Amongst many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, “The Cannibals! you will be eaten by Cannibals!” At last I replied, “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my resurrection body will arise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer.” The old gentleman, raising his hands in a deprecating attitude, left the room exclaiming, “After that I have nothing more to say!”

John G. Paton, The Autobiography of the Pioneer Missionary to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), 56.

Q. How do minsters murder other men’s souls?

A. By entering into the ministry without God’s call, which renders their labor unprofitable; by neglecting due pains for their people’s instruction and conversion; by preaching error, or truth in a wrong manner; by administration of the sacraments to the ignorant and profane; and by their loose and carnal example, Jer. 23.

Q. How do ministers murder men’s souls by a wrong way of preaching truth?

A. By preaching the law as a covenant, as it might and should be obeyed by us to render us welcome to Christ as a Savior; by insisting chiefly on circumstantial points; by preaching to a multitude as if they were all saints, or in such a manner as makes saints discredit their relation to Christ, or forget the duty of the present times, Ezek. 33. Jer. 23.

Q. How do magistrates murder other men’s souls?

A. By not providing their subjects with schools, and a pure gospel ministry; and by not punishing, but encouraging error, superstition, and gross immorality, Mic. 6:16.

John Brown of Haddington, Questions and Answers on the Shorter Catechism, 249-250.

Jesus is both the leader of our praise to God and the appropriate object of our worship and praise.

Kelly M. Kapic, Christian Life, 300.

No matter the denomination, tradition, or church polity, what we Christians do together in corporate worship shapes our understanding of God, ourselves, his world, and how we are to live.

Kelly M. Kapic, Christian Life, 285.

A believer is a sinner who is loved by God. When he realizes this, he enters the sphere of God’s love. He himself becomes loving.

New International Dictionary of NT Theology, Vol. 2, 545.

In the New Testament love is one of the central ideas which express the whole content of the Christian faith.

New International Dictionary of NT Theology, Vol. 2, 542.

The human mind does not quickly lose its habit of worrying and needs urging to keep pace with reality instead of dwelling on the nightmares of the past.

Leslie C. Allen, Psalms 101-150, Volume 21: Revised Edition (Word Biblical Commentary), 156.

Christian life is a response to the love of God . . . Christians are those who enjoy the love of the Father through the grace of the incarnate Son in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Kelly M. Kapic, New Studies in Dogmatics – Christian Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2025), 27

The goal of biblical study – like that of expository preaching – is an understanding of the text which enables its message to speak directly to the reader or hearer in its contemporary situation.

From the Introduction to The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, 9.

In God’s providence, Special Revelation became inscripturated, i.e., human authors through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote down the truth of God’s self-revelation and will, commonly called the “Word of God” or “Holy Scripture.” Peter summarized this process: “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Paul commented on the usefulness and purpose of this form of Special Revelation: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Psalm 119 celebrates this form of Special Revelation: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me your statutes” (Psalm 119:11-12).