Quotes from John Gresham Machen

Certainly it does make the greatest possible difference what we think about God; the knowledge of God is the very basis of religion.

Christ died"--that is history; "Christ died for our sins"--that is doctrine. Without these two elements, joined in an absolutely indissoluble union, there is no Christianity.

Conservative New Testament studies could also provide an intellectually satisfying alternative to German biblical criticism and to the liberal theology that accompanied it.

I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.

God is the ruler of history. His times are well chosen The Roman Empire was an instrument in his hand. And so are the nations of the modern world.

The type of religion which rejoices in the pious sound of traditional phrases, regardless of their meanings, or shrinks from "controversial" matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life.

I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.

But it is a sad and fatal mistake to treat those other ways [atonement theories] as though they lay on the same plane with this one foundation way [penal substitutionary theory]; in reality the other "theories" of the atonement lose all their meaning unless they are taken in connection with this blessed "theory".

I see with greater and greater clearness that consistent Christianity is the easiest Christianity to defend.

The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more child-like will be our faith

The great redemptive religion which has always been known as Christianity is battling against a totally diverse type of religious belief, which is only the more destructive of the Christian faith because it makes use of traditional Christian terminology.

Afternoon classes - that evil invention!

Modern culture is a tremendous force.

What is the relation between Christianity and modern culture; may Christianity be maintained in a scientific age? It is this problem which modern liberalism attempts to solve.

According to Christian belief, man exists for the sake of God; according to the liberal church, in practice if not in theory, God exists for the sake of man.

The Gospel does not abrogate God's law, but it makes men love it with all of their hearts.

I can't die now, I have so much work to do.

In many respects, my work is very enjoyable, for I seem to get on pretty well with the fellows and enjoy the work of instruction as well as my own studies

The chief modern rival of Christianity is 'liberalism'... at every point, the two movements are in direct opposition.

Vastly more important than all questions with regard to methods of preaching is the root question as to what it is that shall be preached.

If we give the bureaucrats our children, we may as well give them everything else.

Indifferentism about doctrine makes no heroes of the faith.