“Some think their own endeavours after holiness are to make up their title to salvation; some think that when they come to Christ, their sins past alone are forgiven, and for the time to come they must depend upon themselves. Alas! there always have been mistakes upon this point: men toil and labour after peace with God as if their own exertions would give them a right to lay hold on Christ, and when they find themselves far short of the Bible standard they mourn and grieve and will not be comforted; and all because they will not see that in the matter of forgiveness, in the matter of justification in the sight of God, it is not doing which is required, but believing; it is not working, but trusting; it is not perfect obedience, but humble faith.”

From Ryle’s “The Christian Race and Other Sermons”