"The angels never get tired of looking into the gospel [cf. 1 Peter 1:10,12]. This means that there is no end to gospel exploration. There are depths in the gospel that are always to be discovered and applied not only to our ministry and daily Christian life, but above all to the worship of the God of the gospel with renewed and vision.
"The underlying conviction in my preaching, pastoring, and writing is that the gospel - this eternally fascinating message craved by the angels - can change a heart, a community, and the world when it is recovered and applied. The gospel is life giving, because it generates changes that are received only by grace through faith. This foundational truth, however, gets bypassed, obscured, and forgotten, because, as Martin Luther noted, religion forms the default mode of the human heart. It is essential, then, that we distinguish religion from the gospel. Religion, as the default mode of our thinking and practices, is based upon performance: 'I obey; therefore, I am accepted by God.' The basic operating principle of the gospel, however, is, not surprisingly, an about-face, one of unmerited acceptance: 'I am accepted by God through Christ; therefore, I obey.' To understand this paradigm shift at a life-altering level requires that the gospel be explored and 'looked into' at every opportunity and in regular, systematic ways...
"It is one thing to understand the gospel but is quite another to experience the gospel in such a way that it fundamentally changes us and becomes the source of our identity and security. It is one thing to grasp the essence of the gospel but quite another to think out its implications for all of life. We all struggle to explore the mysteries of the gospel on a regular basis and to allow its message to influence our thinking..."
"The underlying conviction in my preaching, pastoring, and writing is that the gospel - this eternally fascinating message craved by the angels - can change a heart, a community, and the world when it is recovered and applied. The gospel is life giving, because it generates changes that are received only by grace through faith. This foundational truth, however, gets bypassed, obscured, and forgotten, because, as Martin Luther noted, religion forms the default mode of the human heart. It is essential, then, that we distinguish religion from the gospel. Religion, as the default mode of our thinking and practices, is based upon performance: 'I obey; therefore, I am accepted by God.' The basic operating principle of the gospel, however, is, not surprisingly, an about-face, one of unmerited acceptance: 'I am accepted by God through Christ; therefore, I obey.' To understand this paradigm shift at a life-altering level requires that the gospel be explored and 'looked into' at every opportunity and in regular, systematic ways...
"It is one thing to understand the gospel but is quite another to experience the gospel in such a way that it fundamentally changes us and becomes the source of our identity and security. It is one thing to grasp the essence of the gospel but quite another to think out its implications for all of life. We all struggle to explore the mysteries of the gospel on a regular basis and to allow its message to influence our thinking..."
Tim Keller, in his introduction to JD Greear's 'Gospel: Rediscovering the Power that made Christianity Revolutionary.' This is as good a summary of Keller's Gospel-centricity, which has been so helpful and influential to so many, as I have read anywhere. It also sets JD Greear''s book wonderfully. It is so well worth reading. Available here.
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