--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cross had touched his heart and will…" description: "\"“The cross had touched his heart and will. That was all. It had changed his whole being. He is a living illustration of Paul’s teaching in this very le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/alexander-maclaren-3410_gospel_the-cross-had-touched-his-heart-and-will_3104885.png" --- # The cross had touched his heart and will. That was all. It… ![“The cross had touched his heart and will. That was all. It had changed his whole being. He is a living illustration of Paul’s teaching in this very letter. He is dead with Christ to his old self; he lives with Christ a new life. The gospel can do that. It can and does do so to-day and to us, if we…” quote by Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/alexander-maclaren-3410_gospel_the-cross-had-touched-his-heart-and-will_3104885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/alexander-maclaren-3410_gospel_the-cross-had-touched-his-heart-and-will_3104885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/alexander-maclaren-3410_gospel_the-cross-had-touched-his-heart-and-will_3104885.png) > ““The cross had touched his heart and will. That was all. It had changed his whole being. He is a living illustration of Paul’s teaching in this very letter. He is dead with Christ to his old self; he lives with Christ a new life. The gospel can do that. It can and does do so to-day and to us, if we will. Nothing else can; nothing else ever has done it; nothing else ever will. Culture may do much; social reformation may do much; but the radical transformation of the nature is only effected by the “love of God shed abroad in the heart,” and by the new life which we receive through our faith in Christ.”” [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The cross transforms a believer’s entire identity, replacing the old self with a new life in Christ, a change only possible through divine love and faith **In simple terms:** Faith in Christ reshapes a person completely Key Takeaway Embrace the transformative power of divine love Themes faith spirituality transformation identity redemption Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type theological motivational When to use this quote - personal crisis - spiritual awakening - life decisions - overcoming despair Key Concepts Divine love new life spiritual rebirth Questions to Reflect On - How does divine love alter personal identity? - What does “new life” mean to you today? A Different Perspective Human effort alone cannot achieve this deep change ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gospel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospel/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-of-god/) [New life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-life/) [Old self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-self/) [Reformation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reformation/) ## Related quotes > [“It also explains why the gospel of the kingdom has such transforming power in human life. For that gospel opens the kingdom to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/it-also-explains-why-the-gospel-of-the-kingdom-has-such-transforming/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [And whatever my life had been up to that day, it was another life after that. 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Wholeness is a natural radiance of Love, and Love demands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalaja-bonheim/paradoxically-we-achieve-true-wholeness-only-by-embracing-our/) [Jalaja Bonheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalaja-bonheim/) > [Through learning we grow, becoming more than we were before, and in that sense learning is unselfish, because it results in the transformation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/through-learning-we-grow-becoming-more-than-we-were-before-and-in/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) ## More by Alexander MacLaren > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [God keeps giving Himself as long as we bring that into which He can pour Himself. 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Bridle impatience till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/do-not-let-the-loud-utterances-of-your-own-wills-anticipate-nor-drown/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Man's course begins in a garden, but it ends in a city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/man-s-course-begins-in-a-garden-but-it-ends-in-a-city/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [The cup which my Saviour giveth me, can it be anything but a cup of salvation?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/the-cup-which-my-saviour-giveth-me-can-it-be-anything-but-a-cup-of/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Love is the only fire that is hot enough to melt the iron obstinacy of a creatures' will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/love-is-the-only-fire-that-is-hot-enough-to-melt-the-iron-obstinacy/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [If you want to live in this world, doing the duty of life, knowing the blessings of it, doing your work heartily, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-you-want-to-live-in-this-world-doing-the-duty-of-life-knowing-the/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Faith is the sight of the inward eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/faith-is-the-sight-of-the-inward-eye/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Every sin is a mistake, as well as a wrong; and the epitaph for the sinner is, "Thou fool!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/every-sin-is-a-mistake-as-well-as-a-wrong-and-the-epitaph-for-the/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [True peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God and will be deep and passing all understanding in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/true-peace-comes-not-from-the-absence-of-trouble-but-from-the/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) [Explore all 131 Alexander MacLaren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) ## More Gospel quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. 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My parents are pastors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/i-listened-to-gospel-music-because-that-was-just-our-culture-you-know/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) [Browse all 1,857 Gospel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gospel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The cross had touched his heart and will. That was all. It had changed his whole being. He is a living illustration of Paul’s teaching in this very letter. He is dead with Christ to his old self; he lives with Christ a new life. The gospel can do that. It can and does do so to-day and to us, if we will. Nothing else can; nothing else ever has done it; nothing else ever will. 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