The God Who Is
Tim Keller | November 14, 2010
Overview
Whenever you are inordinately anxious, angry, proud, deflated, it’s because at that moment you’re forgetting who the God of the Bible is— or maybe it’s because you never understood who he was. That’s why there is nothing more practically important than to know the God of the Bible in depth.
This sermon focuses on two questions. How do we know God exists? And how do human beings get the knowledge of God? We’ll look at four things Paul tells us in Romans 1: 1) We can know God; 2) We actually do know God; 3) Yet paradoxically we don’t know God; and 4) How we can know God truly and personally again.
Outline
Romans 1:16–25
This passage takes us deep into the message of the gospel and explores the concept of God’s righteousness. It talks about what happens when we ignore God’s truth and place too much importance on the things he made. It delves into why we believe God exists, using different kinds of arguments, including the fact that something rather than nothing exists, and the idea that the universe seems designed for life. It also talks about a deep sense within all of us that there’s a God.
The resurrection of Jesus is an important point in this discussion. It shows that the physical and spiritual aspects of our world are connected, giving us a better understanding of what it means to be human.
This passage also discusses the idea that without God, there’s no strong foundation for things like fairness and human rights. It suggests that not believing in God is too simple an answer. People sometimes hide their beliefs about God because they’re scared to face the tough parts of what that knowledge means. This is compared to stealing someone else’s work and saying it’s yours. The importance of being grateful and recognizing God’s role in our lives is also emphasized.
The passage also looks at the thoughts of philosopher Thomas Nagel, especially his fear of religion and his wish to not believe in God. It talks about the idea of knowing God, linking it to the story of Adam and Eve. While nature shows us God’s power and majesty, it doesn’t show us his love. This challenges the idea that all religions believe in a loving God.
According to this passage, the Bible is the only place that teaches the idea of God’s unconditional love and mercy. The gospel shows us the complicated nature of God, who demands fairness and justice but also gives righteousness as a gift because of his love. To really know God, we must look at the cross, where both his holiness and love are shown.
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