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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...