What is Wrong with the World?
Based on a 1990s sermon series titled “The Faces of Sin” preached by the late Timothy Keller, What is Wrong with the World? The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid, was released by Zondervan in 2025. Pastor Keller (1950-2023) founded Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. First, Pastor Keller identifies the supreme question we ask ourselves time and time again: What is wrong with the world? Consequently, it’s not just important, but all-important that you understand sin. Otherwise, Timothy counsels, you’ll be neither optimistic nor pessimistic enough to deal with life. However, we don’t, and sometimes won’t, recognize or acknowledge the power of sin.
Furthermore, sin, by nature, makes itself look smaller than it really is. So, Timothy defines sin as follows: acting as if we are God, viewing ourselves as the first cause and God as an accessory to us. Therefore, he cautions, watch for what’s in your heart of hearts — the desire to be God rather than under God. This self-deception involves the ability to know the truth and yet not know it. Because you don’t want to. Thus, sin does its best work in the hidden motives of the heart. The spirit of sin says, Your life for mine. While the spirit of grace says, My life for yours. The essence of sin, then, centers on the denial of grace.
Most significantly, where we place our roots — in God or something else — determines everything about us. In addition, Pastor Keller stresses, it’s possible to trust in the Lord without making the Lord our trust. For if you feel like nothing after losing something, that something is your everything. Your functional salvation. What’s wrong with the world? The visible problems in the world result from an invisible problem: sin. As a result, we need to see ourselves as a miracle of grace. Because grace provides the cure for self-righteousness. Although the outside of the gospel seems bitter at first, the inside is infinitely sweeter. The Somebody (Jesus) became nobody so that nobodies could become somebodies.
In conclusion, the author exhorts, pay the price of usefulness and you can become a light in a dark place. Yet, even though we like going to kings, God goes to the nobodies. However, as spiritual slaves we find ourselves powerless to do the right thing. Thus, deep, heartfelt worship is the key to freedom from spiritual slavery. But unless and until you understand true repentance, the gospel remains an implicit, untapped power in your life. Above all, Timothy asserts, we would be dead without people who bring the Word of God to us. And lay it on our hearts — our Nathans. In true repentance, you hate your sin without hating yourself.
To dig deep enough, you must see your sin as God sees it and throw away the excuses. Instead of smashing your heart to pieces, you need to reshape it. Because the very thing that convicts you of sin shows you how valuable you are. That’s why we must view repentance as a regular, lifelong practice.