Simul Justus et Peccator

For brightness, give me not the sunlight, but that superior glory with which the Lord lights up the darkness of affliction. —Spurgeon

My happiest hours have not been in the days of my mirth, but in the nights of my sorrow. When all waters are bitter, the cup of divine consolation is all the sweeter.

The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires: their hope is a humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble brokenhearted joy. . . . (Edwards, Religious Affections, 339)

All gracious affections [feelings, emotions] that are a sweet [aroma] to Christ . . . are brokenhearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble brokenhearted love.

𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹." —John Owen

And small hope is there to bring such men to value the righteousness of Christ, as imputed to them, who are so unacquainted with their own unrighteousness inherent in them.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. "No wonder if such persons look upon imputed righteousness as the shadow of a dream, who esteem those things which evidence its necessity to be but fond imaginations.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I am not, in my natural state, nearly so much of a person as I like to believe: most of what I call ‘me’ can be very easily explained. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His Personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.

The more we get what we now call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become. There is so much of Him that millions and millions of ‘little Christs’, all different, will still be too few to express Him fully. He made them all.

The theology which robs Christ of his Godhead, thereby robs God of the glory of his love, and robs us of the one belief that can generate a mature love within us. John Stott

That 'the Father has sent his Son' is not only the chief test of doctrinal orthodoxy but also the supreme evidence of God's love and inspiration of ours. The divine-human person of Jesus Christ, God's love for us, and our love for God and neighbour cannot be separated.

“To love and admire anything outside yourself is to take one step away from utter spiritual ruin; though we shall not be well so long as we love and admire anything more than we love and admire God.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The light of a holy example is the gospel’s main argument. (R. L. Dabney)

“If the truth offends, then let it offend. People have been living their whole lives in offense to God; let them be offended for a while.” –John MacArthur