"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

"That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." -Ephesians 5:27 [KJV] Neither others nor we ourselves now see what the Church one day will be, and what she ever was in the eyes of Jesus. He could look through all this time-state, through all the sins and sorrows of this intermediate period, and fix His eye upon the bridal day, the day when before assembled angels, in the courts of heaven, in the realms of eternal bliss, He should present her to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy, and without blemish.  How cleansed, how sanctified, how washed, how clothed must the Church be in that day when the very eyes of omniscience, which can read the slightest departure, even a wrinkle, from infinite purity, will find in her neither spot nor blemish, so that God Himself in all the blaze of His holiness may say of the Church, ...

" An earnest and honest contention for the faith, even though permeated with and manifested by love, will yet gender adversity, and alienate some beloved brethren. This sad truth is evidenced by the heavy heart of Paul, being motivated by his great love for the erring churches of Galatia, as he said unto them: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16). Paul’s disdain for the Galatian error was graphically stated, yet it was presented in such a way that the purity of his motive in so doing, was left beyond question." -preacher Oscar Mink , excerpt from 'Contending for the Faith with a Right Motive'

" By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." -Matthew 12:37 [KJV] Who then can be saved? Is not this legal doctrine? Does it not contradict that fundamental doctrine of the gospel, justification by faith in the righteousness of Christ only? No: no more than St. James, in maintaining justification by works, contradicts St. Paul, who insists upon justification by faith. They are easy to be reconciled: so are these words to justification by grace.  Surely our Lord never meant to contradict His own words: He who believeth "hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24.) He cannot mean to overthrow our faith, distress our souls, and cause us to rest our final justification, at the last day, upon either our words or our works. If so, woe unto the most perfect! It had been better for that man, he had never been born: for eternal condemnation must be his doom.  Bu...

“Do not err, my beloved brethren.” -James 1:16 [KJV] Truth is far too precious to sacrifice upon the altar of expediency or compromise, and error is to be exposed at all times and expunged whenever and wherever possible.  However, Paul says that the “reproving” and “rebuking” of error is to be done, “with all longsuffering and doctrine” (II Timothy 4:2) .   -preacher Oscar Mink , excerpt from 'Contending for the Faith with a Right Motive'

"Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left ." -Isaiah 30:21 [KJV] My soul, who is this Almighty Teacher, out of sight, but the Holy Ghost? And to what way doth He point but to Jesus, Who is both the way, and the truth, and the life? Art thou ever at a stand? Listen to this voice. Art thou about to turn to the right or left? See how seasonably He is promised to come to direct thee. Condescend, Thou gracious, matchless Instructor, to guide me. I shall not fail then to know the wholesomeness of Thy teaching, when Thou hast opened mine eyes, to see the wondrous things of Thy law. I shall indeed know that Thou art my Director, because Thou hast said, "I the LORD teacheth thee to profit."   And when Thy word comes not in word only, but in power, and in Thee, the Holy Ghost, surely I shall know it, in that it not only reaches my ear, but will influence my hear...

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.” -Ephesians 5:25-26 [KJV] View the church without the sanctifying operations and influences of regenerating grace. She is far from Christ; she has no desire towards Him, no manifest union, no communion with Him; no faith in His blood, no hope in His mercy, no love to His name. ... But when the word of truth comes with power, and is accompanied by the influences of the Holy Ghost to the heart, then there is not only a cleansing of the conscience from the guilt and filth of sin, but the communication of a new heart and a new spirit.  How plainly is this spoken of by the prophet Ezekiel, where, after the promise, “from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you , ” it is added, “ A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you . ” We have not only therefore t...