Inspirational Quotes by Michael S. Horton

“the biblical faith, which sympathizes more with Nietzsche than with many modern theologians”

“The Puritans, perhaps those most Franciscan Protestants of all, explained the importance of theology in the most practical terms possible: learning to die well.”

“against certain forms of postmodern theory, Christian theology affirms that there is a God’s-eye perspective from which genuine truth can be communicated, but, against the tendency of modern thought, it denies that anyone but God occupies this privileged perch. We must be satisfied with God’s Word and leave God’s sovereign knowledge to himself.”

“Aquinas goes further than the Protestant Reformers in stressing the need for grace. While the Reformers held that human nature as created was capable intrinsically of fulfilling its vocation, Thomas insists that even before the fall Adam and Eve required supernatural grace in order to obey in genuine love.39 It will therefore not do for Protestant critics to declaim medieval (and contemporary Roman Catholic) theology as having a “weak view of grace,” full-stop. Rather, it had a different view of grace—primarily as an infused substance to restore original justice (i.e., mastery of the lower self by the higher self) and assist the soul to cooperate toward final beatitude.”

“The essence of the sin of our first parents was that they wanted to have an independent, autonomous existence and knowledge, no longer depending on “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4).”

“there are some surprising similarities between pantheism and atheism. In fact, they are two sides of the same coin. Both embrace the view that being is univocal: in other words, that there is only one kind of reality or existence. In this perspective, there is reality (that which exists) and then there are particular beings who exist, such as divine and non-divine entities. In the “overcoming estrangement” paradigm of pantheism, the physical world is a weak projection of an eternal (real) world. In the atheistic paradigm (“the stranger we never meet”), the projection is reversed; in fact, the longing for transcendent meaning and truth reflects a form of psychological neurosis, nostalgia for a nonexistent “beyond” that paralyzes our responsibility in the present. In other words, pantheism assumes that the upper world is real and this world is mere appearance, while atheism assumes that this world is real and the upper world is nonexistent.”

“The Galatians were not so grossly mistaken as to believe that they were justified by observing the law alone,” says Calvin. “They wanted to mix Christ with the law, but even the smallest amount of righteousness cannot be attributed to the law without renouncing Christ and his grace.”

“us, and not only was put to death, but also after this intercedes for us?”

“it is the goal of good theology to humble us before the triune God of majesty and grace.”

“He does not say, ‘Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s’ servants? or of ‘God’s faithful ones?’ but ‘of God’s elect.’ . . . He does not say, it is God who forgave our sins, but what is much greater, ‘It is God that justifies.’ For when the Judge’s sentence declares us just, and a Judge such as that too, what signifies the accuser? . . . for He has both elected and justified us, and the wondrous thing is that it was also by the death of His Son that He did so. Who then is to condemn us, since God crowns us, and Christ was put to death for”

“We want big results-sooner rather than later. And we've forgotten that God showers his extraordinary gifts through ordinary means of grace, loves us through ordinary fellow image bearers, and sends us into the world to love and serve others in ordinary callings. Michael Horton, Ordinary, 14”

“Cuando se trata de un discipulado cristiano con Cristo, la iglesia local es la autoridad cristiana más alta en la tierra.”

“¿Ejercerá la iglesia local las llaves perfectamente? No. Cometerá errores igual que cualquier otra autoridad establecida por Jesús comete errores. Como tal, la iglesia local es una representación imperfecta de la asamblea de Cristo del final de los tiempos.”

“La iglesia local es un grupo de cristianos que se reúne regularmente en el nombre de Jesús para confirmar y supervisar oficialmente la membresía mutua en Jesucristo y en su Reino a través de la predicación del evangelio y la práctica de los sacramentos”.”

“CNN will not be showing up at a church that is simply trusting God to do extraordinary things through his ordinary means of grace delivered by ordinary servants. But God will. Week after week. These means of grace and the ordinary fellowship of the saints that nurtures and guides us throughout our life may seem frail, but they are jars that carry a rich treasure: Christ with all of his saving benefits. Whatever gifts may spill over into other activities and venues, it is by sharing in the ordinary service of Christ to his people each week that we become heirs of eternal life and draw others into his everlasting kingdom. Christ is the host and the chef. It is his event. His ministers are simply waiters delivering to his guests some savory morsels of the Lamb’s everlasting wedding feast.”

“We all want to live for ourselves and yet be cared for, to have authority without responsibility, to be beneficiaries of the gift exchange without being benefactors. There’s nothing new there. What is somewhat new is that this consummate hubris is seen increasingly not as an evil to be repented of, but a basic human right.”

“In many ways, it’s more fun to be part of movements than churches. We can express our own individuality, pick our favorite leaders, and be swept off our feet at conferences. We can be anonymous. Although encouraged by like-minded believers, we are not bound up with them so that we should feel compelled to bear their burdens or suffer their rebukes. Yet this movement mentality keeps us restless and makes ordinary life in and submission to an actual church seem intolerably confining.”

“everything that the Bible identifies as sin and our nature recognizes as such is something essentially good gone wrong. More precisely, it is something God has made that we have corrupted. Augustine defined the essence of sin as being curved in on ourselves”

“We’re all adolescents now,” writes Thomas Bergler. “When are we going to grow up?”17 Bergler explains that churches and parachurch organizations first began to provide youth-oriented programs — mainly to help at-risk kids in the cities (e.g., the YMCA). Then the “teenager” was invented as a unique demographic in society. As a result, the youth group was created, offering adolescent-friendly versions of church. “In the second stage, a new adulthood emerged that looked a lot like the old adolescence. Fewer and fewer people outgrew the adolescent Christian spiritualities they had learned in youth groups; instead, churches began to cater to them.” Eventually, churches became them.”

“Being “ordinary” means that we reject the idolatry of pursuing excellence for selfish reasons. We aren’t digging wells in Africa to prove our worth or value. We aren’t serving in the soup kitchen or engaging in spiritual disciplines because we long to be unique, radical, and different. When we do these things for selfish reasons, God becomes a tool for winning our lifetime achievement award. Our neighbors become instruments in the crafting of our sense of meaning, impact, and identity. What we do for God is really for ourselves.”