---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our responsibility has never been to…"
description: "\"“Our responsibility has never been to moralize the unconverted; it's to convert the immoral. Our responsibility is redemptive, not political. We do not..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg"
---

#  Our responsibility has never been to moralize the…

![“Our responsibility has never been to moralize the unconverted; it's to convert the immoral. Our responsibility is redemptive, not political. We do not have a moral agenda; we have a redemptive agenda. We can't reform the kingdom of darkness that Satan rules.” quote by John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg)

> ““Our responsibility has never been to moralize the unconverted; it's to convert the immoral. Our responsibility is redemptive, not political. We do not have a moral agenda; we have a redemptive agenda. We can't reform the kingdom of darkness that Satan rules.””

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker stresses that the mission is to transform immoral behavior, not to impose moral judgments on those who are not believers.

**In simple terms:** Focus on changing immoral actions, not moralizing non‑believers.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize redemption over political moralism.

Themes

redemption morality mission spiritual warfare

Mood

determined serious

Type

theological motivational

When to use this quote

- church outreach
- personal counseling
- prison ministry
- community programs

Key Concepts

theology ethics evangelism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can believers balance redemptive goals with respect for pluralistic societies?
- What practical steps can be taken to address immorality without alienating others?

A Different Perspective

Redemptive work can be limited by cultural resistance and legal constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christian-responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-responsibility-32099/) [Evangelism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelism/) [Immoral Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immoral-responsibility-6044951/) [Moral Agenda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-agenda-3559624/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Moralize Unconverted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moralize-unconverted-6044952/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Moralize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-moralize-6044953/) [Responsibility Redemptive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-redemptive-6044954/)

## Related quotes

> [“The hope that we have in Christ is so gloriously wonderful, why would we ever keep it to ourselves? When we refuse to communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-merrick/the-hope-that-we-have-in-christ-is-so-gloriously-wonderful-why-would/)

[Britt Merrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-merrick/)

> [I think there has been an unfortunate tendency for a lot of different groups to forget that distinction between natural law and revealed truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/i-think-there-has-been-an-unfortunate-tendency-for-a-lot-of-different/)

[Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/)

## More by John MacArthur

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-more-you-focus-on-yourself-the-more-distracted-you-will-be-from/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [There are things that God hates, right? One of them is the one who stirs up strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/there-are-things-that-god-hates-right-one-of-them-is-the-one-who/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Over the years, I've fought a number of polemical battles against ideas that threaten the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/over-the-years-i-ve-fought-a-number-of-polemical-battles-against/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“You and I believed the gospel, not because we were wiser or more righteous than anyone else but because God graciously intervened, opening our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/you-and-i-believed-the-gospel-not-because-we-were-wiser-or-more/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“He call us to obey, not because He needs us but because He knows we need Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/he-call-us-to-obey-not-because-he-needs-us-but-because-he-knows-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“The Spirit works in the church so that men might see Jesus as Lord, recognizing His authority and submitting to His will (1 Cor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-spirit-works-in-the-church-so-that-men-might-see-jesus-as-lord/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Grace does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies power to live in the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/grace-does-not-grant-permission-to-live-in-the-flesh-it-supplies/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Sexual expression within a marriage is not an option or an extra. It is certainly not, as it has sometimes been considered, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sexual-expression-within-a-marriage-is-not-an-option-or-an-extra-it/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“18O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/18o-my-god-incline-your-ear-and-hear-open-your-eyes-and-see-our/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“Sin is the monarch that rules the heart of every man. It is the first lord of the soul, and its virus has contaminated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sin-is-the-monarch-that-rules-the-heart-of-every-man-it-is-the-first/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [“Psalm 13 O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/psalm-13-o-lord-how-long-will-you-forget-me-forever-how-long-will-you/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [Scripture repeatedly makes clear that heaven is a realm of unsurpassed joy, unfading glory, undiminished bliss, unlimited delights, and unending pleasures. Nothing about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/scripture-repeatedly-makes-clear-that-heaven-is-a-realm-of/)

[John Macarthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [God's true church has always been a place where people hunger for the truth from the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/god-s-true-church-has-always-been-a-place-where-people-hunger-for-the/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [The lies of systemic racism and the race hustlers dominate the ideologies of universities and even churches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-lies-of-systemic-racism-and-the-race-hustlers-dominate-the/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Explore all 279 John MacArthur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

## More Christian-responsibility quotes

> [“The hope that we have in Christ is so gloriously wonderful, why would we ever keep it to ourselves? When we refuse to communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-merrick/the-hope-that-we-have-in-christ-is-so-gloriously-wonderful-why-would/)

[Britt Merrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-merrick/)

[Browse all 2 Christian-responsibility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian-responsibility-32099/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Our responsibility has never been to moralize the unconverted; it's to convert the immoral. Our responsibility is redemptive, not political. We do not have a moral agenda; we have a redemptive agenda. We can't reform the kingdom of darkness that Satan rules.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John MacArthur"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-moralize-the-unconverted-it-s-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christian-responsibility"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-moralize-the-unconverted-it-s-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/262/john-macarthur-1117_christian-responsibi_our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-mor_3219213.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Our responsibility has never been to moralize the unconverted; it's to convert the immoral. Our…” — John MacArthur",
                "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": "John MacArthur",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Our responsibility has never been to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-moralize-the-unconverted-it-s-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/our-responsibility-has-never-been-to-moralize-the-unconverted-it-s-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
