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As we turn to this Word and are instructed by
it, we discover a fundamental principle which must be applied to
every problem: instead of beginning with man and his world and
working back to God, we must begin with God and work down to
man. [17]
The hundreds of prophecies which are found in
the Old and New Testaments are not so much predictions of what
will come to pass, as they are revelations to us of what God has
purposed shall come to pass. [76]
The new birth is very much more than simply
shedding a few tears due to a temporary remorse over sin. It is
far more than changing our course of life, the leaving off or
bad habits and the substituting of good ones. It is something
different from the mere cherishing and practicing of noble
ideals. It goes infinitely deeper than coming forward to take
some popular evangelist by the hand, singing a pledge-card, or
“joining the church.” The new birth is no mere turning over a
new leaf, but it is the inception and reception of a new life.
It is no mere reformation but a complete transformation. In
short, the new birth is a miracle, the result of the
supernatural operation of God. It is radical, revolutionary,
lasting. [79]
A true recognition of God’s sovereignty will
avow God’s perfect right to do with us as He wills. [128]
To declare that God helps those who help
themselves, is to repudiate one of the most precious truths
taught in the Bible, and in the Bible alone: namely, that God
helps those who are unable to help themselves, who have tried
again and again, only to fail. [142]
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