God's Kingdom is "present in its beginnings, but still future in its fullness. This guards us from an under-realized eschatology (expecting no change now) and an over-realized eschatology (expecting all change now). In this stage, we embrace the reality that while we're not yet what we will be, we're also no longer what we used to be.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the duality of present and future reality regarding God's Kingdom, emphasizing growth and transition.
Timothy Keller's quote illustrates the idea that God's Kingdom is both a present reality and a future promise. It acknowledges that while we have made progress in our spiritual journey, we are not yet fully realized in our potential. This balanced view discourages extremes in beliefs about change—either expecting no change at all or anticipating complete transformation immediately. It calls for a recognition of where we stand in our personal and spiritual development.
In practice
In a sermon on personal development and faith, one might use this quote to illustrate the ongoing journey of becoming a better person.
Falling in love in a Christian way is to say,'I am excited about your future and I want to be part of getting you there. I'm signing up for the journey with you. Would you sign up for the journey to my true self with me? It's going to be hard but I want to get there.
Only in Jesus Christ do we see how the untamable, infinite God can become a baby and a loving Savior. On the cross we see how both the love and the holiness of God can be fulfilled at once.
All human problems are ultimately symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.
While your character flaws may have created mild problems for other people, they will create major problems for your spouse and your marriage.
To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.
Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding, our identity, and our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without heart-change will be superficial and fleeting… We can only change permanently as we take the gospel more deeply into our understanding and into our hearts. We must feed on the gospel, as it were, digesting it and making it part of ourselves. That is how we grow.
When the voice of truth rises from the minarets, the Buddha smiles, and the broken chain of history reconnects.
No individual rain drop ever considers itself responsible for the flood.
When people do not dread authorities, then a greater dread descends.
If you had your way you’d pass a law to abolish all the little jobs, the little things. But then you’d leave yourselves nothing to do between the big jobs and you’d have a devil of a time thinking up things to do so you wouldn’t go crazy. Instead of that, why not let nature show you a few things? Cutting grass and pulling weeds can be a way of life, son.
Great abundance of riches cannot be gathered and kept by any man without sin.
Poverty blights whole cities; spreads horrible pestilences; strikes dead the very souls of all who come within sight, sound, or smell of it
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