Christ Quote by John Macquarrie
“Where we go wrong is that we bring along some ready-made idea of God, wherever we may have learned it, and then try to make Jesus Christ fit in with that idea of God. But if we take the idea of a revelation of God in Christ seriously, then we must be willing to have our understanding of God corrected and even revolutionized by what we learn in Jesus Christ.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Theology of the Christian Faith, John Macquarrie, 1975
We often impose preconceived notions of God onto Jesus, limiting our understanding; true revelation requires letting Christ reshape our concept of the divine.
In simple terms: Pre‑conceived ideas block true insight; let Christ redefine God.
Key Takeaway
Be open to having your view of God transformed by Christ.
Themes
theology
faith
interpretation
humility
Mood
reflective
challenging
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- preaching
- personal study
- interfaith dialogue
- spiritual formation
Key Concepts
Christology
revelation
dogma
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your current image of God limit your spiritual growth?
- What would it mean to let Christ fully redefine your understanding of the divine?
A Different Perspective
If one's cultural background heavily shapes their God concept, change may be resisted.
![“I am open to [the notion of theistic revelation], but not enthusiastic about potential revelation from God. On the positive side, for example, I am very much impressed with physicist Gerald Schroeder's comments on Genesis 1. That this biblical account might be scientifically accurate raises the…” quote by Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/151/antony-flew-26504_accounts_i-am-open-to-the-notion-of-theistic-reve_572482.jpg)
![“T]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people - the new covenant, blood-bought people of God. That's why Paul said, 'Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her' (Eph. 5:25). He didn't give himself up for a…” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a4/mark-dever-3175_blood_t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-bu_3297.jpg)
