Tag: Gospel

Passion Quotes – The Gospel

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes

Here are some good quotes I’ve collected on the gospel.  The last is my favorite – may these quotes help beat the gospel into our heads!

The gospel frees us to realize that while we matter, we’re not the point.
– Tullian Tchividjian

Other religions are spelled ‘do’… Christianity is spelled ‘done.’
– Bill Piper

The banner under which Christians live reads “It is finished.”
– Tullian Tchividjian

Slight thoughts of sin lead to slight thoughts of grace!  And what can be worse?
– Charles Spurgeon

If God has forgiven you the grisly things you’ve done, you must learn to be at peace with yourself now that you’re at peace with God.
– J. I. Packer

One thief was converted in his last hour that none might despair. But only one was converted that none might presume.
– J. C. Ryle

The truth of the Gospel is the principal article of all Christian doctrine . . . Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually.
– Martin Luther

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good reads for the weekend:

The Gospel

Christianity must go beyond morality – George Whitefield (via Trevin Wax)

Virtues

The Real Basis for Hope – Mark Altrogge

Family/Single Life

Five reasons to use God’s Word in your parenting – Thabiti Anyabwile

How to turn your child away from church…and Christ – C. John Miller (via Chris Brauns)

Questions to ponder before dating – Mark Driscoll (via Crossway)

16 Christian Dating Principles – Part One, Part Two – Mark Driscol (via Crossway)

Church Life

Finally, as you prepare to meet with God’s people: do you consider them the excellent ones in whom is all your delight or the annoying ones in whom is all your irritation? – Mark Altrogge

Have a great Lord’s Day!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading.

The Gospel

Trevin Wax outlines six counterfeit gospels – and I suspect each of us are tempted to lean towards one of them. 

Tim Chester discusses our desire to be our own Savior.

Tullian Tchividjian reminds us that our identity is not found in possessions or position or anything but Christ (we need to be reminded of this again and again!).

Family

Sam Crabtree discusses the importance of affirmation in marriage.

Mark Altrogge suggests several ways that we provoke our children to anger (do some of them sound a bit too familiar?).

More Good Stuff

Stephen Altrogge considers how we should respond when someone confesses sin to us.

John MacArthur offers some helpful questions to ask related to issues that Scripture does not specifically address.

Hope you have a wonderful Lord’s Day worshipping the Lord with your church family!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

The last few weeks we have focussed on just one issue for Passion Points.  As a result, a lot of good posts have piled up.  Here they are – happy reading!

First, on the issue of pride.  Gospel Centric gives us a self-diagnostic test with fifty fruits of pride to see if we are in fact proud.  From Gospel Centric we also get five things to know about pride and 10 thoughts on overcoming pride.  Meanwhile Thabiti Anyabwile gives us what I would consider the secret for overcoming pride.  And John Piper gives us a good song about thinking much of God instead of ourselves.

Second, some good posts on the gospel and sanctification.  Josh Moody gives us good definition of the gospel – which includes a new life now.  Jared Compton discusses how the gospel is good news now – how changes our lives.  Crossway gives us thoughts on how to fight for personal sanctification.

Third, three more good posts on various issues:

Hope you have a great weekend!

Passion Quotes

On By BrianIn Idolatry, Idolatry Quotes, PASSION Quotes

Here are a few more quotes – this time on the gospel and idolatry.

The Gospel

Tim Keller: You’re more sinful than you ever dared believe; you’re more loved than you ever dared hope.

Tullian Tchividjian: When you trust in Jesus, your identity and worth is no longer based on what you can accomplish but on what Jesus accomplished for you.

Tullian Tchividjian: The gospel is meant to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we finally place our meaning, purpose, and sense of well-being in Jesus.

Idolatry

D.A. Carson: The heart of all idolatry in the world is the de-Godding of God.

 Louie Giglio: Worship should really matter to you – whatever you worship, you become.

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Happy New Year!  As we begin a new year, I have decided that Web Weekly is a serious misnomer since it is anything but weekly.  So we are renaming this periodic collection of worthwhile posts.  Passion Points keeps that great alliteration, and describes well what I want to do – share points from others related to the Three Passions theme.  So enough with introductions, here are some important posts to check out:

We’ll start with some good summaries of the gospel from Scotty Smith posted by Tullian Tchividjian.  Then a reminder from Sinclair Ferguson (via Tchividjian again) that the gospel should drive our sanctification.  But what does sanctification look like?  Kevin DeYoung shares these ten visible signs of sanctification from J. C. Ryle.  DeYoung further discusses why we do not seek holiness, and 20 motivations for holiness from 2 Peter.  May the gosepl drive us forward in holiness this year, or to put it another way: may the saving effects of Christ’s passion lead us to grow in our passion for God and compassion for people.  Amen.

Web Weekly

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

It has been a few weeks since I have surveyed some of the best from the web, so here is a compilation of the last few weeks.

Tullian Tchividjian quotes from Sinclair Ferguson with a necessary reminder that our focus must not be on ourselves, not even on our spiritual growth, but rather our focus must be upon Christ – and then we will grow.

If we focus on our our own growth instead of Christ we will either get big heads thinking (falsely) that we have arrived, or we will mope about as we realize how far we have to go.  It is this moping constant guilty feeling that Kevin DeYoung addresses, as he reminds us of our need to cling to the gospel.

There are a number of good articles to read about various spiritual disciplines that help us grow (habits of love), including confession (DeYoung), Scripture memory (John Piper), and church membership (DeYoung again quoting from Jonathan Leeman).

Finally, Crossway gives us a portion of  Tullian Tchividjian’s new book Surprised By Grace.  This portion deals with one of the recurring themes here on this blog – the important issue of idolatry that steals our passion for God.

Gospel Shaped Suffering 3

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous3 Comments

As we have already explored, the gospel shapes our suffering as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ, as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ, as we rest in his love, as we rejoice in our future hope.  In this post we want to consider two more ways that the gospel shapes our suffering.

Trusting God Like Christ (Faith)

We receive the gospel by faith.  We trust in what Jesus has done for us on the cross for salvation from our sins.  But this trust in Jesus for salvation should spill into trust in Jesus in other areas of our lives – including suffering.  The devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship the devil.  But Jesus chose to trust the Father’s path for his life, a path of suffering.  In the garden, Jesus prayed that he might be spared the cross, yet he concluded – “Not my will, but yours be done.”  In other words he would trust his Father in the path of suffering.  Paul notes in II Corinthians 1:8-9, that the purpose of his suffering was “to make us rely not on ourselves but on God….”  In other words, Paul was learning to trust God in his suffering.  Suffering often doesn’t make sense to us, but God calls us to trust him like Jesus and Paul did, to trust him in our suffering as we trust him in our salvation.  That is gospel shaped suffering.

Comforting Others in Christ (Church)

The gospel is received by faith and ushers us into the body of Christ – the church.  II Corinthians 1:3-4 makes the point that God comforts us in our suffering so we can comfort others who are suffering.  The church is to be a place where I comfort others who are suffering, and where others comfort me in my suffering.  Paul says in I Corinthians 12:26, “If one member suffers, all suffer together.”  So the gospel creates the church where we comfort one another in our suffering.  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we trust God in our suffering and use our suffering to comfort others.  We’ll look at two final ways the gospel shapes our suffering in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Suffering 2

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous

How can the gospel shape our suffering?  In the last post, we considered two ways: as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ and as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ through suffering.  In this post we will look at two more ways that the gospel shapes our suffering.

Resting in the Love of Christ (Perseverance)

Romans 8:31-39 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are secure in Christ.  He will preserve us to the end.  This is a glorious part of the gospel.

It is also a great assurance in suffering.  These verses make clear that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ – not tribulation, distress, persecution, danger, death – nothing.  In our trials we are sometimes tempted to wonder if God still loves us.  These verses assure us that he does.  In our trials we can rest in his love.  That is gospel shaped suffering.

Rejoicing in the Hope of Christ (Resurrection and Glorification)

In the Matthew 16:21, the path of Christ which leads through suffering and death goes on to resurrection.  As we follow the path of Christ, we have the same hope.  II Corinthians 4:14, and many other passages, make clear that as Christ was raised from the dead, so we too will be raised.  And we will be raised to glory.  Romans 8:16-21 speaks of this glory that awaits us.  This hope is part of the gospel.

And this hope is a great encouragement to us in our suffering.  Paul says that our current suffering is not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed (Romans 8:18).  He calls our current suffering slight and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory that is coming (II Corinthians 4:17).  Since suffering today often seems anything but slight and momentary, the glory that awaits us must be incredible indeed!  So in our suffering we can rejoice in our glorious hope of resurrection.  In our trials we look forward to the glory that awaits us.  Our hope is set on a day when there will be no more crying, or pain, or death, when we will dwell with the Lord forever in the new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1-5).  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we rest in Christ’s love and rejoice in our hope.  Do we approach suffering in this way?

We’ll look at some more ways that our suffering can be shaped by the gospel in the next post.

Gospel Shaped Suffering

On By BrianIn Miscellaneous1 Comment

Everyone suffers.  Trials, struggles, sickness, loss – we all struggle.  My question today is: how can the gospel shape our suffering?

Following the Path of Christ (Cross)

In Matthew 16:21-24, Jesus predicts his death.  He is going to suffer and die on a cross.  This event is central to the gospel – Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins.  But after predicting his death which will save us, he goes on to say that if we would come after him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him.  In other words, when we follow Jesus, we follow his path of suffering.

Suffering is part of the normal Christian life.  If we are going to follow Jesus who suffered, then we too will suffer.  As Peter puts it in I Peter 2:21 within the context of suffering – “For to this [suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”  In our suffering, we are following the path of Christ.  This is gospel shaped suffering.

Becoming More Like Christ (Adoption and Sanctification)

Part of the gospel is that we are adopted as his children.  Hebrews 12:5-11 makes clear that as children we can expect discipline from the Lord that we might share in his holiness.  Hebrews tells us this discipline is often painful, but it yields the fruit of righteousness.  So this discipline that we must at times suffer makes us holy, righteous – it makes us more like Christ.

Part of the gospel is also our sanctification.  God is making us holy, more like Christ.  But how does he do it?  In part through suffering.  The overall context of Romans 8:18-30 includes this idea of suffering.  We suffer along with creation.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  All things (including suffering) work for our good.  And then we read that we are predestined “to be conformed to the image of his Son.”  How does God conform us?  The context suggests that suffering is a big part of it.

Romans 5:3-4 tells us that suffering produces endurance which produces character.  James 1:2-4 tells us that trials bring perseverance which leads to maturity.  All together these verses make clear that our suffering can make us more like Christ.  That our suffering has a glorious purpose.  Embracing this purpose is gospel shaped suffering.

Our suffering can be shaped by the gospel as we recognize that we are following the path of Christ and as we embrace his purpose of becoming more like Christ through suffering.  Do you approach suffering this way?

We’ll look at some more ways that our suffering can be shaped by the gospel in future posts.