Christian Dogmatics

“Make careful choice of the books which you read. Let the Holy Scriptures ever have the pre-eminence, and next them, the solid, lively, heavenly treatises, which best expound and apply the Scriptures; and next those, the credible histories, especially of the church, and tractates upon inferior sciences and arts: but take heed of the poison of the writings of false teachers, which would corrupt your understandings: and of vain romances, play-books, and false stories, which may bewitch your fantasies, and corrupt your hearts.” Richard Baxter

“But if any honest Christian wants to know why He suffered death on the cross and not in some other way, we answer thus: in no other way was it expedient for us, indeed the Lord offered for our sakes the one death that was supremely good. He had come to bear the curse that lay on us; and how could He "become a curse" otherwise than by accepting the accursed death? And that death is the cross, for it is written "Cursed is every one that hangeth on tree." Again, the death of the Lord is the ransom of all, and by it "the middle wall of partition” is broken down and the call of the Gentiles comes about. How could He have called us if He had not been crucified, for it is only on the cross that a man dies with arms outstretched? Here, again, we see the fitness of His death and of those outstretched arms: it was that He might draw His ancient people with the one and the Gentiles with the other, and join both together in Himself. Even so, He foretold the manner of His redeeming death, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Myself." Again, the air is the sphere of the devil, the enemy of our race who, having fallen from heaven, endeavors with the other evil spirits who shared in his disobedience both to keep souls from the truth and to hinder the progress of those who are trying to follow it. The apostle refers to this when he says, "According to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience." But the Lord came to overthrow the devil and to purify the air and to make "a way" for us up to heaven, as the apostle says, "through the veil, that is to say, His flesh.” This had to be done through death, and by what other kind of death could it be done, save by a death in the air, that is, on the cross? Here, again, you see how right and natural it was that the Lord should suffer thus; for being thus "lifted up," He cleansed the air from all the evil influences of the enemy. "I beheld Satan as lightning falling," He says; and thus He re-opened the road to heaven, saying again, "Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors." For it was not the Word Himself Who needed an opening of the gates, He being Lord of all, nor was any of His works closed to their Maker. No, it was we who needed it, we whom He Himself upbore in His own body—that body which He first offered to death on behalf of all, and then made through it a path to heaven.” St Athanasius

“We need Jesus! We cannot do without Him! We must have Him, for He is our joy, our exceeding joy, our life, and our all. Without Him, the world and all it calls good, is poverty, wretchedness, and woe! With Him, a wilderness is a paradise, a cottage a palace, and the lowliest spot of earth a little heaven below!” Mary Winslow

“We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal.” John Calvin

“I am inviting you, in this blazing charity, to plunge into a peaceful sea, a deep sea. I have just rediscovered the sea—not that the sea is new, but it is new to me in the way my soul experiences it—in the words, “God is love.” And just as the sun shines its light on the earth and a mirror reflects a person’s face, so these words echo within me that everything that is done is simply love, because everything is made entirely of love. This is why he says, “I am God, Love.” This sheds light on the priceless mystery of the incarnate Word, who, out of sheer love, was given in such humility that it confounds my pride. It teaches us to look not just at what he did, but at the blazing love this Word has given us. It says that we should do as a loving person does when a friend comes with a gift, not looking at the friend’s hands to see what the gift is, but looking with the eyes of love at the friend’s loving heart. And this is what God’s supreme, eternal, more tender than tender goodness wants us to do when he visits our soul.” Catherine of Siena

“The infallibility and divine authority of the Scriptures are due to the fact that they are the word of God; and they are the word of God because they were given by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.” Charles Hodge

hōn hoi pateres kai eks hōn ho Christos to kata sarka ho ōn epi pantōn theos eulogētos eis tous aiōnas, amēn. (Rom 9:5)

“By the preaching of predestination man is duly humbled, and God alone is exalted; human pride is levelled, and the Divine glory shines untarnished because unrivalled.” Jerome Zanchius

“perfect purity/ Virginity before marriage was the best training for perfect happiness in marriage”😁

“The Bible is a remarkable fountain: The more one draws and drinks of it, the more it stimulates thirst.”—Martin Luther

“Lord, have mercy. Have mercy on us, your children. And move our hearts that we might have mercy on those who reject your name. Bring assurance to all who doubt and conviction to all who yet disbelieve. And in doing so, use us as instruments of humble grace. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”

"No one can obtain salvation except through the pure grace of a gracious God." "ባለፀጋ ከሆነዉ ከእግዚአብሔር ንፁህ ፀጋ በቀር ማንም ድነትን ሊያገኝ አይችልም።" John Calvin "We contribute nothing to our salvation except sin and resistance." "ከኃጢአታችን እና ከድንዳኔያችን በቀር ለድነታችን ያዋጣነው አንዳች የለም።" Martin Luther "By the grace of God, we have the power to overcome our corrupt desires through the Savior." "በእግዚአብሔር ፀጋ፤በአዳኛችን በኩል ክፉ መሻታችንን ድል የምናደርግበት ኃይል አግኝተናል።" Saint Augustine

“Jesus Christ is the cabinet in which God's jewels are kept; so that if we would stand, we must get out of ourselves and get into him, in whom alone there is safety” Thomas Manton

"More true than our speech about God is our thinking of Him, and more true than our thinking is His Being" St Augustine

“As God knows nothing now which He did not know from all eternity, so He wills nothing now which He did not will from everlasting.” Jerome Zanchius

“The madness has remained sane when everything else went mad.” G.K Chesterton

"We know that God's grace is not given to all men. To those to whom it is given it is given neither according to the merits of works, nor according to the merits of the will, but by free grace. To those to whom it is not given we know that it is because of God's righteous judgment that it is not given." Augustine - On Rebuke and Grace

"Man, using free will badly, has lost both himself and his will" St Augustine

“the Lord has created those whom he unquestionably foreknew would go to destruction. This has happened because he has so willed it. But why he so willed, it is not for our reason to inquire, for we cannot comprehend it And it is not fitting that God's will should be dragged down into controversy among us, for whenever mention is made of it, under its name is designated the supreme rule of righteousness. Why raise any question of unrighteousness where righteousness clearly appears? And let us not be ashamed, following Paul's example, to stop the mouths of the wicked, and whenever they dare to rail, repeat the same thing: "Who are you, miserable men, to make accusation against God" St Augustine