A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
Table of Contents
Part One: Today’s Gospel: Good News or Bad?
1 A Look at the Issues
Part Two: Jesus Heralds His Gospel
2 He calls for a New Birth
3 He Demands True Worship
4 He Receives Sinners, But Refuses the Righteous
5 He Opens Blind Eyes
6 He Challenges an Eager Seeker
7 He Seeks and Saves the Lost
8 He Condemns a Hardened Heart
9 He Offers a Yoke of Rest
Part Three: Jesus Illustrates His Gospel
10 The Soils
11 The Wheat and Tares
12 The Treasure of the Kingdom
13 The First and Last
14 The Lost and Found
Part Four: Jesus Qualifies His Gospel
15 The Call to Repentance
16 The Nature of True Faith
17 The Way of Salvation
18 The Certainty of Judgment
19 The Cost of Discipleship
20 The Lordship of Christ
Part Five: Appendixes
1 The Gospel According to the Apostles
2 The Gospel According to Historic Christianity
Selected Quotes
- “The church’s witness to the world has been sacrificed on the altar of cheap grace. Shocking forms of open immorality have become commonplace among professing Christians. And why not? The promise of eternal life without surrender to divine authority feeds the wretchedness of the unregenerate heart.” (16)
- “The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer…It was in every sense good news, yet it was anything but easy-believism.” (21)
- “The truth of the gospel according to Jesus is that the only ones who are eligible for salvation are those who realize they are sinners and are willing to repent.” (66)
- “A person not willing to turn from sin, possessions, false religion, or selfishness will find he cannot turn to Christ in faith.” (88)
- “Salvation is by grace and has nothing to do with human works. But the only possible response to God’s grace is a broken humility that causes the sinner to turn from his old life to Christ. The evidence of such a turning is the willing to submit and obey.” (113)
- “Forsaking oneself for Christ’s sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion; it is the sine qua non of saving faith.” (135)
- “Most of the current controversy regarding the gospel hinges on definition of a few key words, including repentance, faith, discipleship, and Lord.” (159)
- “When Jesus called disciples, He carefully instructed them about the cost of following Him. Half-hearted people unwilling to make the commitment did not respond.” (197)
- “He is Lord, and those who refuse Him as Lord cannot use Him as Savior. Everyone who receives him must surrender to His authority, for to say we receive Christ when in fact we reject His right to reign over us is utter absurdity.” (210)