Inspirational Quotes by John MacArthur

“All pulpits must passionately declare Christ to be the eternal Son of the living God, the only Savior of sinners. All preaching must boldly announce Him as the reigning Lord of heaven and earth. He must be fearlessly announced as the One before whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. All preaching must assert that this Jesus is the final Judge of every human life. To fulfill this sacred duty, every preacher must proclaim the full counsel of God. Every doctrine in Scripture must be delivered. Every truth must be taught. Every sin must be exposed. Every warning must be issued. And every promise must be offered. If God is to bless our preaching, the supreme majesty of Jesus Christ Himself must be expounded in our sermons. All the lines of our preaching must intersect at this highest pinnacle—Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

“This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully.”

“As we seek after discernment, a good and godly desire, our sinful natures will fight against us. We will soon discover a part of ourselves that does not want to make clear distinctions between what is good and evil, and a part of ourselves that does not want to be committed to what is good and right and true. And so the first enemy we must overcome in our discipline of discernment is ourselves.”

“We can agree with what the gospel says about our sinfulness without becoming overwhelmed by guilt and shame. Further, we do not have to prove that we are victims rather than victimizers out of a desperate effort to persuade ourselves that we are righteous. We have Christ’s righteousness already. We can rest in this.”

“Consider this simple thought. The Lord could have made everything brown. Brown grass, brown flowers, brown sky, brown sea. But He didn't. There is much for us to enjoy in the variety and the beauty of His creation. These things illustrate His essential goodness. God is good. His goodness is seen in all His works.”

“We may never say, "I was looking for God, and I found him." We may only ever testify, "I was not looking for any God other than myself—and he found me." You did not work it out. Our seeking never does. He sought you out and he saved your soul, and this is the testimony we all share.”

“No man is too weak for God to use, only too strong.”

“What is most important in heaven is not the streets of gold, nor the gates of pearl. The greatest gain of being in heaven is not even to be reunited with loved ones. The greatest profit will be to stand before Christ and behold him as he is. The glory of heaven is found in Jesus Christ himself.”

“The essence of Christianity is centered upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The sum and substance of being a Christian is trusting Christ with the entirety of one’s being. The height of the Christian life is adoring Christ, the depth of it loving Him, the breadth of it obeying Him, and the length of it following Him. Everything in the Christian life revolves around Jesus Christ. Simply put, Christianity is Christ.”

“This famine in pulpits across the nation reveals a loss of confidence in God’s Word to perform its sacred work. While evangelicals affirm the inerrancy of Scripture, many have apparently abandoned their belief in its sufficiency to save and to sanctify. Rather than expounding the Word with growing vigor, many are turning to lesser strategies in an effort to resurrect dead ministries. But with each newly added novelty, the straightforward expounding of the Bible is being relegated to a secondary role, further starving the church. Doing God’s work God’s way requires an unwavering commitment to feeding people God’s Word through relentless biblical preaching and teaching.”

“There is a kind of preaching that God blesses, specifically the proclamation that exalts the crucified Christ by the power of the Spirit. Conversely, there is a kind of preaching that God does not bless, a mere echoing of man’s empty wisdom that is devoid of Christ.”

“To be like Christ requires us to be full of joy and gladness.”

“None of us can ever humble ourselves too much.”

“[The preacher] should open his mouth vigorously and confidently, to preach the truth that has been entrusted to him. He should not be silent or mumble but should testify without being frightened or bashful. He should speak out candidly without regarding or sparing anyone, let it strike whomever or whatever it will. It is a great hindrance to a preacher if he looks around and worries about what people like or do not like to hear, or what might make him unpopular or bring harm or danger upon him. As he stands high on a mountain in public place and looks around freely, so he should also speak freely and fear no one.[227]”

“True New Testament miracles always pointed to the person of Christ. Therefore, if the glory of God and the Good News of Christ aren’t clarified or enhanced by a supposedly extraordinary act, it isn’t a miracle of God.”

“God's wisdom is like the rainbow, in symmetry, beauty, and variety. He does not paint scenes merely in black and white, but uses a riot of colour from the heavenly palette in order to show the wonder of His wise dealings with His people. - Sinclair Ferguson”

“The Bible places great emphasis on spiritual maturity because, like children, immature believers are prone to sample anything. They are attracted to what looks good to their untrained eyes. Only as they grow in maturity are they able to differentiate between what pleases God and what does not. Because of this there can be no growth without discernment.”

“Christ is the focus of the entire Bible, and you need to study it to know what He is like. Too often we study the Bible for the sake of theological arguments or to answer questions. Those things are important, but the main point of Bible study is to know more about Christ so that you can be like Him.”

“El que encubre sus pecados no prosperará; mas el que los confiesa y se aparta alcanzará misericordia. PROVERBIOS 28.13 Lo que es evidente es que la gente en nuestra cultura se ha vuelto muy buena en culpar del cambio tomando de chivos expiatorios a los padres, las decepciones de la infancia y otras disfunciones que escapan a su control. No importa cuál es el problema que sufra, tanto si usted es un asesino caníbal en serie o simplemente alguien que está luchando con angustia emocional, es fácil encontrar a alguien que le explicará por qué su problema no es culpa suya. Esto puede ser espiritualmente destructivo. No aborda el problema real de la pecaminosidad humana. Alimenta las peores tendencias de la naturaleza humana. Engendra la forma más catastrófica de la negación: la de la propia culpa. Se añade más culpa por culpar a alguien que no es realmente el culpable en lo absoluto. Desconocer nuestra culpabilidad personal nunca puede liberarnos del sentimiento de culpa. Por el contrario, los que se niegan a reconocer su pecado en realidad se hacen esclavos de su propia culpa. «Si decimos que no tenemos pecado, nos engañamos a nosotros mismos, y la verdad no está en nosotros. [Pero] si confesamos nuestros pecados, él es fiel y justo para perdonar nuestros pecados, y limpiarnos de toda maldad» (1 Juan 1.8–9). Jesucristo vino al mundo para salvar a los pecadores. Él dijo específicamente que no había venido a salvar a los que quieren exonerarse a sí mismos (Marcos 2.17). Donde no hay reconocimiento del pecado y la culpa, cuando la conciencia ha sido objeto de abusos en silencio, no puede haber salvación, ni santificación y por lo tanto, una verdadera emancipación del poder implacable del pecado.”

“¿Qué es la depravación total? Pero el hombre natural no percibe las cosas que son del Espíritu de Dios, porque para él son locura, y no las puede entender, porque se han de discernir espiritualmente. 1 CORINTIOS 2.14 Las Escrituras enseñan que de principio a fin toda la humanidad está en completa depravación. La depravación total no significa que los pecadores incrédulos siempre son tan malos como podrían serlo (cp. Lucas 6.33; Romanos 2.14). Esto no quiere decir que la expresión de la naturaleza humana pecaminosa es siempre manifestada al máximo. Esto no quiere decir que los no creyentes no son capaces de actos de bondad, benevolencia, buena voluntad o altruismo humano. Desde luego, no quiere decir que los no cristianos no pueden apreciar la bondad, la belleza, la honestidad, la decencia o la excelencia. Lo que significa es que nada de esto tiene algún mérito para Dios. La depravación también significa que el mal ha contaminado todos los aspectos de nuestra humanidad, nuestro corazón, mente, personalidad, emociones, conciencia, motivaciones y voluntad (cp. Jeremías 17.9; Juan 8.44) Los pecadores no redimidos, por lo tanto, son incapaces de hacer nada para agradar a Dios (Isaías 64.6). Son incapaces de amar verdaderamente al Dios que se revela en las Escrituras. Son incapaces de obedecer de corazón, con motivos justos. Son incapaces de comprender la verdad espiritual. Son incapaces de fe genuina. Y esto significa que son incapaces de agradar a Dios o buscarlo verdaderamente a Él (Romanos 3.11). La depravación total significa que los pecadores no tienen la capacidad de hacer el bien espiritual u obrar para su propia salvación del pecado. Están tan completamente alejados de amar la justicia, tan completamente muertos en el pecado, que no pueden salvarse a sí mismos, o incluso ser aptos para la salvación de Dios. La humanidad incrédula no tiene la capacidad de desear, entender, creer o poner en práctica la verdad espiritual (cp. 1 Corintios 2.14).”