When people say, "I know God forgives me, but I can't forgive myself," they mean that they have failed an idol, whose approval is more important than God's.
Interpretation
Many struggle with self-forgiveness due to prioritizing others' approval over divine forgiveness.
This quote by Timothy Keller emphasizes the internal conflict many individuals face regarding self-forgiveness. It highlights the concept that while God may extend forgiveness, individuals often find it difficult to reconcile their self-worth and the expectations of others, leading them to prioritize the approval of an 'idol'—which could represent societal standards, personal ideals, or significant relationships—over divine grace.
In practice
In a sermon discussing the importance of forgiveness, one might cite this quote to illustrate the struggle between divine forgiveness and personal rejection.
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Thank God! we are in the full enjoyment of all these privileges. But can we be taught to prize them too much? or how can we prize them equal to their value, if we do not know their intrinsic worth, and that they are not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature?
The books the Holy Spirit is writing are living, and every soul a volume in which the divine author makes a true revelation of his word, explaining it to every heart, unfolding it in every moment.
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