--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tell you again, God hath not ordinarily…" description: "\"I tell you again, God hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means; and if you will neglect the means of salvation, it is a certain mark that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/richard-baxter-2985_certain_i-tell-you-again-god-hath-not-ordinarily_1673575.png" --- # I tell you again, God hath not ordinarily decreed the end… ![“I tell you again, God hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means; and if you will neglect the means of salvation, it is a certain mark that God hath not decreed you to salvation. But you shall find that He hath left you no excuse, because He hath not thus predestined you.” quote by Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/richard-baxter-2985_certain_i-tell-you-again-god-hath-not-ordinarily_1673575.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/richard-baxter-2985_certain_i-tell-you-again-god-hath-not-ordinarily_1673575.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/richard-baxter-2985_certain_i-tell-you-again-god-hath-not-ordinarily_1673575.png) > “I tell you again, God hath not ordinarily decreed the end without the means; and if you will neglect the means of salvation, it is a certain mark that God hath not decreed you to salvation. But you shall find that He hath left you no excuse, because He hath not thus predestined you.” [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. God provides both the end and the necessary means for salvation; ignoring those means is a personal failing, not divine predestination. **In simple terms:** Salvation requires both God's plan and human effort; neglecting effort is a personal fault. Key Takeaway Take responsibility for the means of your salvation. Themes faith free will predestination responsibility Mood thoughtful serious inquisitive Type spiritual theological When to use this quote - personal prayer - church attendance - ethical decisions - spiritual study Key Concepts theology human agency Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on divine grace or personal effort? - What means of salvation do you neglect? A Different Perspective The emphasis on human effort may overlook systemic barriers to faith. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Neglect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neglect/) [No excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-excuses/) [Predestined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predestined/) [Salvation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salvation/) ## Related quotes > [“The kingdom of God . . . does not mean merely the salvation of certain individuals nor even the salvation of a chosen group of people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/the-kingdom-of-god-does-not-mean-merely-the-salvation-of-certain/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [ If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him \[Joseph Smith\]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-q-cannon/if-we-get-our-salvation-we-shall-have-to-pass-by-him-joseph-smith-if/) [George Q. Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-q-cannon/) > [“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-alexander/the-lord-is-my-light-and-my-salvation-whom-shall-i-fear-the-lord-is-2/) [Tamera Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-alexander/) > [“The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lord-is-my-light-and-my-salvation-whom-shall-i-fear-the-lord-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There can be but one will the master in our salvation, but that shall never be the will of man, but of God; therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/there-can-be-but-one-will-the-master-in-our-salvation-but-that-shall/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [“Whoever is unsupported by the Mystery of Love shall not achieve the grace of salvation. Whoever shall cast love aside shall lose everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-dunnett/whoever-is-unsupported-by-the-mystery-of-love-shall-not-achieve-the/) [Dorothy Dunnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-dunnett/) > [ “The LORD is my  h light and my  i salvation;          j whom shall I fear?     The LORD is the stronghold \[1\] of my life;         of whom shall I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lord-is-my-h-light-and-my-i-salvation-j-whom-shall-i-fear-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But once you fully apprehend the vacuity of a life without struggle you are equipped with the basic means of salvation. 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Gresham Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-gresham-machen/) > [“While we do not live under the Law of Moses insofar as the sacrificial system as a means of our salvation or right standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-phillips/while-we-do-not-live-under-the-law-of-moses-insofar-as-the/) [Ron Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-phillips/) > [ \[Non-Catholic Christians are\] in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the \[Roman Catholic\] church, have the fullness of the means… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/non-catholic-christians-are-in-a-gravely-deficient-situation-in/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) ## More by Richard Baxter > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. 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But by this He showeth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/he-is-not-drowning-his-sheep-when-he-washeth-them-nor-killing-them/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Get masters of families to do their duty, and they will not only spare you a great deal of labor, but will much further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/get-masters-of-families-to-do-their-duty-and-they-will-not-only-spare/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Christ leads me through no darker rooms than He went through before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/christ-leads-me-through-no-darker-rooms-than-he-went-through-before/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Such is the depth of the Christian Scriptures, that even if I were attempting to study them and nothing else from early boyhood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/such-is-the-depth-of-the-christian-scriptures-that-even-if-i-were/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) [Explore all 143 Richard Baxter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. 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