"You hear me and hear me well. Nobody will ever get to heaven until he realizes that he is a sinner. I'M AFRAID OUR SOUL WINNING HAS BECOME A LITTLE SHALLOW. 'Would you let Jesus come into your heart?' 'Yes, I will.' O.K., mark it up. That's not enough. Nobody--listen--nobody will ever walk the streets of gold, nobody will ever fellowship with angels, nobody will see the face of Christ unless he has realized he is a sinner, unless he has realized he is under the condemnation of a holy and righteous God, unless he sees God as He is and sees himself as he is, and he falls to his face and says, ‘woe is me, I am a sinner!’ I say let's let them know they are sinners because no man can go to heaven unless he knows what he is to be saved from. No one will ever be in heaven unless he comes into the presence of the holiness of Almighty God. Maybe--and don't be upset with me now; if you are, I'm going to say it anyhow--MAYBE WE OUGHT TO WITHDRAW FROM SOME OF THE BAPTISM CONTESTS. I have a right to say it. I'M NOT INTERESTED IN HOW MANY FOLKS GET BAPTIZED; I'M INTERESTED IN HOW MANY PEOPLE GET BORN AGAIN because they realized they were sinners under the condemnation of God, and that God became flesh and came and lived a perfect life and went to Calvary and paid the penalty for our sin. Ladies and gentlemen, SOMEHOW WE'VE GOT TO GET BACK TO THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN AND THE HOLINESS OF GOD OR WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SHALLOW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY"
Jack Hyles, "The Goodness of God Leadeth Thee to Repentance"
National Bus Conference, Walkertown, North Carolina, January 2000