1. “The thesis advanced in this book is that New Testament theology is God-focused, Christ-centered, and Spirit-saturated, but the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit must be understood along salvation-historical timeline; that is, God's promises are already fulfilled but not yet consummated in Christ Jesus.” (23)
2. “One must act decisively and give up all to enter the kingdom. The blessings of the kingdom will pass by those who put something else above the kingdom, for Jesus demanded that the kingdom be preeminent in the lives of those who claim to be people of the Lord (Matt 6:33).” (59)
3. “Thus He deliberately downplayed what was considered to be a matter of great political importance in his day. Jesus did not focus on the structures of evil that needed to be dismantled, though certainly he recognized that evil permeated society. What will change society is individuals turning from their sin and committing themselves wholly to God. Even more striking, Jesus was convinced that he would transform the world by suffering and dying instead of leading a revolt and triumphing over political enemies.” (52)
4. “Because the word has become flesh, the last day has become the present moment.” (86)
5. “Paul compared the work of conversion to that of creation, in which the same God who summoned light out of darkness shines his light and human hearts so that they perceive God's glory in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).” (102)
6. “Herod’s slaying of the children reminds the reader that Israel is still in exile, that the salvation promised in the new covenant has not yet arrived. At the same time, Matthew draws on the very chapter in which the new covenant promise is contained (Jer. 31:31-34), indicating that hope survives, for the new-covenant promises of Jeremiah will be realized in Jesus.” (172)
7. “Jesus’ invitation to come to him recalls wisdom's public invitation to come to her for instruction (Prov. 1:20-33). The long invitation from wisdom in Proverbs 8 is particularly important. She that was with God from the creation of the world invites human beings to come to her, to gain understanding, and to find life. She has built her house and prepared a feast to which all those who are foolish are invited (Prov. 9:1-12).” (176)
8. “The response to Jesus is the central question of all of history.” (184)
9. “As the suffering one, he reigned.” (279)
10. Jesus’ death represents not his humiliation but rather his glorification (John 13:31-32; 17:4-5), for it represents his undying love for his disciples (John 13:1). What is humiliating in human eyes is beautiful in the eyes of God, for the self-giving and atoning love of Jesus displays the character of God.” (284)
11. “Justification and life in the Spirit are not at loggerheads for Paul. The former is the foundation for the latter, and the joy of being right with God frees believers to obey God (Gal 5:13-15)…Those who emphasize that righteousness is always relational tend to minimize the external standards to which a relationship must conform.” (352) “Slavery to righteousness is no burden, for a constant desire to do what is right is actually beautiful freedom (Gal 5:13).” (367)
12. “True freedom expresses itself in servant love for others (Gal 5:13-14)…Paul acknowledged the fierce struggle waged in believers between the Spirit and the flesh (Gal 5:17). Life in the Spirit is not somnolent or a constant experience of spiritual ecstasy…His point is not that those who live in the Spirit are free from all moral norms or moral constraints, as if those who live in the Spirit enjoy unbridled freedom. Instead, those who yield to the Spirit conquer sin and live in love.” (483)
13. “But the deepest secret of this love which characterizes realized discipleship is that they have learned how to forgive. They extend to others the divine forgiveness which they have experienced, a forgiveness which passes all understanding.” (552)
14. “The Christian life is comparable to a race, and believers must run to win the prize. They must live in a disciplined way, as athletes do in training. They must conduct their lives purposefully, as boxers do when they strike opponents. They must rule over sinful desires and conquer them so that they will not be “disqualified” at the final judgment….he strains to grasp the prize because he has already been grasped by Jesus Christ.” (581)
15. “Only those who follow Jesus in radical discipleship will be saved on the last day.” (552)
16. “There is continuity in that the coming of Christ brings to fruition the OT promises of salvation and the righteousness demanded by God; There is discontinuity in that the covenant under which the Jewish believers lived is no longer in force, and believers are not members of ethnic Israel.” (617)
17. “What John communicates is that God poured out his grace in giving the OT law, but the grace of the law is now surpassed by the grace of the gospel. The grace of the law is akin to the brightness of the moon, but now it has been eclipsed by the grace given through the sun—the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (642)
18. “Those who have drunk deeply at the well of God's love in Christ long to pass on that same love to others. Such love in their lives is an indication that God indeed dwells in them, for the mark of God's presence is the impulse to love.” (644)
19. “They do not paper over the wickedness of the world or even the evil that still inhabits their lives, as if they were out of touch with the world as it really is. However, believers also are animated by unfazed optimism.” (755)
20. “Those who give generously and refuse to cave in to worry demonstrate that their treasure is found in God rather than in possessions…Freedom from the tyranny of money belongs only to those who have experienced the miracle of God saving power (Luke 18:27).” (761)
