Receiving the Fullness (Part 2)

The Bible passage that anchors this sermon is Ephesians 1:13–14, where Paul writes that believers, having heard the word of truth and believed, are "marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance." Keller uses this text to argue that Christianity offers something no other worldview can: a linear view of history moving toward a final state where some things last forever, and the Holy Spirit functions as both a seal of authenticity and a down payment on that future glory.

History Is Going Somewhere

Keller draws a sharp contrast between two views of history. Many cultures and philosophies—both Eastern religions and Western pagan thought—treat history as cyclical. It goes around and around, going nowhere. The earth will eventually burn up, time will continue, and nothing ultimately matters. If that is true, Keller argues, then there is no basis for distinguishing between meaningful and meaningless actions. "If I come up to you and say I love you and I care for you, or if I come up to you and shoot you through the head," he says, "if you have a cyclical view of history, you have to realize that those two actions ultimately are not different. Because nothing matters."