God Sets Us Free FROM Sin, and He Sets Us Free TO Obey Him

We have been freed from the weight of the law to live a godly life. We cannot glory in what grace takes us from without also accepting what it calls us to (see Rom. 6:1-14; Titus 2:11-14).

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 203.

We are Always Representing Jesus

We are always representing the Lord. It is never okay to communicate in ways that contradict his message, methods, and character.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 202.

The Great Commission is about Lifestyle

The Great Commission is not only a call to bring people into the kingdom of light, but also a call to teach them to live as children of light once they are there.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 171.

The Needed Shift of Allegiance

To the degree that you have based your life on something other than the Lord, to that degree God's love and the hope of the gospel will not comfort you.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 98.

Following Jesus for All the Wrong Reasons

They were excited about following the King--but for all the wrong reasons. I am afraid that many of us respond to Jesus in the same way. What moves and motivates everything we do is not a submission to God's will and a burning desire for his glory, but our own set of personal desires and dreams. We are excited about the King because we see him as the most efficient delivery system for those dreams. You can tell what really excites us when we fall into discouragement and grumbling, when he does not deliver the "good" that we want. The lips that once praised now complain, and the lips that once encouraged now accuse.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 89.

The Relationship between Theology and Obedience

[T]he only reason it makes sense to do good to your enemies is that the One who has told us to is a God of perfect justice. The call to forgive is rooted in the fact that Christ has forgiven us. The call to give sacrificially is rooted in God's promise to provide for all our needs. Every command and principle has its roots in redemptive realities--what God has done and will do for us in Christ. This is theology--but it's certainly not abstract information! Scripture is full of theology because when you understand truth about God, you understand why and how you are to carry out the commands of Scripture. You understand how your actions connect with what God is doing, and how you can actually bring glory to his name.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 70-71.

Loving God is the Ground for Loving Your Neighbor

There is an order of importance here: love for God is foundational to everything else. If you do not love God above all else, you will not love your neighbor as yourself. Any lack of love for neighbor, in word or deed, reflects some deficiency in your love for God (see 1 John 4:7-21).

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 62.

Internal Idols Govern Our Speech

Whatever controls our hearts will control our words. In fact, you could argue that if a certain desire controls my heart, there are only two ways I can respond to you. If you help me get what I want, I will enjoy and appreciate you. But if you stand in my way, I will experience (and probably express) anger when you are around. I want something, but because of you I cannot get it, so I will quarrel and fight!

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 58.

Word Problems Reveal Heart Problems

Word problems reveal heart problems. The people and situations around us do not make us say what we say; they are only the occasion for our hearts to reveal themselves in words.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 55.

Out of the Heart the Mouth Speaks

Word problems are always related to heart problems. That's why we will not solve communication problems by dealing only with our words, any more than we would solve a problem with a plant's fruit production by dealing only with the fruit.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 54-55.

Blaming God

Just like Adam, when we blame people and situations for our problems, below the surface we are also making accusations against God.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 24.

Godly Communication Depends on Truth

Good, godly communication is always dependent on truth. Lies, falsehood, and deception always subvert it. Lies not only distort facts, but they destroy the trust necessary for people to talk with one another. Every word we speak is rooted either in the truth or in a lie. Most of our communication problems come because we deceive, distort, and manipulate with our words. We reshape the facts to our advantage. We recast events, often to the point of convincing ourselves that our perspective is true.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 23.

We Speak Based on What We Believe

We do not say the right thing because we do not believe the right thing. This is what happened in the Garden. A Pandora's box of trouble opened as, for the first time, Adam and Eve heard and believed an interpretation that was not consistent with God's.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 22.

We're Always Interpreting Our Circumstances

[Y]ou and I do not respond to the people or circumstances of our lives on the basis of the facts. Our responses are based on the way we interpret those facts.

--Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 2000), 21.