(Read Part I) How is it that we saints persevere in the faith? The grace of perseverance becomes ours as we receive and rest upon Christ alone as He is presented to us in the Word. According to Heb 1.1-3, He is the Son greater than the prophets of old....

Continue Reading Our Great High Priest in Hebrews: The Son Greater than the Angels (pt. 2) ...

How is it that the saints persevere in the faith? The author of Hebrews says that our perseverance against the temptations to sin amidst our present sufferings is traceable, in part, to the depth of our appreciation for the surpassing greatness of Christ our high priest. In other words, receiving...

Continue Reading Our Great High Priest in Hebrews: The Son Greater than the Prophets (pt. 1)...

Celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God with these glorious sounds of Christmas. Listen to various orchestras, choirs, instrumentalists, and soloists perform Christmas hymns and songs arranged by talented composers from around the world. Let the reverence of these classical collections bring you to a greater appreciation of God's...

Continue Reading Music of the Season...

On a dark Friday afternoon two thousand years ago, an itinerant preacher and miracle worker hung on a Roman cross just outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. A small crowd gathered to observe the agonizing death of this man who, with His claim to be the very Lord of...

Continue Reading Doctrine Applied...

Does God exist, and if so, what is He like? Has God revealed Himself, and can we know Him? The answers to these perennial questions are vitally important for every human being to understand. Since the time of creation, believers have contemplated the nature and attributes of God, not in...

Continue Reading Doctrine of God: Recommended Reading...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. The culture wars are heating up again. Such, I suppose, ought not to surprise me. Evangelical professor of sociology James Davidson Hunter published his book Culture Wars in 1992. Therein he argued that the real dividing line in modern culture was not between...

Continue Reading Intelligent Design?...

by R.C. Sproul René Descartes intentionally doubted everything he could possibly doubt until he reached the point where he realized there was one thing he couldn't doubt. He could not doubt that he was doubting. To doubt that he was doubting was to prove that he was doubting. No doubt...

Continue Reading Building on a Sure Foundation ...

by R.C. Sproul If we think the Bible teaches universal salvation, we may arrive at a false sense of assurance by reasoning as follows: Everybody is saved. I am a body. Therefore, I am saved. Or, if we think salvation is gained by our own good works and we are...

Continue Reading Rejecting False Assurances ...

Continue Reading new.Ligonier.org...

Generation to Generation by Rod Rosenbladt In this article I want to address a particular problem: What we might do as Christians with those who see themselves as "alumni" of the Christian faith. By that I mean those who once professed that Christ shed His blood, freely justified them before...

Continue Reading The Gospel Is for the Broken...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Allan Fisher Looking for things for which to thank the Lord this Thanksgiving? Start by asking this question: Where would my church be without Christian publishing companies? Imagine your pastor preparing his sermons week in and week out with only a Bible, perhaps in...

Continue Reading Christian Publishing...

by R.C. Sproul Jr. If you were to draw a circle, and label is "sense" there would be no need to draw a second circle labeled "nonsense." If sense is all that is inside the circle, nonsense is of necessity all that is outside the circle. The same is true...

Continue Reading Amazing Grace...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison During the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, there were few things more precious to believers than the recovery of the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Centuries of semi-Pelagian (and Pelagian) growth were dragged into...

Continue Reading Why Is Justification So Important?...

Dr. Sproul sat down for an interview with Mark Driscoll when Ligonier was in Seattle for our '09 West Coast Conference. TheResurgence.com will be posting parts of the interview over the next few weeks. Here's the first installment....

Continue Reading Has R.C. Sproul ever been on the Internet?...

John M. Duncan is the Vice President of Ministry Outreach and Executive Producer for Ligonier Ministries. John produces the daily Renewing Your Mind broadcast with R.C. Sproul. He is responsible for all the video and audio production for the ministry, the creation of new products and the re-release of existing...

Continue Reading The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: John Duncan...

by R.C. Sproul How, then, do we receive assurance? The Scripture declares that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. This inner testimony of the Holy Spirit is as vital as it is complex. It can be subjected to severe distortions, being...

Continue Reading Receiving Assurance of Salvation ...

by R.C. Sproul Many believe that assurance of eternal salvation is neither possible nor even to be sought. To claim such assurance is considered a mask of supreme arrogance, the nadir of self-conceit. Yet if God declares that it is possible to have full assurance of salvation and even commands...

Continue Reading Asking the Most Important Question ...

Pastor's Perspective by David A. Robertson The door opened and a middle-aged man appeared. "Hi, I'm from the local church and...." "Don't waste your time," he interrupted, "I've no time for religion, I believe in science." "Really? Are you a scientist?" "No." "Have you studied science?" "No." "So why do...

Continue Reading "Science" vs. Science...

by R.C. Sproul Jr. No, and yes. The Bible does not have specific text that suggests that the Bible alone is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Those who delight to point this out, however, typically Roman Catholics and the eastern Orthodox, typically miss the point....

Continue Reading Is Sola Scriptura in the Bible?...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul Few books I have read have made a lasting impression on my mind and thought. One of them I read over fifty years ago. The title of the book was The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science, and it made a lasting impression upon...

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

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons In 1998 a dear friend prompted me to get involved working with Dr. Tom Woodward and the C. S. Lewis Society. A few months later I found myself at dinner with Phillip E. Johnson, noted law professor at Berkeley...

Continue Reading A Man Created in God's Image...

The November edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "Darwin." The issue looks at Charles Darwin and discusses the ramifications of his theories and Christian responses to them. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Allan Fisher, Keith Mathison, Russ Pulliam, David Robertson and Rod Rosenbladt. We do not post all...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, November 2009...

by R.C. Sproul We are fragile mortals, given to fears of every sort. We have a built-in insecurity that no amount of whistling in the dark can mollify. We seek assurance concerning the things that frighten us the most. The prohibition uttered more frequently than any other by our Lord...

Continue Reading Facing Our Fears ...

As today is Reformation Day, we thought it would be fitting at 15:17 Wittenberg time to let you have a peek at the new Ligonier.org.Our team has been diligently planning and working to offer a trustworthy internet destination for growing Christians and serious-minded inquirers. While there is still some work...

Continue Reading Testing the new Ligonier.org...

To celebrate Reformation Day (October 31st), we are making a very special offer available, today only: You can purchase The Reformation Study Bible ESV hardcover edition for only $15.17, plus shipping. That's more than 60% off the retail price of $39.99. This offer is good while supplies last and is only available by...

Continue Reading Reformation Day Special Offer...

by R.C. Sproul Charles Colson speaks of a modern "return to the Dark Ages." When I think of the original Dark Ages, I think of a period when culture was in decline and the progress of knowledge was static. But today we read of the problem of the explosion of...

Continue Reading Confronting the Darkness ...

On behalf of R.C. Sproul and Ligonier, we hope that you will join us in Louisville next April 13-15 for Together for the Gospel 2010. It's an event that Dr. Sproul speaks about regularly as an encouraging sign of theological health within the North American church. We hope you can...

Continue Reading Where will you be next April?...

by R.C. Sproul The irony of the theology of meritorious suffering is that it tends to produce the very opposite effect from its original intention. What began as a call to humble willingness to suffer became an insidious tool for self-righteousness. Perhaps the most difficult task for us to perform...

Continue Reading Relying on God's Grace ...

The Lord is so good to us by allowing our team to hear regularly from folks touched by Ligonier's outreach. Every day brings us new reasons for praise and thankfulness to our holy God as he blesses the ministry of his holy Word. Here are just two testimonies that came...

Continue Reading Stories we love to hear...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith As seen in other articles this month, the word hypocrisy derives from the Greek term for "playing a part." The ordinary word for an actor on the stage in Greek drama was hypocrite. In the tragedies of Sophocles or the comedies of Aristophanes,...

Continue Reading Playing Your Part...

R.C. Sproul's best-selling book The Holiness of God is now available in case quantities, discounted up to 83% off through the Books By The Box program from Man in the Mirror.  Twenty-five years after its first release The Holiness of God book continues to be one of our most popular resources. "When...

Continue Reading The Holiness of God Now Available in Case Quantities...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. The world is full of hypocrites, and the solution to this problem is twofold: If you are more modern, you deal with the gap between your obedience and what you pretend to be by trying harder to be good. You try to make...

Continue Reading The Coming Kingdom...

As the Director of Publications for Reformation Trust Publishing, Greg Bailey spends his time working with authors, editors, and proofreaders, editing and preparing manuscripts for print, and evaluating manuscript proposals. He also chairs the editorial committee that evaluates promising proposals for books that may be published by Reformation Trust.Greg brings to...

Continue Reading The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: Greg Bailey...

by R.C. Sproul Martin Luther's teaching of "justification by faith alone" was a battle cry for the sufficiency of the merit of Christ and for the graciousness of redemption. His slogan sola fide ("by faith alone") was merely an extension of Augustine's earlier credo, sola gratia ("by grace alone"). What...

Continue Reading Suffering for Righteousness ...

by R.C. Sproul Martin Luther's tenure in the monastery was a time of spiritual desperation. He was tormented by unrelieved guilt coupled with a gripping fear of the wrath of God. Why would an educated man retreat to a barren cell and abuse himself with self-inflicted physical punishment? Why would...

Continue Reading Avoiding a False Theology of Suffering ...

The end of September marked the one year anniversary of Ligonier Ministries' first-ever capital campaign. Here We Stand: The Campaign for Ligonier Ministries was launched to fund the entire campus project that will be home to the new Ligonier Academy of Biblical & Theological Studies and our other ministry outreaches....

Continue Reading Here We Stand Campaign Update...

by Keith Mathison "When we think about the last things we must never allow our minds to be diverted from this principle, that the last things, like the first things, are the things of Jesus Christ." --Sinclair Ferguson, "The Last Things," Ligonier Leadership Conference Christians have long been fascinated with...

Continue Reading Eschatology Is Christology - Ligonier Leadership Conference (XI)...

"How can you love Jesus and not love who He loves?" -- Ligon Duncan, "The Church and Sacraments," Ligonier Leadership Conference Ligon Duncan's message on the church is all about the need of Christians to love His church. So many of us are indifferent to the church and its people....

Continue Reading Loving the Church - Ligonier Leadership Conference (X)...

by Keith A. Mathison"When we exalt God's holiness and put man in his rightful place, we magnify grace." --Steve Lawson, "Saved by Grace," Ligonier Leadership ConferenceIt seems to be common knowledge among "enlightened" Christians that grace is somehow exalted when we soften the holiness of God and diminish the wrath...

Continue Reading Saved by Grace - Ligonier Leadership Conference (IX)...

"Mankind is made to resemble God. What, then, does it mean to be made in the image of God?" --Ligon Duncan, "Created in God's Image," Ligonier Leadership Conference The question quoted above is that which Dr. Duncan sought to answer throughout his second discussion at the Ligonier leadership conference. His...

Continue Reading Resembling God - Ligonier Leadership Conference (VIII)...

by Nick Batzig When the Holy Spirit comes to us He comes primarily to mediate the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Sinclair B. Ferguson, "The Holy Spirit," Ligonier Leadership Conference In his second address, Dr. Ferguson drew attention to the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 8:1-17....

Continue Reading Indwelt by Christ - Ligonier Leadership Conference (VII)...

by Keith A. MathisonLigon Duncan reminds us that our answer to the question "Who is Jesus?" is of crucial importance.  Every religion and cult has a different answer to that question.  Many individuals in our culture will not hesitate to tell us: "To me, Jesus is...."  The one thing all...

Continue Reading The Word Became Flesh - Ligonier Leadership Conference (VI)...

by Nicholas T. Batzig"When people don't want to listen to preaching, the remedy is preaching." --Sinclair FergusonIn his first address at the ministry leadership conference, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson led off with the well known words of 2 Timothy 3:14-16. In these verses the apostle Paul admonished Timothy with regard to...

Continue Reading The Abiding Significance of Scripture - Ligonier Leadership Conference (V)...

"Jesus hurls great chunks of God's Word at Satan in the wilderness--insurmountable words of resistance: 'Man shall not live by bread alone,
 but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" --Sinclair Ferguson, "The Word Is Truth," Ligonier Leadership ConferenceDuring His temptation in the wilderness nothing less than...

Continue Reading Wherever the Word Is, There Is God - Ligonier Leadership Conference (IV)...

"Sovereignty is the Godness of God." -- Steve Lawson talks about "Our Sovereign God" at the Ligonier Leadership Conference Like many people, I did not grow up in a Reformed church, and Calvinism was often used as a dirty word in some of the churches I attended. Although when I...

Continue Reading The Godness of God - Ligonier Leadership Conference (III)...

by Nicholas T. Batzig "Idolatry is a religious exercise." --R.C. Sproul, discussion on "Creation and Providence" at the Ligonier Leadership Conference Dr. Sproul opened the Ligonier leadership conference with the words of Acts 17:16-28, the well-known account of Paul in the Areopagus. When Paul came into this city, instead of...

Continue Reading Religious in All Things - Ligonier Leadership Conference (II)...

"Christians on the one hand defend the doctrine of creation but on the other hand remain almost silent on the doctrine of divine providence." --R.C. Sproul, discussion on "Creation and Providence" at the Ligonier Leadership Conference Dr. Sproul appropriately kicks off Ligonier's Pillars of the Christian Faith leadership conference with...

Continue Reading Forgotten Providence - Ligonier Leadership Conference (I)...

As the catalog of originally-conceived and produced music at Ligonier continues to grow, we are constantly looking for avenues to make this music available to wider audiences. Now twelve of Ligonier's music titles are available for digital download through the iTunes® store, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody and more than 19 other...

Continue Reading Ligonier Music Titles Available for Digital Download on iTunes, Amazon and more...

Generation to Generation by Alex Chediak You may have heard that retirement can kill you. Men and women die of boredom, for lack of intellectual challenge, or from the deafening silence that can accompany a spouse's death. Depressed saving accounts may represent another motivation to stay gainfully employed. Even if...

Continue Reading Don't Retire; We Need You...

by R.C. Sproul Does man have a free will? This question is one of the most frequently asked questions of theology. At times, it is not voiced as a question but as an objection to the whole idea of a sovereign God. At the heart of the problem is the...

Continue Reading Exercising Your Power of Choice ...

by R.C. Sproul Israel's reformation came via a rediscovery of the law, which created a brief awakening to the bankruptcy of a corrupt nation. As a young man, King Josiah began the process of reformation with a spiritual purge, a cleansing of pagan elements from the religious life of the...

Continue Reading Rediscovering the Law ...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Michael S. Horton If you've been in Protestant circles for very long, whether conservative or liberal, you may have heard the phrase "reformed and always reforming" or sometimes just "always reforming." I hear it a lot these days, especially from friends who want our...

Continue Reading Semper Reformanda...

Each month, Tabletalk magazine aids thousands of people around the world in their study of Scripture. Make 2010 a year of enriching and engaging study for someone on your gift list by sending them a gift subscription of Tabletalk magazine. When you do, you can choose any book listed below...

Continue Reading Send a Gift, Get a Gift...

Ligonier media resources have a long history in their global outreach. It is a great joy for the ministry to be able to contribute hundreds of resources from obsolete inventory and find an inexpensive way of distribution. DVDs, CDs, and MP3s are the media formats of the twenty-first century, yet...

Continue Reading Obsolete Media Goes Global...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison Let's do a quick word association test. What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you see or hear the word teenager? Sadly, for many, the first words that come to mind are entirely negative. The word...

Continue Reading Teenage Rebellion...

Pastor's Perspective by Robert Barnes I'm a confessional Calvinist, but I have the nagging sense that God slipped up when he allowed me to pastor a church. A number of questions go through my mind as I consider God's decision to allow me to pastor at Dayspring Church (PCA). Is...

Continue Reading To Whom Be the Glory?...

by R.C. Sproul The Christian life is lived in the context of mystical union with Christ. This union finds its initial origin in eternity. Our salvation is from the foundation of the world, resting in the grace of God's sovereign election. Paul indicates this in Ephesians 1:3-6. It is in...

Continue Reading Entering into Mystical Union ...

by R.C. Sproul Our souls cannot climb out of the mire of sin because they are dead. Salvation comes not to those who cry out, "Show me the way to heaven," but to those who cry, "Take me there for I cannot." Lest we see the sinner's prayer as mere...

Continue Reading Climbing out of the Mire ...

Ligonier Ministries presents our annual Christmas resource guide with gift ideas for those wanting to grow in their faith. Find several new resources from Ligonier and Reformation Trust Publishing, including brand new commentaries from R.C. Sproul and animatic DVDs of Dr. Sproul's children's books. Also included are a fine selection...

Continue Reading 2009 Christmas Catalog: In Light of the Ultimate Gift...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul About thirty years ago, my close friend and colleague, Archie Parrish, who at that time led the Evangelism Explosion (EE) program in Fort Lauderdale, came to me with a request. He indicated that on the thousands of evangelistic visits the EE teams made,...

Continue Reading Is the Church Full of Hypocrites?...

by R.C. Sproul The dark night of the soul. This phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of Christians have suffered from time to time. It was the malady that provoked David to soak his pillow with tears. It was the malady that earned for Jeremiah the sobriquet, "The Weeping...

Continue Reading The Dark Night of the Soul...

Last July, Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies welcomed its inaugural class of D.Min. students. One of the first courses offered, on the subject of preaching, was taught by Dr. Steve Lawson. Dr. Lawson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama and the author...

Continue Reading Interview With Dr. Steve Lawson About the Ligonier Academy D.Min. Program...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons I just began reading a book by a well-known pastor who, in the opening pages, referred to himself as a "professional hypocrite." Being a pastor, he is all too familiar with the hypocrite label that is so often leveled...

Continue Reading Hypocritical Hypocrisy...

by R.C. Sproul When Christ purchased His bride, He bought a bride who was "damaged merchandise." His bride was sullied by manifest impurities. She was covered by spots and marred by wrinkles. Yet what He purchased He also sanctifies: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and...

Continue Reading Becoming Part of the Bride ...

The October edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "Hypocrisy"--what it is, how it impacts the church's mission, and how we can guard against it. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Robert Barnes, Iain Campbell, Alex Chediak, Richard Ganz, Michael Horton and Richard Phillips. We do not post all of...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, October 2009...

by Albert Mohler The Bible consistently affirms education as a central responsibility of God's people. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were reminded that the education of their own children was an essential part of their responsibility as God's covenant people. In Israel, a father was to teach his...

Continue Reading Training Pastors in Church...

This is part two of an interview with Keith Mathison. Click here to read part one. If you could study under any churchman in history who would it be and why? John Owen. Owen was perhaps the most brilliant English-speaking theologian of the past five-hundred years, but he was not...

Continue Reading An Interview With Keith Mathison (pt. 2)...

I first came in contact with Keith Mathison while in college. I attended an historically Dispensational college where a giant Clarence Larkin Dispensational chart adorned one of the classrooms. I came across a new book through Tabletalk magazine called Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God? published by P&R in...

Continue Reading An Interview With Keith Mathison...

The Proverbs tell us "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom and the one who gets understanding" (Proverbs 3:13). The beginning of wisdom is fearing the Lord, the path of wisdom is worshiping the Lord, and the end of wisdom is falling down in the presence of the Lord before...

Continue Reading The Lifelong Pursuit of Godly Wisdom ...

by John Piper The inner essence of worship is treasuring Jesus as infinitely valuable above everything. The outer forms of worship are the acts that show how much we treasure God. Therefore, all of life is meant to be worship because God said whether you eat or drink or whatever...

Continue Reading Treasures on Earth...

Last weekend marked the Ligonier Ministries 2009 West Coast conference in Seattle, Washington. Alistair Begg and Michael Horton joined R.C. Sproul in examining the significance of the resurrection of Christ for worship, preaching, apologetics, and other issues. Our friend Alex Chediak was there as well, capturing on the blog some...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference Blog Round-up...

by Terry Johnson Rich people are materialistic. We all know it. All they care about is their money and things. Or so I thought. My background consists of a blue-collar neighborhood and an inner-city high school in Southern California. My quick judgment of wealthy people, when first I encountered them,...

Continue Reading The Gain of Godliness...

Jason Stellman, in Dual Citizens:As the saints leave their houses each and every Lord's Day morning and assemble with the rest of God's people, both on earth and in heaven, they are making a much louder statement to the world than a fish emblem on their bumpers ever will (even...

Continue Reading It is man, not God, who is irrelevant...

by R.C. Sproul By grace, God offers the righteousness of Christ to all who put their trust in Him. For all who believe, all who have faith in Him, the merit of Christ is reckoned to their account. Does this exclude good works in the life of the believer? By...

Continue Reading Bearing Spiritual Fruit ...

Dr. Sproul brought the conference to a close with a message entitled He Is Risen! -- The Resurrection and Worship.  INTRODUCTION Dr. Sproul read from Exodus 19, the preamble to the giving of the Decalogue. Imagine that you were there: "On the morning of the third day there were thunders...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 8 - R.C. Sproul...

Dr. Begg returned to the pulpit to bring a message entitled In the Likeness of His Resurrection -- The Bodily Resurrection of the Believer, taking his text from 2 Corinthians 5.   INTRODUCTIONHe then read a portion of a message that a pastor might deliver at a funeral.  A text...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 7 - Alistair Begg...

The Rev. Jason Stellman is the pastor of Exile Presbyterian Church in the Seattle area.  He is the author of a new book entitled Dual Citizens: Worship and Life Between the Already and the Not Yet, available from Reformation Trust.  In this breakout session, Stellman unpacked a chapter in his...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Breakout Session - Jason Stellman...

"What do you think of Barth's view of the resurrection?"HORTON: Barth was considered a fundamentalist among his contemporaries for believing in the bodily resurrection. Others have been more clear.  Many in Germany and in Switzerland at the time denied either the virgin birth or the bodily resurrection or both.   ...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 6 - Q&A - Begg, Horton, Sproul...

Michael Horton began his message reading Paul's Mars Hill sermon from Acts 17.  He then cited a recent Newsweek article from Lisa Miller.  Ms. Miller opined "we're all Hindus now" and her reasoning was (in part) that we all believe in the continuity of life (into an afterlife stage where...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 5 - Michael Horton...

As we look around America today, we see what our forefathers envisioned -- a land of freedom and opportunity. Even households at the "poverty level" in this country today have a much better standard of living than those in third world countries. Yet, the resounding theme throughout America today is...

Continue Reading True Life...

R.C. Sproul has for many decades proclaimed and defended the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the founder and president of Ligonier Ministries, his teaching can be heard worldwide on the program Renewing Your Mind, which is available on 230 radio outlets in the United States and in fifty countries worldwide....

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 4 - R.C. Sproul...

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} For Dr. Horton:  "You said that we...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 3 - Q&A - Begg, Horton, Sproul...

Michael Horton is J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, and he co-hosts The White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated radio talk-show that explores issues revolving around Reformation Theology in American Christianity. Dr. Horton is a minister in the United Reformed Churches of North...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session 2 - Michael Horton...

Alistair Begg led us off with the first session.  Dr. Begg has served in pastoral ministry for over thirty years, ministering in churches in Scotland and the United States. He has served as senior pastor of Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1983, and he can be heard teaching...

Continue Reading 2009 West Coast Conference - Session I - Alistair Begg...

by Derek Thomas "The Holy Spirit has exhorted the faithful to continue clapping their hands for joy until the advent of the promised Redeemer," wrote John Calvin in a comment on Psalm 47:1­2. Paul would heartily concur! Writing from a prison cell from which he had no certain knowledge of...

Continue Reading A Light in Dark Places...

by Tom Ascol One of the most popular sermons I have preached is entitled "How to Fire Your Pastor." I should have been suspicious when so many people requested copies of it! My purpose wasn't to advocate such action; rather, I wanted to help the church know what to do...

Continue Reading A Solemn Discharge of Duty...

Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies is accepting applications from qualified candidates for admission to the Doctor of Ministry degree program. Our inaugural courses were held in July 2009, and the response of our first students has been overwhelmingly positive. We are very pleased to announce the following upcoming classes.     2010...

Continue Reading The Ligonier Academy Doctor of Ministry Program...

We are pleased to announce the arrival of the newly revised and expanded editions of Crucial Questions from Reformation Trust Publishing. This series is designed to present Dr. Sproul's insights on various questions that tend to come up often in the minds of evangelicals today. The booklets deal with issues that...

Continue Reading Crucial Questions, New from Reformation Trust Publishing...

Released just a few weeks ago, hundreds of people have already purchased The Reformation Study Bible iPhone app. Here's what a few iTunes users had to say:I have a couple of different Bible apps on my iPod. But The Reformation Study Bible app outdoes even the ESV Study Bible app. Well worth...

Continue Reading RSB iPhone App Well Received (and $11.99 for a Limited Time)...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith God is a unity of distinct persons. The one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So says the doctrine of the Trinity. Some people believe in the unity and oneness of God, but deny that He consists in different persons. Heretics such...

Continue Reading The Heresies of Love...

In his new book, Dual Citizens, Jason Stellman writes about Christians who pursue pragmatism at the expense of doctrine, and popularity in lieu of the gospel:Paul had an odd way of motivating people, especially his young protégé, Timothy. Only a handful of verses into his second letter to Timothy, the...

Continue Reading Holy Embarrassment...

by R.C. Sproul God said to Isaiah: "Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,...

Continue Reading Opening Our Ears to Hear ...

Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies once again establishes Ligonier as a destination for study, fellowship, and collegial interaction essential to Ligonier's goal to "further equip Christians to know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it." We are pleased to...

Continue Reading The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: Fowler White...

by R.C. Sproul By grace, God offers the righteousness of Christ to all who put their trust in Him. For all who believe, all who have faith in Him, the merit of Christ is reckoned to their account. Does this exclude good works in the life of the believer? By...

Continue Reading Bearing Spiritual Fruit ...

This past summer has been a fiery trial for believers in Iran. Since the fraudulent elections, the attempted "green revolution," and the subsequent inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Christians in Iran, particularly Muslim converts, have undergone direct detainment. Our contact, who ministers through Trans World Radio, reports that 110 believers from the...

Continue Reading Iran: Believers and Broadcasts...

by R.C. Sproul Jr.Why do the wicked flee when none pursue? Guilt. Why do we by nature exchange the glory of the Creator for corruptible things? Guilt. Why do the nations rage, and the rulers take counsel together? Guilt. Why do the sheep know their Master's voice? Forgiveness. Why do...

Continue Reading Cornerstones and Stumbling Blocks...

Our understanding of the nature and authority of Scripture is key to our theology. What we think of the Bible will have ramifications on what we think of everything else. What then are some helpful books for those seeking to understand the issues involved? While by no means exhaustive, here...

Continue Reading Doctrine of Scripture: Recommended Reading...

by Mark E. RossPhilip Schaff, the distinguished nineteenth century church historian, calls the saying in our title "the watchword of Christian peacemakers" (History of the Christian Church, Vol. 7, p. 650). Often attributed to great theologians such as Augustine, it comes from an otherwise undistinguished German Lutheran theologian of the...

Continue Reading In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity...

Get an additional 10% off the normally discounted prices for all resources at www.ligonier.org through the end of September. Enter promotion code 10PCT at checkout. Offer available online only. ...

Continue Reading Get an Additional 10% Off All Online Orders...

by R.C. Sproul There is an oft-neglected principle taught in the New Testament. I call it the principle of "graduated responsibility." This principle is taught by Jesus in Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" (NIV). This saying is part of the parable of...

Continue Reading Accepting Graduated Responsibility...

Scenes from the Life of Christ is the newest recording from Ligonier's music division. For composer Tom Howard, the music emerged after meditating on the Scriptures, where the emotional impact of each passage inspired themes, melodies, and textures. Hear the composer's heart for these timeless stories expressed in vivid and dramatic...

Continue Reading New Music from Ligonier: Scenes from the Life of Christ...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison The relationship between the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant remains one of the most controversial and difficult topics in theology. As the notable American theologian Jonathan Edwards said, "There is perhaps no part of divinity attended with so much...

Continue Reading Christ in the Old Testament...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. Unity matters. However, so does diversity. Indeed, unity and diversity unite in the very nature of God. God is three persons united in one essence. The world around us fails to see how God's creation reflects the Trinity, and it always therefore either...

Continue Reading For All the Saints...

by R.C. Sproul The key to understanding the cry of Jesus from the cross is found in Paul's letter to the Galatians: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree'"...

Continue Reading Treasuring Redemption's Price...

by R.C. Sproul The Westminster Catechism defines sin as "any want of conformity to or transgression of the law of God." We notice here that sin is defined both in negative and positive terms. The negative aspect is indicated by the words "want of conformity." It points to a lack...

Continue Reading Exploring the Boundaries of God's Law ...

Fire from the BrambleJudges 9:42-49So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough... put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women (Judg. 9:49). After defeating Gaal and...

Continue Reading Tabletalk Devotional from
September 11, 2001...

Generation to Generation by Bruce K. Waltke "Better than a bronze sculpture by Cellini, or a marble one by Bernini, or even a Beethoven symphony," I was saying to my colleagues, while our waitress with tray in hand waited attentively for my climatic closure, "I enjoy a great sermon," whereupon...

Continue Reading Meditating on Scripture...

Recently, I posted a blog on the nineteenth century debate between Charles Hodge and John Williamson Nevin regarding the Lord's Supper. In that blog, I posted links only to the documents related specifically to the Lord's Supper debate. It was suggested that it might be helpful to provide the links...

Continue Reading Princeton vs. Mercersburg: Some Primary Sources...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Michael A.G. Haykin In the final letter that we have from the apostle Paul, written in a lonely prison cell in Rome while he was expecting death for the sake of the gospel, he reminded his closest friend Timothy of the utter necessity of...

Continue Reading No Sacrifice Too Great...

Recently, I completed a series of posts listing what I believe to be the most helpful commentaries on each book of the Bible. What I would like to do now is something similar with other biblical, theological, and historical topics. This will be, Lord willing, the first in a series...

Continue Reading Systematic Theologies: Recommended Reading...

Pastor's Perspective by Gary L.W. Johnson The English Reformer Hugh Latimer once remarked, "We ought never to regard unity so much that we would or should forsake God's Word for her sake." Wise words from a man who went to the stake, rather than compromise the truth of the gospel....

Continue Reading Deeds Over Creeds...

by R.C. Sproul Let's continue the experiment we began in the previous meditation. Study the excerpts from the apostle Paul that accompany this reading. Does this sound like a man who believed the law of God has no place in the Christian life? Read Paul's writings carefully and you will...

Continue Reading Reaping the Benefits of the Law ...

by R.C. Sproul A survey by George Gallup Jr. revealed a startling trend in our culture. According to Gallup, the evidence seems to indicate that there are no clear behavioral patterns that distinguish Christians from non-Christians in our society. We all seem to be marching to the same drummer, looking...

Continue Reading Longing for God's Law...

by R.C. Sproul Albert Einstein was once asked by a student, "Dr. Einstein, how many feet are there in a mile?" To the utter astonishment of the student, Einstein replied, "I don't know." The student was sure the great professor was joking. Surely Einstein would know a simple fact that...

Continue Reading Pursuing God ...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul Is the Reformation over? There have been several observations rendered on this subject by those I would call "erstwhile evangelicals." One of them wrote, "Luther was right in the sixteenth century, but the question of justification is not an issue now." A second...

Continue Reading Is the Reformation Over?...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons We have all heard it said, and some of you have even said it: "Let's just agree to disagree." If memory serves me, I have never used that expression, primarily because I don't think it makes much sense and...

Continue Reading True Catholicism...

The September edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "What Is True Unity?" It examines biblical unity between Christians as well as the difference between true and false ecclesiastical unity. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Michael Haykin, Gary Johnson, Albert Mohler, Mark Ross, Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Waltke. We...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, September 2009...

In 2002, I published a book entitled Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper. On page 136, I made the following statement:One of the most fascinating theological debates to occur in nineteenth-century antebellum America was the eucharistic debate between John Williamson Nevin and Charles Hodge that resulted...

Continue Reading Charles Hodge vs. John Williamson Nevin on the Lord's Supper...

by R.C. Sproul Every Sunday morning we observe a strange phenomenon in our cities, towns, and villages. Millions of people leave their homes, take respite from their jobs and recreation, and gather in church buildings for services of worship. People sit quietly and listen while one person stands before them...

Continue Reading Perceiving the Power of Preaching ...

by R.C. Sproul When the disciples walked the road to Emmaus twenty centuries ago, Jesus concealed His identity so that they didn't recognize the "stranger" at their side. These men were not in a garden. There were no roses covered with dew. But they walked and talked with the risen...

Continue Reading Enjoying Communion with God ...

by R.C. Sproul We speak of God as the immortal, invisible, all-wise God. This string of attributes gives some comfort and no small amount of dismay. That God is immortal makes me glad. It means simply that He cannot and therefore will never die. I need not worry that He...

Continue Reading Longing for Fellowship ...

by R.C. Sproul Does nature reveal God? This question indicates a concern about a foundational issue to Christianity. The issue is, can God be known outside of the church or a religious environment? The secularist of today answers this question with the negative. The world of nature is frequently said...

Continue Reading Receiving the Revelation ...

I recently had the privilege of reviewing the three top Bible study software programs available today: BibleWorks, Logos, and Accordance.It may be helpful at this point to provide a brief summary of my thoughts on how these three compare.All three software programs have strong original language capabilities. I don't think...

Continue Reading BibleWorks, Logos, and Accordance: A Comparison...

by R.C. Sproul It was Bonaventure who offered the thought: "In order that we may be able to extol and glorify God, and in order that we may advance to the knowledge of God, we must transfer to the divine that which pertains to the creature . . . nearly...

Continue Reading Recognizing that the Earth Is the Lord's ...

The saints of old "acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13b). This is no less true for Christians today; as Paul writes, "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20a). But though we are on the road to that homeland, we are not there yet. It...

Continue Reading New from Reformation Trust:
Dual Citizens: Worship and Life Between the Already and the Not Yet...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith Not long ago, I learned that thirty-eight percent of my retirement account has vanished and that my house is suddenly worth less than the mortgage I am paying on it. I wasn't wasteful or reckless. I didn't vandalize my own home or spend...

Continue Reading Money, Money, Money...

by R.C. Sproul In the New Testament, the Greek word for bishop is the term episcopus. The word episcopus has a rich and fascinating history. It is made up of a prefix epi and a root scopus. We get the English word scope from this root. A scope is an...

Continue Reading Reflecting on Our Episcopus...

Ligonier Academy is pleased to announce the names of its first two Certificate program graduates. We would like to congratulate Mr. Ryan Ausmus for completing the Introductory Certificate in Apologetics and Mr. Mark Salmon for completing the Introductory Certificate in Biblical Studies. We pray that these men will be able...

Continue Reading Ligonier Academy Certificate Graduates...

by R.C. Sproul We have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text...

Continue Reading Finding God ...

by R.C. Sproul How many times have you heard Christians say (or heard the words from your own mouth), "So-and-so is not a Christian but he's searching"? It is a common statement among Christians. The idea is that there are people all over the place who are searching for God....

Continue Reading Seeking After God ...

Now you can carry The Reformation Study Bible with you wherever you go. Released this week, the application provides easy access to:More than 20,000 study notes on Bible verses and termsIntroductions to the seven groups of biblical booksBook introductions with outlines96 theological essays on central doctrines of ScriptureEntire text of...

Continue Reading The Reformation Study Bible iPhone App Now Available...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. I'm connected to royalty. Granted, it's a rather thin point of union. In less than six degrees, though through enough marriage links that there is no legal tie, I am connected with the king of the tropical island, Yap. Yap is best known...

Continue Reading Money from Nothing...

For those of us over the age of 40, reviewing today's Bible study software can cause conflicting emotions. It's exciting to learn all of the capabilities of these great time-saving tools, but it is sometimes difficult to keep oneself from thinking, "I wish this had been available back when I...

Continue Reading Logos Scholar's Gold - A Review...

by Keith Mathison In 1993, David Wells published a book entitled No Place For Truth: Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? This book was intended as a wake-up call to an evangelical church that had lost its way, having allowed modernity to replace Scripture as the primary shaper of its...

Continue Reading The Courage To Be Protestant...

by R.C. Sproul In a sense we are fortunate that we cannot see God. If for one second the veil were removed and we caught a brief glimpse of the face of God, we would perish instantly. His effulgence is so brilliant, His glory so dazzling, that in our present...

Continue Reading Yearning for God...

by R.C. Sproul "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov. 29:18, KJV). We hear this verse quoted frequently in order that we may be inspired and challenged to move with intensity toward a future goal. We applaud the leader who is a visionary, one who can paint a...

Continue Reading Seeing God...

Everything we do centers around our purpose to awaken as many people as possible to the holiness of God by proclaiming, teaching, and defending God's holiness in all its fullness. Over time in a series of posts we would like to introduce you to the people at Ligonier Ministries who...

Continue Reading The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: Todd Jackson...

Reformation Trust authors Steven Lawson and Joel Beeke will be the speakers for the 2009 Expositors' Conference on September 28-29 at Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. Take time to learn about great preachers of the past, including Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Whitefield, Spurgeon, Boice, and others. A special pre-conference with Dr. Joel...

Continue Reading 2009 Expositors' Conference...

Generation to Generation by David and Joshua Eby The Mission of the Father My wife Darlene and I became second-career missionaries to Uganda in 2006 after I pastored in the United States for thirty-four years. God had worked in us a heart for missions, and for Uganda in particular, over...

Continue Reading Future Hope...

by R.C. Sproul Our God remains incomprehensible and retains His simplicity. He tells us in His Word that He is not a God of confusion but of order. He is not at war with Himself. He is altogether good, altogether holy, and altogether sovereign. This we must affirm to maintain...

Continue Reading Affirming Divine Sovereignty ...

by RC Sproul Jr. A month or so ago I wrote about GK Chesterton, and in particular his book Orthodoxy, in a little piece titled The Wizard of Ahhs. Like most people before I met Chesterton I met Lewis. I remember whose house I was in (it belonged to a...

Continue Reading The Great Divorce...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by David F. Wells I am in the middle of reading two books simultaneously, one at my office today and the other I will resume at home tonight. My day book is Julia Duin's Quitting Church: Why the Faithful Are Fleeing and What to Do...

Continue Reading Quitting and Finding Church...

by R.C. Sproul God is called holy not only because of what He does, but also because of who He is. Originally the term referred more to God's being than His action or behavior. For us to be called saints ("holy ones"), we must have a catharsis. We must be...

Continue Reading Conforming to God's Holiness...

by R.C. Sproul As a child, the first prayer I ever learned was a simple table grace. It went like this: "God is great, God is good. And we thank Him for this food." At the time, I did not realize that a single biblical word captured the twin ideas...

Continue Reading Comprehending God's Goodness...

Pastor's Perspective by James L. Harvey I love the movie Chariots of Fire. Now over twenty-five years old, the movie remains a compelling testimony of God blessing the faithful use of our gifts and talents. The film chronicles the life of Eric Liddell, a Scottish missionary who was an Olympic-caliber...

Continue Reading God Loves a Cheerful Giver...

by R.C. Sproul One of the most poignant episodes of the judgment of God occurred in the Old Testament case of Eli. Eli was a judge and priest over Israel. He was, for the most part, a godly man. But his sons were wicked and profaned the house of God....

Continue Reading Respecting God's Judgment ...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul In the last book of the Old Testament, God spoke through the prophet Malachi. He raised a provocative question: "Will man rob God?" This is somewhat startling because it suggests something that on the surface would appear to be impossible. How could anybody...

Continue Reading Will Man Rob God?...

by R.C. Sproul I had a football coach who had hands the size of catcher's mitts. When we got out of line, he would stand in front of us and place his hands on our shoulders. As he rebuked us, he would begin to squeeze our shoulders. When he did...

Continue Reading Experiencing God's Discipline ...

Have you ever stopped to genuinely contemplate the significance of the resurrection? Do you think of it as simply the reason for a spring holiday or as the event upon which Christianity stands or falls?On September 25-26, 2009, in Seattle, Washington, R.C. Sproul, Alistair Begg, and Michael Horton will examine the...

Continue Reading West Coast Conference: Early Bird Rates End August 7th...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons Several years after my father's death in 1992 I found an old shoebox among my father's belongings. Among the various items in the shoebox, I came across a stack of letters that my father had written just prior to...

Continue Reading Is It Just a Money Issue?...

by R.C. Sproul Some people have a hard time even thinking of God as "Father" because of the horrible abuse they suffered from their earthly fathers' hands. But God is a Father who never abuses His children, although He does punish them. He chastens those whom He loves. It is...

Continue Reading Accepting Correction from the Father ...

The August edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "In Gold We Trust: The Money Issue." It explores the necessity of practicing faithful stewardship of all our resources to the glory of God's kingdom. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, David and Joshua Eby, James Harvey, Rosemary Jensen, Ken...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, August 2009...

by R.C. Sproul I recently heard a young Christian remark, "I have no fear of dying." When I heard this comment I thought to myself, "I wish I could say that." I am not afraid of death. I believe that death for the Christian is a glorious transition to heaven....

Continue Reading Fostering Fear of God...

by R.C. Sproul I don't remember the exact words. They went something like this: "He was a thundering paradox of a man." These words served as the opening lines of William Manchester's classic biography of General Douglas MacArthur. In this work, MacArthur was shown as a multi-faceted man whose essence...

Continue Reading Covenant Prosecutors...

by R.C. Sproul I remember a stained-glass window that adorned the library of my alma mater. It was situated above the stairwell at the second-floor landing. In leaded letters, the words in the window declared, "Knowledge is power." Every time I ascended or descended that staircase I cringed at those...

Continue Reading Developing a Passion for God...

One of the great needs of the church today is a renewed commitment to expository preaching and teaching based on a careful study of the Bible in its original languages. Many pastors, however, are pressed for time and find it difficult to dig into the text as deeply as they...

Continue Reading BibleWorks 8 - A Review...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith One of the greatest social scientists credits John Calvin for the rise of capitalism and, by extension, modern Western culture itself. That is quite an influence and quite a tribute to Calvin. Nevertheless, though there is some truth to the claim, the specific...

Continue Reading Calvin & Culture, Reconsidered...

by R.C. Sproul The Heidelberg Catechism states, in the answer to Question 47, "Christ is true man and true God. With respect to His human nature He is no longer on earth, but with respect to His divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit He is never absent from us." This statement...

Continue Reading The Presence of Christ...

The inaugural class for the Doctor of Ministry program at Ligonier Academy of Biblical & Theological Studies was a success! Held July 13-17, 2009, at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, Fla., ten students participated in Dr. R.C. Sproul's class, "The Doctrine of Justification." Here is what some of the students had...

Continue Reading Inaugural Class for the Academy a Success...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. As birthdays go, it's a big one. It is fitting and appropriate that we would mark the five-hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Trouble is, that occasion is being marked in at least two different ways. First, those who do not...

Continue Reading Where Is the Glory Found?...

Generation to Generation by Gordon Reed Many years ago I was privileged to know several great men of faith in the generation just preceding my own. I regarded these men with deep respect and even held them in awe because of their great knowledge and even greater piety. Looking back,...

Continue Reading Outlived or Lived Out?...

Ligonier Academy is pleased to announce the courses that will be offered in 2010 as part of our Doctor of Ministry program. For more information on this new program, please visit the Ligonier Academy Doctor of Ministry website.The Winter 2010 D.Min. course schedule is:January 11-15: Reformed Philosophy of Ministry -...

Continue Reading Announcing 2010 Doctor of Ministry Courses...

When I started seminary in 1990, I wrote all of my papers on a typewriter. Personal computers were available at that time, but they were expensive and out of my price range. In fact, I didn't own a personal computer until 1996. Like everyone else at that time, I did...

Continue Reading Accordance 8: A Review...

The following letter was included in Ligonier's recent newsletter sent to our Ministry Partners. It is nowhere near exhaustive, but it provides a quick glimpse at what we've been up to this year and some new things to come: We hit the ground running in 2009. This strong start is due...

Continue Reading 2009 Mid-Year Ministry Update...

Between work, school, and fellowship, we spend a lot of time rushing from one event to another without slowing down. Summertime comes and gives some a chance to relax. But how often do we stop to look at ourselves and how we are living?"We were told by the Lord to...

Continue Reading How Are You Living Your Life?...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Derek Thomas Only one book is absolutely essential to save us, to equip us to obey God's will, and to glorify Him in whatever we do. Only one book gives us undiluted truth -- the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Only one...

Continue Reading Corinthian Enthusiasm...

by R.C. Sproul What does Paul mean when he talks about filling up that which is lacking in the afflictions of Christ if there is no deficiency of merit in Christ's suffering? Christ, Who performs the perfect sacrifice once and for all, nevertheless calls His church to bear witness to...

Continue Reading Buried with Christ...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Marriage Part 2) From Whom Should I Seek Counsel? Many people resent the suggestion that they seek counsel in their selection of a marriage partner. After all, isn't such a selection an intensely personal and private matter? However personal and private...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Marriage (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Marriage Part 1) Do I Want to Get Married? Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:8-9: "To the unmarried and widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Marriage (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Job) God's will. Man's will. Our work. The other topic of perennial concern is our marital status. Should we marry or remain single? Perhaps in no other area of human activity do Christians expend more decision-making energy than in the area...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Marriage (pt. 1)...

Join Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, Steven Lawson, and R.C. Sproul for Ligonier's first annual Leadership Conference in Sanford, Florida, on October 20-22, 2009. Are you a church leader who needs a time of refreshment, a chance to refocus, and an opportunity for fellowship with fellow ministry workers? This conference is for you. Your...

Continue Reading Training Up Church Leaders for a New Reformation...

by Martin Banzhaf, Global Outreach CoordinatorOn the recent Ligonier tour of Reformation sites, Dr. Sproul met up with Sebastian Heck Ligonier's German project coordinator in the historic city of Heidelberg where he is church planting. Being involved with publishing both in print and on the internet, Sebastian is the leader...

Continue Reading Announcing the German Translation of The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul...

In The Consequences of Ideas, recently released for the first time in paperback, readers are challenged to take the consequences of ideas seriously through this expert survey of history's most influential philosophies--philosophies that continue to shape our lives for better or for worse today. R.C. Sproul surveys the ongoing impact of history's...

Continue Reading R.C. Sproul's Overview of Philosophy Now Available in Paperback...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison The year 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. A number of publishers are celebrating this 'Calvin Quincentennial' by releasing new books on the life, work, and teaching of Calvin. Among these are a new book...

Continue Reading The Glory of God...

This is the last week to get the reduced rates (a $200 savings) for inside and window staterooms on Ligonier Ministries' 2009 Pacific Northwest Cruise.Make plans now to join us aboard the beautiful Celebrity Mercury as we journey from Seattle to various parts of British Columbia September 28 - October...

Continue Reading Last Week to Get Reduced Rates for our Pacific Northwest Study Cruise...

Pastor's Perspective by Philip G. Ryken As far as John Calvin was concerned, almost nothing was more urgent for the church than the reformation of pastoral ministry. For centuries, most ministers had been shockingly ignorant of the Scriptures and thus ill-equipped to preach the gospel. As Calvin said in one...

Continue Reading The Pastor Scholar...

After several years of planning, it's with no small amount of gratitude to the Lord that we acknowledge today's first formal Doctor of Ministry class at Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies. Dr. R.C. Sproul will teach the class of pastors from around the country who have travelled to study...

Continue Reading Inaugural D.Min. Class Begins Today...

by R.C. Sproul We speak of God as the immortal, invisible, all-wise God. This string of attributes gives some comfort and no small amount of dismay. That God is immortal makes me glad. It means simply that He cannot and therefore will never die. I need not worry that He...

Continue Reading Longing for Fellowship...

Our purpose is to help Christians know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it. That is why we often recommend books and teaching resources that point you to the giants of the faith and their works -- like Augustine, Luther, Calvin,...

Continue Reading A Trusted Guide to the Great Doctrines of Christian Faith...

The Expository Genius of John Calvin, by Steven J. Lawson, considers Calvin's life and work, surveying the distinguishing marks of his pulpit ministry and the core presuppositions that undergirded his biblical preaching. In Chapter 1 Dr. Lawson reveals Calvin's sudden conversion. "It was while he was studying at Bourges that Calvin...

Continue Reading Meet John Calvin, the Preacher...

Though his name evokes powerful images ⎯ most of them being negative ⎯ John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology, edited by Burk Parsons, offers a rich portrait of a man whose example and teaching remain vitally relevant today. In the preface, Parsons writes "above all Calvin was...

Continue Reading See the Heart of John Calvin...

While many Christians throughout the world are familiar with the name John Calvin, most are unfamiliar with him as a man who was devoted to prayer and the ministry of God's Word. Among many things, he was a father, a teacher, a Bible commentator and the theologian most widely known...

Continue Reading Calvinism Speaks to All of Life...

500 years ago today, the great reformed John Calvin was born. In honor of this special occasion, we are offering Burk Parsons' book John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, & Doxology for a donation of any amount. This one day offer can be ordered online or by calling our resource consultants...

Continue Reading Get John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, & Doxology for a Donation of Any Amount...

Ligonier Ministries is joining in the celebration of John Calvin's 500th birthday (July 10) by offering special deals all week.Today only, get The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steven J. Lawson for a donation of any amount. You can order online or call our resource consultants at 800-435-4343 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST."Through...

Continue Reading Special Offer: Get The Expository Genius of John Calvin for a Donation of Any Amount...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul Thinkers in the ancient world sought to plumb the depths of ultimate reality. With that quest for ultimate reality came the birth of the discipline of philosophy. Some philosophers focused on one particular aspect of philosophy called metaphysics (ultimate being). Others focused their...

Continue Reading The Theologian...

The one-day specials continue this week as we celebrate 500 years of John Calvin (July 10).Get Joel Beeke's book Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism for a donation of any amount. You can order online or call our resource consultants at 800-435-4343 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST."Living for God's...

Continue Reading Get Living for God's Glory for a Donation of Any Amount...

John Calvin's 500th birthday is this coming Friday. This week, we're celebrating by offering daily specials for a donation of any amount.Today only, get a black leather Reformation Study Bible for a donation of any amount. This is a call-in offer only and is not available online. To take advantage of...

Continue Reading Today Only: Get a Reformation Study Bible for a Donation of Any Amount...

At Ligonier Ministries, we're having a week-long celebration of John Calvin's 500th birthday (July 10) by having special one-day offers all week long.Today only for a donation of any amount, you can receive a one-year Tabletalk subscription for yourself or someone else as a gift. This is a call-in offer only and is...

Continue Reading Calvin Week Daily Specials: Get Tabletalk for a Donation of Any Amount...

by R.C. Sproul There are church buildings that are designed to give no hint of the building's true purpose as a house of worship. They're built to look more like town meeting halls. The chancel is no longer called the chancel, it's called the stage. The pulpit is not called...

Continue Reading Recreating the Tower of Babel...

Both Peter and Paul call us to submit to governing authorities. In light of that, is revolution ever possible for a Christian, and if so, under what circumstances? It certainly is clear that the New Testament puts an emphasis on the Christian's responsibility to be a model of civil obedience....

Continue Reading Christians and Government...

Read feature articles on John Calvin by R.C. Sproul, Thabiti Anyabwile, Rick Gamble, David Hall, Keith Mathison, Iain Murray, David Powlison, Gordon Reed, Philip Ryken, and Derek Thomas. You can also enjoy the daily devotional studies that will continue this month on 1 Timothy.   Open publication - Free publishing...

Continue Reading Read the Entire July Issue of Tabletalk on John Calvin Online...

In 1991, Phillip Johnson published Darwin on Trial. In 1996, Michael Behe published Darwin's Black Box. In 1998, William Dembski published The Design Inference. While numerous other books on the subject have been published, these three books are considered landmark works in the discussion over intelligent design. Now there is...

Continue Reading Signature in the Cell...

Now available for a limited time, get a special reduced rate (a $200 savings) for inside and window staterooms on Ligonier Ministries' 2009 Pacific Northwest Cruise.On September 28-October 2, join R.C. Sproul and Michael Horton as they discuss the importance of the church. Journey from Seattle to various parts of...

Continue Reading New Low Prices for the 2009 Pacific Northwest Cruise...

Available for a limited time, these posters of John Calvin illustrated by Kent Barton come pre-assembled in a poster tube. They are a beautiful addition to any office or workspace. Buy one today for $8....

Continue Reading John Calvin Posters Now Available...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons John Calvin was a churchman for all ages. He was a reformer par excellence. He was a godly pastor who equipped his people for ministry. He was a humble revolutionary. He was a loyal husband, father, and friend. But...

Continue Reading Good Old Calvinism...

The July edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "John Calvin" and, on the five hundredth anniversary of his birth, it focuses on the ministry and the legacy of the great reformer. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Thabiti Anyabwile, Rick Gamble, David Hall, Keith Mathison, Iain Murray, David Powlison,...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, July 2009...

Over the course of several months, Keith Mathison put together a list of his top 5 commentaries for each book of the Bible. With his recommendations of commentaries for Malachi and Revelation, he has now completed both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Here is a round-up of the...

Continue Reading Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith Might there be a time when readers of the Bible will not understand -- without a host of reference books -- what a sower is? For most of the world's history, the majority of people made their living from the land. Today the...

Continue Reading Farmers and the Rest of Us...

Dr. Sproul has often remarked that his study of philosophy in college was crucial in helping him to counter the liberal theology he encountered in seminary.  Having studied philosophy, he was able to recognize the underlying ideas that shaped the thinking of his professors.  Our culture has been shaped by...

Continue Reading Study Philosophy at Home with Ligonier Academy...

by R.C. Sproul Years ago, I spoke at a service at a large church in California. After I finished preaching, the associate pastor invited everyone who would like to have prayer to come forward to the long kneeling bench across the front of the sanctuary, and seventy-five or eighty people...

Continue Reading The Sense of Touch in Worship...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Job (pt. 3)) In addition to the inner call of God, we recognize that there is such a thing as an external call to labor, a call that comes from people who request our services for their particular mission or purpose....

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Job (pt. 4)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Job (pt. 2)) Let us extend the concept of service and obedience to the analogy of human warfare. A crisis besets a nation, and people are summoned in the cause of national defense. Leaving the security and comfort of their homes...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Job (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from God's Will and Your Job (pt. 1)) Finding Your Vocation The question of vocation becomes a crisis at two major points in life. The first is in late adolescence when a person is pressured into deciding what skills and knowledge he should acquire for future...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Job (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of Man's Will (Part 3)) When we are introduced to people, the following three questions are generally asked: What is your name? Where are you from? What do you do? The third question is the one that concerns us in this chapter. What...

Continue Reading God's Will and Your Job (pt. 1)...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison In 2004, Alister McGrath published a book entitled The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World. Although the book did not suggest that atheism was dead, its publication may have been a bit premature....

Continue Reading Atheism Remix...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. The kingdom of God is at war. The promise from the beginning was that the seed of the woman, our King, would come and crush the head of the seed of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Jesus' first step out of the tomb at...

Continue Reading Plowing in Hope...

by R.C. Sproul Just as with the issue of instrumentation, there is controversy regarding the issue of singing in worship. The controversy erupts when we ask what types of songs are appropriate for use in the context of worship. Most of us would agree that what we want in worship...

Continue Reading The Nadir of Arrogance...

Preparing a "Top 5" list of commentaries on the book of Revelation is extremely challenging in a number of ways. Commentators differ on many basic issues, from the structure of the book (recapitulation, chronological ordering, telescoping, etc.) to the basic interpretive approach (futurist, preterist, historicist, idealist, eclectic) to its date...

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

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of Man's Will, Part 2) But what about man's will with respect to the sovereignty of God? Perhaps the oldest dilemma of the Christian faith is the apparent contradiction between the sovereignty of God and the freedom of man. If we define human...

Continue Reading The Meaning of Man's Will (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of Man's Will, Part 1) The Bible teaches, some will say, that we do not always do what we want to do. The apostle Paul laments in Romans 7 that the good he would do he does not do, and the thing he...

Continue Reading The Meaning of Man's Will (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of God's Will, Part 5) The term free will as applied to man is often glibly declared with little or no understanding of its meaning. There is actually no unified theory of man's free will, but a variety of competing, and often conflicting,...

Continue Reading The Meaning of Man's Will (pt. 1)...

Generation to Generation by Scotty Smith With three decades plus change in the pastoral ministry, the gospel seems to be getting bigger and Jesus is appearing more gracious than ever. Maybe that's because I've never been more aware of my brokenness and more disrupted by longings for the day when...

Continue Reading The Genuine Life...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Justin Taylor Only one book is absolutely essential to save us, to equip us to obey God's will, and to glorify Him in whatever we do. Only one book gives us undiluted truth -- the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Only one...

Continue Reading A Teachable Spirit...

by R.C. Sproul Have you ever wondered why there's a universal phenomenon of religion? You can go anywhere on the globe and you'll find evidence of cultic practices of sacrifice. Why is that? I suggest that it is because the original program and prescription for the worship of the living...

Continue Reading The Universal Phenomenon of Religion...

We've begun a Flickr photoset for the Ligonier Reformation Tour 2009. We'll keep adding pictures as we're able. Visit when you click here....

Continue Reading Photos from Geneva...

Session 1: John CalvinAs many people now know, the year 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, one of the most important figures in Western civilization. Through his faithful ministry of writing, preaching and teaching in Geneva, Calvin left a legacy that continues to impact theworld...

Continue Reading Geneva - Ligonier Reformation Tour 2009...

The book of Malachi is the last of the twelve Minor Prophets, and little is known of the author himself aside from what may be inferred from the contents of his book. Unlike Haggai and Zechariah, Malachi prophesied some time after the completion of the temple in 515 B.C. In...

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

When I was about four or five years old, my mother found the letter "F" scribbled in crayon on the hallway wall of our home. Since my brother would have been about three and my sister barely a year old, it was clear that I was the culprit, for I...

Continue Reading Telling the Truth...

Nations are currently experiencing the most volatile economic period in a generation. Many investors here in America have made moves to reduce their risk and put their treasure into securities backed by the U.S. federal government. The government gives us its word that it will guarantee deposits up to a...

Continue Reading Federally Backed Security...

Unify Your Vision for Christian MinistryWhether you are a pastor, Sunday school teacher, elder, deacon, women's ministry director, missionary, youth leader, seminary educator or student, we invite all church leaders and teachers to join Drs. Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, Steven Lawson, and R.C. Sproul as they endeavor to equip you for effective,...

Continue Reading Ligonier Leadership Conference: October 20-22...

by R.C. SproulWe have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text as...

Continue Reading Finding God...

The goal of Ligonier Ministries' music department is to produce music that exalts Christ and supports the teaching of the Word. Now available at Ligonier.org is sheet music (SATB) with words by R.C. Sproul. These titles will make a beautiful addition to any worship service. Clothed in Righteousness This hymn...

Continue Reading Sing to the Glory of God: Get Sheet Music by R.C. Sproul...

Pastor's Perspective by Lane Keister All people are supposed to hear the good news of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead. Not only are all people supposed to hear that salvation has been accomplished in history, they are to hear that any who repent of their sin and...

Continue Reading Evangelizing the World...

by R.C. Sproul If we're children of Christ and we stand before the judgment seat of God on the last day and God says to us, "You're covered by the blood of my Son, and it's a good thing, because you did this, this, this, this, and this," we won't...

Continue Reading Trusting God's Judgment...

The three epistles of John were likely written from Ephesus between A.D. 80 and 85. This would make them among the last New Testament books to be written. The recipients of these letters were likely members of regional churches associated with the church in Ephesus, which itself was under the...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Epistles of John...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul Soli Deo gloria is the motto that grew out of the Protestant Reformation and was used on every composition by Johann Sebastian Bach. He affixed the initials SDG at the bottom of each manuscript to communicate the idea that it is God and...

Continue Reading Grace Alone...

Ligonier Ministries' 2009 Summer Fall Catalog is now available. Find resources designed to answer the ultimate questions of life and faith, such as "How can I know the Bible is true?" and "How do I respond to the cultural beliefs around me?" Learn more about Dr. Sproul's newest book, The Prayer of...

Continue Reading Resources Designed to Answer Ultimate Questions...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons Church historian Mark Noll writes, "In many ways, the defining figure in the history of American evangelicalism is the eighteenth-century revivalist George Whitefield." Prior to America's declaration of independence from England, the Calvinist preacher from England turned the colonies...

Continue Reading A Sower Went Out To Sow......

Architectural plans for the three main structures now situated on Ligonier's new campus have been approved by Seminole County in central Florida. This allows for project development to move forward for Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies, Ligonier International Headquarters, and Shadowlake Studios, which will house our new media...

Continue Reading Plans for Ligonier's New Campus Move Forward...

by R.C. SproulHow many times have you heard Christians say (or heard the words from your own mouth), "So-and-so is not a Christian but he's searching"? It is a common statement among Christians. The idea is that there are people all over the place who are searching for God. Their...

Continue Reading Seeking After God...

Check out a new list of internet specials with resources discounted 25-60% off the retail price. Resources include commentaries, DVD and CD teaching series, children's books, music and more!...

Continue Reading New Internet Specials...

Scripture exhorts us to always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). Are you ready? What would you say if challenged by an atheist or agnostic? What would you say if challenged by...

Continue Reading Study Apologetics at Home with Ligonier Academy...

by RC Sproul Jr. I was reminded this afternoon of a liturgy within a liturgy that I practice. My two youngest daughters, Erin Claire and Maili had their first dance recital. They are a part of a small ballet group made up of homeschooled little girls in our broader community....

Continue Reading The Gnostic Ghosts That Haunt Us...

What is the Lord's Prayer? Is it an actual prayer that Jesus dictated so that His disciples might recite it? Or is it a blueprint that He gave as a guide for His followers' prayers?In The Prayer of the Lord, Dr. R.C. Sproul writes, "Jesus' intent was to give...

Continue Reading The Prayer of the Lord, by R.C. Sproul...

The June edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "The Parable of the Sower" and it provides an exposition of this parable of Jesus, focusing on the gracious work of God in salvation. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Daniel Doriani, Michael Glodo, Lane Keister, Robert Rothwell, Scotty Smith and...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, June 2009...

Here is a collection of resources about Calvin, a full collection of books and sermons by Calvin that are currently in print, and words of wisdom from the Reformer himself....

Continue Reading Discover the Life and Wisdom of John Calvin...

The book of Zechariah is the lengthiest of the so-called Minor Prophets and one of the most difficult books in the Old Testament. The historical context of the book is identical to that of Haggai. The first eight chapters of Zechariah contain date references ranging from October of 520 B.C....

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

July 10, 2009, marks the 500th birthday of reformer John Calvin. There are several events going on this summer that will celebrate John Calvin's life and contributions. Ligonier will also have a special week of Calvin-themed broadcasts on Renewing Your Mind July 6-10.Ligonier Ministries' Rhine River Cruise and TourJune 11-24Dr....

Continue Reading Summer Events to Celebrate John Calvin's Life and Ministry...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of God's Will, Part 4) Knowing the Will of God for Our Lives Pursuing knowledge of the will of God is not an abstract science designed to titillate the intellect or to convey the kind of knowledge that "puffs up" but fails to...

Continue Reading The Meaning of God's Will (pt. 5)...

With great expectation, Ligonier has launched its first-ever capital campaign--Here We Stand: The Campaign for Ligonier Ministries. This bold initiative follows years of visionary planning and is designed to create a unique destination of learning and fellowship from which men and women will be grounded in biblical truth for generations. For...

Continue Reading Here We Stand: The Campaign for Ligonier Ministries...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of God's Will, Part 3) God's Will of Disposition This aspect of the will of God refers to what is pleasing and agreeable to God. It expresses something of the attitude of God to his creatures. Some things are "well pleasing in his...

Continue Reading The Meaning of God's Will (pt. 4)...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison Without a doubt, the greatest theologian in the first thousand years of the church was Augustine of Hippo (354-430). His voluminous theological, exegetical, and devotional writings have had a lasting impact and continue to be studied to this day. One...

Continue Reading Two Kingdoms, One God...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. It is a strange habit, though I am often caught in its grip. Why is it, I wonder, that we find ourselves so often longing for those days of the early church? Where did we begin to confuse the descriptive with the prescriptive,...

Continue Reading Love Letters...

All Scripture is inspired and profitable, but Scripture does not profit us if we do not read and understand it. Many of us as Christians have been confused at times when we tried to understand the Bible. As believers, we know that Scripture is the Word of God, but what...

Continue Reading Study Scripture at Home with Ligonier Academy...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith The seven churches of Asia addressed in the book of Revelation had their problems. One of them looked quite lively but it was actually dead. Another was so lukewarm that the Lord was ready to spit it out of His mouth. And yet...

Continue Reading Doing Without the Church?...

The epistles of 2 Peter and Jude are among the most neglected books in the Bible. Both books are dealing with the same problem. 2 Peter and Jude were written to combat the rise of false teachers in the Christian churches. These books are, therefore, extraordinarily relevant, even today. There...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Books of 2 Peter and Jude...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of God's Will, Part 2) Biblical Righteousness Habakkuk's famous statement "the just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4, kjv) is found three times in the New Testament. It has become a slogan of evangelical Protestantism, whose emphasis has been upon the doctrine of...

Continue Reading The Meaning of God's Will (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Meaning of God's Will, Part1) The Decretive Will of God Theologians describe that will by which God decrees things to come to pass according to his supreme sovereignty as the "decretive will of God." This is also sometimes called "God's sovereign efficacious will"; by...

Continue Reading The Meaning of God's Will (pt. 2)...

It's a time of joyful celebration for students all over the world as graduates prepare for the next phase of life. We've put together this list of resources that will help guide these students in their faith as they head off to college, the work force, or other avenues God...

Continue Reading Celebrate Dads and Grads...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Can I Know God's Will?) The Biblical Meaning of the Will of God We yearn for simple answers to difficult questions. We want clarity. We desire to cut through the entanglements to the heart of the question. Sometimes the answers are simple enough in themselves,...

Continue Reading The Meaning of God's Will (pt. 1)...

by R.C. Sproul Alice in Wonderland came to a fork in the road. Icy panic stung her as she stood frozen by indecision. She lifted her eyes toward heaven, looking for guidance. Her eyes did not find God, only the Cheshire cat leering at her from his perch in the...

Continue Reading Can I Know God's Will?...

Every Christian is a theologian. Not all Christians are professional theologians, but we are all theologians because we are all thinking and learning about the things of God. The question is not whether we are theologians or not, but whether we are good theologians or bad theologians. Because our theology...

Continue Reading Study Theology at Home with Ligonier Academy...

by R.C. Sproul How can we as evangelicals recover the emphasis on prayer in worship that our Reformed forebears understood? Let me mention some ways. One is to kneel when we pray. Other postures have been used by the people of God at different times and in different places to...

Continue Reading Recovering Emphasis on Prayer...

The exile was a major turning point in the history of Israel. Judah and Jerusalem had fallen to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Many of the people of the land had been taken captive to Babylon, while others had fled to Egypt and parts unknown. A small number of the poor...

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

Generation to Generation by Roger Nicole We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith (Jude 3). But that does not necessarily involve being contentious; it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God -- without welching at...

Continue Reading Dealing with Differences...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by John MacArthur The truth that Christ is Lord of His church may sound somewhat benign to a casual listener in our generation, but the struggle for Christ's authority in the church has come to us through the ages on a sea of blood. Thankfully,...

Continue Reading The Lord of the Church...

School is almost out, and summertime is just around the corner. While taking a break from the hustle and bustle of a regular routine and the busyness of life, it can be easy to take a break from our biblical studies as well.  Amidst the vacations and relaxation this summer,...

Continue Reading Take Time to Focus on Family This Summer...

Pastor's Perspective by Mark Bates The pipes in our home sprung a series of leaks. Since most of my neighbors had replaced their plumbing, I knew it was time for me to do the same. However, hiring a plumber to do this would cost thousands of dollars. My friend, Monte,...

Continue Reading The Letter to the Church in Laodicea...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul When we consider the predicament that the evangelical church of the twenty-first century faces in America, the first thing we need to understand is the very designation "evangelical church" is itself a redundancy. If a church is not evangelical, it is not an...

Continue Reading The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church...

by John MacArthur (Continued from Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace Part 4) Divine Election and the Role of the Son In 1 Corinthians 15:25-28, we find a remarkable conclusion to this whole discussion. There Paul says, "For he [Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies...

Continue Reading Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace (pt. 5)...

It appears that the first epistle of Peter was written by the apostle from Rome sometime around A.D. 62-63, immediately before severe persecution began under Nero. The letter was written to Christians in Asia Minor (1:1) who were already suffering for their Christian faith. Peter writes to encourage these embattled...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Book of 1 Peter...

by John MacArthur (Continued from Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace Part 3) Divine Election and the Love of the Father Second Timothy 1:9 introduces us to the answer. Speaking of God, the verse says that He "saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of...

Continue Reading Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace (pt. 4)...

by R.C. Sproul Jr. As my friend Doug Phillips has pointed out, this year has brought, in the providence of God, a strange confluence of anniversaries. The two men who have had the greatest impact on these United States may well be, on the one hand, Charles Darwin, and on...

Continue Reading Is It Fitting for We Who Are Calvinists to Adopt the Theology of a Man, and One Who Murdered Servetus?...

As of May 4, 2009, Renewing Your Mind with Dr. R.C. Sproul is airing in Seattle on KGNW-AM 820 at 8:30 a.m. The broadcast will continue airing at the previous 5:30 a.m. timeslot as well, so you still have a chance to listen if you miss it the first time.You can...

Continue Reading New Airtime for Renewing Your Mind in Seattle...

by John MacArthur (Continued from Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace Part 2) Why Did God Determine to Elect the Redeemed? Though the doctrine of election applies to all that God does in a general sense, it most often refers, in a specific New Testament sense, to the election...

Continue Reading Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace (pt. 3)...

The nineteenth-century Roman Catholic theologian George Tyrrell once criticized Adolf von Harnack's liberal view of Jesus in these now famous words: "The Christ that Harnack sees, looking back through nineteen centuries of Catholic darkness, is only the reflection of a Liberal Protestant face, seen at the bottom of a deep...

Continue Reading Viewing Calvin at the Bottom of a Deep Well...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons I love to hear stories about our faithful forefathers in ages past, and while it may be mere legend, I have heard that the great nineteenth-century British pastor Charles Spurgeon posted a sign on the door of his study....

Continue Reading Complacent Repentance...

by John MacArthur (Continued from Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace Part 1) What Is the Doctrine of Election? The idea that God does what He wants, and that what He does is true and right because He does it, is foundational to our understanding of everything in Scripture,...

Continue Reading Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace (pt. 2)...

The May edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "The 7 Letters of Revelation" to urge readers on toward holiness. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Mark Bates, Chris Donato, Paul Gardner, Dennis Johnson, John MacArthur, Roger Nicole, Jason Stellman, Cornelis Venema and R. Fowler White. We do not post...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, May 2009...

Ligonier Academy is pleased to announce the courses that will be offered in January 2010 as part of our Doctor of Ministry program. For more information on this new program, please visit the Ligonier Academy Doctor of Ministry website.The Winter D.Min. course schedule is:January 11-15: Reformed Philosophy of Ministry -...

Continue Reading Announcing Winter 2010 D.Min. Courses...

by John MacArthur The Bible repeatedly and unapologetically underscores the fact that God does not change. In fact, He cannot change because He cannot improve on absolute perfection or decline in His eternally fixed nature. His person does not change: "'For I the Lord do not change'" (Mal. 3:6). His...

Continue Reading Divine Immutability and the Doctrines of Grace (pt. 1)...

News reports in recent days have brought word of an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and around the world, raising fears of a "pandemic." For those of us who live in the West, where health care and good nutrition are taken for granted, a plague is a thing...

Continue Reading Serving Christ in a Time of Plague...

The book of the prophet Zephaniah indicates that he ministered during the reign of Josiah (640-609), the last of the godly kings of Judah (cf. Zeph. 1:1). He likely prophesied sometime between 622 and 612 B.C. Just as Amos had prophesied about the imminent coming of the Day of the...

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

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison One of the most common ways of looking at the relationship between science and faith is the conflict thesis, which posits an inherent conflict between science and religion. The conflict thesis was popularized in the nineteenth century by John William...

Continue Reading Has Science Buried God?...

If you live near Tupelo, Mississippi, I would encourage you to head over to the Mid-South Theology Conference this weekend for their conference "Living in the Hands of a Sovereign God". Tabletalk magazine editor Burk Parsons will be speaking Friday evening on the subject of "The Power and Dominion of...

Continue Reading Mid-South Theology Conference starts tomorrow in Tupelo, Miss....

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Christian and Art pt. 2) The Fruitful Moment Rembrandt used a fascinating technique whenever he painted his portraits, much like Michelangelo did when he created his sculptures. He used a technique later described by German philosophers (particularly Herder) as the "fruitful moment." (The German...

Continue Reading The Christian and Art (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Christian and Art pt. 1) There Was Nothing "Tacky" About the Temple If we move from the realm of creation to the realm of biblical history, again we see dimensions of God's involvement in art. In the Old Testament, God ordained and commanded the...

Continue Reading The Christian and Art (pt. 2)...

Ligonier Ministries is pleased to announce that we are now taking registrations for the Certificate Program of the Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies.  The Certificate program of Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies is a non-degree distance education curriculum designed for laypeople, ministers, and educators who...

Continue Reading Introducing the Certificate Program at Ligonier Academy...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Christian and Science pt. 3) I lived in the city of Amsterdam during the 1960s. As I walked through the city, I recognized the names on many of the street corners. There was Beethoven Straat, Vanderhelstlaan, and Rembrandt Plein. The streets and places that...

Continue Reading The Christian and Art (pt. 1)...

Although books related to the never-ending discussion of the pros and cons of Darwinism are constantly rolling off the presses, there are only a few that have the potential to mark a major turning point in the debate. James Le Fanu's new book Why Us?: How Science Rediscovered the Mystery...

Continue Reading Another Doubter of Darwin Goes Public...

by R.C. SproulWithin the Christian church there are three leading options for answering your question. Some Christians believe that the Sabbath was an Old Testament ordinance and has no application to the New Testament church. No less a giant than Saint Augustine took the position that the Sabbath was not...

Continue Reading How Are We to Keep the Sabbath in Today's Society?...

The book of James is possibly the earliest writing found in the New Testament canon. It was likely written after Paul began to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles but before he and James met at the Jerusalem Council (cf. Acts 15). In short, the book of James was likely...

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

For a donation of any amount today, you can receive a one-year Tabletalk subscription for yourself or someone else as a gift. This is a call-in offer only and is not available online. Available for US addresses only. To take advantage of this special one-day offer, call 800-435-4343 from...

Continue Reading Get a 1-Year Subscription to Tabletalk for a Donation of Any Amount...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith These days it's easy to become cynical about politicians, government officials, and other national leaders. Governing a country takes hard-nosed, practical realism. Morality and religion are well and good, many of us say, but someone who follows such ideals in the political arena...

Continue Reading A 'Great' Leader...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. There is a tension among the people of God that reflects a delicate balance to which the Bible calls us. Paul, you will recall, argued that in his passion for the gospel, he wished to be all things to all people, that by...

Continue Reading Beauty and the Best...

Generation to Generation by Tim Challies Admiral Lord Nelson once remarked that "every sailor is a bachelor when beyond Gibraltar." This was a statement about anonymity, a rare concept even just a few short generations ago. Nelson knew that once his sailors moved beyond the bounds of the British Empire,...

Continue Reading Escaping Anonymity...

Ligonier Ministries is exhibiting this week at The Gospel Coalition in Chicago, Ill. Stop by our booth to meet staff and receive free resources and special discounts on books and teaching series....

Continue Reading Ligonier at The Gospel Coalition...

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by Larry G. Mininger About forty people scattered on metal chairs greeted me on my first Sunday in my first (and only) pastorate in a quaint little sanctuary nestled in the woods between massive orange groves just west of Orlando, Florida. There were no pews,...

Continue Reading Measuring Success...

by R.C. Sproul Jr.The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14). The text at least ought to raise the question in our minds. Would Paul's...

Continue Reading Should a Christian Become Good Friends (Not Just an Acquaintance) with Pagans?...

Don Kistler: Preachers are one of the love gifts of the ascended Christ to His body, the church. We should never let anyone denigrate the sacred calling of a pastor to stand in his pulpit and faithfully exegete the inspired Word of God to the people of God, thereby carrying...

Continue Reading Love Gifts of the Ascended Christ...

The prophet Habakkuk lived at the end of the seventh century during the period of time when the Assyrian empire was faltering and the Babylonian empire was on the rise (625-605). He likely prophesied between 609 and 605, during the reign of the Judean king Jehoiakim in the last days...

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

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Christian and Science pt. 2) Christians Need Not Fear Scientific Inquiry There is a sense in which the Christian should be the most passionate scientist of all because he should be rigorously open to truth wherever it is found. He should not be afraid...

Continue Reading The Christian and Science (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from The Christian and Science pt. 1) Is Aquinas to Blame? Many Protestant scholars venture earlier into church history and lay the blame for this division at the feet of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Among Protestant thinkers, there seems to be a kind of allergy to the...

Continue Reading The Christian and Science (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" pt. 3) What is the Christian's role in the scientific enterprise? How do we as Christians live in a culture that has been shaped and influenced by the impact of scientific accomplishments? Lest we slip into critical attitudes toward...

Continue Reading The Christian and Science (pt. 1)...

Pastor's Perspective by Kris Lundgaard "We, the Slovak People, bearing in mind the political and cultural heritage of our predecessors...mindful of the spiritual bequest of Cyril and Methodius...adopted this constitution." Slovakia, lying at the crossroads of East and West in secular Europe, after being dominated for over forty years by...

Continue Reading The Mission to Slovakia...

by Sinclair B. Ferguson(Quoted in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology, p. 40-41)It is commonplace today in Reformed theology to recognize that the Christian lives "between the times" -- already we are in Christ, but a yet more glorious future awaits us in the final consummation. There...

Continue Reading Living for the Future...

R.C. Sproul Here is the watershed of human history where the misery of the race is transformed into grandeur. Here the kerygma, the proclamation of the early church, was born with the cry "He is risen." We can view this event as a symbol, a lovely tale of hope. We...

Continue Reading He Is Risen!...

The book of Hebrews was likely written sometime before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The author of Hebrews wrote this book to warn the recipients about the peril of apostasy. In order to guard the hearts of his readers against falling away, the author of Hebrews makes an...

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

What is the significance of the shedding of blood in the atonement? R.C. Sproul:The idea that there's some intrinsic or inherent power in the blood of Jesus is a popular concept in the Christian world. It even crops up from time to time in various hymns and praise songs. This...

Continue Reading The Shedding of Blood...

Devoted to the Apostles' doctrine (Acts 2.42) as we Christians want to be, we need to make sure that Christ's resurrection has as much significance to us as it had to the Apostles. In 1 Corinthians 15, we have a passage where we are reminded how important Christ's resurrection was...

Continue Reading Christ's Resurrection & the Apostolic Gospel...

Current Reformation Trust books now available for purchase in the Kindle format are:The Truth of the Cross, by R.C. SproulIn Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life, by Sinclair FergusonJohn Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology, edited by Burk ParsonsLiving for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, by...

Continue Reading Reformation Trust Books Now Available on Amazon Kindle...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul It was many years ago when my grandmother related to me games that she played as a little girl in the 1880s. One game she mentioned was one that she and her Methodist girlfriends played with their Roman Catholic friends. In a playful...

Continue Reading The Word of God in the Hands of Man...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons "Pray with your mouth, cry out with your heart, make petitions while you work, so that every day and night, every hour and moment, God may always assist you." These are the words of the ninth-century, Christian noblewoman, Dhouda....

Continue Reading Our Hope in Ages Past...

The military of ancient Rome really blew it. When it came to the resurrection of Jesus, the troops who guarded his tomb could have saved us all a lot of time and trouble by just giving up his dead body. One problem: they never did. They didn't because they couldn't....

Continue Reading Media Bias and the Resurrection of Jesus...

The April edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "The Church in the Ninth Century." Contributors include R.C. Sproul, Burk Parsons, Kris Lungaard, Larry G. Mininger and Tim Challies. We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, April 2009...

The prophetic oracles found within the seventh century B.C. book of Nahum concern Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. Approximately a century before Nahum, Jonah had been sent to the Ninevites, and they had repented upon hearing the prophetic word. Their repentance, however, was apparently short lived because Nahum...

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

This morning, my colleague and friend Burk Parsons joined me in the studio to record an upcoming Renewing Your Mind interview. We were talking about his new book on John Calvin when he read this section from Calvin's The Golden Booklet on the True Christian Life:If we are not our...

Continue Reading We are not our own...

This is the second part of our two-part series on the very important, but very uncomfortable topic of what the Bible teaches about hell. In the first installment, we learned three key points about hell. We learned, first, that hell is a place far more frightful than we could ever imagine; second,...

Continue Reading Take Hell Seriously (Part 2 of 2)...

The topic of this two-part series is very important. But it is also very uncomfortable. My subject is what the Bible teaches us about hell. You may respond with fear. You should respond with fear if you are not a Christian. But my prayer is that God will replace your...

Continue Reading Take Hell Seriously (Part 1 of 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" pt. 2) "If It Feels Good, Is It Good?" Hedonism makes a value judgment by saying that the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure are good. At the same time, it produces a system of ethics which,...

Continue Reading Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" pt. 1) Stoics: Seeking Peace of Mind In addition, the Epicureans searched for the same thing that the Stoics sought, but they approached it in a completely different manner. The goal of Epicurean philosophy was the achievement of peace...

Continue Reading Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" (pt. 2)...

This unique audio offering from the newly formed Ligonier Sinfonia, led by Dr. Terry Yount, is a treat both historically and musically. Samples from Baroque concerto literature like Bach's Violin and Oboe Concerto in d minor, plus a variety of instrumental works by Telemann, Handel, Vivaldi, and Couperin will delight...

Continue Reading Ligonier Sinfonia | Music of the High Baroque 1700-1750...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pluralism and Relativism) Some Americans have never heard the word hedonism but few have not experienced the impact of the philosophy of hedonism on their lives. As a world view, hedonism has as its basic principle the belief that the good and the evil are...

Continue Reading Hedonism: "Grabbing for All the Gusto!" (pt. 1)...

On March 19-21, 2009, more than 4,700 people attended the national conference with thousands more from over 45 countries joining via the live webcast. We give thanks to God for a wonderful weekend of teaching and fellowship. Our prayer is that people will continue to be awakened to the holiness...

Continue Reading Watch the 2009 National Conference Webcast for a Limited Time...

The three letters commonly referred to as the "pastoral epistles" (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus) are labeled as such because they are the only letters Paul addressed to fellow workers with pastoral responsibilities. All but one of Paul's other letters were explicitly addressed to churches, and that one letter...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Pastoral Epistles...

Seek Ye First by R.C. Sproul Jr. It is a rather tedious and tiresome thing to pull the legs out from under our national confession. Our creed is not just internally inconsistent, it is not just incomprehensible, it is both these things rather quickly. That is, you do not start...

Continue Reading Says Who?...

Books on eschatology often focus solely on topics such as the Second Coming of Christ and the millennium. However, because the first advent of Christ inaugurated the last days, a complete study of biblical eschatology must include a study of Christ's first advent as well as his second. It must...

Continue Reading From Age to Age: The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith Do you want to know how Christians can influence the culture? How to have a strong family? Do you want to know the meaning of your life? Do you want to know how authority works? Then attend to the Reformation doctrine of vocation....

Continue Reading Authority in Vocation...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison In the early part of the twentieth century, one would have been hard pressed to find a greater theological mind than that of Benjamin B. Warfield (1851-1921). Sadly, both he and his work are virtually unknown today outside of certain...

Continue Reading The Final Word...

by David Theriault (Dave T.)  Video Producer, Ligonier Ministries  I'd like to begin this with a preface, which really amounts to a disclaimer. I came to Ligonier over two years ago from Los Angeles to be their 'video guy.' I have no formal theological training, but have been a believer...

Continue Reading Watch the Introduction to Handout Apologetics, Now Available on DVD...

R. Albert Mohler: When the minister of the gospel faces the Lord God as judge, there will be many questions addressed to him. There will be many standards of accountability. There will be many criteria of judgment. But in the end, the most essential criterion of judgment for the minister...

Continue Reading Standards of Accountability...

Dr. R.C. Sproul closed out the conference speaking on the theme A Consuming Fire: Holiness, Wrath and Justice.INTRODUCTIONVery few believe in the holiness of God today.  And if they do, few add the concept of justice to holiness. And fewer still have a concept of the wrath of God.  It...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - R.C. Sproul (II)...

The panel consisted of D.A. Carson, Derek Thomas, Robert Godfrey, and Thabiti Anyabwile. John Duncan moderated.1.  Why do we de-emphasize general revelation in the Reformed theology tradition?I'm not sure we do, but we should note both the value of general revelation and its inadequacy. General revelation gives the knowledge of...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Q&A Session III...

Derek W.H. Thomas is the John Richards Professor of Practical and Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss. He is also the minister of teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson and editorial director for The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Among Dr. Thomas' many books are God Strengthens:...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Derek Thomas...

The Ligonier Ministries National Conference is drawing to a close. We have come to the final day and began with a message from Dr. Robert Godfrey who preached on "The Holiness of God and the Cross." He began by saying that even as Christians we tend to have a trivial...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Robert Godfrey...

Donald A. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. He is a widely sought-after conference speaker and teacher, and he is known in the church for his excellence in scholarship and passion for the biblical Gospel. Dr. Carson has authored more than...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - D.A. Carson...

Late this afternoon we heard from Thabiti Anyabwile on "Cosmic Treason: Sin & the Holiness of God." He began by joking that his name is Swahili and roughly translated means "suffering for Jesus in the Cayman Islands." And then he got down to business. He read Numbers 25 and divided...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Thabiti Anyabwile...

After lunch today we enjoyed a Q&A session. R.C. Sproul moderated discussion between Sinclair Ferguson, Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul Jr. and Alistair Begg. At first I wrote down both the questions and answers, at least as best as I was able. But as time went on, it became quite clear...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Q&A Session II...

This morning Alistair Begg preached on "The Breath of the Almighty: The Holy Spirit" and used as his text John 16:5-15. I jotted down some notes... The nature of this topic, he said, makes it virtually horizonless. Considerations of any doctrine, but particularly this one, that are not grounded within...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Alistair Begg...

Pastor Steve Lawson, in addressing the topic The Holy One of God: The Holiness of Jesus, had us turn to Mark 1:21-24.  Whenever the light of holiness, of truth, shines upon dead religion, sin is exposed, Satan is provoked, and unclean spirits are angered.  There is no greater stronghold of...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Steve Lawson (II)...

Sinclair Ferguson, to address the theme Hallowed By Your Name: The Holiness of the Father, had us turn to the high priestly prayer of John 17. In verse 11 of that prayer, we have the only instance in which Jesus refers to His Father as "Holy Father." It is the...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Sinclair Ferguson (II)...

R.C. Sproul Jr. is the founder of the Highlands Study Center in Mendota, Va., which seeks to help Christians live more simple, separate, and deliberate lives to the glory of God and for the building of His kingdom. Dr. Sproul travels extensively as a conference speaker and has written several...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - R.C. Sproul, Jr....

The subject of God's holiness has been a theme at Ligonier Ministries since its infancy and it is good to revisit that theme this year, one year before Sproul's book The Holiness of God reaches its twenty-fifth anniversary. And who better to introduce the subject and kick of the conference...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - R.C. Sproul...

The panel consisted of Steve Lawson, Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler, and Sinclair Ferguson.  John Duncan asked the questions. Why is Calvin so important?Ferguson noted that Calvin had a genius to capture what the text was saying.  Lawson noted that Calvin stood at the dawn of the Reformation, the printing press...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Q&A Session I...

Steven J. Lawson is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala., and serves on the ministerial board for Reformed Theological Seminary and the board of directors for the Master's College and Seminary. Dr. Lawson has also authored many books including Famine in the Land, Foundations of...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Steve Lawson...

After a rather tasty lunch we gathered again, this time to hear Sinclair Ferguson speak about "The Doctrines of Grace." He began by reading Ephesians 1 and said that no man has had a greater impact on his thinking than John Calvin. When we speak of the doctrines of grace,...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Sinclair Ferguson...

J. Ligon Duncan III is the senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Miss., and adjunct professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and chairman of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Dr. Duncan has written, edited, and...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Ligon Duncan...

The 2009 Ligonier Ministries National Conference begins today. Though the conference proper does not kick off until after dinner, the Pre-Conference, "John Calvin--Celebrating a Legacy" began bright and early. This mini-conference features messages from Al Mohler, Steven Lawson, Sinclair Ferguson and Ligon Duncan. They will each speak one time and...

Continue Reading Ligonier National Conference - Al Mohler...

Continue Reading Ligonier Conference Live Webcast...

None of us possesses the power to convert another; yet we are called by God to share the Gospel. He is pleased to use us to bring others to faith. But what does that mean? What is true biblical evangelism? The book of John places strong emphasis on the theme...

Continue Reading What Can We Learn from Jesus About Evangelism?...

Generation to Generation by Knox Chamblin In December 2008, I turned seventy-three. Invited by Tabletalk to address younger generations "on matters pertinent to the faith," I thought of Psalm 71, the prayer of an elderly man. Says verse 18: "So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do...

Continue Reading Thanks Be to God ...

"In Jesus' name we pray, Amen." Is this just habit, a formal closing in public prayer? Or, is it a powerful declaration that we who pray in that name are in him to whom that name belongs? Well, Christians from the time of Christ onward have prayed in the name of...

Continue Reading All Hail the Power...

R.C. Sproul Jr.: If we would seek to preach to the mind, we also must encourage those in our hearing to receive the Word preached with their minds. The habits of their hearts will be shaped by the habits of their minds. If, strangely, they listen only to check the...

Continue Reading Our Propensity for Ego...

The ministry of the prophet Micah began during the reign of the Judean king Jotham (750-732) and lasted until the reign of Hezekiah (729-686). His ministry, unlike that of Amos or Hosea, overlapped the fall of the northern kingdom. He prophesied the fall of Israel and lived to witness it....

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

Pro Ecclesia: For the Church by David Mathis My dad hasn't been to seminary. He has no formal theological training. Nobody pays him and Mom for their endless hours serving the church. But they could write an article on sacrificial service to the church. They've lived it. Pop is a...

Continue Reading Served By God, Serving Man...

It's interesting when major media pick up on a story that Ligonier has been living for several decades. Time Magazine's forthcoming cover story on  "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now" notes Calvinism as number three.God is at work, and always has been, carrying out his sovereign purposes for his...

Continue Reading The "New" Calvinism...

With The Prince's Poison Cup, Dr. R. C. Sproul continues his series of books designed to present deep biblical truths to children on their own level. In this work, he focuses on the atonement to show that Jesus had to endure the curse of sin in order to redeem His...

Continue Reading The Prince's Poison Cup - An Interview with Dr. Sproul...

The biggest event of the year for Ligonier Ministries is just around the corner. We are excited to once again be able to offer a free, live webcast of the conference, available in both English and Spanish. See below for details.While there is nothing quite like being able to attend...

Continue Reading Live Webcast of the 2009 National Conference...

Right Now Counts Forever by R.C. Sproul "You're out!" "I'm safe!" "Out!" "Safe!" "Out!" "It's my ball, and it's my bat, and I say that I'm safe." This is how we settled disputes over plays in our pickup baseball games played without the benefit of a referee or umpire. When...

Continue Reading The Divine Foundation of Authority...

Pastor's Perspective by Matt Schmucker "Matt, I don't understand how you and Steve can be a part of the same church given what you each believe and practice." This came from a young woman with whom my wife and I had been sharing the gospel. "I don't understand," I replied....

Continue Reading Something Different...

Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God by Burk Parsons I am terribly vexed. I have just finished reading an article from the notoriously left-wing magazine Newsweek. In the cover story, "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," author Lisa Miller argues the case for gay "marriage" using the Bible...

Continue Reading Unquestionable Authority ...

Albert Mohler: When we look at manuals, books, magazines, seminars, and conferences addressed to pastors, we notice that preaching, if included at all, is most often not the priority. When we hear people speak about how to grow a church and build a great congregation, few and far between are...

Continue Reading Slowly, Immeasurably, Invisibly...

The historical context of Paul's epistles to the Thessalonians is found in Acts 17:1-10. This narrative recounts Paul's work in the city of Thessalonica during his second missionary journey. While there he spoke in the synagogue, persuading some Jews and even more God-fearing Gentiles that Jesus was the promised Messiah....

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Books of 1 & 2 Thessalonians...

In his latest book, Believing God: 12 Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept, Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. challenges Christians to take a second glance at the promises of God in the Bible in order to see anew the grandeur of what God has committed Himself to do for His people....

Continue Reading R.C. Sproul Jr. on Promises Christians Struggle to Accept...

If it is true that the cross is of central importance to biblical Christianity, it seems that it is essential for Christians to have some understanding of its meaning in biblical terms. That would be true in any generation, but it's particularly necessary in this one. I doubt there...

Continue Reading Spread the Truth this Easter...

"I had a consultant come to our ministry many, many years ago and say, 'What's the most important thing you can teach non-Christians that they don't know?' And I said, 'That's easy. They don't know who God is. They know that God is, but they don't know who He is....

Continue Reading Are You Intrigued by God's Holiness, or Are You Terrified?...

Keith Mathison's post "Homesick Pilgrims" touches on the biblical theme of believers as "aliens and strangers on earth" (Heb. 11:13). This is a theme that will be addressed in depth by the Rev. Jason J. Stellman in his book Pilgrim Theology: Worship and Life between the Already and the...

Continue Reading Pilgrim Theology...

In his book In Christ Alone, noted theologian, pastor, and educator Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson explores aspects of the person and work of Jesus. This collection of articles, published earlier in Tabletalk magazine and Eternity Magazine, is designed to help believers gain a better understanding of their Savior and the...

Continue Reading Interview with Sinclair Ferguson...

The March edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's theme is "Authority: Church, Family & Government" The issue explains the importance of thinking rightly about authority as Christians. Contributors include R.C. Sproul with Knox Chamblin, David Mathis, John R. Muether, Matt Schmucker, Denise Sproul and Cal Thomas. We do not...

Continue Reading Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, March 2009...

by R.C. SproulIn his recent book, Christless Christianity, Dr. Michael Horton has analyzed the problems that assail the contemporary evangelical church community. Leaning heavily upon the research of sociologists of religion such as James Davidson Hunter, and others, Horton has been able accurately to pin the tail on the evangelical...

Continue Reading Book Review: Christless Christianity...

One of my favorite songs is "Caledonia" by Dougie MacLean. Dougie is from Scotland, and he refers to the song as a "wee homesickness song." Before reading further, click on the video clip below and listen to the song.I've thought about this song and often wondered why it strikes such...

Continue Reading Homesick Pilgrims...

Sinclair Ferguson: There is a center to the Bible and its message of grace. It is found in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected. Grace, therefore, must be preached in a way that is centered and focused on Jesus Christ Himself. We must never offer the benefits of the gospel without...

Continue Reading Failure of Epidemic Proportions...

The style of the book of Jonah is distinctive among the prophetic books. Aside from portions of the book of Jeremiah and Daniel, all of the other prophetic books focus primarily on the message of the prophet. The book of Jonah, on the other hand, is a biographical prose narrative...

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

A passion to see Christians take God at His word inspired Dr. R. C. Sproul Jr. to write Believing God: Twelve Biblical Promises Christians Struggle to Accept, the latest release from Reformation Trust Publishing."Of course we believe that God speaks truthfully," Sproul writes. "But do we really believe it? Does...

Continue Reading Believing God: 12 Promises Christians Struggle to Accept...

Here's a glimpse at the topics to be studied in our Doctor of Ministry program at the new Ligonier Academy. There's still time to enroll for the July courses with Drs. R.C. Sproul and Steven J. Lawson. Click here for more information.DM801 − The Doctrine of Justification − A study...

Continue Reading Ligonier Academy D.Min. Course Descriptions...

Tolle Lege: Take Up and Read by Keith A. Mathison If I have heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times: "A Calvinist evangelist? Isn't that an oxymoron? Calvinism undermines evangelism." This accusation has been repeated so many times that few make the effort to argue it. Instead, it...

Continue Reading Does the Center Hold?...

Truth and Consequences by Gene Edward Veith Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are not enough for many denizens of the twenty-first century. In their search for a more palatable Jesus, novelists such as Dan Brown of The Da Vinci Code, feminist theologians such as Elaine Pagels, and their acolytes in...

Continue Reading The Gospel of Reality...

(...or 11 reasons I'm looking forward to March 19)Next month I get to spend three days with 11 of my heroes. It's hard to look over the line-up for Ligonier's upcoming national conference and not pause to give thanks to God for these men. They are valiant-for-truth and imitators of...

Continue Reading Ligonier's Eleven...

by R.C. Sproul I remember Mama standing in front of me, her hands poised on her hips, her eyes glaring with hot coals of fire and saying in stentorian tones, "Just what is the big idea, young man?" Instinctively I knew my mother was not asking me an abstract question...

Continue Reading What Does "coram Deo" Mean?...

The epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon were written by Paul during the early part of his Roman imprisonment. Paul apparently wrote to the Colossian church because he had heard that false teachers had come to the city and were spreading erroneous doctrine in the young church. He writes...

Continue Reading Top 5 Commentaries on the Books of Colossians and Philemon...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pluralism and Relativism: "It's All Relative" pt. 2) Relativism and the Issue of Abortion One of the most controversial issues of our day is that of abortion. It is tearing this country apart politically, economically, socially, and in every other way. Legislation is pending in...

Continue Reading Pluralism and Relativism: "It's All Relative" (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Pluralism and Relativism: "It's All Relative" pt. 1) Our Lives