An Anchor for the Soul

An Anchor for the Soul: Help for the Present, Hope for the Future by Dr. Ray Pritchard was initially published in 2001. Dr. Pritchard is president of Keep Believing Ministries.

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 * The Bible does not tell us everything we could know on every subject, but it tells us everything we need to know about being right with God.
 * p. 11


 * If the gospel is truly good news from God, then we shouldn’t be surprised if our lives are radically changed as we come to know God personally through the Lord Jesus Christ.
 * p. 14.


 * If you miss out on knowing God, you have missed the central reality of the universe.
 * p. 18


 * We were made to know God and we want to know Him, but our sin has separated us from God. As a result, we are left with a deep “Father hunger” that won’t go away.
 * p. 22


 * Something evil lurks inside the heart of every person. No one is immune, no one is exempt, and no one is truly innocent.
 * p. 40


 * Adam was the first sinner, but he wasn’t the last. We follow in the footsteps of our forefather because we share his tainted blood.
 * p. 46


 * Since we all descend from Adam, there is no room for pride or a feeling of superiority over others. We all stand in exactly the same place—created by God, made to know Him, deeply fallen, and greatly loved. And we all need the saving touch of Jesus Christ.
 * p. 49


 * Here is the bottom line: You were born in sin—separated from God, fallen, corrupt, spiritually dead. You are dying physically and are already dead spiritually. You are responsible for every sin you have ever committed. You are in big trouble.
 * p. 54


 * Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it.
 * p. 60


 * To the human heart no doctrine is more repugnant than the doctrine of grace because it forces us to admit that we are truly helpless because of our sin.
 * p. 65


 * Salvation begins when a person understands that he cannot save himself.
 * p. 72


 * Grace is at the heart of the good news that can change your life. And the best part is, it’s free.
 * p. 74


 * The resurrection of Jesus is vitally important because it proves that He really is the Son of God and that everything He said is true. No one else has ever come back from the dead never to die again.
 * p. 86


 * We are not saved because we have a good feeling about Jesus. We are not saved because we like His moral teaching. We are saved by trusting in all that Jesus has accomplished for us in His obedient life, His sacrificial death and His bodily resurrection from the dead.
 * p. 87


 * Because God is holy, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. His justice demands that every sin be punished—no matter how small it may seem to us. If He were to forgive sin without proper punishment, He would cease to be holy and just.
 * p. 100


 * What Jesus accomplished in His death was so awesome, so total, so complete that it could never be repeated. Not even by Jesus Himself.
 * p. 105


 * In the end it is either all by Jesus or not by Jesus at all.
 * p. 106


 * If God doesn’t want our “works,” what does He want from us? He wants us to trust Him. Noting more, nothing less, nothing else.
 * p. 112


 * If you are justified, it means that there are no marks against you. It means the charges are dropped. There is no guilt, no penalty, no condemnation.
 * p. 113


 * The verdict is just in from heaven, and the bad news is, you are guilty. The good news is, Christ is entirely righteous. If you will accept those two rulings from the court of heaven, an amazing miracle will take place. Christ will take your guilt and exchange it with his righteousness.
 * p. 115


 * Faith starts with knowledge, moves to conviction, and ends with commitment.
 * p. 126


 * Faith is total reliance upon another to do that which you could never do yourself.
 * p.131


 * To repent means to change your mind about whatever is keeping you from coming to Christ. To trust Christ means to wholeheartedly reach out to Him by faith so that He becomes your Savior and Lord.
 * p. 134


 * There comes a time when you must decide where you stand with Jesus. No one can sit on the fence forever.
 * p. 146


 * The moment you receive Christ into your life, God gives you the honor of becoming a member of His family.
 * p. 151


 * Your part is to be hopelessly lost in sin. God’s part is to save you. That way God alone gets the credit. Salvation is a work of God from first to last.
 * p.152


 * In light of all that Christ has done, we are invited to trust Him as Lord and Savior. But this is not merely an option we can take or leave as if we might find a better offer somewhere else.
 * p. 153


 * Trusting Christ as Savior and Lord is the most important decision you will ever make. Your eternal destiny has been changed because of what Christ has done for you. But that is not the end of the story. In many ways, it is only the beginning.
 * p. 161


 * If the Christian life is a book, coming to Christ is only chapter 1.
 * p. 164


 * The way to heaven has been opened by the Son of God. Come just as you are, holding nothing back, making no excuses. Come, and as you come to Christ, He will come to you.
 * p. 175