I was given this book over a year ago and didn’t read it until today. Having finally read it, it just once again blew my mind at how great the new covenant really is, how glorious the gospel truly is and how awesome Jesus is and what He did on the cross.. If you haven’t read it before, do yourself a favour and get a copy. Clink the link below to go to Andrew’s website. Anyway, here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book: (And there are a few…)

The Naked Gospel

• I grew up with a flavor of the gospel that assured me I was going to heaven, but it didn’t help with the present turmoil. I was afraid God was so thoroughly disappointed with my performance that he wouldn’t use me, grow me, or “have fellowship” with me. Voices around me only confirmed that I was falling short and needed to strive yet again to meet the standard. (p.20)
• There is nothing wrong with top-quality facilities, creative programs and a genuine sense of community. By the fundamental question is “What message are we sharing in our community and within our walls through our programs?” I believe it is our substance, not our structure, that leaves so many stagnant and dissatisfied. A church my have polished programs, well-trained staff, and dynamic speakers, but content is what people walk away with. (p.27)
• To some the law appeared to offer a satisfying religious experience and a life of fulfilment. But one way or another, it pronounced the curse of failure on anyone who attempted to keep it. (p.34)
• We can propose all kinds of theories, compromises, and answers concerning law and grace, but one fact remains: the law discredits Jesus as priest. For this reason, the writer of Hebrews writes, “When the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also” (Hebrews 7:12). The bottom line is that if you appeal to Jesus as your priest, what place is there for the law in your life? (p.39)
• For some reason, the law only gives us its attention when we are in the wrong. Similarly, the law of Moses only points out where we’ve fallen short. Looking for love and encouragement? You’ll never find them in the law. This is why the strictest legalist you know can fabricate an appearance of morality. But legalism will never produce love. (p.50-51)
• But how do we live upright lives if we don’t use the Ten Commandments as our guide? After hearing that believers have no need for the law, this is a natural question. The short answer is this: The Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us when we believe, and he is enough! The fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit within us is enough. And “against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:23). (p.57)
• Some say, “I don’t live under the law of Moses. I know I’m free from those commandments. Instead, I live by ‘Christian principles.’” This is a fine-sounding variation on what is still a law-based approach. (p.58)
• While some view Christianity as a behavior improvement program, the Eden story reveals that a desire for behavior improvement was the cause of spiritual death. (p.72)
• The law only breeds two things: defeat if you’re honest and hypocrisy if you’re not. (p.75)
• When we question the function of grace in our lives, we’re insulting God’s intelligence. Would he usher in a New Covenant that not only allows but actually promotes sin? Is God foolish to think that grace really motivates us to live godly lives? (p.91)
• I am who I am by birth, not by behavior… …While some regard Christianity as a behavior improvement program dressed up in religious clothing, Jesus revealed that God’s plan was actually an exchange of nature. (p.101)
• I imagine most of us don’t think much about what it means to be hidden in God. But the Scriptures emphasize our being in Christ about six times more often than the fact that Christ is in us. Obviously, this is an important truth that God wants us to grasp. (p.103)
• But the flesh is not the old self. It’s something that is with us, but it’s not us. Our poor choices to live according to the flesh are not any indication of our nature… …Christians are new creations at heart, no matter how we choose to walk in a given moment. Christians are in the Spirit. But we choose to walk after the Spirit or after the flesh as circumstances hit us. (p.114)
• For a Christian, because of your new identity in Christ, being yourself and expressing Christ are one and the same. God has arranged it so that our new self and our union with his Spirit cause us to want what he wants. (p.115)
• Because Jesus Christ’s sacrifice cleansed us once for all, not repeatedly over time, there’s no method or procedure required for us to remain forgiven. We’re invited to depend on the onetime sacrifice as the means to lifelong forgiveness, without any strings attached: “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (p.134)
• Because there are no more blood sacrifices being made for sins, we must conclude something about the onetime sacrifice of Jesus Christ: either it was or was not sufficient to bring a lifetime of forgiveness and cleansing. (p.135)
• We don’t initiate forgiveness, because we cannot. Only blood brings forgiveness. Our acts of remembrance, confession, asking forgiveness, and claiming—whether done with good intentions or not—don’t cause more blood to be shed. (p.136)
• Sadly, often we get so self-consumed that it’s nearly impossible to get Christians to talk about anything other than our sins. It’s as if our sense of importance stems from the fact that we’re dealing with struggles. These struggles enable us to think about ourselves, converse about ourselves, and even obsess about ourselves—with a spiritual label on it all. (p.139)
• If we miss the message of the gospel, it holds no power to alter natural mindsets that control us. Partial forgiveness provides partial relief from guilt but breeds an unhealthy fear of judgment. Real forgiveness means that the sin issue is over. Real forgiveness means that there’s no present or future punishment for sins. Jesus’ death satisfied God forever. (p.143)
• What position are you in with regard to your sins? Are you standing up, running around, and trying to make up for them? Attempting to get forgiven, to get cleansed? Or are you seated with Jesus Christ in a relaxed position? Do you realize that your Savior has taken them away once and for all? (p.145)
• Restoration of life occurs when God himself, through the person of Christ, resides within us. Anything short of this is weak religiosity. (p.189)
• The message of “Christ in you” is the real thing—the word of God in its fullness. Today’s alternative is a message that’s an inaccurate part of the whole. All around us, we’re inundated with a lackluster gospel that advocates partial forgiveness, a pressure-filled motivation for behavior change, and the promise of earned rewards in heaven or a cash return while on earth. This counterfeit is the reason that the church sometimes doesn’t appear much different from the world. (p.192)
• One reason that Jesus was born as a baby and lived for thirty-three years in genuine human flesh was to demonstrate that humanity is capable of displaying the divine. (p.196)

Honestly a book I would recommend to anybody, no matter where in your walk with Jesus you are!

Grace to you!

Cornel

Read more about Cornel’s book “So You Think Your Mind Is Renewed?” here!

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