John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

We are frail, sinful beings. Jesus died for us and He gave us who are saved a new heart. But we still have the old nature, and so we need, day by day, to resist the Devil and to get cleansing and help from God. But we ought to know that we are in the family of God. We are born of God; we have everlasting life. I am talking about saved people who have a new heart and the Holy Spirit moved in to take charge and such as have trusted Jesus are born again Christians. We can thank God that is settled for good. - John R. Rice

When you were saved, you got everlasting life. It is not honest to say everlasting means something else. Everlasting means everlasting, and if God promised everlasting life when you trusted Him, then that is what He gave you when you trusted Him.
But you say, "You may not deserve it." Neither you nor I deserved it to start with. That is not the way we got it. One may say, "You may not hold out faithful." We did not start faithful. That is not the way we got it. No, we trust Jesus and He saves us by His loving mercy and never lets us go. - John R. Rice

I talked to a young backslider who had been taught that when you sin, you are lost again. Nearly all the tomfool heresies and ideas got started by some preacher. Some preacher had told her that. She thought she was lost again. I said, "Now, you have sinned since you were saved?"
"Yes, I have."
"Is Jesus going to come back to die again on the cross to pay for those sins of yours?"
She was certainly very much puzzled. "Well, no, I don't think so."
"Then do you think He paid for them the first time He was here on the cross?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "I see it."
He paid for all my sins and the sins of the whole world when He died on the cross. She could see that; so can you and I. And we ought to thank God for it. Ah, thank God He gives everlasting life.
He atoned for our sins. They are all paid for. - John R. Rice

That chapter [Romans 8] starts out with "no condemnation," and ends up with "no separation." Everlasting life! My dear, troubled friend, if you don't know you are saved for sure, saved forever, I am sorry for you. - John R. Rice

When Christians are first converted, they are still baby Christians. They are still young Christians. They need to grow in grace. They need to come to trust the Lord day by day. They need to read the Bible and serve God and have joy and peace and assurance. But the security is already there. - John R. Rice

Sinlessness is not what the Lord is talking about when the Bible speaks of sanctification. Oh, but doesn't the Scripture say in the Sermon on the Mount, "Be ye therefor perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect"? Yes, it says that. Do you think God would say it is all right for you to sin a little? Do you think God is going to set up an imperfect standard? When God gave the Ten Commandments, did he say, "Now serve idols part of the time, but most of the time serve the Lord"? No, the Ten Commandments set up a perfect standard. And here the Scripture sets up a perfect standard. - John R. Rice

All should long to be sinless, and seek to be. Somebody said, "Now Brother Rice, we are Baptists (or Presbyterians or Methodists) and we don't believe in sinless perfection." Well, I would have to say I believe in it, but I don't practice it. That is, I believe that is right. I don't believe I have reached it. I don't know anybody else who has reached it, and if you are pretending you have, I don't believe you. - John R. Rice