It is because of the doctrine of judgment and hell that Jesus' proclamations of grace and love are so astounding.

If you didn't earn your salvation how are you going to un-earn it?

The Gospel is this: You're more sinful, evil and weak than you'd ever believe. But you're more valued, accepted and loved than you dared hope.

Even if 80 percent of the population of a country are Christian believers, they will have almost no cultural influence if the Christians do not live in cultural centers and work in culture-forging fields such as academia, publishing, media, entertainment, and the arts. The assumption that society will improve simply be more Christian believers being present is no longer valid.

The gospel is not about choosing to follow advice; it's about being called to follow a King.

Happiness is a by-product of wanting something more than happiness-to be rightly related to God and our neighbor.

We have to be careful not to elevate our preferences to moral standards and judge others by them. We only do so to feel superior.