Today I was listening to an episode of Russell Moore's podcast, where Dr. Moore gave a tribute to noted New York pastor Dr. Timothy Keller, who passed away last Friday, May 19, 2023. After talking about his friendship with Keller, Moore played a couple of segments from interview he had done with Keller in the past.
In one of the recorded interview segments, Dr. Keller spoke about how the object of our faith is more important than the strength of our faith. One can have a massive amount of faith placed in the wrong person or thing, and be far worse off than someone with a weak faith that is, however, trusting in the right person or thing.
The example Keller gave had to do with frozen ponds. Say there is a pond that is frozen over with ice that is 5 inches thick. Even if you're hesitant to walk out on it, unsure it can hold you, the fact that the ice is that thick means you will be safe.
On the other hand, you can have all the confidence in the world in a layer of ice that is only a half-inch thick, with your heart and mind totally convinced that it will support you. But it doesn't matter how much faith you have in that ice; if you walk out on it, at the very least you will end up very cold and wet, and you may even die from hypothermia.
The moral of the story: no matter how tentative our belief, no matter how many times we may face doubts, no matter how imperfect our allegiance, as long as it is directed toward the right object of faith—Jesus the saving King—we can know that we will be saved.
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