And when we love our sin then we are damned indeed.

Jesus did not enter the world to help us save ourselves. He entered the world to save us from ourselves.

What makes a Christian a Christian is not perfection but forgiveness.

We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we need a great savior. We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is standing up. So we … leave behind the Titanic of self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God's grace.

A happy saint is one who is at the same time aware of the severity of sin and the immensity of grace.

Sin not only breaks our relationship with God, it also hampers our relationships with others.

Ponder the achievement of God. He doesn't condone our sin, nor does he compromise his standard. He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does he relax his demands. Rather than dismiss our sin, he assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences himself. God's holiness is honored. Our sin is punished....and we are redeemed. God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream: perfect before God.

Ever broken a promise you've made to God? Don't you deserve to be punished? And yet, here you are. Reading this book. Breathing. Still witnessing sunsets and hearing babies gurgle. Still watching the seasons change. There are no lashes on your back or hooks in your nose or shackles on your feet. Apparently God hasn't kept a list of your wrongs.

We prefer to get salvation the old-fashioned way: We earn it. To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is.

A happy saint is one who is at the same time aware of the severity of sin and the immensity of grace. Sin is not diminished, nor is God's ability to forgive it. The saint dwells in grace, not guilt. This is the tranquil soul.

There is no man so good, who, were he to submit all his thoughts and actions to the laws, would not deserve hanging ten times in his life."1 Our deeds are ugly. Our actions are harsh. We don't do what we want to do, we don't like what we do, and what's worse—yes, there is something worse—we can't change.

A guilty conscience becomes a curtain that separates us from God.