Quotes about Outward

An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.

For it to be called a Sacrament, there first needs to be an outward, tangible sign or created thing by which God deals visibly with us, that we may be sure of it. It is not His will to work with us apart from outward means, solely by secret suggestions or special revelation from heaven. But the outward work and sign does not by itself avail or do anything unless it is joined by His Word, by which the sign is made effective and we are made aware of what God is doing in us by this sign.

We do not then reject good works; nay, we embrace them and teach them in the highest degree. It is not on their own account that we condemn them, but on account of this impious addition to them and the perverse notion of seeking justification by them. These things cause them to be only good in outward show, but in reality not good, since by them men are deceived and deceive others, like ravening wolves in sheep's clothing.

No one can worthily speak or hear any Scripture, unless he is touched in conformity with it, so that he feels inwardly what he hears and says outwardly and says, "Ah, this is true!

Faith always comes to the surface and always produces action. It cannot be contained. Thoughts and intents that are held within and not acted upon are not faith, no matter what we like to say. ("My faith is personal" is a favorite. But that is a self-contradicting statement. Faith is always acted out, never kept bottled up within.)

Appearances matter — and remember to smile.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.

A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical.

You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.

And thus we understand, how the Whole of our Redemption (according to the plain language of Scripture) is inwardly and outwardly solely the Work of the Light and Spirit of God, a Kingdom of God both within and without us, and to which we do not, cannot live, but so far as we are inspired, moved, and led, by the Spirit of God.

"Pretty is as pretty does" was a stupid cliché in her estimation. Pretty is what God does in the hearts and minds of people who are a mess-whether outwardly or inwardly or both.

Truth is the vital breath of Beauty; Beauty the outward form of Truth.