In this week’s Community Group study, I quoted Tim Keller’s definition of ‘the fear of the Lord’. One of the guys in our group asked exactly where I got it from (my apology for not referencing it properly). It was from Keller’s “The Meaning of Marriage”. Below is the quote.

“Fear in the Bible means to be overwhelmed, to be controlled by something. To fear the LORD is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and His love. It means that, because of His bright holiness and magnificent love, you find Him ‘fearfully beautiful’. That is why the more we experience God’s grace and forgiveness, the more we experience a trembling awe and wonder before the greatness of all that He is and has done for us. Fearing Him means bowing before Him out of amazement at His glory and beauty. Paul speaks of Christ’s love ‘constraining’ us (2 Cor 5:14). What is it that most motivates and moves you? Is it the desire for success? The pursuit of some achievement? The need to prove yourself to you parents? The need for respect from your peers? Are you largely driven by anger against someone or some people who have wronged you?” (p.68)

Keller has a wonderful gospel-centredness that permeates everything he writes about – including marriage (these quotes are from a book on marriage). Here are some great quotes on what the Christian gospel is:

“The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves that we ever dared believe, yet at the same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope… God’s saving love in Christ is marked by both radical truthfulness about who we are and yet also radical, unconditional commitment to us. The merciful commitment strengthens us to see the truth about ourselves and repent. The conviction and repentance moves us to cling to and rest in God’s mercy and grace.” (p.48)

“And what is [the] gospel? It is that you are so lost and flawed, so sinful, that Jesus had to die for you, but you are also so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for you. Now you are fully accepted and delighted in by the Father, not because you deserve it but only by free grace.” (p.55-56)

“The gospel is not what we think – that we amass a good record, give it to God, and then He saved us. Instead, the gospel is that Jesus Christ has amassed a perfect record and when we believe in Him, He gives it to us. he lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died in our place, so that when we believe, our sins are pardoned and we are “counted righteous in His sight”. Then we are completely accepted and loved by the only One in the universe whose opinions really count.” (p.69)

From C.J. Mahaney’s “Living the Cross Centred Life” (pp.69-70)

“If you were searching for a single sentence in Scripture to best capture the story line and theme of the entire Bible, what would you choose? Where would you look?

Many of us would no doubt go right to the beloved and familiar words of John 3:16, with good reason. But let me suggest we search no further than… the opening pages of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Fix your thoughts on this sentence:

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time (1 Timothy 2:5-6).

J.I. Packer says it isn’t too much to describe these verses as “the key, not merely to the New Testament, but to the whole Bible, for they crystalize into a phrase the sum and substance of its message.”

In this one sentence, Paul succinctly captures the main theme and essence of the entirety of holy Scripture – as well as answering the desperate cry we heard from Job for someone to arbitrate between God and man. Yes, Paul declares, there is a mediator! There’s someone to arbitrate between us, to lay His hand on us both and remove the rod of God’s wrath so His terror frightens us no more. There’s a unique intermediary between God and man: the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all. The Bible’s complete message hinges on this one point.”

C.J. then gives two more quotes from some of my spiritual heroes:

R.C. Sproul: ”The glory of the gospel is this: The One from whom we need to be saved is the One who has saved us.”

John Stott: ”Divine love triumphed over divine wrath by divine self-sacrifice.”

And a suitable conclusion:

“If there’s anything in life we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others; I mean passionate in thinking about the gospel, reflecting upon it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to colour the way we look at the world and all of life.” (p.15)

Amen!