Without the gospel we hate ourselves instead of our sin.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that without understanding the gospel, individuals can misplace their hatred, directing it towards themselves rather than the wrongdoing they commit.
Timothy Keller's quote emphasizes the profound impact of the gospel on self-perception and morality. It implies that without the redemptive message of the gospel, individuals tend to internalize guilt and hatred for their own identity instead of recognizing and addressing their sinful actions. This distinction is crucial as it shifts the focus from self-loathing to a healthier understanding of morality and forgiveness, encouraging individuals to confront their sins without diminishing their inherent worth.
In practice
In a sermon discussing self-worth, one might reference this quote to highlight the importance of a positive self-view.
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.
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.
Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.
Anyone who knows gangs knows that lawmakers cannot conceive of a law that would lead a hard-core gang member to 'think twice.'
Law and its instrument, government, are necessary to the peace and safety of all of us, but all of us, unless we live the lives of mud turtles, frequently find them arrayed against us.
All humans are entrepreneurs not because they should start companies but because the will to create is encoded in human DNA.
What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the World.
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