The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
Author: Timothy Keller
Written: 2012
“True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”
Hello Ordinary Readers,
I have not written in a while. This is my welcome back post! Through much reading completing seminary and getting settling in college ministry time to write had escaped me. Now I am back and will do my best to post consistently with stuff I am currently reading and books I have read over the last few years.
I don’t know about you but I can often struggle with my place in the world. I often find myself thinking who am I, what is my identity? Well that is exactly what the late Tim Keller is writing about in his, let's call it a booklet, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness. In this booklet Keller unpacks a portion of Pauls letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 3:21-4:7. Did I need to hear this. Where does our identity come from? The Gospel! Yet, it is easy as a believer to forget this. It is easy to get drug back into the courts of being judged by others and ourselves rather than remembering as believers the verdict is already in (p. 43). The strength of this booklet is unpacking what pride looks like and that it is indeed the root of all evil. Keller does not give a lot on how to achieve self-forgetfulness but rather shows us its importance and that it is biblical.
I think this is a great book for all believers to read. I would put this high on your to read shelf if you feel like you put too much worth in what others think of you or what you think of yourself. It is a 50 page booklet that can be read in less than an hour, but packs a punch.
Happy Reading!
Quotes
“Up until the twentieth century, traditional cultures always believed that too high view of yourself was the root cause of all the evil in the world. ”
“I think the image suggests four things about the natural condition of the human ego: that it is empty, painful, busy and fragile.”
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something only out of having more of it than the next person.”
“Trying to boost our self-esteem by trying to live up to our own standards or someone else’s is a trap. It is not the answer.”
“True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”
“Don’t you want to be the kind of person who, when they see themselves in a mirror or reflected in a shop window, does not admire what they see but does not cringe either?”
“He (Paul) says that it is the Lord who judges him. it is only His opinion that counts.”
“Like Paul, we can say, ‘I don’t care what you think. I don’t even care what I think. I only care about what the Lord things.’”