Miroslav Volf Quotes

The law condemns the best of us; but grace saves the worst of us.

Only the man who has enough good in him to feel the justice of the penalty can be punished.

The Christian - the biblical - concept of mercy toward wrongdoers only exists in relation to justice. Showing mercy, in relation to wrongdoing, means treating someone better than they deserve.

Blame is for God and small children.

Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone.

No one was ever scolded out of their sins.

Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores - more than abundantly - what it takes away.

Punishment should have a redemptive quality to it.

I was thinking, that when my time comes, I should be sorry if the only plea I had to offer was that of justice. Because it might mean that only justice would be meted out to me.

Whereto serves mercy But to confront the visage of offense?

Then the old man's face hardened. "What about you young man?" he asked flatly. "Would you like to get what you deserve?" Jones let that question hang in the air for a moment, then sighed, shook his head, and said "Me? I surely don't want what I deserve. I'm hoping for mercy, not justice.

Justice is a judgement that is both fair and forgiving. Justice is not done until everyone is satisfied, even those who offend us and must be punished by us. You can see, by what we have done with these two boys, that justice is not only the way we punish those who do wrong. It is also the way we try to save them.

And how shall you punish those whose remorse is already greater than their misdeeds?

Spare me through your mercy, do not punish me through your justice.

There are no unforgivable sins.

You must pay for your sins. If you have already paid, please ignore this notice.

There is no forgiveness in nature.

The Gospel announces that Jesus came to acquit the guilty. He came to judge and be judged in our place. Christ came to satisfy the deep judgment against us once and for all so that we could be free from the judgement of God, others, and ourselves.

Just vengeance does not call for punishment.

All pain is a punishment, and every punishment is inflicted for love as much as for justice.

Think carefully before asking for justice. Mercy might be safer.

When critics sit in judgment it is hard to tell where justice leaves off and vengeance begins.

We are not punished for our sins, but by them.

You can forgive somebody and still believe they need a consequence.

I don't believe in vengeance. Really, when all is said and done, I probably don't believe in punishment.