George Whitefield Quotes

True conversion means turning not only from sin but also from depending on self-made righteousness. Those who trust in their own righteousness for conversion hide behind their own good works. This is the reason that self-righteous people are so angry with gospel preachers, because the gospel does not spare those who will not submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, "Are there any Presbyterians here?" "Yes!", came the answer. Then he asked, "Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?" The answer was Yes! each time. Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was No! "No?" To this, Wesley asked, "Who then is inside?" The answer came back, "There are only Christians here."

Be humble, talk little, think and pray much.

Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.

What! Get to heaven on your own strength? Why, you might as well try to climb to the moon on a rope of sand!

If you are going to walk with Jesus Christ, you are going to be opposed ... In our days, to be a true Christian is really to become a scandal.

Study to know Him more and more, for the more you know, the more you will love Him.

If we once get above our Bibles and cease making the written Word of God our sole rule both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to all manner of delusion and be in great danger of making shipwreck of faith and a good conscience.

I was honored today with having a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cat thrown at me

It is a poor sermon that gives no offense; that neither makes the hearer displeased with himself nor with the preacher.

Congregations are lifeless because dead men preach to them.

If one evil thought, if one evil word, if one evil action, deserves eternal damnation, how many hells, my friends, do every one of us deserve, whose whole lives have been one continued rebellion against God!

He [Jesus Christ] loves to see poor sinners coming to Him, He is pleased to see them lie at His feet pleading His promises; and if you thus come to Christ, He will not send you away without His Spirit; no, but will receive and bless you.

God forbid that I should travel with anybody a quarter of an hour without speaking of Christ to them.

Christ is worth all, or he is worth nothing.

How sweet is rest after fatigue! How sweet will heaven be when our journey is ended.

Let my name die everywhere, let even my friends forget me, if by that means the cause of the blessed Jesus may be promoted

True repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His Law, and in His people.

When you hear of a notorious sinner, instead of thinking you do well to be angry, beg of Jesus Christ to convert, and make him a monument of his free grace.

Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.

There are many likewise, who go on in a round of duties, a model of performances, that think they shall go to heaven; but if you examine them, though they have a Christ in their heads, they have no Christ in their hearts.

You blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction.

If we are not inwardly wrought upon, and changed by the powerful operations of the Holy Spirit, and our moral actions proceed from a principle of a new nature, however we may call ourselves Christians, we shall be found naked at the great day.

Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel.

For, if we have not charity, we are not Christians: charity is the great duty of Christians.

It is an undoubted truth that every doctrine that comes from God, leads to God; and that which doth not tend to promote holiness is not of God.

As for the extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, such as working of miracles, or speaking with divers kinds of tongues, they are long since ceased.

God, give me a deep humility, a well-guided zeal, a burning love and a single eye, and then let men or devils do their worst!

The renewal of our natures is a work of great importance. It is not to be done in a day. We have not only a new house to build up, but an old one to pull down.

As God can send a nation or people no greater blessing than to give them faithful, sincere and upright ministers, so the greatest curse that God can possibly send upon a people in this world is to give them over to blind, unregenerate, carnal, lukewarm and unskilled guides.

You might as reasonably expect to find a living man without breath, as a true Christian without the spirit of prayer and supplication.

I would rather wear out than rust out.

Take care of your life and the Lord will take care of your death.

Pray that I may be very little in my own eyes, and not rob my dear Master of any part of his glory.

I began to read the Holy Scriptures upon my knees, laying aside all other books, and praying over, if possible, every line and word. This proved meat indeed and drink indeed to my soul. I daily received fresh life, light and power from above.

We are immortal till our work is done.

True conversion means turning not only from sin but also from depending on self-made righteousness.

We can preach the Gospel of Christ no further than we have experienced the power of it in our own hearts

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, even persecutors, the worst of sinners: his righteousness is sufficient for them; his Spirit is able to purify and change their hearts.

Man is nothing; he hath a free will to go to hell, but none to go to heaven, till God worketh in him" and "you dishonour God by denying election. You plainly make salvation depend, not on God's 'free grace' but on Man's 'free will.'

To preach more than half an hour, a man should be an angel himself or have angels for hearers.

You may have orthodox heads, and yet you may have the devil in your hearts.

I got more true knowledge from reading the Book of God in one month, than I could ever have acquired from all the writings of men.

Lord help me to begin to begin.

If your souls were not immortal, and you in danger of losing them, I would not thus speak unto you; but the love of your souls constrains me to speak: methinks this would constrain me to speak unto you forever.

My prayer today is that God would make me an extraordinary Christian.

Let the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified

Come poor, lost, undone sinner, come just as you are to Christ.

And now let me address all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to accept of mercy and grace while it is offered to you; Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; and will you not accept it, now it is offered unto you?

The sinner can no more raise himself from the deadness of sin than Lazarus, who had been dead four days, until Jesus came.