Kevin DeYoung quotes:

As a pastor in a Protestant church, my whole ministry centers on the conviction that by grace we are saved through faith. And it's not our faith that delivers us, as if believing something, anything at all were pleasing to God. It's the object of our faith - Christ's life, death, and resurrection - that saves us.

Much of the impotence of American churches is tied to a profound ignorance and apathy about justification. Our people live in a fog of guilt. Or just as bad, they think being a better person is all God requires.

As a pastor, I addressed the sorts of issues I see people struggling with most and the issues talked about most directly and most frequently in the New Testament. That leads us to recurring concerns with sexual immorality, relational sins, and vices associated with the breaking of the Ten Commandments.

Some of us live a Christian life as if we're always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and he is very impossible to please... No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience.

God tells me that I need to provide for my family, discipline and teach my children, and love my wife as Christ loves the church. If I don't do that, I'm being unfaithful and sinful.

The Bible tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Surely part of loving in this way is trying to understand what another person wants us to understand. I may not understand perfectly and I may not agree, but if I love you I should try to know what it is you wish I could know.

One of the central motivations for holiness in the New Testament is to be who you are, to understand your identity and your union in Christ and to live that way.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus assumes that asking for forgiveness would be a daily occurrence, as would praying that we might be delivered from evil and led not into temptation.

Justification is God's declaration that we, though guilty sinners, are righteous in God's eyes.

Churches that should be talking about the work of Christ on the cross and the grace of God for sinners are stuck on recycled pop psychology, moral exhortation, or entertainment. But these fail to speak to the eternal question that haunts all of us: 'How do I know that I'm OK?' We all want to know we are justified.

Sometimes Christians live in a terror of universal obligation: AIDS over here, people to be saved over here, a crushing sense of low-level guilt every day of our lives. Question to ask: Where has God put me right now? I need to say no to a whole bunch of other things because if I don't say no I can't say yes to others.

Many of us think in terms in parental determinism: 'If I push all the right buttons my kids are going to turn out OK.' I want to instill in myself and my people a wonderful dose, not of carelessness, but of God's sovereignty. He knows the hairs on your kids' heads.

Don't just ask God for what we want. Let him teach us what we should want.

We use the Heidelberg Catechism in our worship. Sometimes we read it responsively. Other times I'll work it into my communion liturgy. I'll quote it in my sermons from time to time. I've seen the Catechism used effectively as Sunday school material.

The Heidelberg Catechism is like a refreshing bath with cool gospel water.

The mystery of the Christian life is that Christ expects us to flee sin and the devil, but does not expect us to rid ourselves of either on this side of glory. Repentance is a way of life, and so is the pursuit of godliness. I wish every Christian could be reminded of these two things.

Many people suffer at the hands of others. The world can be unfair, at times mercilessly so. Millions of people in the world are genuine victims, right now. All of us will be at some point, whether it's for small matters or large, for a long duration or short. But we aren't all victims, not all the time anyway, not for everything.

We were taught in school, and I was taught at home and in church, that blacks and whites were equal and we should not discriminate based on skin color, even if my school was almost entirely white.

Growing up in Michigan, I can't think of anything so explicitly communicated to me in my whole education experience as the vileness of in-your-face racism.

Sometimes feeling overwhelmed is part of what it means to be a Christian. You can't bear somebody else's burden unless you are taking something of their load and it's weighing you down a little bit.

When we use old confessions and catechisms, we help teach our people that their faith is an old faith, shared by millions over many centuries. We also help them realize that other Christians have asked the same questions.

Just very practically, pastors need to be careful that while they have a right to call people to absolute allegiance to the Word of God, we don't have the right to call people to absolute allegiance to our programs or every ministry we have at the church.

As Christians we need to be patient, understanding, and kind. Instead of going on the attack, we can ask genuine questions. Instead of bristling when our narrative is summarily dismissed, we can carefully explain our way of seeing things. And when we are wrong, we won't be afraid to say so.

Publicly leading a church in prayer deserves thoughtful preparation.

My life often feels like a whirling dervish of kids, writing, speaking, and pastoral ministry.

Some of us live a Christian life as if we're always under the stern, watchful eye of our Father and he is very impossible to please... No, God delights even in our heartfelt attempts at obedience."

They wish the church could be more diverse, but then leave to meet in a coffee shop with other well-educated thirtysomethings who are into film festivals, NPR, and carbon offsets."

We can't do every good thing there is to do in the world. Too many Christians live under the terror of total obligation, thinking every act of injustice, every opportunity of ministry, and every urgent appeal are our responsibilities.

The finality of Christs redemption for us is intimately tied to the finality of his revelation to us. . . . If we say revelation is not complete, we must admit that somehow the work of redemption also remains unfinished. . . . Scripture is enough because the work of Christ is enough. They stand or fall together.

I used to have six theories and no kids. Now I have six kids and no theories.

We may have the best of intentions in trying to discern God's will, but we should really stop putting ourselves through the misery of overspiritualizing every decision. Our misdirected piety makes following God more mysterious than it was meant to be

The seed of God's Word won't grow to fruitfulness without pruning for rest, quiet, and calm

...,the will of God for your life is pretty straightforward: Be holy like Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, for the glory of God.

Plain horse sense ought to tell us that anything that makes no change in the man who professes it makes no difference to God either, and it is an easily observable fact that for countless numbers of persons the change from no-faith to faith makes no actual difference in the life.

Some Christians need encouragement to think before they act. Others need encouragement to act after they think.

We can stop pleading with God to show us the future, and start living and obeying like we are confident that He holds the future.

Faith is more than getting a theological quiz right. Faith is to know, to assent, to put your trust in, and to cherish what is true.

Let us shout of our God from the rooftops, that the whole world would stand in silence before him.

Legalism is a problem in the church, but so is anti-nomianism. Granted, I don't hear anyone saying, 'Let's continue in sin that grace may abound'. That's the worse form of antinomianism. But strictly speaking, antinomianism simply means no-law, and some Christians have very little place for the law in their pursuit of holiness.

Sure, it would be great to be a better person, and you do hope to avoid the really big sins. But you figure, since we're saved by grace, holiness is not required of you, and frankly, your life seems fine without it. The hole in our holiness is that we don't really care much about it.

The pursuit of holiness is not a quixotic effort to do just what Jesus did. It's the fight to live out the life that has already been made alive in Christ.

They wish the church could be more diverse, but then leave to meet in a coffee shop with other well-educated thirtysomethings who are into film festivals, NPR, and carbon offsets.

As Christians, we worship a victimized Lord. We should expect to suffer and should have particular compassion on those who hurt emotionally and physically. But we do not resemble the Suffering Servant when we take pains to show off our suffering.

The world needs to see Christians burning, not with self-righteous fury at the sliding morals in our country, but with passion for God.

The one indispensable requirement for producing godly, mature Christians is godly, mature Christians.

If the gospel is old news to you, it will be dull news to everyone else.

The irony is that if we make every imperative into a command to believe the gospel more fully, we turn the gospel into one more thing we have to get right, and faith becomes the one thing we need to be better at.

We get used to living in a state of mild disappointment with ourselves.

The Luddite impulse is strong among Christians, and our first reaction is to rage against the machine.

The more my brain was fed, the hungrier it became.

I can turn every "is" into "ought ".

One reason we never tame the busy this beast is that we are unwilling to kill anything.

The people on this planet who end up doing nothing are those who never realize they can't do everything.

We will have to work hard to rest.

Sincerity is a Christian virtue, as is honesty about our struggles. But my generation needs to realize that Christianity is more than chic fragility, endless self-revelation, and the coolness that comes with authenticity.

To start the day without prayer is to suggest the devil is feeble, God is irrelevant, and we can handle things on our own.

The only chains God wants us to wear are the chains of righteousness--not the chains of hopeless subjectivism, not the shackles of risk-free living, not the fetters of horoscope decision making--just the chains befitting a bond servant of Christ Jesus. Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God's glory.

Submission to the Scriptures is submission to God. Rebellion against the Scriptures is rebellion against God

At the heart of the Protestant faith is the conviction that there is nothing we contribute to our salvation but our sin, no merit we bring but Christ's, and nothing necessary for justification except faith alone.

We walk into the future in God-glorifying confidence, not because the future is known to us but because it is known to God. And that's all we need to know. Worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief, an indication that our hearts are not resting in the promises of God.

A catechism is simply a tool for teaching the fundamentals of the faith. Unlike a creed or confession, a catechism uses questions and answers. Many Protestant confessional traditions, like Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Reformed, have used catechisms for centuries. Initially, most catechisms were intended for children.

Perhaps out inactivity is not so much waiting on God as it is an expression of the fear of man, the love of the praise of man, and disbelief in God's providence.

Before my secret meeting with the Pope I asked him to come wearing white if deep down he agreed with the Reformation. Pretty crazy.

Worldliness is whatever makes sin look normal and righteousness look strange.

I try to keep in my mind the simple question: Am I trying to do good or make myself look good? Too many of our responsibilities get added to our plate when we are trying to please people, impress people, prove ourselves, acquire power, increase our prestige. All those motivations are about looking good more than doing good.

Offendedness is just about the last shared moral currency in our country. And, I'm sorry, but it's really annoying. We don't discuss ideas or debate arguments, we try to figure out who is most offended.

The kind of experience of humility and happiness that comes with gratitude tends to crowd out whatever is coarse, or ugly, or mean.

Anxiety is simply living out the future before it gets here.

Any gospel which says only what you must do and never announces what Christ has done is no gospel at all.

As Christians living in changing times, we must keep three things open: our heads, our hearts, and our Bibles.

As the culture war rages on, Lord give us wisdom to see the difference between defending our rights and protesting our slights.

Being a child of God means confidence, but it never means complacency.

Biblical wisdom means living a disciplined and prudent life in the fear of the Lord

Blue Devils may have won today. Devil gonna lose tomorrow.

Busyness kills more Christians than bullets.

Christianity is so much more than getting your doctrine right, but it is not less.

Christianity loses its scriptural fidelity and internal power when it no longer affirms both sola fide and the necessity of obedience.

Christians often equate holiness with activism and spiritual disciplines. And while it's true that activism is often the outgrowth of holiness and spiritual disciplines are necessary for the cultivation of holiness, the pattern of piety in the Scripture is more explicitly about our character. We put off sin and put on righteousness. We put to death the deeds of the flesh and put on Christ. To use the older language, we pursue mortification of the old man and the vivification of the new.

Die to self. Live for Christ. And then do what you want, and go where you want, for God's glory.

Don't follow those who can talk a big game about their amazing faith in Christ. Follow people who are actually following Christ.

Don't try so hard to be hip. When the Church finds out what is cool, it is not cool anymore.

Everything before Jesus is preface. Everything after Jesus is appendix. Jesus is the story.

Expecting perfection from ourselves or others is not what holiness is about.

Flattery is saying something nice in order to help yourself. Encouragement is saying something true in order help someone else.

For Jesus, Scripture is powerful, decisive, and authoritative because it is nothing less than the voice of God.

God did not send a concept, an idea, or a virtue. He sent his Son. Follow the God of love, not love as your god.

God does have a specific plan for our lives, but it is not one that He expects us to figure out before we make a decision.

God gets glory when his strength shines in our weakness.

God is not a magic eight ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for him.

God is still here, God is still real, and God has not gone anywhere, even if you have.

God knows everything. So why not run to him and tell him all the things that he already knows?

God tends to do his best work when the odds appear stacked against him.

God's timing is rarely our timing.

God's wrath was not just withdrawn. It was spent. Full atonement can it be? Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Grace does not lead us to overlook obedience. Grace compels and empowers us for obedience.

Grace is free, but it's not cheap.

Here's good news: God is even more committed to your change, your growth, and your transformation than you are.

If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then growing in our knowledge of God is always practical.

If there really is a perfect will of God we are meant to discover, in which we will find tremendous freedom and fulfillment, why does it seem that everyone looking for God's will is in such bondage and confusion?

If we arenâ??t prepared to be counter-cultural we arenâ??t ready to be Christians.

If we do not worship God, God will not be the lesser for it. But we will.

If we truly long for revival, we will rejoice even when it starts at the church down the road.

If you find yourself mistreated, misunderstood, and mocked as a Christian, take heart, for so they did to the Christ.

If you make the goal of your life just to stay alive, you'll fail. If you make the goal of your life the kingdom, you cannot lose.

If you think God has promised this world will be a five-star hotel, you will be miserable as you live through the normal struggles of life. But if you remember that God promised we would be pilgrims and this world may feel more like a desert or even a prison, you might find your life surprisingly happy.

If you want to know God as your Father, you need to know Jesus Christ as your Savior.

I'm pretty sure most of us would be more fulfilled if we didn't fixate on fulfillment quite so much.

In the world of perpetual outrage, people cannot see the difference between deflated footballs, a dead lion, and dismembered babies.

Inerrancy means the word of God always stands over us and we never stand over the word of God.

It is our confidence in the sovereign grace of God that gives us any hope of success in missions.

It's not convincing to say you are a child of God if you have none of the characteristics of your Father.

It's true that every road leads to God. But only one way leads to a pleasant encounter with Him.

Jesus was not just a prophet but the fulfillment of all prophecy.

Just about everybody in America likes Jesus, but few like him for who he truly is.

Just about the worst thing a leader can nurture in his heart is self-pity. And just about the worst thing a leader can do in front of his people is murmur and complain.

Keep sharing the good news; we have not yet exhausted the number of God's elect.