---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was not nails that held Jesus to that…"
description: "\"It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father's will-and it ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png"
---

#  It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross…

![“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father's will-and it was his love for sinners like me.” quote by D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png)

> “It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father's will-and it was his love for sinners like me.”

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Self-sacrificial love and obedience to God's will empower one to endure suffering for others.

**In simple terms:** Love and obedience give strength to bear hardship for others.

Key Takeaway

Embrace love-driven purpose.

Themes

sacrifice love obedience

Mood

compassionate determined

Type

spiritual motivational

When to use this quote

- missionary work
- counseling
- personal crisis
- community service
- prayer

Key Concepts

Christian ethics theology of suffering personal devotion

Questions to Reflect On

- What sacrifices have you made out of love?
- How does love shape your sense of duty?

A Different Perspective

Such resolve may demand personal loss and can be misunderstood.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Resolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resolution/)

## Related quotes

> [Ethics is in its unqualified form extended responsibility to everything that has life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/ethics-is-in-its-unqualified-form-extended-responsibility-to/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“Knowledge unqualified is knowledge simply of something learned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-unqualified-is-knowledge-simply-of-something-learned/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [I want to be very clear: whenever it is possible to capture a suspected terrorist, it is the unqualified preference of the administration to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-brennan/i-want-to-be-very-clear-whenever-it-is-possible-to-capture-a/)

[John O. Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/)

> [Your responsibility as a parent is not as great as you might imagine. You need not supply the world with the next conqueror of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/your-responsibility-as-a-parent-is-not-as-great-as-you-might-imagine/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [Many of the qualities that come so effortlessly to dogs - loyalty, devotion, selflessness, unflagging optimism, unqualified love - can be elusive to humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/many-of-the-qualities-that-come-so-effortlessly-to-dogs-loyalty/)

[John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/)

> [Parking Reform Made Easy provides both a theoretical framework and practical methods for reforming parking requirements. By giving planners a sound basis for developing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-shoup/parking-reform-made-easy-provides-both-a-theoretical-framework-and/)

[Donald Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-shoup/)

> [I want a military funeral when I die—the bugler, the flag on the casket, the ceremonial firing squad, the hallowed ground… It will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-want-a-military-funeral-when-i-die-the-bugler-the-flag-on-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Darren Levine has my unqualified support and gratitude for his contributions to Krav Maga.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imi-lichtenfeld/darren-levine-has-my-unqualified-support-and-gratitude-for-his/)

[Imi Lichtenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imi-lichtenfeld/)

> [I take my hat off to my friend, Mark Wahlberg, because I know that it took him a long time to make 'The Fighter',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holt-mccallany/i-take-my-hat-off-to-my-friend-mark-wahlberg-because-i-know-that-it/)

[Holt McCallany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holt-mccallany/)

> [I never respond to Donald Trump's personal insults about me. I could care less what he says about me. I'm going to respond when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-never-respond-to-donald-trump-s-personal-insults-about-me-i-could/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The republican principle demands that the deliberate sense of the community should govern the conduct of those to whom they intrust the management of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-republican-principle-demands-that-the-deliberate-sense-of-the/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [I am mainly concerned with unqualified knowledge, by contrast with the varieties of expert knowledge: scientific knowledge of various sorts, legal knowledge, medically expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/i-am-mainly-concerned-with-unqualified-knowledge-by-contrast-with-the/)

[Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/)

> [Christian love draws no distinction between one enemy and another, except that the more bitter our enemy's hatred, the greater his need of love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/christian-love-draws-no-distinction-between-one-enemy-and-another/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [The reason to preserve wilderness is that we need it. We need wilderness of all kinds, large and small, public and private. Wee need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-reason-to-preserve-wilderness-is-that-we-need-it-we-need/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [ Hillary's \[Clinton\] been doing a good job of portraying \[Donald\] Trump as unqualified, not the right temperament. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/hillary-s-clinton-been-doing-a-good-job-of-portraying-donald-trump-as/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

## More by D. A. Carson

> [Unchecked, the new tolerance will sooner or later put many people in chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/unchecked-the-new-tolerance-will-sooner-or-later-put-many-people-in/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [God's wrath is not an implacable, blind rage. However emotional it may be, it is an entirely reasonable and willed response to offenses against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/god-s-wrath-is-not-an-implacable-blind-rage-however-emotional-it-may/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Others have questions about how it is that God and human beings can both be speaking through the one document such that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/others-have-questions-about-how-it-is-that-god-and-human-beings-can/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [The New Testament writers did not invent a doctrine of Scripture they inherited it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-new-testament-writers-did-not-invent-a-doctrine-of-scripture-they/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [The Bible is not interested in precisionism unless the context indicates that precision is particularly important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-bible-is-not-interested-in-precisionism-unless-the-context/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Effectiveness in teaching the Bible is purchased at the price of much study, some of it lonely, all of it tiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/effectiveness-in-teaching-the-bible-is-purchased-at-the-price-of-much/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Do you wish to see God's love? Look at the cross. Do you wish to see God's wrath? Look at the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/do-you-wish-to-see-god-s-love-look-at-the-cross-do-you-wish-to-see/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [The notion of the enduring authority focuses on the fact that some people think that notions like authority of Scripture's is passé, while others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-notion-of-the-enduring-authority-focuses-on-the-fact-that-some/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Many of us in our praying are like nasty little boys who ring front door bells and run away before anyone answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/many-of-us-in-our-praying-are-like-nasty-little-boys-who-ring-front/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Christians have learned that when there seems to be no other evidence of God's love, they cannot escape the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/christians-have-learned-that-when-there-seems-to-be-no-other-evidence/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Love the church because Jesus loves it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/love-the-church-because-jesus-loves-it/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> ["Biblical theology" refers to something more precise than theology that is faithful to the Bible. It might be helpful to draw a contrast: at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/biblical-theology-refers-to-something-more-precise-than-theology-that/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [We treat the Bible, not as if it's a magic book that has to be handled like a piece of abracadabra, make sure it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/we-treat-the-bible-not-as-if-it-s-a-magic-book-that-has-to-be-handled/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Most good evangelical Study Bibles have more in common than people sometimes realize. All of them are committed to explaining the Bible to lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/most-good-evangelical-study-bibles-have-more-in-common-than-people/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

> [Not all Scripture is propositional, some of it is asking questions, some of it's rhetorical, but where Scripture is stating something, asserting something, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/not-all-scripture-is-propositional-some-of-it-is-asking-questions/)

[D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

[Explore all 117 D. A. Carson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/)

## More Crosses quotes

> [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/)

[Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/)

> [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/)

[Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/)

> [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/)

[Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/)

> [Whoever does not seek the cross of Christ doesn't seek the glory of Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-the-cross/whoever-does-not-seek-the-cross-of-christ-doesn-t-seek-the-glory-of/)

[John of the Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-the-cross/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [...it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly, and spectral. I have cross-examined these men, one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-was-a-huge-creature-luminous-ghastly-and-spectral-i-have-cross/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [“To my fellow Crosses, keep the faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malorie-blackman/to-my-fellow-crosses-keep-the-faith/)

[Malorie Blackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malorie-blackman/)

> [I told my mom I was going to do a movie about a son who hears a story about his mom and takes her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelman/i-told-my-mom-i-was-going-to-do-a-movie-about-a-son-who-hears-a-story/)

[Dan Fogelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelman/)

> [I think in black communities today we need to encourage a lot more cross racial organizing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/i-think-in-black-communities-today-we-need-to-encourage-a-lot-more/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

> [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/)

[Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/)

> [Never forget that the road to Heaven is the Way of the Cross. Jesus has called us to follow Him, bearing the Cross as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-philippine-duchesne/never-forget-that-the-road-to-heaven-is-the-way-of-the-cross-jesus/)

[Rose Philippine Duchesne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-philippine-duchesne/)

> [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [When Jesus Christ shed his blood on the cross, it was not the blood of a martyr; or the blood of one man for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/when-jesus-christ-shed-his-blood-on-the-cross-it-was-not-the-blood-of/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [Pay no heed to the passing religious vogue. Go back to the grass roots. Open your hearts and search the Scriptures. Bear your cross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/pay-no-heed-to-the-passing-religious-vogue-go-back-to-the-grass-roots/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

Browse all 2,897 Crosses quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for his Father, to do his Father's will-and it was his love for sinners like me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "D. A. Carson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that-wretched-cross-it-was-his/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crosses"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that-wretched-cross-it-was-his/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/d-a-carson-4044_crosses_it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that_1135947.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was not nails that held Jesus to that wretched cross; it was his unqualified resolution, out of love for…” — D. A. Carson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "D. A. Carson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was not nails that held...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that-wretched-cross-it-was-his/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/it-was-not-nails-that-held-jesus-to-that-wretched-cross-it-was-his/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
