“Whatever your mind draws hope form, that is your religion. It’s your ultimate concern. This is what you existentially rest in — what makes you feel as though you have substance. Whether you see yourself as a religious person or an irreligious person or somewhere in between makes no difference. Your faith is in something.”- Timothy Keller
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.”- Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)
As Timothy Keller moves on in Chapter 4 of What is Wrong with the World?, he stresses Jeremiah’s radical analysis of sin in Jeremiah 17:5-14. In particular, Pastor Keller looks at the second clause of verse 7. Most significantly, Timothy notes that the original phrasing uses the same Hebrew root for ‘trust’ and ‘confidence.’ Hence, he states, verse 7 should really read:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”
So, Pastor Keller asks, why would the text need to read like that? Because, he emphasizes, it’s possible to trust in the Lord without making the Lord our trust. Hence, Timothy explains through his description of three types of people. The:
- irreligious person – underlying attitude: I’m going to live life my way.
- religious person – carries out the tasks God asks, but with an underlying motive: to get something back from God. As a result, their real trust centers on that something else.
- person who trusts in the Lord – above all, their trust is the Lord.
In conclusion, Pastor Keller cautions, if anything serves as a condition for faith in God, then that condition substitutes as the real object of faith. Rather than the Lord. Therefore, Pastor Keller counsels:
“If that’s the case, why on earth would [God] give you that thing, when everything you put your roots down into except him will make you twisted and startled and thirsty? Would that be kind and loving of him?”
Today’s question: How do you respond to Pastor Keller’s assertion that your ultimate concern = your religion? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A downpour in the desert”