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I am going to judge my circumstances by Jesus’ love, not Jesus’ love by my circumstances.

Timothy Keller

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
Those who understand the gospel cannot possibly look down on anyone.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Anyone Character Down Gospel Look Perfect Strong Understand
God relentlessly offers his grace to people who do not deserve it, or seek it, or even appreciate it after they have been saved by it.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Appreciate Deserve God Grace Offer People Relentlessly Save Seek
No one is too bad for Jesus. A lot of people think they are too good for Jesus.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Bad Good Jesus Lot One People Think
If the church does not identify with the marginalized, it will itself be marginalized. This is God’s poetic justice.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Church Identity Itself Justice Poetic
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
Yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Accept Christ Dare Jesus Love More Same Time Yet
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
We are regularly in danger of having too light a view of our sin and also too light a grasp of what Jesus has done to free us from our sin.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Danger Free Grasp Jesus Light Regularly Sin View
Religion: ‘My identity is built on being a good person.’ Gospel: ‘My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on Christ’s.’
TIMOTHY KELLER

Christ Good Identity Performance Person Record Religion
You are more sinful than you could dare imagine and you are more loved and accepted than you could ever dare hope.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Accept Dare Hope Imagine More Sinful
The reason the stone was rolled away on Jesus’s tomb was not so that Jesus could get out, but so that we could get in.
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Away Get Jesus Reason Rolled Stop Tomb
Jesus warns people far more often about greed than about sex, yet almost no one thinks they are guilty of it.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Almost Greed Guilty Jesus More People Sex Think Warm
Are you living to justify yourself, or are you living because you are justified?
TIMOTHY KELLER

Justified Justify Living Yourself
The Bible’s purpose is to show you how God’s grace breaks into your life against your will and saves you from the sin and brokenness otherwise you would never be able to overcome…
TIMOTHY KELLER

Able Against Bible Break Jesus Christ Overcome Purpose Save Sin
Worry is not believing God will get it right, and bitterness is believing God got it wrong.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Believe Bitterness God Right Worry Wrong
The Bible says that our real problem is that every one of us is building our identity on something besides Jesus.
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Besides Bible Building Every Identity Jesus One Problem Real Say Something
The infallible test of spiritual integrity, Jesus says, is your private prayer life.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Infallible Integrity Jesus Life Prayer Private Spiritual Test
Christ did not suffer so you wouldn’t suffer. He suffered so when you suffer you will become like Him.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Become Christ Like Suffer
Generosity is not only about money. There is more than one currency. Let your generosity be pervasive in life.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Currency Generosity Life Money One Only Perceive
We tend to see God as a means through which we get things to make us happy. For most of us, He has not become our happiness.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Become God Happiness Happy Mean Most Tend Thing
Forgiveness always comes at a cost to the one granting the forgiveness. To not retaliate is to absorb the cost.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Absorb Always Come Cost Forgiveness Grant One Retaliate
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
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
To fear the Lord is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Fear Greatness Lord Love Overwhelmed
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.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Comfort Fear Fully Greatest Know Love Superficial True Love
When I forget the gospel I become dependent on the smiles and evaluation of others.
TIMOTHY KELLER

Dependent Evaluation Forget Other Smile

I am going to judge my circumstances by Jesus’ love, not Jesus’ love by my circumstances.

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I am going to judge my circumstances by Jesus’ love, not Jesus’ love by my circumstances.

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