D.A. Carson

Monday Musings

What is the secret to John Piper’s success at Bethlehem Baptist Church? So I was called to Bethlehem Baptist and began in June 1980.  I was thirty-four years old, and there were three hundred older people and almost no youth.  What I have done is try to preach the whole counsel of God from his …

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Rejoicing in Grace

“Happy [is] the Christian who sees in every sin a monster that could easily snare him eternally, were it not for the grace of God.” -D.A. Carson, Basic for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996), 104.

The Ministry of Influence

“Not all ministry in the church is verbal; not all ministry is prominent.  But all Christians are called upon to set a standard of talk and life that influences a new generation of converts in a godly and Christ-honoring way.” -D.A. Carson, Basic for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996), 94.

Pastoral Training

“Seminaries and theological colleges can do some things extremely well, but they must not be seen as pastors’ finishing schools. A great deal of the polish must be administered within the context of the local church. In that context, pastoral apprentices learn much more about how to live, minister, preach, interact graciously with obstreperous people, …

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No Competition

“We are confessing the gospel: That God himself has provided a Redeemer who died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to himself.  Without this gospel we are cut off, without hope in this world or the next, and utterly undone.  Compared with this good news, what could possibly compete?  Put the gospel first?” …

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Put the Gospel First

“Put the advance of the gospel at the center of your aspirations.  Our own comfort, our bruised feelings, our reputations, our misunderstood motives–all of these are insignificant in comparison with the advance and splendor of the gospel.” -D.A. Carson, Basic for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1996), 25.