Arthur W. Pink Quotes on God's Sovereignty, Scripture and Christ
Arthur W. Pink (1886–1952) was an English Bible teacher who wrote dozens of books, most of them first printed in his own small monthly magazine. He was little known while he lived. After his death his books spread around the world, and his blunt, memorable sentences on the greatness of God are quoted everywhere.
Many Pink quotes online come without a source, and some aren't his. Every quotation below is copied exactly from his books in TheWay Library, with the book and chapter it comes from. Pink often quoted other writers; those lines are left out. For his life story, see who was Arthur W. Pink. For a guide to his books, see Arthur W. Pink books.
On the sovereignty of God
These come from The Sovereignty of God (1918), the book Pink is best known for. He wrote it because he believed the churches of his day had lost sight of how great God is.
To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter I
How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern Christendom!
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter I
From every pulpit in the land it needs to be thundered forth that God still lives, that God still observes, that God still reigns.
The Sovereignty of God, Introduction
Because God is infinitely wise He cannot err, and because He is infinitely righteous He will not do wrong.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter X
Man will glory either in himself or in God.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter X
On grace and salvation
Grace, then, is favor shown where there is positive de-merit in the one receiving it.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter I
Because salvation is by grace, boasting is excluded and God gets all the glory.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter I
The new birth is solely the work of God the Spirit and man has no part or lot in it.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter IV
The sinner is free to do as he pleases, always as he pleases (except as he is restrained by God), but his pleasure is to sin.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter VII
Christ is ready to receive all who come to Him.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter XI
Election is God’s concern: ours is to heed His Word and beseech men to be reconciled to Him.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter XI
On prayer
Pink's chapter on prayer pushes back against the idea that prayer changes God's mind.
Here then is the design of prayer: not that God’s will may be altered but that it may be accomplished in His own good time and way.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter IX
No prayer is pleasing to God unless the spirit actuating it is “not my will, but Thine be done’.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter IX
The popular belief reduces God to a servant, our servant, doing our bidding, performing our pleasure, granting our desires.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter IX
On peace in God's rule
For Pink, the sovereignty of God wasn't a cold doctrine. He found it the deepest comfort a Christian has.
The doctrine of God’s Sovereignty is one that is full of consolation and imparts great peace to the Christian.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter XII
To bow before the sovereign will of God is one of the great secrets of peace and happiness.
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter XII
How blessed it is to know that God’s strong hand is upon every one and every thing!
The Sovereignty of God, Chapter XII
On the Bible
From The Divine Inspiration of the Bible (1917), his case that Scripture is the Word of God.
Christianity is the religion of a Book.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Introduction
Upon the foundation of the Divine inspiration of the Bible stands or falls the entire edifice of Christian truth.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Introduction
The Bible is like a spring of water which never runs dry.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Chapter II
Unlike all other books in the world, the Bible condemns man and all his doings.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Chapter IV
Take Christ out of Old Testament ritual and you are left with nothing but the dry and empty shell of a nut.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Chapter VI
Considered from one standpoint the Scriptures are really the biography of the Son of God.
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Chapter VII
How different with the Scriptures — never has a heavy heart turned in vain to God’s Word for peace!
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible, Chapter X
On Christ in the Gospels
From Why Four Gospels? (1921), where Pink shows Christ as King, Servant, Son of man and Son of God.
He saved Himself not from death, but out of it; not from the Cross, but the Tomb.
Why Four Gospels?, The Gospel of John
Not only the Revealer of God, but God Himself revealed.
Why Four Gospels?, The Gospel of John
Service consists more of deeds than teaching, doing rather than speaking.
Why Four Gospels?, The Gospel of Mark
On the Lord's return
From The Redeemer's Return (1918), his early book on the second coming.
The Lord Jesus has gone up into heaven, but He is not to remain there for ever.
The Redeemer's Return, Chapter II
Every hope of man which originates in his own mind and heart is doomed to end in disappointment.
The Redeemer's Return, Chapter II
Read them in context
Pink is strong medicine, and his lines read best in the setting of his argument. Start with The Sovereignty of God, especially the chapters on prayer and on the value of the doctrine. For the Bible, read The Divine Inspiration of the Bible. All four of his books are on the Arthur W. Pink author page.