Skip to main contentSearch Illustrations
2,805 results found
Adam's Sin and Christ's Grace Compared in Power and Reach
Lyth, D.D., structures this comparison across three critical dimensions.
Romans 5:15Universalcontrast between Adam and Christuniversal scope of grace
The Spirit's Presence: Foundation of the Eternal Church
This distinguishes His Church from every other society—without Christ present, there is no Church.
1 Corinthians 10:11Universalthe Holy Spirit's role in the Church
Divine Election: Christ's Choice Precedes Our Response
Christian discipleship originates not in human preference but in Divine initiative.
John 15:18Universaldivine initiative in salvation
The Grand Motive: Holiness Born from Redemption
Bishop Beveridge identifies the structure with precision: the apostle Paul establishes that holiness is lived *because we are saved*, not *in order to be saved*.
Romans 11:11Universalredemption as motive for living
The Healing Power of Contact With Christ
First, the antecedents of healing: the diseased recognized their condition, felt genuine anxiety for restoration, and positioned themselves in the right place—near the Lord.
Matthew 14:36Universaldivine healing power
Christ the Shepherd: Care for His Flock
Christ's people are described as His "flock," a term denoting both privilege and protection.
Isaiah 39:11UniversalChrist as Shepherd
David's Name as Bridge to Christ's Intercession
Yet Spurgeon's commentator, John Field, clarifies what this plea was *not*: it was no prayer *to* David, nor did it suggest the dead saints intercede for us.
Psalms 129:10
The Bruised Reed: Christ Arrests the Beginnings of Evil
The *bruised reed*—a slender bulrush crushed by wind or foot, its head hanging by a thread yet not severed—represents evil in its incipient stage, a destructive process begun but still avoidable.
Isaiah 42:3-4
Christ Tempted: Our Sufficient Succour in Trial
Temptation brings suffering to the regenerate soul in distinct ways.
Hebrews 1:18UniversalChrist's empathy through suffering
The Promise Extended: From Apostles to All Generations
This covenant embraced three distinct circles of blessing.
Acts 1:39Universalgenerational promise
God's Pursuit of the Stout-Hearted Heart
The 'stout-hearted'—those untouched by conviction, ignorant of sin, self-reliant and nearly defiant before God—expect rebuke and condemnation from the Almighty's lips.
Isaiah 46:12-13
Holy Love: The Fire That Quickens Rather Than Consumes
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?' The unworthy members of Zion—the *sinners in Zion*—cry out in terror, supposing the prophet speaks of annihilation.
Isaiah 33:14-15
Giving as Grace: The Christian's Test of True Thankfulness
He names it twice in his opening movement (verses 1 and 4), and again when addressing the Corinthians themselves (verses 6-7).
2 Corinthians 8:1-12
God's Motherhood: Divine Comfort in Exile and Return
The exiles' return to Jerusalem embodies this metaphor.
Isaiah 63:13
The Devil's Dread: Why Evil Cries Out Against Christ
This outburst reveals the nature of evil's opposition to Christ.
Mark 5:7Universalspiritual warfare
Christ Rendered Powerless: The Peril of Adding to Grace
First, consider the effect of the gospel truly preached.
Galatians 4:4Universalthe sufficiency of Christ's work
New Wine in Old Bottles: The Law of Congruity
Both old cloth and new cloth share the nature of cloth; similarly, old wine and new wine share the nature of wine.
Matthew 9:17Universaltransformation
The Eyes That Overcome Christ's Heart
Yet understand: there is no opposition between Christ and His people requiring conquest.
Ecclesiastes 5:5
The Lighthouse Lantern: Israel's Cyclical Apostasy and God's Unwearying Patience
These phases repeat with such regularity that he compares them to *the white and red lights and darkness reappearing in a revolving lighthouse lantern, or figures recurring in a circulating decimal fraction*.
The Love of God Flowing Through Christ's Pierced Heart
Christ does not merely teach about divine love—He claims to *be* its Object and its Channel.
John 15:9-11
The Vine's Life-Sap: Unity Through Derived Life in Christ
Critics who say 'Give me his ethics, keep his dogmas' commit a fatal severance that destroys both.
Romans 12:4-5
The Vine and Branches: Union as Living Dependence
The branches do not draw strength from soil or seasonal rains; they depend utterly upon the living sap flowing from the vine's root system.
John 15:1-4
The Mystery of Christ's Dependent Thirst
Maclaren insists we grasp the profound mystery embedded in this juxtaposition: the dependent Christ.
John 4:7-26
God's Faithfulness: The Foundation We Can Trust
Upon this eternal, self-existent fidelity we can repose with safety.
1 Corinthians 1:9UniversalGod's unchanging character
Christ's promised presence
election and human response
spiritual transformation through the Holy Spirit
accessibility of grace
Divine care and protection
Universal
intercession through Christ
abolition of old covenant pleas
Charles H. Spurgeon214 words
Universal
Christ's perfect nature enables His redemptive work
Divine power arrests incipient evil
Alexander Maclaren227 words
temptation and spiritual growth
Holy Spirit power
Universal
divine initiative
God's pursuing love
Alexander Maclaren245 words
Universal
divine nature of God
transformation through love
Alexander Maclaren249 words
Universal
divine grace as gift
giving amid suffering
Alexander Maclaren258 words
Universal
God's tender care
maternal divine love
resistance to Christ
the danger of works-righteousness
spiritual readiness
Universal
Christ's affection for the Church
the power of earnest prayer
Judges 2:11-23
Universal
cyclical rebellion and restoration
God's patience amid human stubbornness
Alexander Maclaren245 words
Universal
divine love made incarnate
the pierced heart as love's channel
Alexander Maclaren221 words
Universal
organic union with Christ
doctrine informing ethics
Alexander Maclaren245 words
Universal
union with Christ
dependence and sufficiency
Alexander Maclaren233 words
Universal
Christ's dependent humanity
radical condescension
Alexander Maclaren254 words
human weakness versus divine strength