Absolutism: Don’t we all have to find truth for ourselves?
We’re looking at the things that trouble people the most about Christianity. Now, we come to one that could be put like this: “Christians believe they have absolute truth. They have some things everyone should believe and everyone should do. But people who have absolute truth,” the objection goes, “undermine freedom. They tend to oppress people who are different than they are and impose their views on others. Everyone should be free to determine their own truth and what is right or wrong for them.”
What do we say to that? There are three things to say. Truth is a lot more important than you would think, freedom is a lot more complex than you would think, and Jesus is a lot more liberating than you think. Those principles are found in this passage. Let’s look at them.
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on October 8, 2006. Series: The Trouble with Christianity: Why It's So Hard to Believe it. Scripture: Galatians 2:4-16.
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Success. Love. Wealth. Family. Career. We’ve all had the desire to put our hope in these “good” things and make them into ultimate things. In his book Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller shows us how the Bible reveals the truth about how societal ideals work on our hearts, and that only the God of the Bible can wholly satisfy the desires of our hearts.
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Featured Offer
Success. Love. Wealth. Family. Career. We’ve all had the desire to put our hope in these “good” things and make them into ultimate things. In his book Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller shows us how the Bible reveals the truth about how societal ideals work on our hearts, and that only the God of the Bible can wholly satisfy the desires of our hearts.
Counterfeit Gods is our thanks for your gift to Gospel in Life which helps more people discover the hope and joy of knowing Christ.
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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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