At the root of all our disobedience are particular ways in which we continue to seek control of our lives through systems of works-righteousness. The way to progress as a Christian is to continually repent and uproot these systems the same way we become Christians, namely by the vivid depiction (and re-depiction) of Christ’s saving work for us, and the abandoning of self-trusting efforts to complete ourselves. We must go back again and again to the gospel of Christ-crucified, so that our hearts are more deeply gripped by the reality of what he did and who we are in him.

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 church does not simply have a missions department; it should wholly exist to be a mission.

Unless you believe the gospel, everything you do will be driven by either pride or fear.

The gospel is not just the “ABCs” but the “A-to-Z” of the Christian life.

It is inaccurate to think the gospel is what saves non-Christians, and then Christians mature by trying hard to live according to biblical principles. It is more accurate to say that we are saved by believing the gospel, and then we are transformed in every part of our minds, hearts, and lives by believing the gospel more and more deeply as life goes on.

What the heart most wants, the mind finds reasonable, the will finds doable, and the emotions find desirable.