Religion operates on the principle ‘I obey-therefore I am accepted by God.’ But the operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through what Christ has done-therefore I obey.’
No writer or thinker has taught me as much as James Hunter has about this all-important and complex subject of how culture is changed.
The resurrection makes Christianity the most irritating religion on the face of the earth.
Covenant community is like air. We don’t miss it until we need it.
To fear the Lord is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love.
The church is often like a football stadium where 22 people need a rest and thousands of people need exercise.
Sin is the despairing refusal to find your deepest identity in your relationship and service to God.
The way to find your calling is to look at the way you were created. Your gifts have not emerged by accident.
A Christian is somebody whose eyes have been opened, who admits that Jesus is not what you expected, but he’s what you need.
The very fact that we have access to God’s attention and presence should concentrate the thoughts and elevate the heart.
By praying with friends, you will be able to hear and see facets of Jesus that you have not yet perceived.
Grace is to be let into a place that you don’t have a right to be.
Jesus is not asking us to do anything for him that he hasn’t already done for us, under conditions of difficulty beyond our comprehension.
Work is taking the raw material of creation and developing it for the sake of others.
Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him.
Nothing we formulate or do can qualify us for access to God. Only grace can do that- based not on our performance but on the saving work of Christ.
When the world sees us doing evangelism, they just see us recruiting. When they see us doing justice, they see God’s glory.
Most apologetic books are really written for Christians, even the ones that purport to be written for non-believers.
One of the most frequent responses I get from non-Christian readers is: ‘I’m not sure I agree with all this, but I must say this is the first book I’ve read by a Christian that didn’t treat me like I was an idiot.’
Big cities have a lot of ‘younger brothers’ who have left traditional parts of the world and their families for a more liberal lifestyle. But cities are filled to the gills with ‘elder brothers’ too.
I wouldn’t venture to say which kind of sin is more prevalent. I wouldn’t even want to try to characterize certain ‘circles.’