Nate Pickowicz > Quotes

“It is from the pulpit that God speaks to His people through His word, so when His voice is removed and replaced with another, the church is quickly led astray. History bears witness to the fact that when the church loses her influence, the culture suffers, degrades, and eventually falls. But worse than the damage to culture is the absolute tragic end of souls who meet their demise without ever being reconciled to God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“The Lord Jesus Christ, who is Himself God in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14), came to earth and lived in perfect obedience to every law of God, thus perfectly fulfilling the divine standard. Jesus lived sinlessly (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22), and thereby gave Himself up to be killed as an atoning sacrifice—a propitiation—for sin (1 John 2:2). Being the only acceptable sacrifice for sin, Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners as a substitute (1 Pet. 2:24), paying a ransom to the Father; redeeming us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). Through the sacrificial death of Jesus, we can have our sins forgiven by God (Col. 2:13), and we are justified—declared pardoned and righteous by God, even though we’re guilty and unrighteous (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). It”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“Weak-willed preaching functions as a rhetorical narcotic on behalf of the wisdom of the world. Only a man with a blood-earnest commitment that the word of the cross is the power of God belongs in the pulpit (1 Cor 1:18).13”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“In the end, “doing good” or “making a difference” is a lost cause because it does not communicate the saving message of the gospel. In fact, it does not communicate any particular message at all, except that “we’re here to give you things.” Now, don’t get me wrong, we are charged with the task of caring for the needs of others (Matt. 25:35-46; Rom. 12:13; Titus 2:14, 3:8, 14; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9), but it is always unto the Lord. Even Jesus Himself never divorced the meal from the message; caring for people was always tied to the good news of salvation. And when we spend all of our time focused on our traditions, our buildings, or good deeds, yet neglect our message, we have surely wandered off the path. We”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“Restated, the goal of all preaching is to be the primary vehicle by which God sanctifies His church, conforming them into the image of Christ unto His own glory. With that being said, the natural outcome of such preaching is not to produce happiness, but holiness. Feel-good preaching tends to ignore more difficult truths like sin, judgment and repentance, and replace them with spiritual anesthetic. If the preacher fails to warn his listeners of their peril and God’s righteous requirement, in favor of trying to make them “feel good,” he has abdicated his responsibility in ministry. The”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“We must tell unbelievers that they have violated God’s perfect law, committed sinful rebellion against Him, and are destined for eternal conscious punishment—hell. However, because of God’s grace, love, and mercy, He sent His Son into the world—the person of Jesus Christ, who is Himself fully God and fully man—to give Himself as a substitute sacrifice for our sin. On the cross, Jesus bore our sins on His body, suffered and satisfied the full fury of God’s wrath, secured the forgiveness of sins, and restored the possibility of relationship with the Father. And then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the grave to bring new life to all who repent of their sins and trust in Him for salvation. We”
― Nate Pickowicz, Reviving New England: The Key to Revitalizing Post-Christian America

“our lives should be changed by what we know about God.”
― Nate Pickowicz, How to Eat Your Bible: A Simple Approach to Learning and Loving the Word of God

“Further compounding the problem, biblical and theological literacy is at a new low.1 Frankly, many Protestants don’t know what the Bible says, nor what they should believe. Modern-day mysticism has swept professing Christians into the belief that if something feels right, then it is.”
― Nate Pickowicz, Why We're Protestant: An Introduction to the Five Solas of the Reformation

“He then made an appointment with his childhood minister to tell him the news that he had had a spiritual rebirthing experience—an encounter with the real, personal, resurrected Christ. To his chagrin, however, his pastor quipped, “If you believe in the resurrection of Christ, you’re a damn fool!” R.C. couldn’t believe his ears. He feebly replied, “Don’t you believe in the resurrection of Christ? You’re a minister. You preach about it all the time. You talked about it at my father’s funeral.” However, the minister dismissed the sentiment: “Nobody takes it literally in this day and age except illiterate fundamentalists, and you’re far too intelligent for that.”14”
― Nate Pickowicz, R.C. Sproul: Defender of the Reformed Faith