Chapter 10 is entitled The Problem of Sin. Keller begins the chapter by defining sin as Soren Kierkegard did. Sin is: in despair not wanting to be oneself before God….Faith is: that the self is being itself and wanting to be itself is grounded transparently in God In non-philisophical terms he is saying that sin is trying to get an identity apart from God. If you find your personal value in things apart from God this is sin. Most people think of sin as “breaking divine rules,” but the first of the Ten Commandments states to have no other gods before the true and living God. Throughout movies and even our own lives, we see people constantly defining who they are by their accomplishments and this simply leads to failure. Ultimately this will let you down. If you define yourself by how you are as a parent, then if something happens to you child then your identity is crushed, or if you define you life on a spouse and something happens to them or they let you down, then your identity is lost. Its a cycle of disappointment.
Living your life like this will ultimately cause great fear, because at any second who you are and what you have become can be lost in an instant. There is no way to avoid this insecurity outside of God. Even if you say, “I will not build my happiness or significance on anyone or thing” you will actually be building your identity on your personal freedom and independence. If anything threatens that, you will again be without a self. These concepts of self worth also lead to great spiritual addiction. When we turn good things into ultimate things, we are, as it were, spiritually addicted.
That pretty much sums up most of the chapter, it was pretty short but I have a few more thoughts and quotes to share…
Thoughts from C.S. Lewis
The almost impossibly hard thing is to hand over your whole self to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is remain what we call “ourselves”-our personal happiness centered on money or pleasure or ambition-and hoping, despite this, to behave honestly and chately and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you cannot do. If I am a grass field, all the cutting will keep the grass less but won’t produce wheat. If I want wheat…I must be plowed up and re-sown.
More thoughts from Keller
If Jesus is your center and Lord and you fail him, he will forgive you. Your career can’t die for your sins. YOu might say, “if I were a Christian I’d be going around pursued by guilt all the time!” But we all are being pursued by guilt becuiase we mist have an identity and there must be some standard to live up to by which we get that identity. Whatever you base your life on, you have to live up to that. Jesus is the one Lord you can live for who died for you, who breathed his last breath for you. Does that dound oppressive?
Everybody has to live for someting. Whatever that something is becomes “Lord of your life,” whether you think of it that way or not. Jesus is the only Lord who, if you receive him, will fulfill you completely, and, if you fail him, will forgive you eternally.
Thought from Augustine
“Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee!”
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