Timothy Keller Sermons Podcast by Gospel in Life - Knowing Yourself

Episode Date: July 31, 2024

The point of Galatians is that Christians need the gospel, continually. So let’s bring the gospel to a subject that’s very relevant for us: self-image and self-esteem. Christianity brings you a way of understanding yourself that is so different than what anything else brings you. And it’s a paradox. In Galatians 6, Paul says we’re nothing, and then, in the next verse, he says we should take pride in ourselves. What’s going on here? Let’s take a look at the two sides: 1) we’re nothing, and 2) we should have pride. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on May 10, 1998. Series: Galatians: New Freedom, New Family. Scripture: Galatians 5:26-6:5. Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Welcome to Gospel in Life. Is being a Christian just about moral transformation or a pathway to the good life? Tim Keller looks at the book of Galatians to demonstrate how the Christian life is so much more than that. It's about how Christ transforms us in a radical and life-changing way. Throughout this month, Tim Keller will be teaching from the book of Galatians and how the gospel transforms us. Today's scripture reading comes from Galatians 5.26 through 6.5.

Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him greatly. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else for each one should carry his own load This is the word of the Lord

What is Galatians about what first of all we know Galatians is an exposition of the gospel it's a it's a forceful thorough Expounding of and delineation of the essential the the core of the core, the heart of the heart of the Christian message, the gospel. The second thing we know about Galatians is it written to a group of Christians in a group of three or four or some churches in or more perhaps in the land of Galatia.

But see when you put those two together you realize what that is. This is the maybe quintessential exposition of the gospel in the whole Bible, and it's for Christians. You see, the point of the Galatians is that Christians need the gospel. Christians don't get the gospel. Christians have to make sure that they are continually

understanding and having their lives put in line with the gospel, as Paul says to Peter in Galatians 2, 14. He says, you're not in line with the gospel. And so that's what we're trying to do. And when you take a look at Galatians, he's bringing everything in line with the gospel. And today, or tonight, he gets to a subject

which is really very, very, very up to date for us in our psychological age. He's talking about self-image. he's talking about self-image. He's talking about self-esteem. He's talking about self-evaluation. And right away, what I just like to show, since we're doing meditation here before we go to the Lord's table,

what I like to show is the unique paradox of the gospel self-image. That Christianity brings you a way of looking at yourself and understanding yourself that is so different than what anything else brings you. There's a paradox, and you can see it right away. Now let's just take a look at it right here. It's actually right next to each other

in verse three and four. If anyone thinks he's something when he is nothing, he deceives himself, each one should test his own actions, then he can take pride in himself. And didn't anybody get the bends? You know the bends, evidently when you're down deep in the water and you come up too fast. What is it, you get, is it hydrogen bubbles in the stream

or nitrogen, you can't do that. You can't go from one realm all the way to the next realm. You see. And yet that's what happens. Because in verse three, we see Paul saying, we're nothing. And then suddenly in verse four, he says that we should take pride in ourselves. What's the matter here?

What's going on here? This is the paradox. Let's take a look at the two sides. First of all, if someone thinks he's something when he's nothing, he deceives himself. Now, this is very blunt. In fact, the way it comes out in English is it almost does it not give you the impression that there are some people like this that are saying, if a person who is a real nothing thinks he's something.

But that's not what it's talking about. Donald Guthrie wrote a commentary on Galatians, and here's just a typical remark. He says, he says, English translations of necessity obscure the emphatic juxtaposition of these two words, something and nothing. The contrast could not be more vividly expressed.

There are no grades between. No believer has the right to regard himself as any something and nothing. The contrast could not be more vividly expressed. There are no grades between. No believer has the right to regard himself as any more than nothing. We're nothing. Now what have you got to make of that? What are we gonna make of that? And this is not the only place where Paul talks about that. I am nothing.

He says, for example, let me show you how bad he is. Let's use Paul's a case study on this. In 1 Corinthians 15, nine. He says, for example, let me show you how bad he is. Let's use Paul's a case study on this. In 1 Corinthians 15, nine, he says, for I am the least of all the apostles, and do not even deserve to be called an apostle. I'm the least of all the apostles. Come on, Paul, the least of all the apostles? Well, it gets worse.

In Ephesians three, verse eight, he says, though I am less than the least of all God's people. See, now this is, he's not just saying I'm the bottom. You know, there's a bunch of apostles and I'm the least of the apostles. Well, he said, maybe that's false humility, but maybe that's within bounds. But now he says, although I'm less than the least

of all God's people, this grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles. So he's not just the least of the apostles, he's the least of all God's people. But it gets worse. In 1 Timothy 1, verse 15, he says, here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

of whom I am the worst, or the Greek word protas, which means I am the most prominent. So he doesn't just say he's the least of the apostles. He doesn't say he's the worst of the apostles. And he goes on and he says he's the worst of all the people of God, but he doesn't stop at that. He goes on and he says, I am the worst of the sinners. Now, one commentator put it this way.

He says this is either unreal at best or pathological at worst. And that does seem to be the only two options. And so let's examine it. First of all, let's consider the possibility that this is just unreal, meaning this is pious exaggeration. This is spiritual posturing. And of course, you know, this is a problem. And this is a problem in the Christian church. there's no doubt about that. Like, I guess you could call it spiritual word inflation. There are people who are always talking about everything is such a blessing, and I am such a sinner,

and there is such a revival of the Holy Spirit going on in this country. And word inflation, everything is so ooh and ah. And it is very much like real inflation. In the old days, if a country inflated, if they printed too many paper, you know, pieces of money, you print too much money, eventually all the money is devalued

and it takes you a wheelbarrow of money to buy a loaf of bread. And that's exactly what happens with this sort of pious exaggeration. We talk like this, I'm the worst and you are the greatest and this is the best church and this is the most incredible revival and God is just coming down with the greatest power and after a while you know you need it you need a

wheelbarrow full of incredible words just to get people's attention because everything is so is that what Paul's doing the trouble is how often he says it shows that these are considered statements and especially if you go into the context and look and see that these statements considered statements. And especially if you go into the context and look and see that these statements are always linked to all sorts of very important theological expositions and therefore these are thought out words, these are carefully chosen words.

This is not just fulmination, this is not just sputtering. So it's not unreal. Okay, it's a pathological, somebody says, this is exactly what I don't like about Christianity. This is worm religion. This is wretch religion, worm religion. You know the hymn that says,

would he devote that sacred head to such a worm as I? Worm, or Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound, it saved a wretch like me. Worm religion, wretch religion. And so somebody says, this is the problem, this idea that we're all such sinners and everybody's so wicked, this teaching of Christianity that we're all so bad.

This is bad, this is very bad. Psychologically, this is damaging. This destroys the confidence, this destroys your sense of who you are, it destroys your, it who you are, it destroys your, it works from the inside and so you're not able to go out in the world, it destroys your boldness and your courage and your confidence and your poise

and all that, and many people would say, and that's one of the reasons why I left the church. It's one of the reasons why I left Christianity. But now if this is true, if Paul's not just being unreal but he's being pathological, here's a question. Let's use him as a case study. Before we go on and say, well, obviously that's very, that's terrible, that's very psychologically unhealthy, let's ask about Paul. If this is true, if this idea, the Christian view that a Christian self-image includes this plank, I am nothing.

I am the least. If that's true, shouldn't Paul have had a very ineffective career? Shouldn't that have affected Paul? Shouldn't he have been very lacking in confidence and very lacking in boldness? And when we look at Paul's life, is that what we see? Absolutely not. We see a man. Listen, Paul was one of the most bold and courageous leaders

in the history of the world. There's but a handful of people every century, and I think that may be being too generous. There's no more than a handful of people every century that have his kind of power and his kind of authority and his kind of boldness and his fearlessness. I mean, you know, he goes through a little place, catalog of his life story in 2 Corinthians.

Back up in 2 Corinthians 11, he says, "'Five times I received 39 lashes, "'three times I was beaten with rods, "'once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, "'I spent a night and a day in the open sea, "'I have been in danger from rivers, "'danger from robbers, danger from robbers, danger from countrymen, some wimp.

Well, somebody says, yes, but that's the problem with those people, with the pathological lack of self-esteem, they are fearless, they overdo it, they're reckless, they need to prove themselves. But I would challenge you now, I can't do this in a minute, but I'm gonna have to, I would challenge you to read the life of Paul, And you don't see that. This is not a man with a death wish.

Not the way in which he finds ways of wiggling out of things. This is not a man either with a martyr complex. Because sometimes, even though he's a Roman citizen, read the Book of Acts, sometimes when he's a Roman citizen so he cannot be jailed without a trial. And sometimes he says nothing about it, he's a Roman citizen, so he cannot be jailed without a trial. And sometimes he says nothing about it. He's beaten.

Other times he says, you're in big trouble, boys, because you have jailed a Roman citizen without a trial and everybody scurries around. Why does he sometimes do it? Why does he sometimes not? It depends on whether it helps the church. It depends on whether it helps the gospel.

Depends on whether it helps the Christians in that town. Paul had no death wish. Paul had no martyr complex. This is not, just look. Here's a man who says, I am nothing. Is there anything about his career that you don't envy? Is there anybody in this room who will ever come up to his stature?

Well, then you say, well, what's going on here? I'll tell you what's going on. You cannot pit what Paul says about being nothing against everything else the Bible says, or Paul says about the dignity of human beings and the fact that we're in the image of God. We can't just take that and say he's contradicting everything else he's saying about the value of human beings and so on.

No, no, what is he doing? Well, see, here's the point. Somebody says, well, maybe that idea that he was nothing, that he's a sinner, maybe that idea didn't hurt his self-confidence, but it hurt mine. Maybe religion didn't destroy his confidence, but it destroyed mine.

And that's the reason why I'm not in it the way I am not today. That's the whole point. And Paul, here's the reason why I'm not in it the way I am not today that's the whole point and Paul here's the answer what Paul would say if you said that to him he says maybe religion didn't hurt you but it but it's it certainly hurt me but what Paul would say is oh yes it did hurt me because he did try religion and when he was in his religious phase, when he was persecuting the church, when he really was driven, his religion, listen, his religion kept him from admitting his nothingness. Dear friends, to admit that you're nothing is the end of religion. It's not the beginning of religion.

How can we best understand the freedom we have in Christ? What is the relationship between the law of the Bible and the grace that Jesus offers? In the book, Galatians for You, Tim Keller takes you through a rich and deep study of Paul's letter as he reflects on the amazing grace we have in Christ. Galatians is a powerful book that shows how people can think they know the gospel, but are actually losing touch with it. In this study of the book of Galatians, Dr. Keller helps you understand how this short book in the New Testament can transform your life.

Galatians for you is our thanks for your gift to help Gospel in Life share the love of Christ with more people. Request your copy today at gospel in life comm slash give now. Here's dr. Keller with the remainder of today's teaching Since when Paul says I am nothing he can't mean that I am without any value. I don't have the image of God me There's absolutely no dignity. I'm like a rock. I'm like a spit. I'm like excrement That's not what he's saying. He can't go against everything else. He's saying, what is he saying? A religious person does not say, I am nothing.

A religious person feels like nothing but won't admit it to him or herself and is frantically out there trying to convince himself, herself, and the world that I'm really something. A religious person is saying, I am nothing, but down deep and won't say it out loud. Instead saying, I know I'm somebody. Look at how I obey the law. Look at how I obey the Ten Commandments. Look how I come to church.

Look at the things that I've done. Look at how I serve people. Look at the wonderful children I've raised. Look at what a good family I've raised. They're frantically going around. And here's the interesting thing. On the other side of Paul saying, I am nothing, he suddenly says, everyone should have pride in himself.

And every place that Paul says one of these worm things, where he says, I am less than least of all the apostles, the very next minute, he says, however, I'm the most successful. In 1 Corinthians 15. Or in 1 Timothy 1, where he says, I am the worst of sinners, and then he says, however, I'm a pattern. And Paul, who says I'm the worst of sinners, is continually in his letters saying, imitate me. Imitate me. What's going on? The gospel

is different than religion. And everybody, everybody in the most fundamental way is religious. Why? Every single person is afraid that they're nothing. Every single person is afraid that we're really nothing. And so what do we do? We either go to church or we go to our religion and we try like crazy to hide the fact that we're nothing,

that fear, overcome it, or, no, we do, here's what we say. We say, ah, not me, oh, no, no. I was raised in a little town out in the middle of America where everybody was trying to deal, it was trying to conform to the status quo, but then I moved to New York City. Because I am, I'm not worried about that because I am getting my own self-esteem.

I know who I am and I like myself for who I am and I came to New York City to find people who just appreciate me for who I am. That's not true. What you've really done is you chucked a little circle of people from whom you were getting your self-image back there was a little conservative circle and now you've moved to New York City

and now you have a little liberal circle and they're the ones that you hope will think you're cool You dress like them. They dress like you and you are just as enslaved Paul says Don't compare yourself to others Paul says I'm out of that. I'm totally out of that Because on the one hand I know I'm nothing which means to say I'm nothing means I know that I cannot merit my salvation It means without him you can do nothing It means that in myself I would be lost and therefore I've stopped trying I need a savior and

Here's the great thing What does it mean to be a Christian? but it means to be a Christian is you're willing finally to admit that you're nothing and when you admit you're nothing and go to the Lord Jesus Christ, when you say, nothing in my hands I bring, simply to my cross I cling, then what happens is his righteousness is transferred into your account which means a Christian and only a Christian

realizes you are nothing in yourself and yet in him everything, which means you see your nothingness and your greatness at once. Everybody else moves on out into the world, and says, depending on my little circle of people who I'm comparing myself to, and everybody's doing this, unless it's God who looks at you, and it's God's eyes and God's opinion,

and God's love for you, and God's judgment that is the arbiter of your self image. Otherwise, you're looking at that very little group and either you feel like nothing if you're not living up to them or you feel like something if you are, but you're never every nothing and proud at the same time. But Christians are.

There's a sense of nothingness, there's a sense of greatness. And as a result, if you don't understand the gospel, you won't understand a Christian self image. And as a result, if you don't understand the gospel, you won't understand the Christian self-image. Look at what Paul's doing. He says, I am nothing, but I'm proud of myself. He says, on the list of the apostles,

I'm the most successful. He says, I'm the worst sinner in the world, but follow me and imitate me. How can you do that? The namby-pamby, prissy world's self-image is very upset. First of all, somebody saying, I am nothing. Oh, you shouldn't talk like that. You see, without the gospel, you don't have

the emotional strength to admit the worst about yourself. You've got to believe that you're okay. You can't, it's traumatic material. You'll never have the guts to see yourself at your worst. But on the other hand, when somebody says, obey, God is working through me, imitate me, the namby-pamby kind of worldly self-immutations, oh you shouldn't talk like that, that's kind of immodest.

You see, you won't be able to ever revel in your greatness or admit your nothingness without the gospel. Martin Luther puts it perfectly in his Commentary on the Galatians. He says this is how a Christian thinks of him or herself. He says, so now we may certainly think, though I still sin, I don't despair, because Christ lives, who is both my righteousness

and my eternal life. In that righteousness I have no sin, no fear, no guilty conscience, no fear of death, and I am indeed a sinner in this life, but in my own righteousness. Yet I have another life, another righteousness above this life, which is in Christ, the Son of God, who knows no sin or death, but his eternal righteousness

and eternal life. Now, let me just apply this, because we have to go to the Lord's table. Number one, if you're a Christian, don't you find that in spite of the fact you believe the gospel, you're locked into this sort of namby-pamby middle world? When somebody criticizes you, you don't have the emotional strength because you're forgetting the gospel to say, well, yeah.

You toss and turn in bed at night, you're always feeling kind of down on yourself, but you can't admit that you're nothing because you can't, on the other hand, really, you're always feeling kind of down on yourself, but you can't admit that you're nothing, because you can't, on the other hand, really, you're not rejoicing significantly in the fact that to him, you are everything. He lost himself, he lost his father, he lost the universe rather than lose you. You'll never be able to admit the nothingness unless you see the greatness.

And, of course, you'll never be able to appreciate the greatness unless you finally admit, I'm nothing in myself. Those of us, and I guess it's pretty much all of us, who are kind of locked into the middle, always feeling slighted, always getting our feelings hurt, be gone with that. You notice how it says here, a Christian,

which one of the beautiful things about this, how is a Christian supposed to actually see progress though? How is a Christian supposed to see progress? Everyone, Paul says, has his own load. A load is not the same as a burden. The word load is like a backpack. And what this means is, when I become a Christian and you become a Christian and we look at each other,

we come into the Christian life and we're all equally loved by God. But we all come in with our own load. That means we all come in with a different set of opportunities and flaws and weaknesses and spiritual gifts. And everybody is starting in a different place. If here's a person over here

who had a terrible family background, maybe you didn't. And this person has a lot of trouble with his or her temper and you don't. And you both become Christians and before God you are equally loved and yet, the important thing is, it is silly inside the gospel to try to compare yourself and say, that person's got a temper. Not a very mature Christian.

How do you know? That person may be 50% down the road that God gave him and you're 10% down the road that God gave you. Don't you see, with a gospel self-image, the church should be the most non-judgmental place ever. You compare yourself with yourself. You get micro-guilt because you're not moving along under your load like you should,

but you never have macro-guilt because you know that you are his treasure. And we should be the most unjudgmental place where we do not compare ourselves to each other, but we're comparing ourselves to him. That's what Christians need to learn from this. If you're here tonight and you're not sure what you believe, or maybe you used to be a Christian

and you've rejected, or maybe you don't know, but you're kind of negative about Christianity, I want you to consider something for a moment. It's almost worse to have gotten halfway into Christianity than not to have tried. If you got into Christianity enough to get the do's and don'ts, if you got into Christianity enough to kind of get the trappings of it, just enough to feel your nothingness without ever understanding

how greatness comes, of course you feel the way you feel. But here's what I want you to consider. What's your alternative? You say, well, when I get near God and all this religion stuff, I feel bad. Okay, what's your alternative? You say, well, I don't even know if there is a God. If there's no God, you are an accident. If there's no God, you are chemicals. How do you know? Alistair McIntyre, a very, very great moral philosopher in the last few years, he's still alive, says there's no way to judge good or bad except through purpose.

He says is this a good watch or a bad watch? It depends, he says it's a good watch if you're trying to use it to keep time. It's a bad watch if you're trying to parachute. It's bad for parachuting, don't try it. It's bad for hammering a nail, don't try it. It's great for keeping time. So you can't, if I say is this a good watch

or a bad watch, you say for what? If something is an accident, it is impossible to talk about something being good or bad. It's impossible. If you are an accident, if you just sprung spontaneously, if you're just gonna die eventually and eventually everything's gonna rot

and civilization's gonna rot and we're all gonna die in the death of the universe. If there is no God, you are absolutely, literally nothing. You are nothing. But you are only nothing. Because in Christianity, you're only partly nothing. And it's not the important part. It's the first part.

Without God, you are nothing. You are literally nothing. You're telling me that's a better place to go to get self-esteem. Your trouble is you came halfway into Christianity just enough to feel like nothing. Now you're out and the only reason you don't know you're even a real nothing is because you're not thinking.

Come all the way into the gospel. Come all the way into the gospel. Come all the way into his arms. You'll know you're nothing and you'll be so proud of yourself. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray.

Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray.

Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Thanks for listening to Tim Keller on the Gospel in Life podcast. If you found today's teaching helpful and something you'd like more people to hear, we invite you to consider becoming a Gospel in Life monthly partner. Your partnership helps more people discover the hope and joy of Christ's love. Just visit gospelinlife.com slash partner to learn more. Today's sermon was recorded in 1998. The sermons and talks

you hear on the Gospel in Life podcast were preached from 1989 to 2017 while Dr. Keller was senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church.