John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

 May I say as gently as I may, that all human claims to sin-free holiness must be grievously offensive to God who says that "boasting is excluded."

And God has arranged it that in the heavenly kingdom the one who will get the praise is Jesus Christ. - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 74]

I have a secret agreement with the Angel Gabriel that when we get to Heaven we are going to listen carefully. How proud and glad we will be for everyone that tells of the grace of God, and of the tender mercy of Jesus, of how He sought and found and brought in many a lost sheep! But we have agreed that the first one who starts to boast, "Look at me! I made it! I held out faithful and I got here!" we are going to pitch him over the banisters. No, in Heaven Jesus Christ must have the glory. And so God has arranged all the saving must be done by His loving grace without human works "lest any man should boast." - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 74]

Those who think that good works and holy living are proper for a Christian are right. But those who think good works and holy living obtain salvation have missed the whole point of God's Word on salvation. How can anyone walk a Christian walk without Christian feet? How can anyone exercise Christian love without a Christian heart? How can anyone act like a Christian until he is already, by God's merciful miracle, made a Christian? - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 74-75]

Is one ever to be justified by works then? Yes, in the sight of men. In James 2:18 we are told, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." So then if we are to show our faith to others, it is to be revealed by good works. In the sight of men we give the evidence of salvation and thus justify ourselves by good works. But in the sight of God, justification comes upon faith and precedes good works. There is no conflict here. Man cannot see the heart. So if man is to come to an opinion as to whether one is saved or not, he must judge by some outward works. That is a frail and unsure method sometimes. But as far as showing ourselves to to others as Christians, faith without works is dead. And men must depend upon what they can see for evidence of heart faith. This does not change the matter that with God human works have nothing to do with justifying a sinner. - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 76]

If Abraham earned his salvation, it was a debt that God would have to pay him. But if it was the free gift of God to a guilty sinner, then that would be grace. The two are mutually exclusive.

Romans 4:5 says, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 76]

One cannot claim his own righteousness and claim the mercy of Christ.

All you priests then, away with your masses! One sacrifice forever has paid all that sin's debt requires. To try to add one penny's worth to the sacrifice Jesus Christ has already made is blasphemous and wicked. - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 78]

Man's nature is so tainted that "the plowing of the wicked is sin" (Prov. 21:4). That is, even the ordinary daily life of an unconverted man is in wickedness, alienated from God, perverted, tainted and sinful. - John R. Rice [Great Truths for Soul Winners, pg. 82]