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Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel

By Matt Smethurst

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Format: Hardcover w/ Jacket

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Availability: Forthcoming

Expected: Apr 15, 2025

Retail Price: $27.99

Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel

By Matt Smethurst

... Show All

A Topic-by-Topic Look at Tim Keller's Best Teaching on Christian Living

Pastor and author Timothy Keller (1950–2023) built a lasting legacy in Christian ministry, planting Redeemer Presbyterian Church and cofounding the Gospel Coalition. With sharp biblical insight that has shaped countless church leaders, along with counsel on the Christian life that has stirred and strengthened audiences worldwide, Keller’s teaching promises to influence generations to come.

Synthesizing Keller’s work topic by topic, each chapter of this book highlights a key aspect of the Christian life—covering his views on prayer, suffering, friendship, vocation, intimacy with God, and more. Written by pastor Matt Smethurst, Tim Keller on the Christian Life draws from Keller’s nearly 50 years of sermons, conference messages, and books to share practical theological insight that will galvanize leaders and laypeople alike.

  • A Look Back at Tim Keller’s Prolific Ministry: Draws from four decades of sermons and 30-plus books, as well as dozens of conference messages and published interviews
  • Explores Key Theological Topics: Features Keller’s insightful instruction on idolatry, grace, justice, prayer, suffering, and more
  • Accessible: Channels Keller’s clear, compelling communication style
  • Great Gift and Study Resource: Valuable for Christian leaders who hope to learn from Keller’s methods, as well as laypeople who want biblical help for everyday life

Author:

Matt Smethurst

Matt Smethurst is lead pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. He is the author of several books, including Tim Keller on the Christian LifeBefore You Open Your BibleBefore You Share Your Faith; and Deacons. He also cohosts, with Ligon Duncan, The Everyday Pastor podcast from the Gospel Coalition. Matt and his wife, Maghan, have five children.

Product Details

Format: Hardcover w/ Jacket
Page Count: 232
Size: 6.0 in x 9.0 in
Weight: 10.0 ounces
ISBN-10: 1-4335-9619-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-9619-3
ISBN-UPC: 9781433596193
Case Quantity: 32
Published: April 15, 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction
 
Chapter 1: One Hero: Jesus Christ in All Scripture
Chapter 2: Excavating Sin: A Tale of Disordered Loves
Chapter 3: Three Ways to Live: Why Religion Needs Grace
Chapter 4: Friends on Purpose: How the Gospel Transforms Relationships
Chapter 5: When Faith Goes to Work: Serving God and Others in Your Job
Chapter 6: Do Justice, Love Mercy: Embodying the Compassion of the King
Chapter 7: Answering Heaven: How Prayer Unlocks Intimacy with God
Chapter 8: The Painful Gift: How Suffering Drives Us into God’s Heart
 
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Endnotes
General Index
Scripture Index

Endorsements

“Matt Smethurst has researched an impressive amount of content for this book: sermons, books, papers, courses, articles, and unpublished conversations. He found resources even I wasn’t familiar with, and he has produced a work of scholarship that will long stand as the most thorough examination of the biblical themes that animated all of Tim’s ministry.”
Kathy Keller, Assistant Director of Communications, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City, New York

“Few pastors have demonstrated a multilayered, multifaceted understanding of how the gospel of Jesus Christ transforms everything like Tim Keller did. Matt Smethurst has done a wonderful job organizing Tim’s teaching on the gospel in everyday life—in a way that is engaging, practical, and heart and life changing. May this gospel continue to transform us and everything our lives touch. Read and reread this book!”
Paul David Tripp, author, Everyday Gospel

“Imagine sitting with Tim Keller in his living room and asking him whatever is on your mind about the Christian life. Well, my friend Matt Smethurst has opened the door to that room in this book. Flip its pages and you’ll receive compelling wisdom from this beloved pastor, which will help you practice your faith within your family, job, or community. Tim Keller on the Christian Life is particularly timely, as many of us are struggling to make Christ-honoring imprints on our skeptical culture. But by the last chapter of this remarkable work, you’ll grasp what it means to truly embody the gospel in all your spheres of influence. Thank you, Matt, for giving us the very best of Tim Keller.”
Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

“The way the ministry of Tim Keller and Redeemer Church penetrated the secularized culture of Manhattan drew the attention of a surprised media. Remarkably, this was based not on an ever-changing pragmatism (‘whatever works’) but on an intelligent, clearly articulated, and winsomely expounded Christ-centered biblical theology. Tim Keller on the Christian Life explores the manifold ways this theology shaped Tim’s understanding of how the gospel restores and transforms. Those who heard Tim will be understandably eager to read these pages, and all readers will find a stimulating exploration of the impact of gospel grace. Congratulations and thanks are due to Matt Smethurst for this groundbreaking study.”
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; author, The Whole Christ

“You don’t need to agree with everything Tim Keller said to recognize that God gave him uncommon wisdom that can benefit the church and your own discipleship. Matt Smethurst has done an impressive job distilling this wisdom, spread across many books and countless sermons, into ten engaging chapters. Think of it as a ‘Keller’s Greatest Hits’ volume. It’s a remarkable and grace-giving work, one that I’ll certainly encourage my family members and church members to read.”
Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director, 9Marks

“What a blessing to read a book by a friend, about a friend’s wisdom on the Christian life. I got to watch Tim Keller practice what he proclaimed, especially while battling terminal cancer. No matter your familiarity with Tim’s body of work, Matt Smethurst’s distillation will prove an aid and blessing. He puts his finger on themes and emphases that will enrich your engagement with our brother’s enduring ministry. Matt has told me what a spiritually rewarding exercise it was to write this book. You will find it spiritually rewarding to read.”
Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary

“I was eager to open this book to better appreciate Keller’s pastoral legacy and to see how Smethurst would tell the story. I found exactly what I’d hoped for: a wise pastor curating the wisdom of another wise pastor. The result is a treasure—a study about our Father’s love to us, which awakens our love for him and for others. The beautiful fruit of the heart-transforming gospel.”
Tony Reinke, Senior Teacher, Desiring God; author, Ask Pastor John

“Tim Keller had a knack for presenting Christ and what it means to follow him in ways that I, as someone who had spent my whole life absorbing Christian teaching, had never heard before. It often stopped me in my tracks. It challenged my deeply ingrained understandings and interpretations. But most importantly, it enabled me to see the beauty, necessity, and sufficiency of Christ in ways that moved and changed me. This book enables those familiar with Keller’s teaching to be reminded of its core truths—and those who know little of it to get to its essence in summary fashion.”
Nancy Guthrie, author; Bible teacher

“There will never be another Tim Keller—a man uniquely raised up by God to teach a generation of believers to treasure the gospel and to teach a generation of skeptics to consider the gospel. Matt Smethurst takes us into the genius of Tim’s ministry, drawing from its breadth to synthesize and distill the key insights for how Jesus Christ changes us from the inside out. This is a deeply edifying read.”
Dane Ortlund, Senior Pastor, Naperville Presbyterian Church, Naperville, Illinois; author, Gentle and Lowly

“Matt Smethurst has done the church a great service by distilling, in ten insightful chapters, the core convictions that shaped Tim Keller’s life and ministry. The reader discovers what made Keller’s ministry so impactful: his convictions, along with his humility, were formed in the fires of pastoral work. Tim Keller on the Christian Life is a faith-enriching reminder, through the legacy and example of a beloved pastor, that Christianity is far more than a religious idea. It is the most satisfying and beautiful way of life.”
Sam Ferguson, Rector, The Falls Church Anglican, Washington, DC