The Reason for God - Thinking of Self Less

I will begin doing a series of posts on Tim Keller's new book, The Reason for God, that I finished yesterday. Hopefully this will encourage you to read the book and encourage you to trust and believe in God. Whether a Christian or not everyone doubts, Keller encourages us to doubt our doubts and to trust God who reveals Himself in Jesus. He encourages his readers to not focus on having huge faith, but instead reminds us that, "Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch" (p. 234). The Triune, transcendent and personal, God of the universe is a strong branch.

Here is Keller on self and Gospel:

"When my own personal grasp of the gospel was very weak, my self-view swung wildly between two poles. When I was performing up to my standards--in academic work, professional achievement, or relationships--I felt confident but not humble...When I was not living up to standards, I felt humble but not confident, a failure. I discovered, however, that the gospel contained the resources to build a unique identity. In Christ I could know I was accepted by grace not only despite my flaws, but because I was willing to admit them. The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued and that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less. I don't need to notice myself--how I'm doing, how I'm being regarded--so often." (p. 180-181, The Reason for God)