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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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:...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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"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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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"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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...