Gospel in Life

Tim Keller

The Failure of Religion

July 5, 2023

We’re tracing the storyline of the entire Bible. We started in Genesis, where we learn what’s wrong with the human race, and we’ve come to Romans, where we learn what God has done about it through Jesus Christ. 

Here at the beginning of Romans 2, Paul does a turnaround. It’s so surprising and shocking I don’t have much to introduce. I’ll start to explain it, and it’ll draw us right in. 

This chapter tells us three things: 1) the failure of religion, because of 2) the terrible beauty of the law and, therefore, 3) the need for a regenerated, new heart.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 22, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 2:1-6; 12-26.

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.

Featured Offer

Are You Being Shaped by the Gospel?
In his book, "Shaped by the Gospel," Tim Killer helps you discover how reflecting on the essence, truths, and patterns of the gospel leads to renewal in your life, church, and ministry. When you give to Gospel in Life this month, we’ll send you a copy of "Shaped by the Gospel" as our thanks.

Archives

We’re in a series tracing the storyline of the Bible: what’s wrong with the human race, what God has done about it, and how it’s all going to turn out. We’ve begun to look at Romans 1 through 4, where Paul gives us perhaps the single most comprehensive explanation of what God has done about our problem through Jesus Christ.  We turn now to this passage in Romans where Paul actually reflects back on Genesis and what it says is wrong with the human heart.  If you look in every human heart, Paul says, you’ll find four things: 1) the knowledge of our God, 2) the manufacturing of our idols, 3) the hardening of our humanity, and 4) the capacity for endless praise. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 15, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 1:18-32. 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.
July 3, 2023
We’re tracing the storyline of the Bible, and we looked first at what it says went wrong with the human race. Now we look at Romans 1 through 4, at perhaps the single most comprehensive place where we learn what God has done to make things right. Scholars of Romans believe verses 16 and 17 are Paul’s way of putting the gospel in a nutshell. Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism, said these two verses brought about his own breakthrough, where he was completely transformed by pondering on these verses. If these two verses have never done to you what they did to Luther, I’m going to try to show you three factors you have to grasp if you’re going to break through. According to this text, you have to grasp 1) the form of the gospel, 2) the content of the gospel, and 3) the power of the gospel. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 8, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Romans 1:1-7, 14-17. 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.
June 30, 2023
We’re in a series tracing the single storyline of the Bible—the single story that tells us what’s wrong with the human race, what God has done about it, and how history is going to turn out in the end.  We’ve started by looking at the beginning of the biblical story, at what’s wrong with us. We’re at the end of this section of Genesis, at a particular passage that’s not often preached on. We learn three extremely important things in this passage. We learn about 1) the ruin of Cain, 2) the culture of death, and 3) the future city of grace.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 1, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 4:11-26. 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.
June 28, 2023
The Bible’s simple answer to the question “What’s wrong with the human race?” is sin.  Contemporary people cringe when we use the word sin because we don’t like it. Then what vocabulary will you use to talk about war atrocities, massive corruption, slavery, or violence? Will you use the language of technology or sociology or psychology? The language in those disciplines isn’t profound enough to deal with the realities of what’s really going on in the world.  We learn more about what the Bible means by the term “sin” by looking at the famous story of Cain and Abel. We see three new things here about sin: 1) the potency of sin, 2) the subtlety of it, and 3) our eventual victory over it. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 25, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 4:1-10. 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.
June 26, 2023
The Bible is a single story telling us what is wrong with the human race, what God is going to do about it, and how it’s all going to turn out.  Genesis 3 and 4 give us answers to what’s wrong with the human race and why the human race is so prone to selfishness, violence, wars, atrocity, and corruption all the time.  Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about sin. We learn four things: 1) the heart of sin, 2) the breadth of sin, 3) the depth of sin, and 4) the end of sin. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 18, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 3:8-24. 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.
June 23, 2023
The Bible is not a series of disconnected stories, each one with a little moral for how to live, but it’s actually primarily a single story about what went wrong with the human race and what will put it right.  Figuring out what went wrong with the human race is really important. In her 1925 diary, Beatrice Webb, one of the architects of the modern British welfare system, says there’s something wrong with us that leads to selfishness and violence, corruption in business and government, war and atrocities—and that it’s consistent across history. Science hasn’t dealt with it. Education hasn’t dealt with it. Social machinery hasn’t dealt with it. Who will explain it? Chapters 3 and 4 of Genesis do.  Let’s start with this very famous text, and let’s notice four features of the narrative: 1) the sneer, 2) the lie, 3) the tree, and 4) the call. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 11, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 3:1-7. 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.
June 21, 2023
You can’t understand the central storyline of the Bible unless you understand something about marriage. The Bible begins with a marriage in Genesis 2, and at the end, in Revelation, it ends with a marriage and the wedding supper of the Lamb. In some ways, you can understand what the whole Bible is about and what the gospel is about in terms of marriage. In Genesis 2, we have the first wedding. Let’s ask the text a question: how can we be successful in seeking out marriage and in actually being married?  There are three things the text says you need if you’re going to be married well: 1) attentiveness to idolatry, 2) patience for a very long journey, and 3) supernatural humility. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on January 4, 2009. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 2:18-25. 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.
June 19, 2023
If you stand back a little bit from Genesis 1 and 2, you’ll see that perhaps the main thing the first two chapters of the Bible are about is work, job and vocation.  We’re told in Genesis 2 that God sends the human race into the world to work. He put them in the garden to work it and take care of it.  With regard to the idea of work and vocation, there is 1) an assumption, 2) a direction, 3) a burden, and 4) a provision made.  This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 7, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 2:4-17. 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.
June 16, 2023
We’re in a series tracing the single storyline of the whole Bible. So we’re actually looking at the history of the universe.  Today we get to this passage about how God made us in his image and likeness. This immediately brings up a huge and crucial issue or theme of the whole Bible: what it means to be in the image and likeness of God.  We’re going to look at 1) the importance of the image of God, 2) the meaning of the image of God, and 3) the renovation and repair of the image of God in you and me. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 30, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 1:26-2:3. 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.
June 14, 2023
The Bible is about how the world was made and ruined, how it was rescued through Jesus Christ, and how someday it’s going to be remade into a new heavens and new earth.  In order to trace out that storyline, we’re first taking a look at Genesis. In Genesis 1, we have the doctrine, the teaching on creation. It’s a very big subject.  Let’s look at what the Bible teaches about creation under three headings: 1) understanding the doctrine of creation, 2) practicing the doctrine of creation, but even more, 3) experiencing the doctrine of creation. This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 23, 2008. Series: Bible: The Whole Story - Creation and Fall. Scripture: Genesis 1:3-25. 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.
June 12, 2023
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Featured Offer

Are You Being Shaped by the Gospel?
In his book, "Shaped by the Gospel," Tim Killer helps you discover how reflecting on the essence, truths, and patterns of the gospel leads to renewal in your life, church, and ministry. When you give to Gospel in Life this month, we’ll send you a copy of "Shaped by the Gospel" as our thanks.

About Gospel in Life

Gospel In Life is a ministry that features sermons, books, articles, and resources from Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and Redeemer City to City. The name reflects our conviction that the gospel changes everything in life. In 1989 Dr. Timothy J. Keller, his wife and three young sons moved to New York City to begin Redeemer Presbyterian Church. He has since become a bestselling author, an influential thinker, and an advocate for ministry in cities and to secular people.

About Tim Keller

Timothy Keller is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons.  For 28 years he led a diverse congregation of young professionals that grew to a weekly attendance of over 5,000.

He is also the Chairman & Co-Founder of Redeemer City to City (CTC), which starts new churches in New York and other global cities, and publishes books and resources for ministry in an urban environment. In 2017 Dr. Keller transitioned to CTC full time to teach and mentor church planters and seminary students through a joint venture with Reformed Theological Seminary's (RTS), the City Ministry Program. He also works with CTC's global affiliates to launch church planting movements.

Dr. Keller’s books, including the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, have sold over 2 million copies and been translated into 25 languages.

Christianity Today has said, “Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.”

Dr. Keller was born and raised in Pennsylvania, and educated at Bucknell University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary. He previously served as the pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia, Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, and Director of Mercy Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.

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