We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.
John StottRead
The concept of substitution lies at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man.
Interpretation
The essence of sin is putting oneself in the place of God, while salvation involves God taking the place of humanity.
In this quote, John Stott explores the profound theological concepts of sin and salvation, illustrating that sin fundamentally involves humans attempting to usurp God's authority and role. In contrast, salvation is characterized by God's willingness to take on human suffering and limitations, thereby bridging the gap between humanity and divinity.
In practice
In a sermon discussing the nature of sin and forgiveness, this quote can highlight the importance of recognizing human limitations and the transformative power of God's grace.
We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.
Mission arises from the heart of God Himself and is communicated from His heart to ours. Mission is the global outreach of the global people of a global God.
An unchurched christian is a grotesque anomaly. The New Testament knows nothing of such a person. For the church lies at the very center of the eternal purpose of God. It is not a divine afterthought. It is not an accident of history. On the contrary, the church is God's new community.
Saving faith is resting faith, the trust which relies entirely on the Savior.
It is a great comfort to know that our judge will be none other than our savior.
To encounter Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence. He gives us a sense of self-worth or personal significance, because He assures us of God's love for us. He sets us free from guilt because He died for us and from paralyzing fear because He reigns. He gives meaning to marriage and home, work and leisure, personhood and citizenship.
If it is not tempered by compassion, and empathy, reason can lead men and women into a moral void.
Utopia lies at the horizon. When I draw nearer by two steps, it retreats two steps. If I proceed ten steps forward, it swiftly slips ten steps ahead. No matter how far I go, I can never reach it. What, then, is the purpose of utopia? It is to cause us to advance.
The only proper intoxication is conversation.
I do think the patriotic thing to do is to critique my country. How else do you make a country better but by pointing out its flaws?
Fairness is a concept that holds only in limited situations. Yet we want the concept to extend to everything, in and out of phase. From snails to hardware stores to married life. Maybe no one finds it, or even misses it, but fairness is like love. What is given has nothing to do with what we seek.
It is however always important to remember that the ability to see things in their correct perspective may be, and often is, divorced from the ability to reason correctly and vice versa. That is why a man may be a very good theorist and yet talk absolute nonsense.
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