Trevin K. Wax > Quotes

“If the only thing we have when we leave a time of Bible study is more head knowledge and a spiritual to-do list for the week, we’ve missed the point.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“You see, the root cause of our lack of engagement in God’s mission is not a missions problem but a gospel problem. We demonstrate by our inaction that we no longer marvel at grace. We are unaffected by the beauty of what God has done for us in Christ.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“We never “get over” the gospel. We never “move beyond” the gospel. Why in the world would we even try to “move beyond” the beautiful truth that God loved the world by giving His Son that we could have eternal life with Him?”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“The beating heart of orthodoxy is not a personal adventure of self-discovery, a patching together of our preferred versions of the Christian faith. It’s the connection to saints in various cultures and climates, with different languages and traditions, all united by a common confession in Jesus Christ, the king.”
― Trevin K. Wax, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith

“only God is strong enough to withstand the weight of all our hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties”
― Trevin K. Wax, Rethink Your Self: The Power of Looking Up Before Looking In

“If there is a God and he really did make you and the rest of the world, then you don’t get to define him in relation to you; he gets to define you in relation to him.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Rethink Your Self: The Power of Looking Up Before Looking In

“The best way to avoid new errors is to love old truths, to hear the story fresh again and again, and to be “caught up in the process of being slain and made alive by the gospel.”
― Trevin Wax, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith

“if your view of the future depends on an irreversible movement toward the worst possible scenario, you must not let your posture become purely defensive. Pessimism can lead you to adopt a “hunker down with the faithful” approach to the world that is largely driven by fear, not faith. The truth is, every generation believes that things are getting worse when compared to the past. Every generation adopts, at some level, a variation of the myth of decline or the myth of progress. Every generation of Christians believes they are in the last days of this world. And every generation, so far, has been wrong.”
― Trevin Wax, This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel

“Go to the Bible looking for God. Find Him, and application will follow. But go looking for application, and you may miss both.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“Our churches are parroting the surrounding culture’s definitions of success. We have consumers (the congregation), a board of directors (deacons or elders), and a pastor CEO that we hire to give us results. Success is getting people in the door. Traffic. Marketing. Visibility. One of the reasons why some young people in their twenties have abandoned the church is that corporate-style Christianity is just a poor imitation of what we see in the world. It’s what we get everywhere else.”
― Trevin Wax, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

“Teaching cannot properly be considered “gospel-centered” unless it has a missionary shape to it.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“Today’s church growth movement may be motivated by a sincere passion to see people come to faith in Christ. But one of the dangerous facets of this movement is the idea that you are in control. If you change your music, update your style, or build a new building, you can grow your church. You bring success. When the church adopts this mind-set, it has already succumbed to the prevailing notions of success in the culture.”
― Trevin Wax, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

“Modesty Chastity includes modesty. How we dress matters. Studies show that people who dress up on the day of an exam tend to score higher marks than those who dress sloppily. How we dress affects our behavior. Women who dress provocatively should not be surprised at the attention they receive and the kind of men they attract. Sadly, the fashions on display in church on Sunday mornings or at Wednesday night youth services too often mirror the fashions of the world. Christians should be constantly modeling modesty in the way we dress and in the way we act.”
― Trevin Wax, Holy Subversion: Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals

“An army of begrudging, guilt-ridden evangelists “doing their duty” is not likely to attract many converts. The goal is to see a delight-filled group of Christians overflowing with love for God and neighbor who can’t help but speak of the One who loved them and gave Himself for them.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“Sometimes the call to faithfulness may seem like a burden. But may we never forget that this call is also our greatest privilege. We live in light of the truth, trusting that the flame of faithfulness that passes from generation to generation will never go out.”
― Trevin Wax, This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel

“Others get bogged down in theological discussions that cause them to read the Scriptures looking for more ammunition for their next debate. Meanwhile, the Bible quietly gets twisted into a divine reference book designed to uphold a beloved system of theology instead of God’s divine revelation designed to shine light on a glorious Savior.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Psalms in 30 Days: CSB Edition

“What happens is that people are convinced that there is something more mature, more courageous, readier to face unvarnished reality in the scientific stance. The superiority is an ethical one… If I become convinced that the ancient faith reflects a more immature outlook on things, in comparison to modern science, then I will indeed see myself as abandoning the first to cleave to the second. (365-66)  So, what proves decisive is not the latest piece of science but the story science tells, as well as the desired self-image of being mature and rational.”
― Trevin Wax

“fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith are more than just a backpack on the journey, something optional to carry along with us in case we need them. Instead, they’re more like the map that makes clear our destination, warns us away from dead-ends, and orients us to the landscape, helping us interpret our current moment and walk forward as faithful sojourners.”
― Trevin K. Wax, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith

“What your group celebrates corporately is just as important as what your group affirms doctrinally.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“The Bible isn’t an assistant to your old way of life. It’s the doorway to your new life in Christ.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“The gospel-centered teacher understands that the unsaved need the gospel in order to come to know Christ, while the saved need the gospel in order to become more like Christ.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“about heaven coming on earth—the New Jerusalem coming from God’s dimension onto a physical newly created and transformed earth (Revelation 21:2). It’s not about shedding our bodies; it’s about God transforming them into an incorruptible state (2 Corinthians 5:2–4). The final dwelling place of man is not to go to heaven to be with God; the final dwelling place of God is to come from heaven to be with man (Revelation 21:3–4). Cemeteries once surrounded churches because the saints knew that the coffins they nailed shut would one day be thrown open. The decayed and dusty remains of a once-vibrant body would be transformed into a new type of physical reality—one that will never know death. Believers wanted to be near their church house when the trumpet sounds.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope

“Our goal is to lead our groups to get on our faces before God and then get on our feet for His mission.”
― Trevin Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“In the beginning, the all-powerful, personal God created the universe. This God created human beings in His image to live joyfully in His presence, in humble submission to His gracious authority. But all of us have rebelled against God and, in consequence, must suffer the punishment of our rebellion: physical death and the wrath of God. Thankfully, God initiated a rescue plan, which began with His choosing the nation of Israel to display His glory in a fallen world. The Bible describes how God acted mightily on Israel’s behalf, rescuing His people from slavery and then giving them His holy law. But God’s people—like all of us—failed to rightly reflect the glory of God. Then, in the fullness of time, in the Person of Jesus Christ, God Himself came to renew the world and restore His people. Jesus perfectly obeyed the law given to Israel. Though innocent, He suffered the consequences of human rebellion by His death on a cross. But three days later, God raised Him from the dead. Now the church of Jesus Christ has been commissioned by God to take the news of Christ’s work to the world. Empowered by God’s Spirit, the church calls all people everywhere to repent of sin and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. Repentance and faith restores our relationship with God and results in a life of ongoing transformation. The Bible promises that Jesus Christ will return to this earth as the conquering King. Only those who live in repentant faith in Christ will escape God’s judgment and live joyfully in God’s presence for all eternity. God’s message is the same to all of us: repent and believe, before it is too late. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture

“Grant me, O Lord, a listening ear to hear you and a hungry soul to long after your Word. Endue me with your heavenly Spirit. Give me the Spirit of wisdom, that I may understand you. Give me the Spirit of truth, that I may know you; your Spirit of compassion that I may fear you; your Spirit of grace that I may love you; your Spirit of zeal that I may hunger and thirst after you; your persevering Spirit that I may live and dwell and reign with you. Elizabeth”
― Trevin K. Wax, Psalms in 30 Days: CSB Edition

“God calls us to be faithful in our time, and it is indeed an honor. We represent the King for the short time He has given us on this earth. Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation.”
― Trevin Wax, This Is Our Time: Everyday Myths in Light of the Gospel

“We believe we are in a battle in which the righteous oppose the unrighteous. The inevitable result is a feeling of hostility toward non-Christians who differ with us on political issues. Russell Moore has reminded evangelicals who the real enemy is: “We should rage against the reptile and not against his prey.”
― Trevin K. Wax, Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope

“about heaven coming on earth—the New Jerusalem coming from God’s dimension onto a physical newly created and transformed earth (Revelation 21:2). It’s not about shedding our bodies; it’s about God transforming them into an incorruptible state (2 Corinthians 5:2–4). The final dwelling place of man is not to go to heaven to be with God; the final dwelling place of God is to come from heaven to be with man (Revelation 21:3–4). Cemeteries”
― Trevin K. Wax, Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope

“Prayer of the Church O Lord of my life, take away from me the spirit of laziness, faint-heartedness, lust for power and idle talk. Instead grant me, your servant, the spirit of purity, humility, patience and love. Yes, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own sins and faults and not to judge my neighbor, for you are truly blessed forever. Ephrem of Syria”
― Trevin K. Wax, Psalms in 30 Days: A Prayer Guide Through the Psalter