A Quote by Timothy Keller

Religion says, 'I obey; therefore I am accepted.' Christianity says, 'I'm accepted, therefore I obey.

Timothy Keller

Quote Topics

Accepted Am Christianity Obey Religion Says Therefore

Quote Author

Timothy Keller
American - Author
Born: 1950

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

How Religion Works: If I obey, then God will love and accept me. The Gospel: I'm loved and accepted, therefore I wish to obey.

Timothy Keller

Most people in the world believe that if there is a God, you relate to God by being good. Most religions are based on that principle, though there are a million different variations on it...But they all have the same logic: If I perform, if I obey, I’m accepted. The gospel of Jesus is not only different from that but diametrically opposed to it: I’m fully accepted in Jesus Christ, and therefore I obey.

Timothy Keller

I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ - therefore I obey

Timothy Keller

In every other religion the indicative flows from the imperative. Which means, ‘because I do, therefore I am... because I do this, therefore I’m a child of God.’ But only in Christianity does the imperative flow from the indicative. ‘Because I am in Christ all these things, therefore I obey.’ Exactly the opposite.

Timothy Keller

The Bible’s purpose is not so much to show you how to live a good life. 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… 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

There are two kinds of fools. One says, "This is old, and therefore good." And one says, " This is new, and therefore better.

John Brunner

Believers obey Christ as the one whom our obedience is accepted by God. Believers know all their duties are weak, imperfect, and unable to abide in God's presence. Therefore they look to Christ as the one who bears the iniquity of their holy things, who adds incense to their prayers, gathers out all the weeds from their duties and makes them acceptable to God.

John Owen

In religion, you obey because God is useful. In Christianity, you obey because God is beautiful.

Timothy Keller

The notion that everyone would like Christianity to be true, and therefore all atheists are brave men who have accepted the defeat of all their deepest desires, is simply impudent nonsense.

C. S. Lewis

I am not what is called a civilized man, professor. I have done with society for reasons that seem good to me. Therefore I do not obey its laws.

Earl Felton

Obey your head. Obey your heart. Obey your gut. In fact, obey everything except commands.

Matt Haig

It is dangerous to tell the people that the laws are unjust; for they obey them only because they think them just. Therefore it isnecessary to tell them at the same time that they must obey them because they are laws, just as they must obey superiors, not because they are just, but because they are superiors. In this way all sedition is prevented.

Blaise Pascal

"This is old, therefore it is good"; the other says, "This is new, therefore it is better."

William Ralph Inge

Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion [Judaism], but you [Jews] have to obey.

Ann Coulter

"I refuse to prove that I exist" says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith, I am nothing." "Oh," says man, "but the Babel Fish is a dead give-away, isn't it? It proves You exist, and so therefore You don't. Q.E.D." "Oh, I hadn't thought of that," says God, who promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

Douglas Adams

A Quote by Timothy Keller

Quote Topics

Quote Author

Related Quotes

Related Authors