I call upon You, Lord, God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob and Israel, You who are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God who, through the abundance of your mercy, was well-pleased towards us so that we may know You, who made heaven and earth, who rules over all, You who are the one and the true God, above whom there is no other God; You who, by our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, give to every one who reads this writing to know You, that You alone are God, to be strengthened in You, and to avoid every heretical and godless and impious teaching.

St Irenaeus of Lyons, Against the Heresies 3:6:4


Saturday, January 5, 2013

J. C. Ryle on the Lord's Supper


The Lord Jesus Christ knew full well the unspeakable importance of His own death for sin as the great corner-stone of Scriptural religion. He knew that His own satisfaction for sin as our Substitute, His suffering for sin, the Just for the unjust, His payment of our mighty debt in His own Person, His complete redemption of us by His blood, He knew that this was the very root of soul-saving and soul-satisfying Christianity—without this He knew His incarnation, miracles, teaching, example, and ascension could do no good to man; without this He knew there could be no justification, no reconciliation, no hope, no peace between God and man. Knowing all this, He took care that His death, at any rate, should never be forgotten. He carefully appointed an ordinance, in which, by lively figures, His sacrifice on the Cross should be kept in perpetual remembrance...The strengthening of the faith of God’s elect in Christ’s atonement was one great purpose of the Lord’s Supper.

                                                                                                — J. C. Ryle, from Knots Untied
at
Labels: , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)