God-Centered Repentance

“There are two different ways to go about repentance – religious repentance and gospel repentance.  In ‘religion,’ the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless us and answer our prayers.  So, in religion we are sorry for sin only because of its consequences.  Sin will bring us punishment – and we want to avoid that, so we repent.

The gospel, however, tells us that as Christians sin can’t ultimately bring us into condemnation (Rom 8:1). Its heinousness is therefore what it does to God; it displeases and dishonors him.  Thus in religion, repentance is self-centered; the gospel makes it God centered.  In religion we are mainly sorry for the consequences of sin, but in the gospel we are sorry for the sin itself.”

  - Tim Keller, Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, page 28

The Way We Make Spiritual Progress

"Martin Luther set off the Reformation by nailing the 'Ninety-five Theses' to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The very first of the theses stated that 'our Lord and Master Jesus Christ...willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.'

On the surface this looks a little bleak. Luther seems to be saying Christians will never make much progress in life.  That, of course, wasn't Luther's point at all.  He was saying that repentance is the way we make progress in the Christian life.  Indeed, pervasive all-of-life-repentance is the best sign that we are growing deeply and rapidly into the character of Jesus."

    - Tim Keller, Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything, page 28.

(There are gems like this on every page of this book!)

Antidote to Neediness

"The gospel, if it is really believed, removes neediness - the need to be constantly respected, appreciated, and well regarded; the need to have everything in your life go well; the need to have power over others.  All of these great, deep needs continue to control you only because the concept of the glorious God delighting in you with all of his being is just that - a concept and nothing more.  Our hearts don't believe it, so they operate in default mode,  Paul is saying that if you want to really change, you must let the gospel teach you - that is to train, discipline, coach you - over a period of time. You must let the gospel argue with you.  You must let the gospel sink down deeply into your heart, until it changes your motivation and views and attitudes."

   - Tim Keller, Gospel In Life, pages 26-27, commenting on Titus 2:11-15