Jesus didn't come to tell us the answers to the questions of life, he came to be the answer.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that Jesus is not just a source of information but embodies the solution to life's existential questions.
In this quote, Timothy Keller emphasizes the idea that Jesus's role is not merely one of providing answers or teachings about life but rather that he represents the ultimate solution to the profound questions and dilemmas we face. This perspective encourages individuals to seek understanding and inspiration from Jesus as a person, rather than just his teachings, as a means to navigate the complexities of existence.
In practice
In a sermon discussing the role of faith in understanding life, one could use this quote to emphasize reliance on Jesus.
Falling in love in a Christian way is to say,'I am excited about your future and I want to be part of getting you there. I'm signing up for the journey with you. Would you sign up for the journey to my true self with me? It's going to be hard but I want to get there.
Only in Jesus Christ do we see how the untamable, infinite God can become a baby and a loving Savior. On the cross we see how both the love and the holiness of God can be fulfilled at once.
All human problems are ultimately symptoms, and our separation from God is the cause.
While your character flaws may have created mild problems for other people, they will create major problems for your spouse and your marriage.
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.
God's Kingdom is "present in its beginnings, but still future in its fullness. This guards us from an under-realized eschatology (expecting no change now) and an over-realized eschatology (expecting all change now). In this stage, we embrace the reality that while we're not yet what we will be, we're also no longer what we used to be.
'Twas but my tongue, 'twas not my soul that swore.
My libertarian beliefs have not always served me well. Like most people who hold strong ideological convictions, I find that, too often, my beliefs trump the scientific facts.
If you have indeed been so highly distinguished, should you not βlive no longer to yourselves, but altogether unto Him who died for you and rose again?β Should any thing short of absolute perfection satisfy you? Should you not labour to βstand perfect and complete in all the will of God?β
Without uncertainty and the unknown, life is just a stale repetition of outworn memories. You become the victim of the past, and your tormentor today is yourself left over from yesterday. Relinquish your attachment to the known, step into the unknown, and you will step into the field of all possibilities.
If you would enjoy real freedom, you must be the slave of Philosophy.
...you have to leave the island in order to see the island, that we can't see ourselves unless we become free of ourselves, Unless we escape from ourselves you mean, No, that's not the same thing.
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