The {Pop-Up} Story of Redemption

When the first Russian cosmonaut went up into space {1961}, he came down and said, "My atheism has been confirmed. I went up in space, I looked around, and I didn't see any God." Shortly thereafter, C.S. Lewis wrote a little essay, commenting, "If there is a God who created everything, that god would not relate to us the way a person on the second story relates to a person on the first story. God would relate to us the way Shakespeare relates to Hamlet. Hamlet's never going to find anything out about Shakespeare by going upstairs or backstage. The only way Hamlet's ever going to know anything about Shakespeare is if Shakespeare writes information about himself into the play—revelation."

Christianity asserts that not only did God provide revelation {the Bible}, but he went so far as to insert himself into the story. He looked at the mess we had made of the world he had created, and instead of closing the book, he wrote himself into the midst of that mess. Despite his right to be a comfortable observer, he subjected himself to being one of us and with us in the story, experiencing suffering, torture, and death to change the ending.

Tim Keller, C.S. Lewis

What is self control?
The restraint of action toward a particular desire {A}.

But why?
Because that desire is in conflict with a stronger love {B}, and acting on desire A would hinder the fulfillment of the more highly valued B.
Let's say one desires to eat nothing but cookies, and also desires to be relatively healthy. If the desire to be healthy is greater, one will be able to refrain from subsisting entirely on cookies.

St. Augustine defines sin, therefore, as disordered love. If one loves/desires anything more than God, one will naturally place other things above pleasing God and following his commands when there is a conflict of desires.

ref: Tim Keller

Keep your hands inside the car at all times...

"When we suffer, we feel as though we have lost control. The reality is that we were never in control in the first place."

Tim Keller

Cosmic cost-benefit analysis

How did Jesus endure suffering?

Hebrews 12:
"For the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God."

Isiah 53:
"The results of his suffering he will see and be satisfied, for my servant has justified many."

Check, please.

Somebody always has to pay when wrong is done; there is a debt created. But we continue to do wrong, and therefore continue to create debt, how can our salvation be permanent and secure?
Jesus paid the debt for all sin—past, present, and future—for those that will accept his payment on their behalf. God then forgives because he is just; he will not demand payment for the same thing twice.

Tim Keller

Fair weather friends

"Don't waste your suffering. See that what you trust in and value will always fail [or leave] you if it is not God. He is the only thing that can always come with you into suffering."

Tim Keller