Summaries of the gospel may be helpful, but they can also keep us from grasping just how good the gospel is and thereby dampening our witness to the world.

God has given to every Christian everything necessary to live a life of godliness. Because we can truly know God through Jesus Christ, we must be encouraged to look for the fruit of knowing Christ in our lives now. Seeing that fruit will keep us following after him and guarantee us a lavish entrance into the fullness of his coming kingdom.

Holiness is the definitive attribute of God. It calls us to have a high view of him and exalt him. When we encounter his holiness, our unholiness is revealed and we are undone. We are in desperate need of atonement which the holy God initiates and grants us by his own doing. After our transformation, our right response is eagerness for obedience and for holiness.

Israel's second return from exile in Babylon now complete, a new threat emerges when it is discovered that many of the returnees have entered into marriage with the pagan peoples of the land. The seriousness of sin within the covenant community is evident in the prayer Ezra prays when he heard the news. As appalling as sin within the community may be, there is still hope for God's people so long as they persist in seeking God for mercy and wisdom.

God has again stirred a Persian king to permit a remnant of exiles to return to the land of Israel. Ezra takes courage from this evidence of God's grace and gathers the people for the journey. The story of this second return from exile demonstrates that it is only by grace that God's people are able to persevere in faithful obedience to God and his will.