“Our forefather Adam... used his freedom to turn toward what was worse and to direct his desire away from what had been permitted to what was forbidden. It was in his power 'to be united to the Lord and become one spirit with God...' (I Cor. 6:15). But Adam was deceived and chose to cut himself off voluntarily from God's happy end for him, preferring by his own free choice to be drawn down to the earth (cf. Gen. 2:17) than to become God by grace.” EndsEarthChristianUsedSpiritDesireTurnsChoicesUnitedLordGraceCuttingDirectOrthodoxAdamForbiddenDeceivedForefathersCfsFree Choice Author:Maximus the Confessor
“No blast of air or fire of sun Puts out the light whereby we run With girdled loins our lamplit race, And each from each takes heart of grace And spirit till his turn be done.” HeartDoneLightRunningSpiritTurnsRaceSunFireGraceAirCompanionshipBlast Book:Songs Before Sunrise Source: Songs Before Sunrise
“Grieve not the Christ of God, who redeems us; and remember that we grieve Him most when we will not let Him pour His love upon us, but turn a sullen, unresponsive unbelief towards His pleading grace, as some glacier shuts out the sunshine from the mountain-side with its thick-ribbed ice.” RememberTurnsSidesChristGraceMountainIceGrievingSunshineThickHis LoveUnbeliefPleadingGlaciersSullenUnresponsive Author:Alexander MacLaren
“And the earth under your feet, the rain over your face upturned, the stars spinning all around you in the brazen glory: this is for you, you, you. These are for you-gifts-these are for you-grace-these are for you-God, so count the ways He loves, a thousand, more, never stop, that when you wake in the morning you can't help turn humbly to the east, unfold your hand to the heavens, and though you tremble and though you wonder, though the world is ugly, it is beautiful, and you can slow and you can trust and you can receive each moment as grace.” WorldWayMomentsHelpingHandsEarthBeautifulFacesTurnsHeavenStarsWonderMorningGraceFeetThousandGloryRainUglyEastOver YouYour FaceSpinningBrazen Author:Ann Voskamp
“Nonsense prevails, modesty fails Grace and virtue turn into stupidity While the calendar fades almost all barricades to a pale compromise And our leaders have feasts on the backsides of beasts They still think they're the gods of antiquity If something you missed didn't even exist It was just an ideal is it such a surprise?” IfsThinkingStillsTurnsLeaderVirtueGraceFailingIdealsSurpriseStupidityCompromiseBeastNonsenseFadesModestyPaleAntiquityCalendarsBarricadesBacksides Author:Elvis Costello
“Just as the creative artist is not allowed to choose, neither is he permitted to turn his back on anything: a single refusal, and he is cast out of the state of grace and becomes sinful all the way through.” WayStatesArtistTurnsCreativeGraceCastsRefusalCreative ArtCreative Artists Book:Letters on Cézanne Source: Letters on Cézanne
“God is undoubtedly ready to pardon whenever the sinner turns. Therefore, he does not will his death, in so far as he wills repentance. But experience shows that this will, for the repentance of those whom he invites to himself, is not such as to make him touch all their hearts. Still, it cannot be said that he acts deceitfully; for though the external word only renders, those who hear it, and do not obey it, inexcusable, it is still truly regarded as an evidence of the grace by which he reconciles men to himself.” MenHeartDoeSaidStillsShowsTurnsGraceReadyEvidenceSinnerRepentanceInvitesPardonReconcile Book:The Institutes Of The Christian Religion, Books Third and Fourth Source: The Institutes Of The Christian Religion, Books Third and Fourth
“Does it follow from: 'turn ye' that therefore you can turn? Does it follow from "'Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart' (Deut 6.5) that therefore you can love with all your heart? What do arguments of this kind prove, but the 'free-will' does not need the grace of God, but can do all things by its own power....But it does not follow from this that man is converted by his own power, nor do the words say so; they simply say: "if thou wilt turn,telling man what he should do. When he knows it, and sees that he cannot do it, he will ask whence he may find ability to do it..." 164” IfsKnowsMenNeedsShouldHeartKindMayDoeTurnsAsksCan DoAbilityLordGraceProveArgumentAll ThingsFree WillGrace Of God Author:Martin Luther