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Are you living to justify yourself, or are you living because you are justified?

Timothy Keller

All human problems are ultimately symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.
TIMOTHY KELLER

All Cause God Human Problem Separation Symptom Ultimate
So we find messages of self-salvation extremely attractive, whether they are religious (Keep these rules and you earn eternal blessing) or secular (Grab hold of these things and you’ll experience blessing now).
TIMOTHY KELLER

Bless Eternal Experience Many People Promise Succes Thing Time
Religion says earn your life. Secular society says create your life. Jesus says, ‘My life for your life.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Create Earn Jesus Life Religion Say Secular Society
There is a joy available that the deepest grief cannot put out. No circumstance or person can take away the joy God gives.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Available Away Circumstance Deepest God Joy Person Put Take
If we have not seen our sin and sought radical forgiveness from God, we will be unable to forgive and to seek the good of those who have wronged us.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Forgiveness Forgiving God Radical Seen Sin Thought
Many times people think if God has called you to something, he’s promising you success. He might be calling you to fail to prepare you for something else through the failure.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Call People Promise Something Success Think Time
Are you living to justify yourself, or are you living because you are justified?
TIMOTHY KELLER

Justified Justify Living Yourself
Where you find your significance is where you find your salvation.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Find Salvation Significance
I am going to judge my circumstances by Jesus’ love, not Jesus’ love by my circumstances.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Circumstance Go Jesus Judging Love
We were designed to know, serve, and love God supremely – and when we are faithful to that design, we flourish.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Design Dream Faithful Flourish Love Service Supremely
The cross is the place where the Judge takes the Judgment.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Cross Judge Judgment Place Take
It’s impossible to have met the real Jesus and be indifferent. You either bow down in wonder OR go away offended.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Away Down Impossible Indifferent Jesus Met Offended Real Wonder
If you want God’s grace, all you need is need, all you need is nothing. But that kind of spiritual humility is hard to muster.
TIMOTHY KELLER

God Grace Hard Humility Kind Muster Need Nothing Spiritual Want
Christians need the gospel as much as non-Christians do.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Christian Do Gospel Much Need
You don’t fall in love. You commit to it.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Attach Comit Faith Faithful Love
Money isn’t an idol. It just shows you where your idols are.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Idol Money Show
Nothing is more important than to learn how to maintain a life of purpose in the midst of painful adversity.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Adversity Important Maintain Midst More Nothing Painful Purpose
As long as we think we are not that bad, the idea of grace will never change us.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Change Grace Ideas Long never Think
Religion is ‘if you obey, then you will be accepted’. But the Gospel is, ‘if you are absolutely accepted, and sure you’re accepted, only then will you ever begin to obey’. Those are two utterly different things. Every page of the Bible shows the difference.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Accept Accepted Bible Different Every Gospel Page Religion Show Utterly
If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning of life, and identity then it is an idol.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Anything Become Fundamental God Identity Idol Idols Life Meaning
No, he was in agony, and he looked down at us – denying him, abandoning him, and betraying him – and in the greatest act of love in history, he STAYED. He said, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” He loved us, not because we were lovely to him, but to make us lovely.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Aband Agony Betray Do Down Father Greatest History Look Love Make
Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws. Truth without love is harshness; it gives us information but in such a way that we cannot really hear it.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Affirm Denial Flaw Giving Keep Love Marriage Sentimentality Support Truth
Religion operates on the principle ‘I obey-therefore I am accepted by God.’ But the operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through what Christ has done-therefore I obey.’
TIMOTHY KELLER

Accept Acceptable God Gospel Obey Operate Principle Religion
Prayer is the way to experience a powerful confidence that God is handling our lives well, that our bad things will turn out for good, our good things cannot be taken from us, and the best things are yet to come.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Bad Experience God Good Handle Live Our Out Powerful Prayer Taken Thing Turn
The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God’s will to mine, but to mold my will into His.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Bais Bend God Into Mine Mold Prayer Purpose
God looks at the anxious and says, I tore my Son to shreds for you, and you’re afraid I will not give you what you need?
TIMOTHY KELLER

Afraid Anxious Give God Look Need Say Son
When love of one’s people becomes an absolute, it turns into racism. When love of equality turns into a supreme thing, it can result in hatred and violence toward anyone who has led a privileged life. It is the settled tendency of human societies to turn good political causes into counterfeit gods.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Absolute Good Hatred Love People People Become Political Racism Society Tendency Turn

Are you living to justify yourself, or are you living because you are justified?

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Are you living to justify yourself, or are you living because you are justified?

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