When Christianity burst onto the scene, the early Romans were amazed and astounded in two particulars: that Christians were radically generous, giving away large portions of income, and that Christians were radically pure, believing in no sex outside of marriage. This unique understanding transformed the Roman world.

At that time, there were two major philosophies about sex. The first was the platonic view: that the soul is good, the body is bad, and sex is kind of dirty. The second was the mystery religions’ view: that sex is an appetite that is unhealthy to repress. The prudes and the pagans. And in 1 Corinthians, Paul vividly and incisively shows that Christians are neither. Instead, Christians have the most glorious and lofty possible understanding of sex that there is.

Let’s look at what this passage shows us about 1) how God says sex is supposed to function in a life, and 2) in looking at how to order our lives in accord to that, we see two things: 3) the only real cure for loneliness is the thing that sex points to, and 4) when you misuse sex, it works backwards.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 10, 1989. Series: Ten Commandments 1989. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:15-7:5.

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Jesus gives us the most radical ethic of love that’s ever been put forth: “Turn the other cheek.” This ethic has been criticized and disregarded, but no one ever says the reason is because it’s too low or vile or unworthy. They always say it’s too high, too lofty.

The reason it seems so lofty is it’s a whole new dimension. The love ethic in Matthew 5 is part of a package. The package is that Christianity itself is actually an interconnected set of radically altered relationships. A new relationship with God creates a new relationship with yourself, creates a new relationship with others. They can’t be separated. They rise and fall together, and you can’t have one without the others.

Let’s take a look at those three aspects. As we move through this passage, we’ll see 1) the understanding of the self, 2) the relationship with others, and 3) the root of it all: a new relationship with God.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on December 3, 1989. Series: Ten Commandments 1989. Scripture: Matthew 5:21-24; 38-48.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.

Every individual human life is sacred. Every individual person is of infinite value. In Genesis 9, at the end of the flood, God assures Noah and his family of this truth. He says that if a person takes the life of any other human, he will hold that person accountable.

This passage is meant to get everybody to feel the weight of your neighbor’s glory, to feel the weight of the value God has invested in every human being. If you really let this passage have its effect, you will come out saying to yourself, “I cannot ignore people the way I do. I have to treat people seriously. I have to honor them. I have to be aggressively compassionate.”

Let’s see how this passage makes a case for us to be a compassionate people. The case is 1) every human being is made in the image of God, and 2) every human being is held accountable for that image.

This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on November 25, 1989. Series: Ten Commandments 1989. Scripture: Genesis 9:1-7.

Today's podcast is brought to you by Gospel in Life, the site for all sermons, books, study guides and resources from Timothy Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. If you've enjoyed listening to this podcast and would like to support the ongoing efforts of this ministry, you can do so by visiting https://gospelinlife.com/give and making a one-time or recurring donation.