Quotes from Chapter 1 of None Other

The following are quotes from the first chapter of John MacArthur's book, None Other: Discovering the God of the Bible. The title of the chapter is, "The God of The Bible is Gracious."

Knowing about God is not the same as knowing God (pg.1).

It is fundamental to the nature of God to be gracious. He must manifest that grace, and He will be exalted for it forever (pg.2).

The truth about election is essential to understanding who God is, His plan of redemption, and His design for the church. But some who profess love for God and belief in the Bible nevertheless resent and even despise this doctrine (pg.2).

Our salvation is not a credit to us but an unearned gift from a gracious God (pg.3).

A right view of God's grace informs how we relate to other believers. It informs how we evangelize the lost. It defines the pastor's role. It touches every aspect of life in the body of Christ (pgs.3 & 4).

The Creator owes nothing to the creature, not even that which He is graciously pleased to give. So God does exactly what God chooses to do. Nothing can thwart His will or overpower Him. That's actually the very essence of what we are confessing when we acknowledge His as Almighty God (pg.9).

Throughout the New Testament, there are references to the church as the elect-chosen by God. Ephesians 1 says we were chosen in Him, by His love, before the foundation of the world, that we might be brought to faith in Christ (pg.12).

Salvation is primarily for the honor of the Son, not the honor of the sinner. The purpose of the Father's love gift is not to save you so you can have a happy life; it is to save you so that you can spend eternity praising the Son (pg.16).

God's elected purpose is not merely about the beginning of our salvation-He predestined us to the absolute perfection we will (by His grace) enjoy at the end of the process (pg.21).

On the cross, Jesus wasn't a sinner, but God treated Him as if He was. And although you're not righteous, He treats you as if you are-because on the cross, God treated Jesus as if He had lived your life, so that He could treat you as if you had lived His. That's imputation. That's substitution-perhaps the greatest expression of God's grace to us. Jesus came and became poor to exchange His life for yours, in order to fulfill the elective plan of God, that He might do the will of God perfectly and in the end give back to God the very love gift the Father had given to Him (pg.25).