The Thoughts of Ryan-C

QOTD: They Killed the Lord of Life

// November 13th, 2009 // No Comments » // Books, D.A. Carson, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, grace, reformed, sin, theology

The authorities who crucified Jesus were in fact, quite unwittingly, carrying out God’s purposes. As the praying Christians put it in Acts 4, “indeed Herod and Pontious Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and ill had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:27-28). They thought they were so wise, so politically astute; in fat, by their folly they brought to pass, in God’s perfect providence, his own wise plan–the very plan that they dismissed as foolishness. Amazing Grace: in God’s wise purposes, they killed the Lord of life.

-D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry

QOTD: Our Self-Centeredness is Deep

// September 17th, 2009 // No Comments » // D.A. Carson, Faith, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, calvinism, grace, sin

Our self-centeredness is deep. It is so brutally idolatrous that it tries to domesticate God himself. In our desperate folly we act as if we can outsmart God, as if he owes us explanations, as if we are wise and self-determining while he exists only to meet our needs.

…We are impotent when it comes to dealing with out sin and being reconciled to God, but where we are impotent God is powerful. Human folly and human wisdom are equally unable to achieve what God has accomplished in the cross. The gospel is not simply good advice, nor is it good news about God’s power. The gospel is God’s power to those who believe. The place where God has supremely destroyed all human arrogance and pretension is the cross.

-D.A. Carson, The Cross and Christian Ministry

QOTD: Our Greatest Neeed

// August 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // D.A. Carson, Jesus Stuff, Life, Quote of the Day, grace, sin

If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.

-D.A. Carson, A Call To Spiritual Reformation