1. God gives us the power and authority to proclaim the forgiveness of sins to burdened sinners who entrust us with their pain, guilt, and defeat.
  2. The law had to have its way with the expert to bring him around (and back) to Abraham's response.
  3. In Memory of My Friend, James Arne Nestingen
  4. That great truth of creedal Christianity – that God is man in Christ – is not set forth for our speculative enjoyment.
  5. When the church is a political actor, the gospel doesn’t have the final word.
  6. You are the friend in low places. It’s only from this place that you are free to look outside yourself for the remedy to the issues that plague you and humanity.
  7. You are a child of God. You’re blameless, holy, perfect, and righteous. Don’t feel that way? Too bad. God is greater than your heart.
  8. We don’t start with behavior and work toward Christ. We start with Christ and everything works out from there.
  9. If a key part of the Reformation was placing God’s Word back into the hands of the people in a clear, understandable way, then John of Ragusa can be called a “Prometheus” in his own right.
  10. When the Reformers read the Bible (especially when studied in the original languages), they found a God who was gracious and merciful for the sake of Christ.
  11. Through water, blood, and word, the Spirit never stops pointing us to Christ, and even more, giving us Christ.