“A denial of the need for a foundational heart change is therefore messing with the narratival arc of the whole story” (Against the Church, p. 117).
A Father Transplant
“Regeneration means becoming the seed of another — ultimately, starting with one family tree and then acquiring a different one. My father used to be Adam and now he is the second Adam. My father used to be the devil and now he is Abraham . . . Rebirth entails having been in existence already, …
Beyond Counting
“The majestic extent of definite atonement is seen when John turned and looked [Rev. 7:9]. What did he see? He saw a multitude that no man can number. How many will be saved? We can’t count that high. Look at the stars, Abraham. Use the Hubble telescope, Abraham. So shall your descendants be” (Against the …
When the Tide of Battle Turned
“This whole world, since the sin of Adam, has been nothing but one vast, pole-to-pole boneyard. Whatever would Jesus do in a world like that? What could He possibly do that could transform a world like that? The gospel reply is that He could come back from the dead in it” (Against the Church, p. …
Doctrine With the Graveclothes
“Let us never preach the doctrine of total depravity without also declaring there has been a great earthquake, and that an angel of the Lord has rolled away the stone in front of that imposing doctrine” (Against the Church, p. 110).
Resurrection Corner Stone
“Because Jesus was born again from the dead, everything else can be born again from the dead” (Against the Church, p. 104).
Soteriological Rope
“The common assumption is that God drops a rope from heaven, and then the theological debates begin. Pelagians want to shinny up the rope, Arminians want to hang on while God pulls, Calvinists say that God ties the rope to us with one of His knots, and some of our more severe brethren think He …
So Don’t Do That
“And hubristic sectarian pastors have pronounced on the obvious lack of regeneration displayed by someone who failed to dot all five i’s in ‘denominational distinctives.’ That can’t be good” (Against the Church, p. 100).
Too Close for Comfort
“The Bible teaches us that the credibility of the profession of others may be called into question in the heat of lawful, polemical controversy. In the midst of the controversy, the apostle Paul declared that those who wanted to require circumcision of the Gentiles were ‘false brothers’ (Gal. 2:4). He says that they were ‘dogs,’ …
High Mountain Air
“The real litmus test, if I may be so bold, is to manage to be accused simultaneously of antinomianism and legalism. When you have gotten to the point where any stick is good enough to beat you with, then you really have something. This is like what one Puritan called the bracing experience of ‘living …