Slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce wrote a powerful book 200+ years ago that sounds like it could have been written today! Here are just a handful of the numerous passages I highlighted in Real Christianity. Be sure to check out my full book review here.
“What a difference it would be if our system of morality were based on the Bible instead of the standards devised by cultural Christians.”
“The Bible is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. It tells us of the greatest gift that men and women have longed for throughout the ages and of which the prophets spoke about for centuries.”
“Even the majority of professing Christians tend to think that the nature of humanity is basically good and is only thrown off course by the power of temptation. They believe that sin and evil are the exception, not the rule. The Bible paints a much different picture. The language of Scripture is not for the faint of heart. It teaches that man is an apostate creature, fallen from his original innocence, degraded in his nature, depraved in his thinking, prone toward evil, not good, and impacted by sin to the very core of his being.”
“Not that the Bible needs affirmation, but the world around us demonstrates that there is a kind of sowing and reaping that affirms the destructive nature of ignoring the things the Bible teaches.”
“When we do not take our problem seriously, we do not seek the solution God offers with the measure of sincerity and intensity that our true condition requires. If we don’t understand how seriously ill we are, we don’t pursue the remedy with the required diligence. If we are slightly ill, we take an aspirin. If we are dying, we passionately pursue a cure. The cure is not forced on us; it is offered to us.”
“The appropriate response to these facts would be one of great excitement, true humility, hatred of sin, humble hope, firm faith, heavenly joy, ardent love and unceasing gratitude! But here is where we find a problem with the experience of those who hold to a cultural Christianity. … Cultural Christians might talk about religion or church in generic terms, but you will rarely hear them use the name of Jesus or speak of His death on the cross or His resurrection. … Cultural Christians probably have no understanding of the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer. Since they do not strive for effectiveness in their own spiritual lives or attempt to live with character consistent with followers of Christ, they have no experience of their own inability to achieve such things without the Holy Spirit’s help.”
“Authentic faith will often be accompanied by an appropriate zeal. But zeal can often be devoid of any accurate understanding of authentic faith. The product of such zeal is often justified in the name of Christianity, but in reality it has virtually nothing to do with believing in Jesus Christ.”
“Our inability is our great asset; it creates a humility that becomes dependent on God’s grace working in us.”
“It is virtually impossible to get to the place where you recognize your need for the Spirit and depend upon His working when you have created a safe religiosity that is perfectly manageable by means of your own abilities.”
“Authentic Christianity is a way for the most wayward of men and women to enter into a right relationship with God based solely on the fact that ‘while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’ (Romans 5:8, KJV). They have confused the outcome of getting right with God with the means of getting right with Him. Only when we have come empty-handed to the foot of the Cross and cried out for God’s mercy and grace, and been reborn by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, can we even begin to live the life to which God calls us. Some seem to think that Christ has made it possible for them to be right with God because His death has somehow lowered God’s standards to the level of their performance.”
“It makes no sense to take the name of Christian and not cling to Christ. Jesus is not some magic charm to wear like a piece of jewelry we think will give us good luck.”
Craig T. Owens 