“To assume that because man has ability to love he therefore has ability to love God, is about as wise as to assume that since water has the ability to flow, it therefore has the ability to flow up hill; or to reason that because a man has power to cast himself from the top of a precipice to the bottom, he therefore has equal power to transport himself from the bottom to the top.”
—Loraine Boettner (1901-1990)
Great quote and a terrific read. I am rereading this book right now for about the third time.
Amen, brother. Mr. Boettner’s The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination is indeed an excellent book.
Thanks for the quote, Jon!
When you think about the implications of believing that one had something to do with loving God it can be rather frightening. In essence, what you are are saying is that, “I had something to do with my salvation.” What an unholy presumption! Imagine getting to heaven and thinking you had done something to earn your way?
As someone who is relatively new to Reformed Theology, I always appreciate what others have to offer along the way of helping to understand the doctrines of Grace.
Thank you for the quote!
Jon,
I love Boettner’s quote and reasoning here. People who would reason that they have the ability to love God based upon their ability to love people are blind. They have not seen that all of their motivations to love others are 100% based upon self gratification. Even those who are generously philanthropic and enjoy giving anonymously still do these acts because it makes THEM feel good.
Thank you for posting this great little tid bit of wisdom.
Blessings Brother!
Thanks for the encouraging word, Diane. Loraine Boettner has so many great quotes in that book that it would have been hard to try to pick one; yet, I do believe this is one of his best. It’s pithy wisdom brought down to its utter simplicity– especially on this topic.
Blessings to you, sister.