The most precise and thoughtful scholar is limited in what he knows and wrong in some things that he affirms; the most devoted saint is stained with sin and full of error; the bravest heart among us will fail and break; but Christ is altogether lovely, holy, and unfailing.

Holiness is not merely a feeling, state of mind, or good intention. It involves practical separation from sin and real separation unto God.

We live in a culture bound by sin like bands of iron. Moral stories, quaint maxims, and life lessons shared from the heart of a beloved pulpiteer or spiritual life coach have no real power against such darkness. We need preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ who know the Scriptures, and by God's grace face any culture with the cry, 'Thus saith the Lord!'

This is evangelicalism today: sensual, carnal, unconverted people that have just enough deceptive religion to drive them straight into Hell! Are you that kind of person? Or do you have new affections?

Maybe that is why there are not a whole lot of problems between the church and worldly culture today, because we are not confronting the culture around us.

You cannot learn doctrine well until you follow the doctrine you learn!

To receive the gospel is to receive an entirely different view of reality where Christ is the epicenter of all things. He becomes the center of our universe, the source, the purpose, the goal, and the motivation of all that we are and do. When a man receives the gospel, his entire life begins to be lived out in a different context, and that context is Christ.