To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.Timothy J. Keller
There is a profound sense in which the only person we will ever really know is ourselves, and the only person our spouse will really ever know is him or herself.Timothy J. Keller
One of the essential keys to a deeper understanding and to a true appreciation of marriage, we argue, is to reestablish a biblical understanding of singleness.Timothy J. Keller
Marriage has the power to set the course of your life as a whole. If your marriage is strong, even if all the circumstances in your life around you are filled with trouble and weakness, it won't matter. You will be able to move out into the world in strength.Timothy J. Keller
Friendship is at the heart of any truly successful marriage. Yes, there must be a sense of romantic desire and attraction, but the only thing that is strong enough to sustain you through the inevitable spells of unromantic feelings and dry periods is deep friendship.Timothy J. Keller
Love without truth is sentimentality; it supports and affirms us but keeps us in denial about our flaws.Timothy J. Keller
The reason that marriage is so painful and yet wonderful is because it is a reflection of the Gospel, which is painful and wonderful at once. The Gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.Timothy J. Keller
To turn from self-judgment to Christ's judgment is to pass through the Cross and out into a new life of freedom, joy, and hope.Timothy J. Keller
If we look to our spouses to fill up our tanks in a way that only God can do, we are demanding an impossibility.Timothy J. Keller
Marriage is a call to lose yourself for the sake of love, while at the same time being truly known, loved, and accepted for who you are.Timothy J. Keller