Chris R. Quinlan

Here is a link to the first ten resolutions The part in blue is my best shot at a plain English paraphrase of these resolutions. Enjoy! ___________________________________ 11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don't hinder. If I ever have a thought on a perplexing theological issue, I vow to always do whatever I can, as far as circumstances permit, to attempt to solve that issue. 12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by. I vow, that if I find myself taking prideful pleasure in the contemplating or solving of theological mysteries, that I will immediatly stop and think about something else.

“One plague of our age is the widespread dislike to what men are pleased to call dogmatic theology. In the place of it, the idol of the day is a kind of jellyfish Christianity – a Christianity without bone, or muscle, or sinew, – without any distinct teaching about the atonement or the work of the Spirit, or justification, or the way of peace with God – a vague, foggy, misty Christianity, of which the only watchwords seem to be, ‘You must be..liberal and kind. You must condemn no man’s doctrinal views. You must consider everybody is right and nobody is wrong’.” ~ J.C. Ryle (late 1800's)

“Where must a man go for pardon? Where is forgiveness to be found? There is a way both sure and plain and that way is simply to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is to cast your soul, with all its sins, unreservedly on Christ, – to cease completely from any dependence on your own works or doings, either in whole or in part – and to rest on no other work but Christ’s work, no other merit but Christ’s merit, as your ground of hope. Take this course and you are a pardoned soul.” ~ J.C. Ryle

You can say that you're a Christian all day long. You can say that, no one can look in your heart of hearts and judge you. And you can say that, in your heart of hearts, that you really know that you believe. But all of it is just wash. Do you know what your heart is? It's the very center of your being... the core of your person. Now you're going to tell me that Jesus Christ has the entire center and core of your being, but it doesn't affect the way you walk, talk, or think? no... To receive Him, is to take Him as Savior and Lord. To stand upon Him. This is a mark that the Holy Spirit has truly regenerated your heart... and that you really do belong to Him. Excerpted from this video:

(J. R. Miller, "The Lesson of Love" 1903) 2 Corinthians 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. We often think we could do better--if we were directing the affairs of our own lives. We think, “if things were in my hands I could get more happiness and greater good out of life” -- We would at once eliminate everything that is painful and unpleasant in our lives. We would have only p...

“I used to look inwardly, so much, to try and find joy, hope, and confidence, but I’ve learned that that’s a hopeless cause. Many Christians are more spiritual than I am, but I’m happier than they are. Why? Because they are constantly looking at their own performance and I’ve given up on that. I look now, only unto the perfect work of Jesus Christ on my behalf. “   - Paul Washer Yesterday I wrote about my recent struggle with daily scripture reading and how I realized it was a problem with my relationship with God and not a technique or motive thing. I have so far had success reading the bible on a daily basis, granted it's only been a day. Nevertheless, I was listening to one of my favorite "mp3 mentors," Paul Washer, and I heard him speak the quote above. I have heard him use this illustration before (he often repeats the same material every time he speaks publicly), and I was thrilled to hear it again after dealing with what I wrote about yesterday. This story tha...

“Read the Bible daily. Make it part of every day’s business to read and meditate on some portion of God’s Word. Gather your manna fresh every morning. Choose your own seasons and hours. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give your Bible the best, and not the worst, part of your time. But whatever plan you pursue, let it be a rule of your life to visit the throne of grace and the Bible every day.” ~ J.C. Ryle I get these quotes by Ryle everyday and they are usually very encouraging to me. The ones I particularly like I post up on this blog. Ryle is very straight-forward with his words, choosing not simply to shower the reader with fluffy platitudes, but often delivering biblical truth in such a way that even the most spiritually minded people would find themselves challenged to pursue God and Christ in a way more in keeping with what He deserves.  Today's quote really made me stop and think. On one hand, I fell I have come to a place in my life where I do not base suc...

There is a wise saying, "He that would be safe from the acts of evil, must widely avoid the occasions." There is an old fable, that the butterfly once asked the owl how she should deal with the fire, which had singed her wings; and the owl counseled her, in reply, not to even look at its smoke. It is not enough that we determine not to commit sin, we must carefully keep at a distance from all approaches to it. By this test we ought to examine the ways we spend our time--the books that we read, the friends that we visit, the part of society which we interact with. We must not be content with saying, "There is nothing wrong here;" we must go further, and say, "Is there anything here which may cause me to sin?" This is one good reason why worldly entertainments are so objectionable. It may be difficult, in some instances, to show that they are, in themselves, positively unscriptural and wrong. But there...

"What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?  I answer in one word, 'The Bible:   the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied.' If we want a weapon to wield against the devices of Satan, there is nothing like 'the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.' But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is the point on which, I fear, many fail." ~ J.C. Ryle Warnings to the Churches , "Divers and Strange Doctrines", 77, 78.

Crucify your sins --which have crucified your Savior! Oh, that the nails which pierced His hands--should now pierce our hearts! Oh! put sin to death--for sin was the cause of Christ's death! If someone killed your father--would you hug him and embrace him as your friend, and let him eat at your table? Would you not rather hate and detest the very sight of him! If a snake should sting your dearly beloved spouse to death--would you preserve it alive, warm it at the fire, and hug it in your bosom? Would you not rather stab it with a thousand wounds! And were not our sins the cause and instrument of Christ's death? Were not they the whips that scourged Him; the nails, the cords, the spear, the thorns that wounded Him, and fetched the heart-blood from Him! And can we love our sins--which killed our Savior? Can a wife truly love her husband--and still embrace an adulterer? 

“When a man’s heart is cold and unconcerned about religion – when his hands are never employed in doing God’s work – when his feet are not familiar with God’s ways – when his tongue is seldom or never used in prayer and praise – when his eyes are blind to the beauty of the kingdom of heaven – when his mind is full of the world, and has no room for spiritual things – when these marks are to be found in a man, the word of the Bible is the right word to use about him, and that word is, ‘Dead.’” (Eps.2:1-3) ~ J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) Does this describe you? (Click highlighted words to access links) If it does and you don't really care, then you are still spiritually dead. Unfortunately, unless something changes, you will suffer the wrath of God at judgment for your sins . It is right and good for God to punish sin. However, there is a way to avoid this. Be reconciled to God through belief in the Gospel and faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God and be saved! If this doe...

"The most difficult thing for people to grasp is the undiluted grace of God , for which we contribute nothing , and for which we can not qualify." S. Furguson My humble attempt at a definition of the redemptive grace of God: "A truly incomprehensible on-going act of love, forgiveness, patience, and mercy towards a creature that is totally and completely undeserving.

“What is the evidence that you’ve become a Christian? The church roll? No… A profession of faith? No… You will be concerned about discovering the will of the Father, and you will be concerned about doing that will." A quote from a recent sermon by Paul Washer

Casting all your care upon Him--for He cares for you!   1 Peter 5:7 O child of suffering--be patient! God has not overlooked you in His providence. He who is the feeder of sparrows --will also furnish you with what you need. Do not sit down in despair. There is One who cares for you! His all-seeing eye is fixed on you! His all-loving heart beats with pity for your woe! His omnipotent hand shall yet bring you the needed help! The darkest cloud --shall scatter itself in showers of mercy . The blackest gloom--shall give place to the morning light. If you are one of His family--He will bind up your wounds, and heal your broken heart. Do not doubt His grace, because of your troubles--but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of distress --as in times of happiness . What a serene and quiet life might you lead--if you would leave providing --to the God of providence! If God cares for you--why need you care also? Can you trust Him for your soul --and not for your...

(Excerpt from a letter of Legh Richmond to one of his children) “Take care of too frequent interaction with the world . I write with a heart full of love--but I must caution you. There is nothing more dangerous to young Christians, than indiscriminate interaction with the ungodly. In such society--it is far more likely that we would receive evil, than impart good. Prudence and prayer are then especially needful; for we may more easily conform to the world--than bring the world to conform to us. Happy are those who have the least to do with it, except in the way of absolute duty and necessity.” --Even though this is written to a child, I think we all Christians need to hear this sort of thing once in a while.   CQ

(Excerpt from a letter of Legh Richmond to his dying teenage son, 1824) “Be much in prayer and self-examination. The more we see of ourselves --the more we see our sin . And the more we see our sin --the more we flee to the death and righteousness of Christ--for pardon, deliverance, and hope! Let nothing interrupt you in this continual work of self-examination; and let self-examination lead you to earnest and ardent prayer. Let no pursuits of literature, no delights of sense, no passing occurrences, no debility of body, no inferior subjects of recreation, prevent you from keeping your thoughts close to God and to eternity!” Click here to read this entire letter.

(Excerpt from a letter of Legh Richmond to his dying teenage son, 1824) “The great question between our souls and God is not whether we admit the truths of the Scripture into our understandings --but whether they are so applied to our hearts --so as to have wrought a change, and become vital principles of faith and practice. Nothing short of this can afford evidence of a saved and safe condition.”

(This is an excerpt from a letter from Legh Richmond to one of his children. Legh was a contemporary of William Wilberforce and lived in the late 18th and early 19th century.) My dear child, May my you be preserved from the defilements of a vain , dangerous , and destroying world. You know not, and I wish you never may know--its snares and corruptions! I send you the following applications of my sermon on Ephesians 5:15-16, Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. On circumspection of walk, redemption of time, and general sincerity of character: 1. Adhere most scrupulously to Scriptural truth; and strive to preserve the strictest integrity, simplicity, and sincerity. 2. Engage in no pursuit in which you cannot look up unto God, and say, 'Bless me in this, my Father!' 3. Strive to be as kind, forbearing , and forgiving as you can--both to friends and foes. Never speak evil of anyone. ...

I’m pleased to inform my loyal readers that my chronic back/neck/shoulder pain that I was experiencing several months ago is now completely healed up. I give thanks to God for bringing me through that. It was very uncomfortable, as many of you know that have experienced that sort of thing. Also thanks to those that prayed for me. In a previous post I made some comments about my experience with two different Chiropractors. While I want to emphasize that as people, they were very kind, I remain a skeptic when it comes to Chiropractic treatment. In a nutshell, it is my opinion at this point in time, that Chiropractors use emotional and psychological manipulation to deceive people into empting their wallets. I know that sounds harsh, but to give the Chiropractor the benefit of the doubt, I believe that most of them have justified their deceptive techniques by taking comfort in the fact that people genuinely feel like they are being helped by their “treatments.” So, in other words, people ...