. Rice

There is no respect of persons with God. God calls every man, gives every man a chance to be saved. God does not select some to be saved and some to be damned, as some hardhearted heretics foolishly claim. He renders to men according to their works, punishment to those who do evil, whether Jew or Gentile; glory and honor and peace to those who do good. That does not mean by man's goodness he can earn Heaven, but it means that every man who follows what light he has will have more light and will come to know of the Saviour and the way of salvation. There is no respect of persons with God. - John R. Rice

So Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth" (Matt. 12:30). Every Christian, at least by his decision and in his heart, is for Christ and the Bible and is for getting people saved; every lost sinner, by his influence and by his example, is saying that you don't need to be a Christian, that you had better stay unsaved, there is more happiness and profit in living for the Devil. He may not put it in those words and most sinners are not willing to acknowledge their real heart attitude. But to be unconverted is to be against God and thus an agent of Satan and following Satan's leadership to some degree. - John R. Rice

It is not that you cannot come. It is not that you do not know how to come. If you don't know how to come to Christ, you could find out mighty soon if your heart sought Him. God is near. He promised, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." No, you are lost because you choose to be lost. It is because of your own sinful will that you go on rejecting Christ, scorning the invitation of the Spirit, insulting the Holy Spirit who convicts you! You WILL not come. - John R. Rice

Now the Scripture tells us that when these Wise Men came into the house, "they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." These Wise Men prostrated themselves before Him; they fell down and worshiped Him. They didn't chuck the Baby under the chin and say, "Isn't He cute?" No, they came to worship Him, God in human form. This is the Messiah foretold in the book of Daniel. They fell down to worship the world's Saviour. So do I. I have no patience with anybody who claims to be a Christian but who comes with a critical mind. You think you are smart enough, wise enough to pass judgment on the Bible and on the deity of Christ and whether He is God or not! You poor ignoramus! Don't you know you are going to face Him as Judge one day? - John R. Rice