From How People Change by Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp:
One of the mistakes we make in handling God’s Word is that we reduce it to a set of directions on how to live. We look for directions about relationships, church life, sex, finances, marriage, happiness, parenting, and so on. We mistakenly think that if we have clear directions we will be all right. But we keep getting lost! …
The BIble cannot be reduced to a set of directions for successful living. This does violence to the very nature of the Word of God and robs it of its power. The Bible is the world’s most significant story, the story of God’s cosmos-restoring work of redemption. The Bible is a “big picture” book. It introduces us to God, defines our identity, lays out the meaning and purpose of life, and shows us where to find help for the one disease that infects us all – sin.
From “The Gospel’s Bigger Idea” by Russell D. Moore in Touchstone Magazine:
Why can’t I simply take the good things from the Scripture without showing how everything fits together in Christ? Because, apart from Christ, there are no good things. …
Look at the false stories recorded in the Gospels. In the temptations, Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus, and does not misquote the promises. God wants children to eat bread, not to starve. God will protect his anointed One with the angels of heaven. God will give his Messiah all the kingdoms of the earth.
All this is true. What is satanic about it is that Satan wanted our Lord to grasp these things apart from the cross and the empty tomb. These promises could not be abstracted from the gospel.
From Christless Christianity by Michael Horton:
Reduce Christianity to good advice and it blends in perfectly with the culture of life coaching. It might seem relevant, but it is actually lost in the marketplace of moralistic therapies. When we pitch Christianity as the best method of personal improvement, complete with testimonies about how much better we are ever since we “surrendered all,” non-Christians can legitimately demand of us, “What right do you have to say that yours is the only source of happiness, meaning, exciting experiences, and moral betterment?”
Jesus is clearly not the only effective way to a better life or to being a better me. One can lose weight, stop smoking, improve one’s marriage, and become a nicer person without Jesus.