“Certainly we shall remain forever in the gloom if we attend merely to the character of Jesus and neglect the thing that he has done; if we try to attend to the Person and neglect the message. We may have joy for sadness and power for weakness; but not by easy half-way measures, not by avoidance of controversy, not by trying to hold on to Jesus and yet reject the gospel. What was it that within a few days transformed a band of mourners into the spiritual conquerors of the world? It was not the memory of Jesus’ life; it was not the inspiration which came from past contact with Him. But it was the message ‘He is risen.’ That message alone gave to the disciples a living Saviour; and it alone can give to us a living Saviour today. We shall never have vital contact with Jesus if we attend to His person and neglect the message; for it is the message which makes Him ours.”
-J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism
The Pastor's Pen 