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Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel
A Topic-by-Topic Look at Tim Keller's Best Teaching on Christian Living
Pastor and author Timothy Keller (1950–2023) built a lasting legacy in Christian ministry, planting Redeemer Presbyterian Church and cofounding the Gospel Coalition. With sharp biblical insight that has shaped countless church leaders, along with counsel on the Christian life that has stirred and strengthened audiences worldwide, Keller’s teaching promises to influence generations to come.
Synthesizing Keller’s work topic by topic, each chapter of this book highlights a key aspect of the Christian life—covering his views on prayer, suffering, friendship, vocation, intimacy with God, and more. Written by pastor Matt Smethurst, Tim Keller on the Christian Life draws from Keller’s nearly 50 years of sermons, conference messages, and books to share practical theological insight that will galvanize leaders and laypeople alike.
A Look Back at Tim Keller’s Prolific Draws from four decades of sermons and 30-plus books, as well as dozens of conference messages and published interviews Explores Key Theological Features Keller’s insightful instruction on idolatry, grace, justice, prayer, suffering, and more Channels Keller’s clear, compelling communication style Great Gift and Study Valuable for Christian leaders who hope to learn from Keller’s methods, as well as laypeople who want biblical help for everyday life
Pastor and author Timothy Keller (1950–2023) built a lasting legacy in Christian ministry, planting Redeemer Presbyterian Church and cofounding the Gospel Coalition. With sharp biblical insight that has shaped countless church leaders, along with counsel on the Christian life that has stirred and strengthened audiences worldwide, Keller’s teaching promises to influence generations to come.
Synthesizing Keller’s work topic by topic, each chapter of this book highlights a key aspect of the Christian life—covering his views on prayer, suffering, friendship, vocation, intimacy with God, and more. Written by pastor Matt Smethurst, Tim Keller on the Christian Life draws from Keller’s nearly 50 years of sermons, conference messages, and books to share practical theological insight that will galvanize leaders and laypeople alike.
A Look Back at Tim Keller’s Prolific Draws from four decades of sermons and 30-plus books, as well as dozens of conference messages and published interviews Explores Key Theological Features Keller’s insightful instruction on idolatry, grace, justice, prayer, suffering, and more Channels Keller’s clear, compelling communication style Great Gift and Study Valuable for Christian leaders who hope to learn from Keller’s methods, as well as laypeople who want biblical help for everyday life
347 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2025
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April 15, 2025The most involved (and rewarding) writing project I’ve ever undertaken. Topic by topic, I tried to synthesize and distill Keller’s best teaching on everyday Christian living. I hope it invigorates your faith. You can get it here: https://amzn.to/4fcXSyv
December 25, 2025
A treat to read this over Christmas. Don’t sleep on the end notes.
February 21, 2025
This is a stellar achievement. Matt successfully synthesizes hundreds of sermons, books, papers, podcasts, and more, to construct a spiritual theology from Keller. While nothing compares to reading or hearing Keller himself, this book unlocks Keller’s most powerful insights in a way that throws light on all his work. The end result is a book that’s convicting, convincing, hopeful—and makes me eternally grateful for the power of Jesus.
May 21, 2025
This is sure to be one of my favorite books of the year, and if you’re a Tim Keller fan you’re going to want to read it. Like CS Lewis, Keller has written many books that will be treasured by Christians for generations to come. Indeed, until his recent death many regarded Keller as the current-day CS Lewis because of his ability to distill complex theological ideas into more accessible forms without oversimplifying.
Smethurst has done fantastic work here compiling and categorizing Keller’s insights on topics he frequently addressed, expounding on his common themes, and showing the influences behind his thinking.
Rather than attempt to paraphrase these thoughts I’m just going to list the chapter titles and paste in some relevant passages:
One Hero
Jesus Christ in All Scripture
Fresh out of college, Keller was a fairly new Christian for whom the Old Testament was rather "confusing and off-putting." Motyer was visiting from England and fielding questions when someone asked about the relationship between Old Testament Israelites and Christians today. He imparted an illustration that always stayed with Keller. Asking the group to imagine how the Israelites under Moses would have given their "testimony," Motyer suggested it would sound something like this:
“We were in a foreign land, in bondage, under the sentence of death. But our mediator—the one who stands between us and God—came to us with the promise of deliverance. We trusted in the promises of God, took shelter under the blood of the lamb, and he led us out.
“Now we are on the way to the Promised Land. We are not there yet, of course, but we have the law to guide us, and through blood sacrifice we also have his presence in our midst. So he will stay with us until we get to our true country, our everlasting home.”
Motyer's conclusion—that a Christian today could "say the same thing, almost word for word" —left Keller "thunderstruck." The thought experiment brought Keller to an astounding recalculation: not only had the Israelites been saved by grace, not works, but "God's salvation had been by costly atonement ... all along.”
Excavating Sin
A Tale of Disordered Loves
Sin is what's wrong with the world. Sin is what's wrong with our hearts. Welcome, class, to Christianity 101.
One of Keller's shrewdest contributions is the distinction between visible "surface idols" and the invisible "deep idols" that power them.
The heart's idolatry structure is complex because counterfeit gods tend to come in clusters; therefore, our analysis will remain superficial without this distinction. Surface idols are things, such as money or work or children or sex, "through which our deep idols seek fulfillment." Deep idols, meanwhile, are things such as approval, power, comfort, or control. Our deep idols are propelling the surface idols we serve.
We think idols will deliver joy, but instead they dismantle it. Looking to a created thing for what only God can give is a well-trodden path to pain. Only he is big enough to bear the weight of our deepest hopes and fears. This means we must train our hearts to derive joy from him—from the real God—more than from rival gods.
According to Keller, we need to look up from an idol and say, "Jesus, you are my justifier, not this. You are my peace, not this. You are my master, not this. You are my Savior, not this." The exercise is not cold or clinical; it's a drama of omnipotent love. "Haven't you cared for somebody so much and seen that person in love with somebody who is abusing them?" Keller asks. "That's how God sees you. He sees you in the arms of the idols." No wonder Scripture often describes God as jealous. He loves us too much to be anything less. His jealousy is not insecurity; it's protecting us from what will never fulfill us.
Former generations in Western society believed it was most important for someone to be a good person. Today in the West, our values have shifted, and our cultural narrative tells us it is most important to be a free person. The biblical theme of idolatry challenges contemporary people precisely at that point. It shows them that, paradoxically, if they don't serve God, they are not, and can never be, as free as they aspire to be.
Three Ways to Live
Why Religion Needs Grace
Paul in fact shows there are two general ways, not one, that humans tend to resist and reject God's loving authority.
The first is obvious: unapologetic idolatry (Rom. 1:18-32). I live for myself, and I'm proud of it. The second way, though, is more subtle: religious hypocrisy (Rom. 2:1-29). I live for myself, and nobody can find out. In other words, you can avoid God through immorality, but you can also avoid God through performative morality.
Each brother in the parable [of the Prodigal Son] represents "a different way to be alienated from God"'— and both ways are strikingly resonant with the late-modern West. Keller dubs the approaches "the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery." In fact, he observes, Western culture is "so deeply divided between these two approaches that it's difficult to imagine an alternative option:
If you criticize or distance yourself from one, everyone assumes you have chosen to follow the other, because each of these approaches tends to divide the whole world into two basic groups. The moral conformists say: "The immoral people—the people who ‘do their own thing'— are the problem with the world, and moral people are the solution." The advocates of self-discovery say: "The bigoted people— the people who say, ‘We have the Truth'—are the problem with the world, and progressive people are the solution.”
Both the legalist and the antinomian, notes Keller, participate in "the same incomprehension of the joy of obedience—they see obedience as something imposed on us by a God whose love is conditional and who is unwilling to give us blessing unless we do quite a lot of work. The only difference is that the legalist wearily assumes the burden, while the antinomian refuses it and casts it off."
Friends on Purpose How the Gospel Transforms Relationships
When Faith Goes to Work Serving God and Others in Your Job
Do Justice, Love Mercy Embodying the Compassion of the King
Answering Heaven How Prayer Unlocks Intimacy with God
“God will either give you what you ask for or give you what you would have asked for if you knew what he knows.”
The Painful Gift
How Suffering Drives Us into God's Heart
For years Keller loved to paraphrase the seventeenth-century poet George Herbert: "Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him just a gardener." In other words, Keller insisted, "All death can now do to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better."
Smethurst has done fantastic work here compiling and categorizing Keller’s insights on topics he frequently addressed, expounding on his common themes, and showing the influences behind his thinking.
Rather than attempt to paraphrase these thoughts I’m just going to list the chapter titles and paste in some relevant passages:
One Hero
Jesus Christ in All Scripture
Fresh out of college, Keller was a fairly new Christian for whom the Old Testament was rather "confusing and off-putting." Motyer was visiting from England and fielding questions when someone asked about the relationship between Old Testament Israelites and Christians today. He imparted an illustration that always stayed with Keller. Asking the group to imagine how the Israelites under Moses would have given their "testimony," Motyer suggested it would sound something like this:
“We were in a foreign land, in bondage, under the sentence of death. But our mediator—the one who stands between us and God—came to us with the promise of deliverance. We trusted in the promises of God, took shelter under the blood of the lamb, and he led us out.
“Now we are on the way to the Promised Land. We are not there yet, of course, but we have the law to guide us, and through blood sacrifice we also have his presence in our midst. So he will stay with us until we get to our true country, our everlasting home.”
Motyer's conclusion—that a Christian today could "say the same thing, almost word for word" —left Keller "thunderstruck." The thought experiment brought Keller to an astounding recalculation: not only had the Israelites been saved by grace, not works, but "God's salvation had been by costly atonement ... all along.”
Excavating Sin
A Tale of Disordered Loves
Sin is what's wrong with the world. Sin is what's wrong with our hearts. Welcome, class, to Christianity 101.
One of Keller's shrewdest contributions is the distinction between visible "surface idols" and the invisible "deep idols" that power them.
The heart's idolatry structure is complex because counterfeit gods tend to come in clusters; therefore, our analysis will remain superficial without this distinction. Surface idols are things, such as money or work or children or sex, "through which our deep idols seek fulfillment." Deep idols, meanwhile, are things such as approval, power, comfort, or control. Our deep idols are propelling the surface idols we serve.
We think idols will deliver joy, but instead they dismantle it. Looking to a created thing for what only God can give is a well-trodden path to pain. Only he is big enough to bear the weight of our deepest hopes and fears. This means we must train our hearts to derive joy from him—from the real God—more than from rival gods.
According to Keller, we need to look up from an idol and say, "Jesus, you are my justifier, not this. You are my peace, not this. You are my master, not this. You are my Savior, not this." The exercise is not cold or clinical; it's a drama of omnipotent love. "Haven't you cared for somebody so much and seen that person in love with somebody who is abusing them?" Keller asks. "That's how God sees you. He sees you in the arms of the idols." No wonder Scripture often describes God as jealous. He loves us too much to be anything less. His jealousy is not insecurity; it's protecting us from what will never fulfill us.
Former generations in Western society believed it was most important for someone to be a good person. Today in the West, our values have shifted, and our cultural narrative tells us it is most important to be a free person. The biblical theme of idolatry challenges contemporary people precisely at that point. It shows them that, paradoxically, if they don't serve God, they are not, and can never be, as free as they aspire to be.
Three Ways to Live
Why Religion Needs Grace
Paul in fact shows there are two general ways, not one, that humans tend to resist and reject God's loving authority.
The first is obvious: unapologetic idolatry (Rom. 1:18-32). I live for myself, and I'm proud of it. The second way, though, is more subtle: religious hypocrisy (Rom. 2:1-29). I live for myself, and nobody can find out. In other words, you can avoid God through immorality, but you can also avoid God through performative morality.
Each brother in the parable [of the Prodigal Son] represents "a different way to be alienated from God"'— and both ways are strikingly resonant with the late-modern West. Keller dubs the approaches "the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery." In fact, he observes, Western culture is "so deeply divided between these two approaches that it's difficult to imagine an alternative option:
If you criticize or distance yourself from one, everyone assumes you have chosen to follow the other, because each of these approaches tends to divide the whole world into two basic groups. The moral conformists say: "The immoral people—the people who ‘do their own thing'— are the problem with the world, and moral people are the solution." The advocates of self-discovery say: "The bigoted people— the people who say, ‘We have the Truth'—are the problem with the world, and progressive people are the solution.”
Both the legalist and the antinomian, notes Keller, participate in "the same incomprehension of the joy of obedience—they see obedience as something imposed on us by a God whose love is conditional and who is unwilling to give us blessing unless we do quite a lot of work. The only difference is that the legalist wearily assumes the burden, while the antinomian refuses it and casts it off."
Friends on Purpose How the Gospel Transforms Relationships
When Faith Goes to Work Serving God and Others in Your Job
Do Justice, Love Mercy Embodying the Compassion of the King
Answering Heaven How Prayer Unlocks Intimacy with God
“God will either give you what you ask for or give you what you would have asked for if you knew what he knows.”
The Painful Gift
How Suffering Drives Us into God's Heart
For years Keller loved to paraphrase the seventeenth-century poet George Herbert: "Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him just a gardener." In other words, Keller insisted, "All death can now do to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better."
June 24, 2025
One of my favorites book of the year!
May 15, 2025
Incredible work that summarizes the main teaching of Tim Keller's 50 years of ministry. Keller has been the most influential distant preacher/teacher in my growth as a believer and I would highly encourage anyone to check this out if you're curious to learn about his teaching.
March 22, 2025
There is a flower in every meadow.
Every page of this book shines like gold.
Each concept, each quote, each anecdote is powerful and beautiful.
I would be shocked if I read a more transformative book this year.
Matt Smethurst is like a treasure hunter, searching through the depths of decades of Tim Keller’s books, articles, sermons, teachings, interviews, and more to bring us the very best.
Each chapter synthesizes Keller’s teachings on an aspect of the Christian life. My favorite chapters were on friendship, prayer, and suffering—but not a single chapter disappointed.
This is a work that honors Keller and his love—Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Matt.
Thank you, Tim.
Thank you, Jesus.
Every page of this book shines like gold.
Each concept, each quote, each anecdote is powerful and beautiful.
I would be shocked if I read a more transformative book this year.
Matt Smethurst is like a treasure hunter, searching through the depths of decades of Tim Keller’s books, articles, sermons, teachings, interviews, and more to bring us the very best.
Each chapter synthesizes Keller’s teachings on an aspect of the Christian life. My favorite chapters were on friendship, prayer, and suffering—but not a single chapter disappointed.
This is a work that honors Keller and his love—Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Matt.
Thank you, Tim.
Thank you, Jesus.
June 11, 2025
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I spent several summers on a mower, listening to Keller’s sermon recordings on Spotify over and over. His books and sermons have been transformative for me since I picked up “The Prodigal God” as a freshman in college.
Walking through this was like watching a YouTube highlight reel. Matt’s final chapter captured the heart of who Keller was for me and countless others: a resounding herald of Gospel hope in the unnatural, dark world in which we live.
“All death can do now to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better”. -Keller
Walking through this was like watching a YouTube highlight reel. Matt’s final chapter captured the heart of who Keller was for me and countless others: a resounding herald of Gospel hope in the unnatural, dark world in which we live.
“All death can do now to Christians is to make their lives infinitely better”. -Keller
August 8, 2025
Pithy, precise. Clear distillation of Keller's contributions to my life and so many others.
Breezy read! I'd recommend.
Breezy read! I'd recommend.
April 24, 2025
If you have read Keller or want to read Keller, this book is the best resource to understand a little more of what Keller was all about! Matt did an amazing job synthesizing Keller’s thoughts in a way that really made me appreciate Tim Keller in a way I didn’t before. This book is an amazing achievement and was so enjoyable to read. It also makes me so excited to read more of Keller’s works. Thank you Matt Smethurst!
September 9, 2025
Always finding new ways to be grateful for Tim’s life, ministry and (remarkably) death! This book is a treasure!
August 7, 2025
This is a perfect book. It could not be better. Matt Smethurst compiles Keller’s best work, synthesises it with short snippets of biography, applies it to the Christian life, and exults Christ and his gospel in a way that is jaw-dropping. Probably my favourite read of this year, and one I will return to often. Can’t express how good this book is.
January 29, 2026
Great synthesis on Keller’s great body of gospel-centered teaching. Chapter 8 alone is worth the whole book.
"It is perhaps when we are still in unrelenting darkness, that we have the greatest opportunity to defeat the forces of evil. In the darkness we have a choice that is not really there in better times, we can choose to serve God just because He's God."
"It is perhaps when we are still in unrelenting darkness, that we have the greatest opportunity to defeat the forces of evil. In the darkness we have a choice that is not really there in better times, we can choose to serve God just because He's God."
January 11, 2026
I just love how Keller centers on the gospel. Especially his teaching on sin as slavery, suffering, prayer and biblical justice.
Grateful to God for this man, and to Matt Smethurst for condensing his teachings for us.
Grateful to God for this man, and to Matt Smethurst for condensing his teachings for us.
May 4, 2025
Excellent. It’s one thing to compile a book of Tim Keller quotes—it’s another to make it this compelling. As someone who has read extensively from Keller and listened to countless sermons, I didn’t expect to be as drawn in as I was. But Matt Smethurst masterfully distills Keller’s theology and vision for the Christian life with clarity, depth, and warmth. This is an ideal resource for thoughtful new believers or anyone looking to understand Keller’s enduring impact. The final chapter on suffering brought me to tears. I’m profoundly grateful for Keller’s life and ministry—and equally thankful for Smethurst’s meticulous research and skillful writing in crafting such a meaningful tribute.
June 3, 2025
Smethurst did a great job with this book. An excellent introduction into the ministry and teaching of Tim Keller, especially for those who have not read many of his books or heard much of his preaching. He was one of the most gifted thinkers and communicators of our time, and we're better for having learned from him.
January 30, 2026
I knew very little about Keller before this book. I had probably heard more of his faults and failures than his faithfulness.
I greatly appreciate having my view of him reworked and sharpened. It seems clear that the Lord set him up for decades to be an overwhelmingly loud voice for reformed theology and evangelism in the midst of NYC.
I am thankful for his ministry and I am excited to finally read some of his books.
PS. Kathy sounds awesome.
I greatly appreciate having my view of him reworked and sharpened. It seems clear that the Lord set him up for decades to be an overwhelmingly loud voice for reformed theology and evangelism in the midst of NYC.
I am thankful for his ministry and I am excited to finally read some of his books.
PS. Kathy sounds awesome.
June 15, 2025
The whole book was good, but that last chapter will have you weeping 🔥 Thankful for faithful brothers who finish well, looking to Christ as the author and perfecter of their faith 🙌
December 4, 2025
This was a really enjoyable read. I’ve been deeply shaped by Keller’s ministry over the years and this felt like a perfect distillation of all of the things that I appreciated about him. Tim Keller was a great consolidator of popular thinkers - in this book, Smethurst consolidates the great consolidator - and he does an excellent job.
It’s unfortunately becoming common in certain conservative Christian circles to speak negatively about Keller’s legacy and “third way-ism.” This book is yet another reminder that most of these critics really don’t understand Keller, the Reformed tradition, or his actual ministry. Keller was not a “punch right, coddle left” preacher as many misinformed people seem to think. Read this book and you’ll get a helpful overview of his ministry and emphases. Tim Keller was not perfect. He was, however, a faithful witness to Jesus in a post-Christian culture. I thank God for him.
It’s unfortunately becoming common in certain conservative Christian circles to speak negatively about Keller’s legacy and “third way-ism.” This book is yet another reminder that most of these critics really don’t understand Keller, the Reformed tradition, or his actual ministry. Keller was not a “punch right, coddle left” preacher as many misinformed people seem to think. Read this book and you’ll get a helpful overview of his ministry and emphases. Tim Keller was not perfect. He was, however, a faithful witness to Jesus in a post-Christian culture. I thank God for him.
May 17, 2025
I am a little embarrassed to admit that I have not read or listened to much of Tim Keller’s work. However, reading Smethurst’s book has been a wonderful window into some of Keller’s insights, especially as it highlights key aspects of the Christian life. It has been a great encouragement to my soul, as Smethurst (and Keller) beautifully distills rich theological truths.
June 1, 2025
Don’t miss the subtitle: “The Transforming Power of the Gospel.” That’s what this book declares. Matt Smethurst distills Keller’s ministry maxims into bite size pieces to help the reader embrace the life altering effects of the gospel in evangelism, preaching, work, friendship, justice & mercy, prayer, holiness, and suffering.
This is not a book that glorifies Keller. In fact, it’s not really a book about Tim Keller. Rather, Matt Smethurst beautifully depicts that which must shape, define, and influence certainly every pastor but also every believer. However, if you have never read Keller but always wondered why so many cling to his writings, Smethurst does a great job of helping you grasp an overarching understanding of his life’s work. Even more, Smethurst writes as a pastor. The focus of his book is not on Keller the man but the Man who made Keller. And, as a pastor, Smethurst writes to the reader in helping us see God’s truths in what Keller taught and why that is important for us pilgrims seeking to carry out God’s mission in our day to day lives.
This book is certainly a must read for every fan of Tim Keller. However, this distillation of Keller’s writings on the Christian life will push every believer to see more beautifully how the gospel not only transforms but must remain central to all we do.
I have read most of Keller’s writings but Smethurst helped me afresh to view life through the lens of the gospel. I must remember that Christian living is not about what I do but what Christ has done. As the author states, “Don’t just flee your bad works. Flee your good’ works, too. Flee them both and collapse into the open arms of Jesus Christ (59).
This is not a book that glorifies Keller. In fact, it’s not really a book about Tim Keller. Rather, Matt Smethurst beautifully depicts that which must shape, define, and influence certainly every pastor but also every believer. However, if you have never read Keller but always wondered why so many cling to his writings, Smethurst does a great job of helping you grasp an overarching understanding of his life’s work. Even more, Smethurst writes as a pastor. The focus of his book is not on Keller the man but the Man who made Keller. And, as a pastor, Smethurst writes to the reader in helping us see God’s truths in what Keller taught and why that is important for us pilgrims seeking to carry out God’s mission in our day to day lives.
This book is certainly a must read for every fan of Tim Keller. However, this distillation of Keller’s writings on the Christian life will push every believer to see more beautifully how the gospel not only transforms but must remain central to all we do.
I have read most of Keller’s writings but Smethurst helped me afresh to view life through the lens of the gospel. I must remember that Christian living is not about what I do but what Christ has done. As the author states, “Don’t just flee your bad works. Flee your good’ works, too. Flee them both and collapse into the open arms of Jesus Christ (59).
January 5, 2026
(I received a complimentary copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.)
I was so impressed with this book! I’ve long treasured sermons and writings by the late Timothy Keller, and this title successfully synthesizes the best of literally hundreds of Keller’s works into one book. Amazing!
What a great way to revisit some of Timothy Keller’s works as well as appreciate some of the biographical elements of the book in the details on Timothy and Kathy Keller’s lives and ministries.
I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter, but the final chapter, titled “The Painful Gift
How Suffering Drives Us into God's Heart,” was my favorite. So good.
This book was such an encouragement, and I would highly recommend it!
January 16, 2026
Besides C.S. Lewis, no one (outside of my real life ofc) has influenced my faith and theological formation like Tim Keller. I spent hours and hours of my teen years listening to podcast episodes of his sermons, and so much of his teaching I absorbed and was woven into my own understanding of the Bible and the Christian life. Because of that, much of this book felt totally familiar, down to quotes and anecdotes Smethurst shared from Keller's great body of written and delivered work. I liked the emphasis on Keller's teaching and theology, but I am newly inspired to now read a biography of him. The last chapter on the way Keller talked about and lived through his last few years was especially moving, and ultimately I ended the book with a lot of gratitude for such a faithful life.
April 16, 2025
This is an insightful summary of Tim Keller's teaching on topics such as idolatry, relationships, work, justice, prayer, and suffering. There are very few people who have had more of an impact on my life from afar than Keller and I imagine that this book will long remain the go-to resource for a concise summary of his "greatest hits."
The endnotes are a treasure trove of insights for further reading and research. Highly recommend for those who haven't yet read a book by Keller and for the Keller veteran who desires to be refreshed by his wisdom.
The endnotes are a treasure trove of insights for further reading and research. Highly recommend for those who haven't yet read a book by Keller and for the Keller veteran who desires to be refreshed by his wisdom.
September 3, 2025
wow. one of the most influential authors, preachers in my life? I thought I knew most of Tim Keller's work. this book condenses his 50 years of books and preaching and articles down into one volume. and boy, do I have a whole lot more to learn and read now from one of my favs.
chapter 2 about idols and then ch 3 mentioning the Prodigal son's older brother... both had me pausing the book for a week so I could digest and apply what I'd learned. I mean. then, months later, the chapter on Justice blew me away. again, I have so much more to learn and to read now.
highly recommend.
chapter 2 about idols and then ch 3 mentioning the Prodigal son's older brother... both had me pausing the book for a week so I could digest and apply what I'd learned. I mean. then, months later, the chapter on Justice blew me away. again, I have so much more to learn and to read now.
highly recommend.
June 13, 2025
Matt did an exceptional job compiling the highlights from Keller's long preaching and teaching ministry. If you wanted one source to get a summary of Tim Keller's thoughts and words without reading all his many books, this is it. However, after reading this you may find yourself looking for other books and sermons from Keller. And you won't be disappointed! This is also a great companion read to Collin Hansen's 2023 biography on Keller.
July 4, 2025
One of the best books I have read this year, and one I’ll come back to often. Devotionally rich to the soul in its reflection of Keller’s teaching. But also supplies a library of resources for further study and exploration in its research of Keller’s work. The endnotes alone are worth revisiting when exploring any of the themes covered in the main chapters. This work is a treasure.
January 8, 2026
This book is a great compilation of the best of Tim Keller’s teachings. Because Keller’s body of work is so extensive, it’s helpful to have a summary of his main/most helpful ideas on key areas of Christian living and doctrine. This book does a wonderful job of condensing his teachings into something that’s easy to latch onto and profoundly encouraging in the pursuit of Christ.
January 16, 2026
This is a great summary of how Keller applies the gospel to the Christian life. Smethurst includes extensive quotes from Keller's writing creating a brief, systematic anthology of Keller's work on the topic. This would be a great starting place for someone who has not read anything from Keller in the past.
October 22, 2025
I will probably always be a bit of a fan-girl for Tim Keller. The Spirit used his preaching to make the gospel come alive for me, and for that immense grace I will always be thankful. This book was a great summary on some of Tim Keller's key teachings on how the gospel affects our lives and communities. A great read (especially if you don't have the time to read Keller's works yourself).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews