Quote 394
If the gospel-even when you are orthodox-becomes something which you primarily assume, but what you are excited about is what you are doing in some sort of social reconstruction, you will be teaching the people that you influence that the gospel really isn't all that important. You won't be saying that-you won't even mean that-but that's what you will be teaching. And then you are only half a generation away from losing the gospel. 
D.A. Carson
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/blogs/cj-mahaney/post/Don-DA-Carson-Preserving-A-Passion-for-the-Gospel.aspx4.5K
Other Quotes from the Author & Topic
Grace is God's giving us a sovereign joy in God that triumphs over the joy in sin.
Christianity exists only when the preaching of the cross is its message.
Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand! Sep 29, 1770 Newburyport, Massachusetts. From the sermon: "How willingly would I live forever to preach Christ, but I die to be with him."
The truth of the Gospel is the principle 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 Death by Love (91)
Be patient; it is better to be a chastened saint than a carefree sinner.
The heart of true fellowship is self-sacrificing conformity to a shared vision.Basics for Believers (16)
The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. The Reason for God (181)
that branch of theology whose concern it is to study each corpus of the scripture in its own right, especially with respect to its place in the history of God's unfolding revelation. The emphasis is on history and on the inddvidual corpus.Unity and Diversity in the New Testament
God is not a megalomaniac when he makes much of Himself, we would be megalomanicas if we made much of ourselves, because we would be unloving and that is what is infinitely loving for God to do because when he draws our attention to Himself it's like inviting us to a fountain. He is the ultimately satisfying reality in the Universe. reFocus Conference 2010
The verb krinō ("judge") has a wide semantic range: "judge" (judicially), "condemn," "discern." It cannot here refer to the law courts, any more than 5:33–37 forbids judicial oaths. Still less does this verse forbid all judging of any kind, for the moral distinctions drawn in the Sermon on the Mount require that decisive judgments be made. Jesus himself goes on to speak of some people as dogs and pigs (Mt 7:6) and to warn against false prophets (vv. 15–20). Elsewhere he demands that people "make a right judgment"
Jesus' demand here is for his disciples not to be judgmental and censorious. The verb krinō has the same force in Romans 14:10–13 (cf. James 4:11–12). The rigor of the disciples' commitment to God's kingdom and the righteousness demanded of them do not authorize them to adopt a judgmental attitude. Those who "judge" like this will in turn be "judged," not by men (which would be of little consequence), but by God (which fits the solemn tone of the discourse). The disciple who takes it on himself to be the judge of what another does usurps the place of God (Rom 14:10) and therefore becomes answerable to him. The hina mē ("in order that … not"; NIV, "or") should therefore be given full telic force: "Do not assume the place of God by deciding you have the right to stand in judgment over all—do not do it, I say, in order to avoid being called to account by the God whose place you usurp"
“Matthew,” Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 183.
You cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself.
At the end of the day, the central notion of sin in
Wright's thought is that it is somehow anarchic rebellion against shalom, and the triumph
at the end is the restoration of shalom. What is lost is the intensely personal dimension of
sin: it is rebellion against God, and he is regularly portrayed as the most offended party
(cf. Ps 51!).http://www.bookreviews.org/pdf/5581_5877.pdf
How could we have such a low view of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have to manipulate men psychologically to get them to come down and pray a prayer? ...How many times have I heard evangelists say, "It'll only take five minutes."? No my dear friend, it will take your life-all of it! "We're just trying to attract people and then we'll gradually bring them in further and further." That is what the cults do, that's not what Jesus did. Notice that in the gospels every time a great crowd is following Jesus, he turns around and says something so radical to them that most of them walk away. Of course Jesus probably would not get invited to teach evangelism
But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God's love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace. Song:All I Have Is Christ
It makes me so angry, when men treat the glorious gospel of Christ as though it was a first step into Christianity, that takes ten minutes of counselling, and then you go onto greater stuff.
Preach the gospel to yourself everyday. The Gospel for Real Life
God's children when they are spiritually healthy spend most of the time at the foot of the cross. Sermon: Is Your View of the Cross Worldly
All the other revelations of God in Christ are like rays of sun breaking through the clouds. But the death of Christ for sinners was like a bolt of lightning.
If we want to spend our minds to the fullest in knowing God to the fullest so that we can love him to the fullest, this is where we will focus. DG Conference 2010
It's Christ or nothing. And you better want it that way. Why? If it was 99.99% Christ and 0.01% you, you'd go to hell. http://youtu.be/9W2fuFWUIL0 (around 54 minutes in)
Put the gospel first. And that means you must put the priorities of the gospel at the center of your prayer life.Basics for Believers
O Hell, I see thee surging round; But in my Lord a cleft I've found, A solid, sure abiding place From which my enemy I face, As here with Thee at God's right hand, I on Thy Calvary-Victory stand.
I think the attempt to make the gospel "relevant" is irrelevant to someone who knows Christ. It's boring, because it's about an imaginary Christ designed for those who define themselves in consumerist terms. Good News for Anxious Christians (165)
Christian fellowship, then, is self-sacrificing conformity to the gospel. There may be overtones of warmth and intimacy, but the heart of the matter is this shared vision of what is of transcendent importance, a vision that calls forth our commitment.Basics for Believers
The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship, suffering, and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from myself. His rescue produces change that fundamentally alters my response to these inescapable realities. The Redeemer turns rebels into disciples, fools into humble listeners. He makes cripples walk again. In him we can face life and respond with faith, love, and hope. And as he changes us, he allows us to be a part of what he is doing in the lives of others. As you respond to the Redeemer's work in your life, you can learn to be an instrument in his hands.
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