Joel R. Beeke Quotes & Sayings

the ultimate expression of truth appeared on this earth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. — Joel R. Beeke

The New England divine Cotton Mather puts it this way: "Exhibit as much as you can of a glorious Christ. Yea, let the motto upon your whole ministry be: Christ is all. Let others develop the pulpit fads that come and go. Let us specialize in preaching our Lord Jesus Christ. — Joel R. Beeke

Christ will receive all who come to Him, but
Christ will not be sweet to them until sin is first bitter in them. — Joel R. Beeke

Thomas Goodwin said that "next to the Bible, he esteemed Dr. Ames, his Marrow of Divinity, as the best book in the world. — Joel R. Beeke

Give yourself-not just your time-to prayer. Remember that prayer is not an appendix to your life and your work, it is your life your real, spiritual life-and your work. Prayer is the thermometer of your soul. — Joel R. Beeke

with their pens, and no less great with their swords - fearing God very much, and fearing men very little, - they were a generation of men who have never received from their country the honor that they deserve. — Joel R. Beeke

Faith is not bare knowledge or passive persuasion but the
embrace of Christ by the heart, resulting in personal knowledge of God.
The heart must therefore be prepared by the law awakening the sinner
to his need of Christ. The law beats on the stony heart as a hammer to
smooth its surface before God writes His Word upon it. Though some
men called this repentance, Calvin preferred to think of it as preparation
for faith, which in turn leads to true repentance. — Joel R. Beeke

The conferring and comparing of Scriptures is an excellent means of coming to an acquaintance with the mind and will of God in them. - JOHN OWEN — Joel R. Beeke

Christ did not come to earth simply to be our moral teacher. If that were His only mission, He could have come as He did in former times, as the Angel of the Lord, without our flesh and blood to encumber Him. Instead, He had to become like us so that He could raise us up to be like Him. — Joel R. Beeke

Now I know not anything that will contribute more to the furtherance of this good work than the bringing of family religion more into practice and reputation. Here the reformation must begin. — Joel R. Beeke

Many forget that most of the greatest theologians God has given to the church were also pastors and teachers in the local church. — Joel R. Beeke

There is no thought, no word, no act, and no area of human life that is not affected by sin. — Joel R. Beeke

Jesus calls all sinners to repent. True repentance is not a nebulous response of sorrow; it requires definite actions. Repentance so transforms the mind that it results in a changed life. Repentance does not merely say "I'm sorry" (similar to what we say when we accidentally step on someone's foot). Rather, true repentance says from the heart, "I've been wrong and grieve over my sin, but now I see the truth, and I will change my ways accordingly. — Joel R. Beeke

The love of Christ is insatiable. The more you experience His redeeming love, the more you desire it. The more you desire it, the more you want to dwell on it. The more you dwell on it, the more you cherish it and are satisfied by it. You can never 'mind' Christ's love too often, since his love knows no bounds. — Joel R. Beeke

A true friend is one with whom you can be playful and serious at the same time. The Bible teaches that God has appointed "a time to weep, and a time to laugh — Joel R. Beeke

Suspicion kills friendship. — Joel R. Beeke

The constant challenge in Christian theology is to preach the whole counsel of God, while not emphazing one point of doctrine in a way that denies another. — Joel R. Beeke

Some of us have little spiritual vitality because we fail to feed on Christ day by day. Over time, we become spiritually anorexic. — Joel R. Beeke

Preaching was uniquely honored by God "in that it serveth to collect the church and to accomplish the number of the elect" and also "it driveth away the wolves from the folds of the Lord. — Joel R. Beeke

God, through the Law, His alien
work, brings man to despair and humility and to a recognition of his
need, and through the Gospel, His appropriate work, He gives man faith
and the knowledge of His forgiveness. — Joel R. Beeke

Prayer is thus a means ordained to receive what God has planned to bestow.[22] — Joel R. Beeke

What happens too often when we criticize someone is that we accompany it with strong, negative feelings. We criticize without ever mentioning how many other things we appreciate about our spouse. — Joel R. Beeke

Gospel optimism leads to kingdom prayer. This psalm should move us to pray - and to pray with great hope and expectation - that the kingdom of Christ will prevail against the powers of evil and that all His elect will be brought in and made holy. — Joel R. Beeke