Erwin W. Lutzer Quotes & Sayings

God created us with emotions so that we might be able to enjoy Him and His creation. Often we have been tempted to consider our feelings as a bother, a hindrance to living a life of faith. Although it is true that as fallen creatures our emotions often lead us astray, we must remember that God gave us emotions so that we might live a well-balanced and wholesome life. After all, God Himself is an emotional Being who expresses, anger, pleasure, and compassion. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Within evangelicalism is a distressing drift toward accepting a Christianity that does not demand a life-changing walk with God. Many evangelicals (today) do not realize that the church has always been an island of righteousness in a sea of paganism, but as a result they turned the world upside-down. — Erwin W. Lutzer

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. It takes time to be holy. — Erwin W. Lutzer

James wrote, "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone — Erwin W. Lutzer

Winning the world to Christ means winning individuals. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Those who give much without sacrifice are reckoned as having given little. — Erwin W. Lutzer

We cannot say no to temptation without saying yes to something far better. — Erwin W. Lutzer

God has a program of character development for each of us. He wants others to look at our lives and say, He walks with God, for he lives like Christ. — Erwin W. Lutzer

People do not have a constitutional right to be married any more than we could say that someone has a constitutional right to a driver's license. You either meet the requirements or you don't. In the case of marriage, homosexuals do not meet the requirements of marriage. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Christmas can be transformed into a celebration more attuned to honoring the One whose birthday we celebrate. — Erwin W. Lutzer

When abandoned babies were left out on the streets and back alleys, the Christians in North Africa organized baby runs and brought these babies to nursing mothers. The pagans were overwhelmed with the caring attitude of the Christians. Just as Peter predicted, unbelievers were led to faith in Christ and "glorified God" in the day of visitation. The excellencies of Christ are best revealed through the lives of those who are compassionate because they themselves are profoundly aware of their own shortcomings. The world can out entertain us; outnumber us; out finance us, but let it never be said that they can out-love us, for "God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Romans 5:5). — Erwin W. Lutzer

Men look for better methods, but God looks for better men. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Unity, unless it is based on agreement regarding the content of the gospel, would not be worth the price. — Erwin W. Lutzer

What this stranger - Jesus - did for them, He will do for us. He takes no dreams from us He does not return; He raises no hopes He does not fulfill; He gives us no longings that shall not be satisfied. The answer He gave these discouraged disciples becomes our answer too. — Erwin W. Lutzer

There is a clear intent to keep Christian thinking out of the mainstream of the media and the nation's political life. — Erwin W. Lutzer

When the mask of self-righteousness has been torn from us and we stand stripped of all our accustomed defenses, we are candidates for God's generous grace. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Don't ever think that there are many ways to the Divine. Jesus is the one qualified mediator, the only qualified sacrifice, and the only qualified savior. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Church growth experts tell us that most people seeking a new church care little about its doctrines. They're mostly interested in the facilities of the church, its nursery, and opportunities for friendship. . . .The experts tell us that today's church members will switch churches at a moment's notice if they think that their personal and relational needs will be better met elsewhere--even if the doctrine taught is at best, suspect. Thus some will opt for better facilities and architecture even at the expense of jeopardizing their own soul. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Generally, the arguments for same-sex marriage go along these lines: 'I have a civil right.' What the homosexual movement wants to do is to hitch their agenda to the civil rights movement, but I point out that this is illegitimate for a number of reasons. Number one, no black person has ever left his black-ness or changed his black-ness, but plenty of people have come out of the homosexual movement. What we need to do is distinguish between race and behavior. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Temptation is His X-ray machine, revealing the hidden conflicts that need attention. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Mass communication can aid in personal evangelism and the development of Christians, but it cannot be a substitute for the world seeing the truth lived through us. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Temptation is God's magnifying glass; it shows us how much work He has left to do in our lives. — Erwin W. Lutzer

There is no such thing as a harmless addition to the gospel. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Satan exploits pain by making it the central focus of the man's (or woman's) thoughts and attitudes. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The man who commits immorality does so because he thinks it will maximize pleasure if he can minimize the pain by keeping it secret. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Why does God command sinners to do what they cannot? "But God commands something which we cannot do, in order that we may know what we ought to ask of him." 4 — Erwin W. Lutzer

Clearly God does not shield us from circumstances where we are vulnerable to sin. — Erwin W. Lutzer

There's no such thing as a bitter person who keeps the bitterness to himself. — Erwin W. Lutzer

I think that as Christians we need to walk the delicate balance between standing in opposition to same-sex marriages and yet showing that we can do that without becoming angry or hateful. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Only those who see themselves as utterly destitute can fully appreciate the grace of God. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Every time we love, we increase our capacity to be hurt. — Erwin W. Lutzer

We have to emphasize to the gay community that opposition to same-sex marriages is not about hate, but about debate. Opposition to what some of us see as a devastating move that will further weaken the family and harm children
such opposition is not hateful. Morality is not bigotry.
In their book The Homosexual Agenda, authors Alan Sears and Craig Osten give this illustration, which I've summarized: Imagine that you are standing at the bottom of a cliff and you are watching as someone on the ledge above you is walking backwards, and in a few steps he will surely fall over the precipice. You shout, warning him to stop, and before you know it, a crowd gathers around you, snapping your picture and accusing you of "hate speech." You are being warned to keep your prejudices to yourself. After all, who are you to tell someone where they can and can't walk? Who are you to say that someone can't walk backwards? You are dumbfounded, but there you are, the object of everyone's wrath. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Temptation is not a sin; it is a call to battle. — Erwin W. Lutzer

In salvation, God both declares us guilty and pays our debt. Only he can satisfy his own requirements. A savior less than God would be disqualified; God must do it himself. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The work that God does in us when we wait is usually more important than the thing for which we wait! — Erwin W. Lutzer

We must distinguish between genes that cause physical characteristics, like the color of your eyes or hair, over which you have no control, and what we could call 'behavioral dispositions'. We are responsible for our behavior, no matter what those dispositions are. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Worship is not just an emotional exercise but a response of the heart built on truth about God. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Someone has said that the marks of a strong church are wet eyes, bent knees, and a broken heart. We'll never be powerful until we let God be God and jealously guard His honor. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Prayer, desperate prayer, seems so simple, but it's a step rarely taken by those in family conflict. — Erwin W. Lutzer

History has to repeat itself," said Woody Allen, "because nobody was listening the first time around. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Paul taught that religions evolved because man did not honor the true God. Because of rebellion, they "exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of the corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures." One characteristic of idolatry is that it always confuses the creature with the creator. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Everything that God brings into our life is directed to one purpose: that we might be conformed to the image of Christ. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Worship is not an external activity precipitated by the right environment. To worship in spirit is to draw near to God with an undivided heart. We must come in full agreement without hiding anything or disregarding His will. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Spiritual maturity is marked by being comfortable with the unpredictability of God. — Erwin W. Lutzer

I thank God for the way he made you, distinct, special and unique. You were not made from a common mold. — Erwin W. Lutzer

He is among us even when we cannot see Him and when our grief distorts reality. There are many tears in our hearts that never reach our eyes. There are times of darkness and betrayal that make us wonder how we can live another day. As for God, He seems far away, uninterested, and absent. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Only eternal values can give meaning to temporal ones. Time must be the servant of eternity. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Keep in mind that when sin is viewed superficially, it is dealt with superficially. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Our response to temptation is an accurate barometer of our love for God. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Milk many cows but make your own butter. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Are we as willing to go into debt for the work of God as we are for a vacation to Hawaii? — Erwin W. Lutzer

If there is one single reason why good people turn evil, it is because they fail to recognize God's ownership over their kingdom, their vocation, their resources, their abilities, and above all their lives. — Erwin W. Lutzer

God does not make our choices easier because temptation is his character development curriculum. — Erwin W. Lutzer

To those who say that they are Christian and gay, what we must keep in mind is that absent in that kind of lifestyle is a call to holiness, a call to celibacy and integrity. Obviously, it is a capitulation toward one's desires and the sexual sins that the Bible so strongly condemns. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Given the popular widespread misconceptions of Christianity, it is time we returned to the basics. If we don't, thousands of people who believe they are Christians will discover in the day of judgment that they were misled. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Christianity spread rapidly during the first century because all Christians saw themselves as responsible for disseminating the gospel. — Erwin W. Lutzer

God loves the world. Go thou and do likewise. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The most important part of us is the part that no one ever sees. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Sinful habits are usually indicative of unresolved conflicts. — Erwin W. Lutzer

To make sure our convictions, views, and assumptions about our Creator stay based on biblical truth and not on popular consensus, we must continually check what we believe against the Scriptures. — Erwin W. Lutzer

When you doubt God's goodness, you hug sins tightly to your bosom, afraid that God will rob you of your crutch, your pastime, your pleasure. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Those who have failed miserably are often the first to see God's formula for success. — Erwin W. Lutzer

You become stronger only when you become weaker. When you surrender your will to God, you discover the resources to do what God requires. — Erwin W. Lutzer

He allows us the luxury of difficult choices so that we can prove our love for Him. These are our opportunities to choose God rather than the world. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Christianity demands a level of caring that transcends human inclinations. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed. — Erwin W. Lutzer

A Christian life based on feeling is headed for a gigantic collapse. — Erwin W. Lutzer

God in His sovereign goodness often uses the painful and at times debilitating injury of a spear thrower to make us readier for His service ... One thing you discover about spear throwers is that though it's not necessary for them to be good, it's essential for them to appear good. — Erwin W. Lutzer

If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of our indifference to its meaning and importance. — Erwin W. Lutzer

There is more grace in God's heart than there is sin in your past. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Our brothers and sisters in Muslim countries can't celebrate Christmas-or any aspect of their faith-openly for fear of persecution and death. And yet we, with all our freedoms, often choose to make Christmas a celebration of commercialism! — Erwin W. Lutzer

Forgiveness is always free. But that doesn't mean that confession is always easy. Sometimes it is hard. Incredibly hard. It is painful to admit our sins and entrust ourselves to God's care. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Someone has said that people live their lives crucified between two thieves - the regrets of yesterday and the anxieties of tomorrow. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Our sin is never a private matter. We cannot say, It only hurts me. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Emotional peace and calm come after doing God's will and not before. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Children who are brought up with one parent or another parent or shared parenthood, when there has been a divorce and hatred within families, it breeds a tremendous amount of instability in the life of a child. And many of these children end up in the homosexual movement. Even if they don't, they take so much baggage into their marriages, that they are unable sometimes, at least theoretically unable, to stand against all of the cultural forces that would disrupt them and their families. — Erwin W. Lutzer

At death we cross from one territory to another, but we'll have no trouble with visas. Our representative is already there, preparing for our arrival. As citizens of heaven, our entrance is incontestable. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Every shattered dream we give to Jesus is integrated into a higher and even more blessed purpose. In short, if we have faith to believe it, there are no wasted sorrows, no wasted aspirations or dreams. Even in this life, we see that God is continually reshaping whatever we give Him. Indeed, the Christian life is a series of new beginnings. God Himself rushes in to fill the vacuum left in the wake of our own disappointments. Dreams left unfulfilled in this life will most assuredly be fulfilled in the life to come. Jesus brought our dream of healthy bodies back with Him when He was raised from the dead. Take a long look at the person sitting next to you in church. Someday he or she will be like Jesus! "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). To those who are brokenhearted, Jesus assures us that fulfilling family relationships will be ours. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Money is emphasized in Scripture simply because our temptation to love it is inexplicably powerful. — Erwin W. Lutzer

We need a broad-based coalition that is way beyond the bounds of Christianity to be able to help people to understand that there is a groundswell of support for the marriage amendment and for opposition to same-sex marriages. — Erwin W. Lutzer

We must worship in truth. Worship is not just an emotional exercise but a response of the heart built on truth about God. "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Psm. 145:18). Worship that is not based on God's Word is but an emotional encounter with oneself. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Thanksgiving for God's faithfulness in our pain is the indisputable proof that we believe God is a part of our pain. — Erwin W. Lutzer

It is not enough to do God's work; it must be done in His way and for His credit. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The ability to make judgments lies at the heart of Christian living. Unless we are able to judge doctrine, lifestyles, and entertainment, unless we are able to distinguish between outer appearance and inner character, we just might miss the purpose for which God placed us on this earth. We might end up accepting a stone for bread and a snake for a fish. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Often the doorway to success is entered through the hallway of failure. — Erwin W. Lutzer

How do you know you have a servant's heart? Look at your reaction when you are treated like one. — Erwin W. Lutzer

The activities we do for God are secondary. God is looking for people who long for communication with Him. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Each temptation leaves us better or worse; neutrality is impossible. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Make no mistake about the intention of these secularists: It is to discredit the voice of Christians so that America will tolerate only one view. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and bea hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave towealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to havedone nothing and succeeded at it. — Erwin W. Lutzer

Suffering does not reflect unfavorably on the promises of Scripture. We take heart that there is another world coming, in which all of the promised blessings will be realized. Just as God does not create a single fish without creating water in which it can swim, so God does not create longings for eternity without creating an eternity in which those longings will be fulfilled. — Erwin W. Lutzer