We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.
John StottRead
At the cross in holy love God through Christ paid the full penalty of our disobedience himself. He bore the judgment we deserve in order to bring us the forgiveness we do not deserve. On the cross divine mercy and justice were equally expressed and eternally reconciled. God's holy love was 'satisfied.'
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the concept of divine love and justice in Christianity, illustrating the sacrifice of Christ for humanity's sins.
John Stott's quote reflects on the profound theological implications of the crucifixion of Christ, where God's love and justice intersect. It captures the essence of Christian belief that through Christ's sacrifice, humanity receives forgiveness that it does not inherently deserve, highlighting the dual aspects of divine mercy and justice being reconciled at the cross.
In practice
In a church sermon discussing the significance of Christ's sacrifice.
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.
When we were told that by freedom we understood free enterprise, we did very little to dispel this monstrous falsehood. Wealth and economic well-being, we have asserted, are the fruits of freedom, while we should have been the first to know that this kind of happiness has been an unmixed blessing only in this country, and it is a minor blessing compared with the truly political freedoms, such as freedom of speech and thought, of assembly and association, even under the best conditions.
All of the incessant debate about development assistance, and whether the rich are doing enough to help the poor, actually concerns less than 1% of rich world income. The effort required of the rich is indeed so slight that to do less is to announce brazenly to a large part of the world: 'You count for nothing.' We should not be surprised, then, if in later years the rich reap the whirlwind of that heartless response.
Honest difference of views and honest debate are not disunity. They are the vital process of policy among free men.
If I take death into my life, acknowledge it, and face it squarely, I will free myself from the anxiety of death and the pettiness of life - and only then will I be free to become myself.
The punitive use of force tends to generate hostility and to reinforce resistance to the very behavior we are seeking.
I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever yet imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.
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