From his article in WORLD Magazine, Silent Witnesses:
"Some evangelicals stop referring to Jesus because they think they do not need Him anymore. Jesus was involved in their conversion, long ago, but now they have to concentrate on living the Christian life. They have forgotten that the gospel is for every day of the Christian's life. And that no one can live the Christian life without Christ, who says, 'apart from Me you can do nothing' (John 15:5). "
That's the hardest thing to remember, that it's all about the Gospel. Our fallen state as humans and our redemption; God's wrath and justice right right alongside his mercy and grace; God's holiness and love displayed to the ultimate degree: it's all wrapped up in the Gospel.
Oh, how we want to ram God's wrath down people's throat in an attempt to cause them to "fear the Lord" when it's his grace that leads to proper respect for (and repentance 'unto') him. And oh, how we want to camp on God's love without mentioning that in his love for mankind the Father had his only Son crucified as an atonement for our sins. We find it easy to gravitate to the left or right, to be "liberal" or "conservative" but find it hard to be "...perfect [whole, complete], lacking nothing...".
Why? Because: "...apart from me you can do nothing".
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