The loss of the soul is the heaviest loss that can befall a man. The worst and most painful of diseases – the most distressing bankruptcy of fortune – the most disastrous shipwrecks – are a mere scratch of a pin compared to the loss of a soul. All other losses are bearable, or but for a short time, but the loss of the soul is for evermore. It is to lose God, and Christ, and heaven, and glory, and happiness, to all eternity. It is to be cast away forever, helpless and hopeless in hell! ~ J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke, Vol 1

Christ came to save His people 'fron' their sins- not 'in' them.  And it is essential to salvation that sin should be repented of, and, being repented of, should be renounced, and that, by the help of God, we should lead a new life, under a new Master, serving from a new motive, because the grace of God has renewed our spirit.  ~Charles H. Spurgeon

J. C. Ryle

Are we ourselves people of God? Have we been born again? Have we the MARKS which always accompany the new birth–sense of sin, faith in Jesus, love of others, righteous living, separation from the world? Let us never be content until we can give a satisfactory answer to these questions. ~J. C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John, volume 1

Self righteousness is the big lie of Satan. The truth is you are saved by Christ; the lie is you are saved by anything other than Christ. That certain rules, doing specific routines, belonging to a particular system, being good enough to outweigh your shortcomings--there’s a myriad of possible systems to counter the one truth, and they are all part of Satan’s big lie. If Satan can get someone into a system that says they are righteous, it’s very hard to extract the from it. One reason is that the self-righteous are very proud. ~John MacArthur, Truth Endures, The Simple Gospel

There is one great common denominator between all religions outside of Christianity—they all believe that a right standing with God is based upon obedience, personal merit, or some ability to please God. Christianity stands alone in declaring that man is hopelessly and helplessly lost. He cannot improve his standing before God, he cannot obey God, he cannot please God. If he is to be saved, God alone must save him. It is this truth that fallen man hates most of all, for it requires him to humble himself before God, acknowledge his sin, and ask for mercy! God is righteous and man is a lawbreaker, therefore he is no more inclined to seek God than a criminal at large is inclined to seek an officer of the law. ~Paul Washer – ‘The Truth about Man’

Vance Havner

Too many church members have been starched and ironed without being washed. The cleaning process was never started right. ~Vance Havner, sermon: When God Gets Fed Up, On This Rock I Stand, p 70