AI Summary
5 min readIn a 2002 sermon, Tim Keller argues that the kind of peace most people experience is fragile because it depends on favorable circumstances. He draws from Colossians 3 to describe a different kind of peace—one that is active, internal, and rooted in a transformed heart rather than in external conditions. The central question is how to cultivate a peace that does not vanish when life goes wrong.
The nature of supernatural peace
Keller begins by distinguishing between two kinds of peace. The first is like a mirror: it has no light of its own and only reflects whatever is happening around it. When circumstances are calm, the heart feels calm; when they turn chaotic, the heart loses its peace. That is what Jesus called "peace as the world gives." The second kind is the peace of Christ, which Paul describes in Colossians 3:15 as something that "rules" in the heart. The Greek word behind "rule" is the term for an umpire who enforces order and throws out troublemakers. Keller emphasizes that this peace is not a vague inner feeling but an active power that guards the heart and dominates even in difficult situations. It is not ruled by circumstances; it rules over them.
Three disciplines for cultivating peace
Keller outlines three strategies for developing this kind of peace, drawn directly from the structure of Colossians 3: thinking out, digging down, and looking up.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:03) **Introduction: The Problem with Self-Interested Goodness** - Keller introduces the paradox that even acts of love can be empty if done out of self-interest, setting up the need for a gospel-transformed motivation.
- 2 (02:41) **Defining the Sermon’s Goal: Supernatural Peace vs. Moral Restraint** - Keller introduces the series’ theme: the difference between a supernaturally changed heart and a merely morally restrained heart, focusing tonight on the trait of peace.
- 3 (04:04) **What Supernatural Peace Is: A Living Power, Not a Circumstance** - Keller uses Colossians 3:15 and Philippians 4 to define peace as an active power that guards and rules the heart, unlike worldly peace that depends on circumstances.
- 4 (10:54) **Cultivation Strategy 1: Thinking Out - Intellectual Honesty Over Technique** - The first discipline for cultivating peace is to think out the implications of Christian belief, contrasting it with secular approaches that rely on technique and avoidance.
- 5 (19:44) **Cultivation Strategy 2: Digging Down - Identifying Heart Idols** - The second discipline involves "digging down" to identify the root cause of peacelessness: inordinate desires (epithymia) for good things that have become idols.
- 6 (33:36) **Cultivation Strategy 3: Looking Up - The Expulsive Power of a New Affection** - The final discipline is to replace idols by looking to Christ, using the "expulsive power of a new affection" rather than willpower.
- 7 (44:28) **The Holistic Alternative: Living in the Bigger Story** - Keller concludes by contrasting this organic, gospel-driven change with moral education and technique, using the analogy of a hero returning from an adventure story.
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Show Notes
One trait or quality of a supernaturally changed heart is peace.
There’s a difference between a supernaturally changed heart and a morally restrained heart. The marks of a supernaturally changed heart are sometimes called the fruit of the Spirit. They’re listed a number of places in the New Testament. And peace is always included.
So let’s look at 1) what is this supernatural peace that’s available to us? and then 2) how can we cultivate it?
This sermon was preached by Dr. Timothy Keller at Redeemer Presbyterian Church on February 3, 2002. Series: Practical Grace; How the Gospel Transforms Character. Scripture: Colossians 3:1-15.
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