7 Favorite Tim Keller Quotes

On May 19, 2023, at the age of 72, Pastor Tim Keller passed from this life into his eternal home in Heaven. Trusting in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection, Pastor Keller met his savior. Keller's life ended following a long and courageously-fought battle with cancer. When I read the news of his passing, I immediately began recounting the many books he had written. Some of these books had a profound impact on my life and Christian faith. I wondered how many others his writings have affected in such a way.

Tim Keller was a gifted communicator. He had a way of making complex theological concepts understandable and relatable. I like that. I need that! ​Keller was a pastor at heart. He wrote from a place of deep compassion and understanding. His goal was to help people grow in their faith, and certainly, many of his books accomplished that goal in my life.

Keller's books are full of wisdom and insights. He had a unique way of seeing the world through the lens of the Bible. We call this a biblical worldview. His books offer practical advice on how to live a life that is pleasing to God. We all need that! 

​Keller's books are inspiring, reminding us of the beauty and the hope of the Gospel. His writings challenge us to live our lives in a way that reflects our love for God and others.

​Here are a few of his most popular books:

• The Reason for God
• Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?
• The Meaning of Marriage
• God's Wisdom for Navigating Life
• The Prodigal God
• Counterfeit Gods
• Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God
• Every Good Endeavor
• The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness

If you're looking for books to challenge you to think deeply about your faith, I recommend his books. If you're simply looking for a book that will encourage you and inspire you, I also recommend his books. He has left us a legacy! Below I've recorded 7 of my favorite quotes from his books.​

"The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued 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." — Timothy J. Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

“The concept of substitution may be said, then, to lie at the heart of both sin and salvation. For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone.” ― Timothy J. Keller, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” ― Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

“The temptation for those who suffer is to assume that because we can’t think of any good purposes God may have for our suffering, there can’t be any. If you can’t imagine a God infinitely wiser and more loving than you, then you won’t be able to trust him and grow in grace. The most basic wisdom is to trust the character of God, who has suffered and died in Jesus Christ for you and who will not withhold anything necessary for your ultimate joy.” ― Timothy J. Keller, God's Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs

“I asked her what was so scary about unmerited free grace? She replied something like this: "If I was saved by my good works -- then there would be a limit to what God could ask of me or put me through. I would be like a taxpayer with rights. I would have done my duty and now I would deserve a certain quality of life. But if it is really true that I am a sinner saved by sheer grace -- at God's infinite cost -- then there's nothing he cannot ask of me.” ― Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

“Have you heard God's blessing in your inmost being? Are the words, "You are my beloved child, in whom I delight" an endless source of joy and strength? Have you sensed, through the Holy Spirit, God speaking to you? That blessing- the blessing through the Spirit that is ours through Christ- is what Jacob received, and it is the only remedy against idolatry. Only that blessing makes idols unnecessary. As with Jacob, we usually discover this only after a life of "looking for blessings in all the wrong places." It often takes an experience of crippling weakness for us to finally discover it. That is why so many of the most God-blessed people limp as they dance for joy.” ― Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

“First, I took several months to go through the Psalms, summarizing each one. That enabled me to begin praying through the Psalms regularly, getting through all of them several times a year.27 The second thing I did was always to put in a time of meditation as a transitional discipline between my Bible reading and my time of prayer. Third, I did all I could to pray morning and evening rather than only in the morning. Fourth, I began praying with greater expectation.” ― Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God

What are your favorite Tim Keller books/quotes?