--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sum and substance of the preparation…" description: "\"The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you, and do what the Bible bids you.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg" --- # The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a… ![“The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you, and do what the Bible bids you.” quote by Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg) > “The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you, and do what the Bible bids you.” [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faith in biblical teachings guides both belief and action toward eternal readiness. **In simple terms:** Believe and act according to the Bible. Key Takeaway Align beliefs with actions based on scripture. Themes faith eternity obedience Mood reflective serious Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal devotion - church teaching - ethical decision making - life planning Key Concepts Theology moral philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What does “eternal preparation” mean today? - How do you reconcile differing biblical interpretations? A Different Perspective Interpretations of scripture vary, causing disagreement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) ## Related quotes > [I believe the Bible tells a story we recognize as true. I don't just mean it tells an accurate story - though it's telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-believe-the-bible-tells-a-story-we-recognize-as-true-i-don-t-just/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“Many people create a deity who elects to spend eternity only with those who believe in his existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-people-create-a-deity-who-elects-to-spend-eternity-only-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As winter strips the leaves from around us, so that we may see the distant regions they formerly concealed, so old age takes away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/as-winter-strips-the-leaves-from-around-us-so-that-we-may-see-the/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [If someone else is supposed to be in your life, they will be in your life - you can't stop them from coming if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-someone-else-is-supposed-to-be-in-your-life-they-will-be-in-your/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I want to know that I have affected people for eternity. I believe I am. I believe once someone knows Christ as their personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-green/i-want-to-know-that-i-have-affected-people-for-eternity-i-believe-i/) [David Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-green/) > [The battle going on over gay marriage in America reveals an awful lot. The Bible belt - people hate gay people. Because the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/the-battle-going-on-over-gay-marriage-in-america-reveals-an-awful-lot/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Surely part of loving in this way is trying to understand what another person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/the-bible-tells-us-to-love-our-neighbors-as-ourselves-surely-part-of/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [My faith in God is a huge part of my life, and yeah He has blessed me with an amazing family, and group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/my-faith-in-god-is-a-huge-part-of-my-life-and-yeah-he-has-blessed-me/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [The Bible tells us that God will meet all our needs. He feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/the-bible-tells-us-that-god-will-meet-all-our-needs-he-feeds-the/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [The Bible tells us to be perfect. This is likely a scary thought for many people. It used to scare me. I didn't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-bible-tells-us-to-be-perfect-this-is-likely-a-scary-thought-for/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“The Bible tells the story of the Hebrew prophet Daniel, who was able to read mysterious words that appeared on the wall of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-clarke/the-bible-tells-the-story-of-the-hebrew-prophet-daniel-who-was-able/) [Richard A. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-clarke/) > [“But if there is an ongoing, nagging disconnect between, on the one hand, what I can and must affirm to be true and good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-f-knitter/but-if-there-is-an-ongoing-nagging-disconnect-between-on-the-one-hand/) [Paul F. Knitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-knitter/) > [“The Bible tells us that the small groups in New Testament times pursued the biblical purposes of fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and worship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-gladen/the-bible-tells-us-that-the-small-groups-in-new-testament-times/) [Steve Gladen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-gladen/) > [My Bible tells me that if we train a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/my-bible-tells-me-that-if-we-train-a-child-in-the-way-he-should-go/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak, but he is strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reba-mcentire/jesus-loves-me-this-i-know-for-the-bible-tells-me-so-little-ones-to/) [Reba McEntire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reba-mcentire/) ## More by Thomas Chalmers > [Every man is a missionary, now and forever, for good or for evil, whether he intends or designs it or not. He may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/every-man-is-a-missionary-now-and-forever-for-good-or-for-evil/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [O Heavenly Father, convert my religion from a name to a principle! Bring all my thoughts and movements into an habitual reference to Thee!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/o-heavenly-father-convert-my-religion-from-a-name-to-a-principle/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [It has been said that there is nothing more uncommon than common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/it-has-been-said-that-there-is-nothing-more-uncommon-than-common-sense/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Enthusiasm is a virtue rarely to be met with in seasons of calm and unruffled prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/enthusiasm-is-a-virtue-rarely-to-be-met-with-in-seasons-of-calm-and/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [The human mind feels restless and dissatisfied under the anxieties of ignorance. It longs for the repose of conviction; and to gain this repose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/the-human-mind-feels-restless-and-dissatisfied-under-the-anxieties-of/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Infidelity gives nothing in return for what it takes away. What, then, is it worth? Everything valuable as a compensating power. Not a blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/infidelity-gives-nothing-in-return-for-what-it-takes-away-what-then/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Acts of virtue ripen into habits; and the goodly and permanent result is the formation or establishment of a virtuous character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/acts-of-virtue-ripen-into-habits-and-the-goodly-and-permanent-result/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Shakespeare is an intellectual miracle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/shakespeare-is-an-intellectual-miracle/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [I want to feel my own nothingness, I want to give myself up in absolute resignation to God, to lie prostrate and passive at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/i-want-to-feel-my-own-nothingness-i-want-to-give-myself-up-in/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Not till we come to a simple reliance on the blood and mediation of the Saviour, shall we know what it is either to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/not-till-we-come-to-a-simple-reliance-on-the-blood-and-mediation-of/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [By the very constitution of our nature moral evil is its own curse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/by-the-very-constitution-of-our-nature-moral-evil-is-its-own-curse/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [It is in those times of hopeless chaos when the sovereign hand of God is most likely to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/it-is-in-those-times-of-hopeless-chaos-when-the-sovereign-hand-of-god/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [It is not scholarship alone, but scholarship impregnated with religion, that tells on the great mass of society. We have no faith in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/it-is-not-scholarship-alone-but-scholarship-impregnated-with-religion/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Infidelity is one of those coinages,-a mass of base money that won't pass current with any heart that loves truly, or any head that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/infidelity-is-one-of-those-coinages-a-mass-of-base-money-that-won-t/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) > [Such is the grasping tendency of the human heart, that it must have a something to lay hold of—and which, if wrested away without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/such-is-the-grasping-tendency-of-the-human-heart-that-it-must-have-a/) [Thomas Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) [Explore all 45 Thomas Chalmers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible tells you, and do what the Bible bids you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Chalmers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation-needed-for-a-coming-eternity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation-needed-for-a-coming-eternity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/thomas-chalmers-14874_believe_the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation_965865.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The sum and substance of the preparation needed for a coming eternity is that you believe what the Bible…” — Thomas Chalmers", "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": "Thomas Chalmers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chalmers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The sum and substance of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation-needed-for-a-coming-eternity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chalmers/the-sum-and-substance-of-the-preparation-needed-for-a-coming-eternity/#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 } } ] } ```