The church is not a museum for pristine saints, but a hospital ward for broken sinners.

I am so bad that He had to die. I am so loved that He was glad to die.

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

God looks at the anxious and says, I tore my Son to shreds for you, and you're afraid I will not give you what you need?

Life in this fallen world is to a great degree meaningless, our aspirations are constantly being frustrated, and sometimes the respectable people are oppressive and bigoted. And yet there is a Good that will triumph over Evil in the end. From a Christian perspective the problem with both kinds of stories is that they tend to blame problems on things besides sin and identify salvation in things besides God — and therefore are ultimately too simplistic.

Every treasure on this earth says, 'Give your life to purchase me.' Jesus says 'I'm the one treasure who died to purchase you.'

As things are brought back under Christ's rule and authority, they are restored to health, beauty, and freedom.