Chapter summaries

Chapter One introduces the gospel as a process of learning about and becoming more like God, framing this process as living up to what you know about Jesus in order to learn more about him.

Chapter Two makes the case that everything good comes from becoming more like God, and that the more like him you become, the greater your joy, peace, and power will be.

Chapter Three explains salvation and eternal life, showing that both are obtained through learning about and living like Jesus Christ.

Chapter Four presents the power of God as a function of learning about and living like Jesus, describing how God’s power and authority come from his character and can’t exist outside of his purpose.

Chapter Five describes how Jesus learned what the Father was like during his life and presents that process as the example we are to follow. Chapter Six defines justification and sanctification, explaining justification as the decision to submit fully to God as you presently understand him, and sanctification as the process of learning more about Jesus while remaining reconciled to him.

Chapter Seven frames God’s commandments as instructions for building a model of his character and following it in your own life.

Chapter Eight makes the case that you can actually live up to your understanding of how Jesus is, and that you must do so in order to receive forgiveness of your sins and enjoy freedom from guilt.

Chapter Nine presents the definition of submission to God, showing how rare it is to find a Christian who has actually fully adopted the purpose of God.

Chapter Ten delineates what you must do to be born again, what it consists of, and why it is desirable.

Chapter Eleven presents the qualifications for, purpose of, source of, and effects of baptism.

Chapter Twelve makes the case that you know less about God than you think, that you can know much more, and why you should strive to do so.

Chapter Thirteen describes a list of significant barriers that prevent you from learning more about God and what you can do to overcome them.

Chapter Fourteen explores the need to update, extend, and correct your model of the character of Jesus Christ as you learn more about him.

Chapter Fifteen analyzes the important distinction between commandments in the form of rules, principles, and character, making the case that you cannot really know the Lord until you know and live his character.

Chapter Sixteen shows the difference in conditions and outcomes between the different relationships God has with his servants, friends, and sons.

Chapter Seventeen explores the scriptural idioms of the face and presence of God as metaphors for teaching the importance and process of adopting his purpose.

Chapter Eighteen defines the scriptural idiom of “the words of eternal life” so as to show why they should be sought for, where they are found, and how they are obtained.

Chapter Nineteen elucidates how names and titles work in God’s kingdom, what the name of Christ is, how you take it upon yourself, and why you should.

Chapter Twenty extends application of the idea of the name of Christ by defining the scriptural idioms that use it, including “calling upon the name of God,” “swearing by the name of God,” and “believing on the name of God.”

Chapter Twenty One lists some of the many scriptural metaphors of justification and sanctification as horizontal and vertical objects, including the two pieces of the cross, the judgment bar of God, the rod of iron, and the carrying bars of the Ark of the Covenant.

Chapter Twenty Two explores the scriptural metaphor of clothing as an application of the themes of justification and sanctification.