" I met an aged man the other day, with hair as white as snow, and said to him, “You have made a profession of Christ for many years, and yet you do not know that you have eternal life. You are not sure you are justified, and if you should die, you have not the certainty that you would depart and be with Christ.” The poor aged countenance fell. He said, “It is all true.” I then said: “Let me tell you the reason of this. You have never yet seen God’s starting point. You have been striving all these years to be godly, believing that God justifies the godly. You have not yet believed that God justified the ungodly; there is the starting point. Godliness will come after. ‘But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for [as] righteousness.’” He responded, “I never saw that before.” I ask you solemnly, Have you ever really seen this and believed God who justifies the ungodly? "
― Charles F. Stanley , Romans: The Gospel of God
![Charles F. Stanley quote : I met an aged man the other day, with hair as white as snow, and said to him, “You have made a profession of Christ for many years, and yet you do not know that you have eternal life. You are not sure you are justified, and if you should die, you have not the certainty that you would depart and be with Christ.” The poor aged countenance fell. He said, “It is all true.” I then said: “Let me tell you the reason of this. You have never yet seen God’s starting point. You have been striving all these years to be godly, believing that God justifies the godly. You have not yet believed that God justified the ungodly; there is the starting point. Godliness will come after. ‘But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for [as] righteousness.’” He responded, “I never saw that before.” I ask you solemnly, Have you ever really seen this and believed God who justifies the ungodly?](/image/2790254.jpg)