Chuck Smith > Quotes

“Wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know.”
― Chuck Smith

“I've come to the conclusion that it's more important that I have the right attitude than that I have the right answers. If my answers are wrong, God can change them in a moment by the revelation of His truth. But often times it takes a whole lifetime to change an attitude. Better that we have the right attitude and the wrong answers, than the right answers and the wrong attitude.”
― Chuck Smith, Calvary Distinctives: The Foundational Principles of the Calvary Chapel Movement

“All of us are either trying to work and be good enough to please God, or we are believing and trusting God to do for us what we can't do for ourselves. At each moment of our lives we find ourselves on one road or the other. If we are still trying to please God through being good enough, defeat and frustration will be our lot. If we have trusted in God's grace to transform us and form Christ within us, we will enjoy life and peace. I”
― Chuck Smith, Why Grace Changes Everything

“We think of a martyr as one who dies for his faith; however, it is really one whose life is so totally committed to his faith that nothing will dissuade him from it, not even the threat of death. His death does not make him a martyr; it only confirms that he was truly a martyr.”
― Chuck Smith, Charisma Versus Charismania

“No one will ever be moved to Spirit-led action without faith. One's faith is not genuine unless it moves him or her to action. Faith and works are necessary companions. The faith produces the works, while the works demonstrate the genuineness of the faith.”
― Chuck Smith, Faith

“Grace and peace are called the Siamese twins of the New Testament because they're always coupled together. This is the proper order of the two words, for you can't have the peace of God until you've first experienced His grace.”
― Chuck Smith, The Gospel According to Grace: A Clear Commentary On the Book of Romans

“The greatest service you can provide to the people in your care is to make the Bible accessible to them.”
― Chuck Smith, Chuck Smith Autobiography: A Memoir of Grace

“The peace of God comes when you take each situation and rest it fully in His hands. You stop looking at the problems and you start looking at the Lord. This is what Paul was talking about when he said to let the peace of God rule in your hearts." (Col. 3:15). It's a peace that surpasses understanding. ( Phi. 4:7)”
― Chuck Smith

“Grace transforms desolate and bleak plains into rich, green pastures. It changes grit-your-teeth duty into loving, enthusiastic service. It exchanges the tears and guilt of our own failed efforts for the eternal thrill and laughter of freely offered pleasures at the right hand of God. Grace changes everything!”
― Chuck Smith, Why Grace Changes Everything

“So you can’t look at church history to find the model for the church, just like you can’t look at the history of mankind and find God’s divine intention for man.”
― Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Distinctives

“The more you look at your problems, the bigger they get." -Chuck Smith”
― Chuck Smith

“The best Bible teaching is not that which dazzles people with the profound intellect of their teacher, but that which puts its truth squarely in their hands.”
― Chuck Smith, Chuck Smith Autobiography: A Memoir of Grace

“When God reveals to me an area of the flesh He wants to change, for example, I always start out with the best of intentions. I see the ugliness of my sin and vow that I will never fall in that manner again. And so I come up with various disciplines and strategies to deal with the problem. I seek out all kinds of advice on how to practically deal with the situation. But sooner or later I watch all my best-laid plans fall apart. I get so frustrated that I cry out, "God, help me!" And then amazingly enough, He does. His Spirit miraculously begins to transform my life.”
― Chuck Smith, Why Grace Changes Everything

“a loving, caring Father who sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus made it possible for us to enjoy this intimate relationship”
― Chuck Smith, Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in your Life

“You can fill a cup, but if you keep pouring, it’s going to overflow. This is distinct from just being just filled. This is overflowing with the Spirit. ”
.....“True education doesn’t come from the wisdom of the world, but by the guidance and the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit.”-Pastor Chuck Smith
from "Living Water”
― Chuck Smith

“Everything is preparation for something else. Every story is part of a larger story. Every event, regardless of whether it seems good or bad, is a seed planted, watered, sprouted, or readied for harvest.”
― Chuck Smith, Chuck Smith Autobiography: A Memoir of Grace

“There is a huge difference between being bound in relationship by the joy of love, and being tied up in obligation and guilt.”
― Chuck Smith, Why Grace Changes Everything

“deaths of men are recorded in an unbroken chain until Enoch. Enoch was taken from the earth by God.
Enoch, as a man of faith, represents the church, which will also be taken out of the world (raptured).
Noah symbolizes the 144,000 Jews who will have to go through the tribulation here on earth, but will be protected by God.”
― Chuck Smith, Old Testament Study Guide

“Whenever a person says, "It's good to believe in Jesus Christ, but it takes more than that," watch out! The minute you tell me that I have to be righteous and must prove myself before God by my holiness, you are not bringing me to God; you are pushing me away from Him. I am not righteous and I am not holy and there is no way I can be, so what you are telling me is not good news. It is far from good news. It's a proclamation of death.”
― Chuck Smith, Why Grace Changes Everything

“Long before Abraham's servant traveled to Mesopotamia, God had appointed Rebekah to be the bride of Isaac. "The angel of the LORD will direct you," Abraham told the servant. "He'll lead you to the one.”
― Chuck Smith, Faith

“Faith is the key to a successful Christian life. It enables you to reach out and accept the gift of salvation. And it is faith that takes you by the hand and walks you from one level of spiritual maturity to another. That is why the Word of God says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).”
― Chuck Smith, Faith

“God leads you through failure so that when He works you will know for certain you are not responsible for the success.”
― Chuck Smith, Chuck Smith Autobiography: A Memoir of Grace

“February 26 DEFEATING GIANTS Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." —1 Samuel 17:45 Every day, this giant named Goliath would come out into the battlefield and challenge the armies of Israel to a winner-take-all contest. Using his words, his armor, and his size, Goliath sought to intimidate Israel. And it worked. Saul's army faced the giant with great fear and dismay. But then along came David, who expressed great confidence before Goliath. David's confidence wasn't in himself, but in the Lord. He saw more power in the ability of God to deliver him than in this giant to destroy him. "It is not really a contest between the giant and me. It is a contest between the giant and the Lord. And though I wouldn't stand a chance against the giant, he doesn't stand a chance against the Lord." David saw the conflict as an opportunity to bring glory to God. We need a proper perspective of the giants in our lives. We need to take our eyes off of those problems and look instead on the Lord. We need to remember that God is for us, and He has made all the resources of heaven available to us. Through the power of the Lord, every giant in your life can fall. But you've got to trust Him. Father, we thank You that You are bigger than any giant we may face. Help us to remember that the battle is not won with swords and spears and the wisdom of man, but with the power of the eternal God. Amen”
― Chuck Smith, Wisdom For Today

“How tragic and foolish! Yet, people worship these things and say, "That's God.”
― Chuck Smith, The Gospel According to Grace: A Clear Commentary On the Book of Romans

“You can fill a cup, but if you keep pouring, it’s going to overflow. This is distinct from just being just filled. This is overflowing with the Spirit. ”
“True education doesn’t come from the wisdom of the world, but by the guidance and the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit.”-Pastor Chuck Smith,
"Calvary Chapel Distinctives”
― Chuck Smith

“So when Jesus says the Holy Spirit is of the same quality as Himself, He means the Spirit possesses the same essential qualities that He Himself does, especially those of divinity and personality. In essence He tells His men, "I have been with you, but now I am going away. But I will not leave you alone. I will ask the Father to give you another Comforter - allos, of the same quality, the same kind, as Myself. Just as I was with you and took care of every situation for you, so now the Holy Spirit will be with you and will take care of every situation for you.”
― Chuck Smith, Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life

“Righteousness can never be legislated. It is a matter of the heart.”
― Chuck Smith, Revelation Commentary: What the World is Coming To

“When God stops you on one venture, be open to what He may have in mind. Don't sit down and cry. He has something else for you to do. Look for it!”
― Chuck Smith, The Gospel According to Grace: A Clear Commentary On the Book of Romans

“classic example is the problem in our understanding of the Scriptures that refer to the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. The Bible actually teaches both, but in our human understanding they’re mutually exclusive. People who become divisive on this issue claim that we can’t believe both, because if you carry the sovereignty of God to an extreme, it eliminates the responsibility of man. Likewise, if you carry the responsibility of man to the extreme, it eliminates the sovereignty of God. This mistake is made when a person takes doctrine and carries it out to its logical conclusion. Using human logic and carrying divine sovereignty out to its logical conclusion leaves man with no choices. So, how are we to deal with rightly dividing the Word on the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man? We need to believe both of them through faith, because I can’t keep them in balance by my understanding. I don’t understand how they come together. But I do believe them both. I believe God is sovereign, and I also believe I’m responsible and God holds me responsible for the choices that I make. I simply trust God that both assertions of Scripture are true.”
― Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Distinctives

“The Scripture makes it clear that one of the Holy Spirit's primary tasks is to restrain evil until the time set by the Father.”
― Chuck Smith, Living Water: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life