Of First Importance

“How could Jesus triumph over Satan in His death? We can understand this only if we recall that Satan is a parasite. He depends for His power and authority entirely upon the sinfulness of men and women. So long as we are still accounted guilty before the heavenly Judge, Satan has solid legal grounds to accuse us. Once the debt is paid, once the penalty has been administered, Satan’s head is crushed, and he falls from heaven like lightening. He no longer has an airtight case against God’s people; he has no case at all. When the Judge pronounces a ‘not guilty,’ the accuser must fall silent.”

- Peter J. Leithhart, The Kingdom and the Power (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 1993), 39.

“The gospel, applied to our hearts every day, frees us to be brutally honest with ourselves and with God. The assurance of His total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Christ means we don’t have to play defensive games anymore. We don’t have to rationalize and excuse our sins. . . . We can call sin exactly what it is, regardless of how ugly and shameful it may be, because we know that Jesus bore that sin in His body on the cross. With the assurance of total forgiveness through Christ, we have no reason to hide from our sins anymore.”

- Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace (Colorado Springs, Co: NavPress, 1994), 22-23.