Quotes from The Whole Christ

I recently finished reading The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson. 

Here are some great quotes from the book:

There are no conditions that need to be met in order for the gospel offer to be made.

everything we need for salvation is in him and not in us.

Is it obvious to me, and of engrossing concern, that the chief focus, the dominant note in the sermons I preach (or hear), is "Jesus Christ and him crucified"? Or is the dominant emphasis (and perhaps the greatest energies of the preacher?) focused somewhere else, perhaps on how to overcome sin, or how to live the Christian life, or on the benefits to be received from the gospel?...Is the dominant theme, the lasting impression, the most natural word association, in relation to preaching I hear "Jesus Christ and him crucified"--or something else?

Christ himself is the gospel...what we receive in the gospel is not benefits but Christ and that therefore the focus on public preaching and private pastoral ministry must be to set forth Christ.

benefits are never separated or abstracted from the Benefactor.

everyone is a legalist at heart.

The Bible is an extended narrative of God's grace from start to finish.

The strength or weakness of our grasp of justification by faith is integrally related to our freedom and joy in Christ. Free justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone lies at the heart of the application of redemption.

Sometimes Christians are eager to go on to the "deeper truths" of the Christian life...But in reality what we need is to dig down deeper into the first principles of the gospel.

If it is said that such free grace will lead people to conclude, "Let us go on sinning that grace may abound"; we are on safe ground.

antinomianism and legalism are not so much antithetical to each other as they are both antithetical to grace...God's grace in Christ is our union with Christ, is the antidote to both.

This is a fundamental pastoral lesson. It is not merely a matter of the head. It is a matter of the heart.

faith is "accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace."

assurance is nourished on a clear understanding of grace and especially of union with Christ and the justification, adoption, and regeneration that are ours freely in him.

justification is both final and complete.

The foundation of our assurance does not lie in us, but in him.

how we think about the gospel impacts how we think about ourselves and who we are in relation to God.

Satan knows he cannot ultimately destroy those whom Christ saves. He is therefore determined to destroy our enjoyment of our new relationship to the Lord.

It is one of the wiles of the Devil to discourage the doubting believer from seeking fellowship, sitting under the Word, and coming to enjoy the gifts Christ has given to reassure us of his love for us.

Christian assurance is not self-assurance and self-confidence. It is the reverse: confidence in our Father, trust in Christ as our Savior, and joy in the Spirit...

 This is salvation by grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone. It is Ephesians 1:3-14, Christ-centered, Trinity-honoring, eternity-rooted, redemption-providing, adoption-experiencing, holiness-producing, assurance-effecting, God-glorifying salvation.