Tim Keller preached a series of sermons in the 1990s called “The Faces of Sin.” It didn’t go over well in New York. Angered by the liturgical confession of sin, one woman waited until after the sermon and yelled at Tim, “Neither I nor any of my children will ever confess to being sinners!”
Naturally, Tim’s wife, Kathy, decided these would make good sermons to turn into a book. That’s what we have in the new volume What Is Wrong with the World? The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid (Zondervan).
One quote I think captures the book’s argument: “When we realize we are not a victim of our circumstances but a sinner who can call on someone much greater than ourselves to care for us, we can begin to truly live.”
That’s the surprisingly hopeful message of the gospel: Our sin is the problem with the world. But all of us can be saved by grace when we confess that sin, repent of that sin, and trust in Christ. Easy enough, right? Remember that woman in New York. It’s no small thing to confess your sin. And all of us must confess our sin. Here’s what Tim wrote: “No other religion says that the lowest person in the gutter and the most moral, upstanding citizen in the world are equally lost, equally need to be saved by grace, and can only be saved by grace alone.”
What an honor to be joined again on Gospelbound by Kathy Keller to discuss sin, grace, and the gospel.
In This Episode
00:00 – Cold open: “the sin beneath the sin”
00:39 – Introducing Tim Keller’s “Faces of Sin” sermons and the new book
02:25 – Idolatry, grief, and losing what feels like “everything”
04:15 – Blind spots, community, and uncovering hidden sins
07:14 – “What’s wrong with the world?” starting with ourselves
08:13 – G. K. Chesterton and the sins of omission
11:31 – The gospel is bitter at first bite and sweet within
15:55 – Missing Tim and resting in God’s grace
16:48 – “Nathans,” correction, and giving one another “hunting licenses”
18:30 – Parenting regrets and learning consequences the hard way
22:22 – Why the gospel gives hope in the face of failure
22:52 – How Tim Keller is misunderstood today
30:43 – The Hopewell years and learning mercy ministry
34:55 – Kathy’s favorite Tim Keller book: Jonah / The Prodigal Prophet
37:57 – The books Tim Keller hoped to write
40:25 – “Identity received or achieved” and unfinished work
41:35 – Closing reflections
42:02 – Outro
Resources Mentioned:
- What Is Wrong with the World? by Tim Keller
- The Faces of Sin (sermon series) by Tim Keller
- The Prodigal Prophet by Tim Keller
- Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller
- The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
- Making Sense of Us by TGC and The Keller Center
- The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics
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