In Memory of John Stott

John Stott

John Stott died last month on July 27.  In my book this man was the greatest evangelical  theologian of the 20th century.  He had a voice that was steady and clear through so much.

Stott retired from ministry at age 86.  Talk about a long and faithful run!  Stott never married but would have said that he had thousands of children in the faith.

Here’s a couple of my favorite quotes from Stott.

Baptism with water is the sign and seal of baptism with the Spirit, as much as it is of the forgiveness of sins. Water-baptism is the initiatory Christian rite, because Spirit-baptism is the initiatory Christian experience.

A clear picture about baptism and how it is linked to the initial work of the Spirit who brings us into communion with God.

The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.

What a reminder in this day of perpetual happiness.  There is such a thing as “good mourning.”

Universalism, fashionable as it is today, is incompatible with the teaching of Christ and His apostles, and is a deadly enemy of evangelism. The true universalism of the Bible is the call to universal evangelism in obedience to Christ’s universal commission. It is the conviction that not all men will be saved in the end, but that all men must hear the gospel of salvation before the end.

This is why pluralism is so dangerous.  It kills evangelism and blunts the force of hell.

The very first thing which needs to be said about Christian ministers of all kinds is that they are “under” people as their servants rather than “over” them (as their leaders, let alone their lords). Jesus made this absolutely plain. he chief characteristic of Christian leaders, he insisted, is humility not authority, and gentleness not power.

This may not be true of our nation’s leaders and politicians, but it had better be true of Christian leaders of all stripes.  We are called to lead in the manner and spirit of our Lord.

Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.

I love this quote.  It does not deny sin in the life of any Christian, but it paints a good picture of why it should be uncomfortable.