John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

The matter of evolution versus the Bible must be settled by the heart and not primarily by the head. The doctrine came from unbelief. Scientists now who promote evolution are determined not to believe in direct creation, although they cannot prove evolution. They keep hoping to originate life by spontaneous generation, but they never have. They keep hoping to find missing links to prove that man c...ame from apes or other animal creation, but they have never been able to do it. Again and again they have falsified the evidences, doctored the fossils, told us that which is only unproven theory, because they do not want to believe in direct creation by a God to whom they must give an account. So evolution is not primarily the result of learning, it is primarily the result of unbelief. Men want the natural instead of the supernatural. - John R. Rice

 

 

 

A characteristic of this period, this New Testament age, is, "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." Scoffers. Infidelity does not come from knowledge, but from the heart. It does not come from education, but from sin of wicked people who are against God. Infidels are not infidels because they found the Bible isn't true. They are not that way because they found there is no God to hear, to forgive, to help and answer prayer. No, they are that way because they have wicked, rebellious hearts. - John R. Rice

 

Many people suppose that Jesus did set up His kingdom when He was here on earth, that is, the promised restoration of the kingdom of David. The ignore some Scriptures and explain away others in trying to prove their point. Such people say that the promises in the Old Testament given to Jerusalem, Zion, and Israel, must not be taken literally. They make all these promises refer to "the church." But... that is a very great mistake. mount Zion is the hill upon which Jerusalem is built. Zion, Jerusalem and Israel never mean the church. The promised kingdom is not the church. Do not explain away the Bible, but take it at face value. God's Word says what it means and means what it says! And it plainly says that Christ will have a kingdom on this earth. That kingdom has not bee set up. - John R. Rice

 

 

Now literal baptism, that is, baptism in water, is not the same as regeneration. The significance of baptism is clearly pictorial and declarative. Baptism does not save but it announces salvation. It does not procure salvation but it professes it. Baptism in water does not put a Christian into the body of Christ but it witnesses to the world that that great event has already happened. We do not bu...ry men to kill them but the burial should follow; and it should be clearly evident that they are already dead. One who has not been made dead to sin and alive to Christ by the new birth should not be baptized, but baptizing should declare that great transaction to the world as soon as possible. Baptism in water is used as an outward rite, sealing the union of a convert to assemblies of Christians here on earth, and that is proper. It is a beautiful symbol that already the new convert has been added to the body of Christ and made one with other saints by the Holy Spirit. There is a blessed unity between literal baptism and the figurative use in I Corinthians 12:13. - John R. Rice

 

Can Christians make good soldiers? Or to put it the other way around, Can a soldier in war be a good Christian? That answer is that he certainly can if his heart is right with God and if he is in obedience to his government in a good cause. John R. Rice

 

 

There is no doubt that war is an awful, wicked business. Surely God must hate it. General Sherman said, "War is Hell." All good men must hate war. Charles Spurgeon said, "I delight to see a soldier become a Christian. I greatly regret to see a Christian become a soldier." The bloodshed, the hate, the suffering, the breaking down of morals, and the destruction of property and social values in war i...s terrible.
But there are some things that are worse than wars. In God's sight, sin is always worse than bloodshed. Many thousands of the best men this world has ever seen have resolved that it is better to go to war than to be slaves; that it is better to die than to lose freedom. In the words of Patrick Henry, they said, "Give me liberty or give me death!" War is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. There are times when nations ought to fight. There are times when Christian men ought to go to the army, shoulder arms, obey orders, and if need be, die for their country. - John R. Rice