by John H. Gerstner Christian perfection is an ideal for which we all must strive. Although there is a double standard of morality in Roman Catholic theology, Protestant Christianity knows no such distinction. The priesthood of all believers is a well-known Reformation principle. The perfection of all believers (as a...

Continue Reading Sanctification: Christianizing the Christian (pt. 1)...

Dear friend,When I was preparing to lecture on the holiness of God years ago, I came across this quote from John Calvin's commentary on Isaiah 6:3: "The angels never cease from their melody in singing the praises of God, as the holiness of God supplies us with inexhaustible reasons for...

Continue Reading 2009 National Conference -- March 19-21 in Orlando, Florida...

by R.C. Sproul Applications After discussing these five positive signs, Edwards turns his attention to the application section of his treatise, following the normal structure of his sermons. In Section III he notes the practical inferences he draws from his study. The first inference is that the recent extraordinary influences...

Continue Reading The Spirit of Revival (pt. 5)...

by R.C. Sproul Positive Marks Next Edwards turns to the positive marks or biblical signs of true revival. The first positive mark is seen in the elevated level of people's esteem for Jesus. Edwards follows the Reformation's emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit in the application of the...

Continue Reading The Spirit of Revival (pt. 4)...

After reading the story of Israel in the Book of Judges, one can be left wondering whether all is lost for Israel and for mankind. It's a terrible downward spiral of sin and judgment. The Book of Ruth reminds us that it wasn't all bad news. The Book of Ruth...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Ruth...

by R.C. Sproul Negative Marks Edwards begins by following the via negationis or "the way of negation." That is, before he proceeds to affirm positively what are the true marks of revival, he first spends time in Section I observing what are not (or at least not necessarily) signs of...

Continue Reading The Spirit of Revival (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul The Relevance of Edwards's Distinguishing Marks What do these trends signify? Are we in the midst of a major revival? Or are we seeing spurious marks of revival? Here is where the revisiting of Edwards's Distinguishing Marks can be most helpful. For us to discern the presence...

Continue Reading The Spirit of Revival (pt. 2)...

On this page, we've collected some of R.C. Sproul's teaching series on the subject of "Christian Living". God desires for us to not only understand His holy character, but to grow in holiness ourselves. These series are for those desiring to understand the process of sanctification and learn how the...

Continue Reading Teaching Series for the Growing Christian...

In the eighteenth century, revival swept America as a Great Awakening woke thousands of Americans from spiritual slumber. While many were genuinely converted, discerning Christian leaders such as Jonathan Edwards became convinced of the need to determine how one could distinguish true revival from false. Edwards performed such a study...

Continue Reading The Spirit of Revival (pt. 1)...

by John H. Gerstner Augustus Hopkins Strong used the analogy of the coupling that joins a train of railroad cars to a locomotive. The coupling has no power in itself; it cannot move a single car one inch. All the power is in the locomotive; but the coupling is the...

Continue Reading Justification by Faith (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner The epistle to the Romans has already shown us that man is guilty before God. Their sins have incurred the wrath of God: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18)....

Continue Reading Justification by Faith (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner From Romans 1:18 to 3:20, the Apostle Paul seeks to demonstrate the universal sinfulness of men. He shows the wrath of God revealed against the heathen because they would not have God in their thinking. He shows that the nominally religious people of Israel, by their...

Continue Reading Justification by Faith (pt. 1)...

The events described in the book of Judges cover a period of approximately 350 years, from the death of Joshua to the rise of the monarchy under Samuel. Unlike Joshua, however, which recounted a period of Israel's history largely marked by faithfulness to God, Judges recounts a period of history...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Judges...

The Gospel of John is one of the most popular and beloved books in the Bible, and this fact is reflected in the sheer number of available commentaries on the book. John is so theologically rich that I have found help and insight in a large number of commentaries. Choosing...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on The Gospel of John...

by John H. Gerstner Then the Savior departed from the apostles a second time and prayed again, "O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me except I drink it, Thy will be done." The agony of the first prayer was not even over, but a new...

Continue Reading The Atonement (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner The preview of impending doom was so terrifying that the mighty Jesus Himself asked, if it were possible, to escape it. Normally His obedience was instant and without question. Only the extreme severity of the ordeal can explain the plea: "O My Father, if it be...

Continue Reading The Atonement (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner Gethsemane was the place of Christ's exquisite torment. It is here we see the Man of Sorrows being acquainted with grief. Matthew tells us that after the last supper with His apostles, He began to be sorrowful. At the supper He had been full of joy....

Continue Reading The Atonement (pt. 1)...

The summer months are a particularly challenging time for many Christian ministries. While outreach continues, finances are usually strained. This year the economy seems to only be exaggerating this struggle.To that end, Dr. Sproul has recorded a special summer financial appeal. While R.C. is quite the professional football fan (Go...

Continue Reading Will you step to the plate this month?...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Howard Q. Davis In chapter two of Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul David Tripp relates a story of a church member who called the pastor to get him to help a man. Tripp's comment to the member was, "Isn't God's love amazing? God...

Continue Reading We Don't Need Supermen...

Generation to Generation by Susan Hunt A friend gave me a plaque that proclaims: "Grandmothers are antique little girls." I don't know what the originator had in mind, but my spin is that the longer we live, the more we return to the simplicity of girlhood. I am convinced that...

Continue Reading God Is Love...

With this post, we begin to look at the best commentaries on the Old Testament Historical Books. For a good introductory overview of these books, I would recommend Victor P. Hamilton's Handbook on the Historical Books and David M. Howard's Introduction to the Old Testament Historical Books. The two supplement...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Joshua...

The book of Deuteronomy is one of the most frequently cited Old Testament books in the New Testament. Only Psalms and Isaiah are quoted more. Containing Moses' final messages to the people of Israel before their entrance into the Promised Land, the book is rich in theological significance. The following...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Deuteronomy...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. Trouble comes to the people of God. If it is not here now, it will be here soon. Those who promise that the Christian life is a breezy walk through the meadow not only have not taken up their cross and followed Him,...

Continue Reading I Will Sing an Old Song...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison When Dutch Calvinists and Arminians squared off against one another in the early part of the seventeenth century, the Calvinists won the opening battle. The controversy, however, soon spread beyond the borders of the Netherlands. Now, four hundred years later,...

Continue Reading The Will to Debate...

Pastor's Perspective by Bill Haynes Martin Luther, in his Table Talk #403, makes the statement that "an upright shepherd and minister must improve his flock by edification, and also resist and defend it; otherwise, if resisting be absent, the wolf devours the sheep." Resisting and defending require that a pastor-shepherd...

Continue Reading Standing Firm...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul During the nineteenth-century potato famine in Ireland, my great-grandfather, Charles Sproul, fled his native land to seek refuge in America. He left his thatched roof and mud floor cottage in a northern Ireland village and made his way barefoot to Dublin -- to...

Continue Reading All Truth Is God's Truth ...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith On October 10, A.D. 732 , some 80,000 Muslim cavalrymen attacked 30,000 Frankish infantrymen near Tours in present-day France. Those Muslims had already conquered Northern Africa and Spain, and they were poised to sweep over the rest of Europe. Normally, foot soldiers are...

Continue Reading What if the Muslims Won?...

Of the four Gospels, Luke is R.C. Sproul's personal favorite. It is the longest of the four Gospels and the only one whose author wrote a sequel (Acts). His Gospel is addressed to one Theophilus, but it appears to have a larger and predominantly Gentile audience in mind as well....

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on The Gospel of Luke...

If you live in Columbus, Louisville, Philadelphia, San Francisco, or Tampa, you can now hear R.C. Sproul's daily radio broadcast on the following stations:Columbus, Ohio -- WRFD AM880 @ 9am ET, M-FLouisville -- WFIA 94.7FM & AM900 @ 11am ET, M-FPhiladelphia -- WFIL AM560 @ 2pm ET, M-FSan Francisco --...

Continue Reading New Cities for Renewing Your Mind Radio Broadcasts...

Although the fourth book of the Pentateuch is titled "Numbers" in English, its Hebrew name bemidbar ("in the wilderness") is a more accurate description of its contents.  It is largely concerned with Israel's forty years in the wilderness as they slowly made their way from Mount Sinai to the plains...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of Numbers...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons One could perhaps make the argument that the history of the church consists of one division after another. Nevertheless, while history is replete with ecclesiastical divisions, there is a unity that transcends all the worldly clamor and devilish confusion...

Continue Reading God's Truth Abideth Still...

The July edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is The Eighth Century, the period of history that fell midway between the founding of the church and the time of the Protestant Reformation. The daily devotions continue our study of the book of Matthew.We don't post all of the...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, July 2008...