“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 97).

“Thou the elect experience the Spirit’s regeneration passively as so many dry bones (Ezek. 37:1-14), believers put their trust in the promises of the comfort of the Spirit and pray for Him and His work in them (Gal. 3:2, 14; John 7:37-39; Luke 11:13). Thus believers have a responsibility to seek the Spirit” (Joel R. Beeke & Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, 111).

“But systematics [Systematic Theology] helps ministers to preach the whole counsel of God, and thus to make God central in their work” (Cornelius Van Til, An Introduction to Systematic Theology (ed. William Edgar), 22).

“The first part of effectual calling is a right hearing of the Word by those who were dead in sin; their minds are illuminated by the Spirit with irresistible truth. The preaching of the Word accomplishes two things [following quotation from William Perkins’ Golden Chaine]: ‘the Law shewing a man his sin and the punishment thereof, which is eternal death’ and ‘the Gospel, shewing salvation by Christ Jesus, to such as believe.’ Both become so real that ‘the eyes of the mind are enlightened, the heart and ears opened, that he [the elect sinner] may see, hear, and understand the preaching of the word of God'” (Joel R. Beeke & Mark Jones, A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, 126).

“Christ discharged the debt of sin. he bore our sins and purged them. he did not make a token payment which God accepts in place of the whole. Our debts are not cancelled; they are liquidated. Christ procured redemption and therefore he secured it” (John Murray, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied, 58).

“The desire for one’s own honor hinders faith. One who seeks his own honor is no longer seeking God and his neighbor. What does it matter if I suffer injustice? Would I not have deserved even worse punishment from God, if He had not dealt with me according to His mercy? Is not justice done to me a thousand times even in injustice? Must it not be wholesome and conducive to humility for me to learn to bear such petty evils silently and patiently?” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 95).

“I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me. His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner. This is a happy discovery for the Christian who begins to pray for others” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 86).

“As a movement, feminism arose because women were being sinned against. I think that is a fair argument. But feminism also arose because women were sinning in response. That’s a classic human problem: Sinners tend to sin in response to being sinned against. The glorious hope we have is that Christ came to rescue us from this spiral of sin and sinful response. Only the gospel can accurately diagnose the issues on both sides and offer both the good news of forgiveness for our sins and the restoration of our relationship first with God and then with each other” ( Carolyn McCulley, Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World, 47).

An anecdote.

“The electrical wizard” Charles Steinmetz was an inveterate smoker. Once a notice that forbade smoking was posted in the General Electric plant where he worked. Steinmetz ignored it till an executive asked if he wasn’t aware of the rule. The answer was a cold indifferent stare. Next day Steinmetz didn’t show up, and for two days none heard from him. Important work remained untouched. The company began a serious search. It ended in the lobby of a Buffalo hotel. There he was found sitting at ease in a huge chair, puffing a cigar. When told that the whole company was looking for him, and asked why he had left like that, he calmly said, “I came up here to have a smoke.” After that the smoking rule was never applied to him. 

Peter Leithart offers some great reflections on God and time.