Quote of the Day

A good or bad defense of the faith may be helpful or unhelpful, but in each case that is only corroborative.  The Christian faith is not true because someone argues for it brilliantly, nor is it false because someone defends it badly.  Christian faith is true or false regardless of anyone's defense of the faith.  Faith's certainty lies elsewhere than in the rapier sharp logic or the sledgehammer power of the apologist.  At the end of the day, full certainty comes from the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

- Os Guinness
from his book:  Fool's Talk:  Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion

Quote of the Day

(On progressive sanctification)No, indeed, dearest, I shall not tell you that having Christ, and being therefore rich in hope, you can want nothing more.  I know that when sure, quite sure of the pardon of sin, we do want more - we want to be rid of it.  Such is the beautiful design of God.  We are safe in being justified; but we are not happy, but in proportion as we are sanctified; the former satisfies our fears, but our desires are restless for the latter.  As the former is the first act of divine love, it is naturally the first thing a believer seeks to be assured of; and when he has assured himself of pardon and justification in Christ, he very often fancies for a time that he has the whole of salvation, and is sanctified.  But this does not last; he finds out as you do, that he wants more; he wants holiness and cannot be happy without it.  But then what a comfort that the one is secure as the other,  although a slower process; that the same blood which bought our justification, and bestows it at once, bought our sanctification - the other half of one and the same salvation, - and must bestow it ultimately.

Caroline [Fry] Wilson
From:  An Autobiography and Letters of the Author of The Listener, Christ Our Law, Etc. (1849)