"The idea behind moral, therapeutic deism is that we are able to earn favor with God and justify ourselves before God by virtue of our behavior. This mode of thinking can be Christian, but it's more about self-actualization and self-fulfillment, and it posits a God who does not so much intervene and redeem but basically hangs out behind the scenes, cheering on your you-ness and hoping you pick up the clues he's left to become the best you can be." (pg.13)
"The assumed gospel" happens when well-meaning teachers set out to see lives first and foremost conformed to a pattern of behavior (religion) and not transformed by the Holy Spirit's power (gospel)." (pg.14)
"In Romans 8:22-23 we see that the gospel is the fulfillment of the longing of all of fallen creation but also (and chiefly) the fulfillment of the longing of mankind, the only creature made in God's image." (pg. 17)
"God's creavity is so rich, so expansive, and so far above us that he simply says, "I want this," and there it is." (pg.25)
"Trying to figure out God is like trying to catch fish in the Pacific Ocean with an inch of dental floss." (pg. 27)
"When we question God, we are the four-year-old in the backseat telling Dad he doesn't know where he's going." (pg.29)
"While we lament the apparent injustice of pain and suffering, how often do we forget that every good thing in a fallen world is wholly a gift of God's mercy and grace." (pg. 30)
"The reality is that all God has to do is reveal himself to you, and you'll gladly join the mission in service to his kingdom. He doesn't force the issue; he just has to reveal himself as he is: mighty, wondrous, gracious, loving, and radically saving. No man goes back to saltine crackers when he's had filet mignon. (pg. 31)
"We can read the Bible as a reference book about us. Or we can see that the Bible is a book about God." (pg.33)
"Worship is the attributing of ultimate worth to something. When this ultimate worth is attributed to anyone or anything other than the one, true triune God of the universe, it is idolatry." (pg.36)
"Worship is the way of life for those entranced by and passionate for the glory of God." (pg. 36)
"Apart from worshiping God, everything becomes superficial. But when you understand the driving force behind everything, all of a sudden there's an eternal amount of joy at our disposal, because everything we do is enlightened and enlivened by the endless glory of the eternal God." (pg. 36)
"Surely anyone can see that our worship switch is always set to On, and we've tuned to some ridiculously finite broadcasts." (pg. 37)
"Hell, when it's all said and done, is the absence of God's goodness and blessedness. Therefore, hell is the absence of anything we can think of that's good, right, comforting, joyous, happy, and peaceful." (pg.44)
"The horror of hell is an echo of the infinite worth of God's glory." (pg.45)
"The cross of Christ exists because mankind-loved by God, created by God, set in motion by God-betrayed God and prefers his stuff to him." (pg.55)
"God's response to the belittlement of his name, from the beginning of time, has been the sacrifice of Jesus on a Roman cross." (pg. 57)
"The sacrificial system was instituted under the established truth that to dwell in God's holy presence requires perfection." (pg.60)
"What if the sacrificial system was given so that we would learn, no matter how much we gave and how much we worked and how many pricey things we sacrificed, that we still can't fix what is broken?" (pg.66)
"So, relational evangelism? Go for it, as long as it turns into actual evangelism. You hanging out having a beer with your buddy so he can see that Christians are cool is not what we're called to do. You're eventually going to have to open up your mouth and share the gospel. When the pure gospel is shared, people respond." (pg.81)
"The context of the gospel message is not our benefit or our salvation; the context of the gospel is the supremacy of Christ and the glory of God." (pg. 90)
"We are never not worshiping. We evidence that we were created to look at something beyond ourselves and marvel at it, desire it, like it with zeal, and love it with affection." (pg. 103)
"The miracles of Jesus are signs of the right order of things. The miracles of healing, deliverance, provision, and resurrection all reveal that God, through Jesus, is making all things new now, that he is restoring what was once was unbroken." (pg. 107)
"Everybody knows something's broken in the world. But illogically, foolishly, we are looking for fixes from broken people with broken ideas in broken places." (pg.120
"If Solomon liked a certain song, he didn't download the MP3; he bought the band." (pg.124)
"Solomon indulged in all of this stuff very heavily, all the while maintaining his wisdom. He never lost sight that he was intentionally seeking meaning in his indulgences." (pg.124)
"Ecclesiastes is in the Bible so that nothing would be in our heart but Jesus." (pg.126)
"According to Lewis, God doesn't look at us and say, "I can't believe they're seeking their own pleasure," but he looks at us and says, "They're not seeking hard enough." (pg. 128)
"Almost all of us, whether we'll admit it or not, have bought into the philosophy that what we need to finally make us happy is more of what we already possess." (pg.129)
"God gives gifts to all men. Whether you believe in God or not, you are living, walking, and wearing his stuff. He gives gifts to all, but only the children of God, only those who believe in Jesus, receive the gift of lasting enjoyment. Why? Because if we're oriented around Jesus, our satisfaction is not tied to anything but him. We can actually enjoy God's good gifts the way they're designed to be enjoyed, because they are in orbit around the right sun-not our self, but our Savior." (pg. 133)
"in heaven, all things are oriented to the worship of God. The triune Godhead is at the center of the heavenly universe. On earth, the fall has knocked everything out of orbit. We revolve around an assortment of idols, which is just a projection of our orientation around ourselves as gods." (pg. 136)
"Because we understand that this life is perishable and these bodies are seeds, we live and see the world differently. We're much more willing to serve, much more willing to sacrifice, and much more willing to endure discomfort because we know that this broken life is momentary." (pg.169)
"The person who understands the gospel understands that, as a new creation, his spiritual nature is in opposition to sin now, and he seeks not just to weaken sin in his life but to outright destroy it." (pg. 217)
"A moralist is not on the hunt; he's not aggressively seeking to destroy that which is evil in him but is content to simply wash his hands." (pg.218)
"People who understand the gospel of Jesus Christ seek to put sin to death because they understand that sin is a lion and will eventually destroy and devour them." (pg.219)
