(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)...

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...

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...

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?...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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)...

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...

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)...

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...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)...

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)...

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)...

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?...

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...

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)...

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?...

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...

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)...

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)...

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)...

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)...

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?...

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)...

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!...

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...

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...

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)...

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)...

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...

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...

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 Have Been Changed by the Threat of Nuclear War In the twentieth century, the buzz word that replaced evolution was relativity. We are all aware of the changes in our lives that have been brought about by...

Continue Reading Pluralism and Relativism: "It's All Relative" (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pessimistic Existentialism pt. 4) As missionaries attempting to understand the way of thinking in our culture, we must turn our attention to twin topics under the umbrella heading of secularism--pluralism and relativism. Let us think once more of the high wall we examined earlier, the...

Continue Reading Pluralism and Relativism: "It's All Relative" (pt. 1)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pessimistic Existentialism pt. 3) "Be of Good Cheer--The World Has Overcome Us!" Here we see the vivid contrast between pessimistic existentialism and Christianity. Christianity also features a ringing call to courage. The most frequent negative prohibition found in the New Testament comes from the lips...

Continue Reading Pessimistic Existentialism (pt. 4)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pessimistic Existentialism (pt. 2)) Theater of the Absurd European films, such as those of Ingmar Bergman, Antonini, and Fellini have communicated some of the motifs of existentialism. The "theater of the absurd," a phenomenon that began in France in the 1950s and came to Broadway...

Continue Reading Pessimistic Existentialism (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Pessimistic Existentialism pt. 1) Is There Anyone Who Can Help? Our dilemma is this: We are caring persons living in a world that doesn't care. We cannot look above the universe or outside the universe to find someone who cares. There is nobody out there;...

Continue Reading Pessimistic Existentialism (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal) "Man is a useless passion." These words penned by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre provide the model of modem existentialism. In this simple statement are found the most basic elements of a modern theory of man. It is a bottom-line judgment,...

Continue Reading Pessimistic Existentialism (pt. 1)...

Unfortunately, it is not too long before we discover that our heroes are just as flawed as we are. History is filled with details of great men and women who succumbed to their flaws and temptations. Regrettably, we find this is true both of the heroes of the kingdom of...

Continue Reading Hero of Heroes...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal pt. 3) We Are Called to Be Secular People Such a standpoint cannot be found in the New Testament. The Christ of Scripture was profoundly concerned with this world. This world was the site and purpose of the Incarnation. The God...

Continue Reading Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (pt. 4)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal pt. 2) Secularism Versus Christianity This is precisely where Christianity and secularism collide. This is the point of conflict. The biblical world view has a long-term view of human life. The term is much longer than that of secularism. For secularism,...

Continue Reading Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (pt. 3)...

by R.C. Sproul (Continued from Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal pt. 1) A Secular Priesthood Historically, the word secular is a positive word in the Christian's vocabulary. The church has always had a good view of that which was regarded as secular. In the Middle Ages, for example, men were ordained...

Continue Reading Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (pt. 2)...

by R.C. Sproul Students of history realize that no society can survive, no civilization can function, without some unifying system of thought. All societies are made up of different people, different jobs, different values, and different classes. In a broad sense, all societies are melting pots. How do the parts...

Continue Reading Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (pt. 1)...

by R.C. Sproul(Continued from The Importance of Cultural Awareness pt. 2)If it is difficult for us to understand our own culture, imagine the horrors an alien would experience in trying to sort it out. Imagine a real life extraterrestial visiting our nation and trying to understand our behavior at the...

Continue Reading The Importance of Cultural Awareness (pt. 3)...

By R.C. Sproul(Continued from The Importance of Cultural Awareness pt. 1)We Are All MissionariesIn all of life's situations we are to be His witnesses. Our job is to make the invisible reign of Jesus visible. The world is shrouded in darkness. Nothing is visible in the dark. No wonder then...

Continue Reading The Importance of Cultural Awareness (pt. 2)...

By R.C. SproulEvery Christian is a missionary. If we carefully read the book of Acts, we will see that when persecution arose in Jerusalem, all the Christians were scattered except the apostles. Those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Gospel (Acts 8). That was the way the Christian...

Continue Reading The Importance of Cultural Awareness (pt. 1)...

In 1986, long before culture was a Christian buzzword (as it is today), Revell published R.C. Sproul's book Lifeviews: Make a Christian Impact on Culture and Society. In the book Dr. Sproul catalogs the major philosophies that compete with Christianity in our culture. He traces the origins of lifeviews such...

Continue Reading "Lifeviews" by R.C. Sproul...

As we move from the old year into the new one, we took a look back at some of the year's most popular blog posts. If you are new to the Ligonier blog, this is a good opportunity to catch up with some of what you may have missed. If...

Continue Reading Top Ten Posts of 2008...

by Robert Rothwell When I was sixteen years old I became convinced that I was not going to be around much longer. Now before you jump to the conclusion that I had become obsessed with my own demise, I should give the reason why I did not think I had...

Continue Reading The Eternal Priesthood...

In this final part of our three-part series on Christmas according to the Angels, we contemplate the truth that the birth announcements of the angels celebrated "glory to God" and "peace for man." Consider first that the angels celebrated "glory to God" (Luke 2:14) in their birth announcements for Jesus....

Continue Reading Christmas According to the Angels (pt. 3 of 3)...

In our first installment in this series, we learned that the Gospel birth announcements of the angels brought "good news of great joy" to those humbled by sin, suffering, and death. In this our second installment, we focus on two more truths: 1) the birth announcements of the angels were...

Continue Reading Christmas According to the Angels (pt. 2 of 3)...

Other than the Holy Spirit, they are the most pivotal players in the drama that we know as the Christmas story; they are the most pivotal players in the accounts God gave us about the birth of Jesus our Lord. Matthew the Evangelist tells us that it was one of...

Continue Reading Christmas According to the Angels (pt. 1 of 3)...

In the two previous installment in our series on Gal 4:4-5, we have learned four features of the Apostle's answer to the question, what Child is this who was born at Christmas? We have focused on the Child as the heart of history, on two circumstances of His birth,...

Continue Reading Christmas according to the Apostle Paul -- Gal 4:4-5 (Pt. 3 of 3)...

In our first installment in this series on Christmas according to Paul, we learned that, for the Apostle, Jesus is the Child for whom all of time had waited and who was born of a woman. In the second part of our series, we learn two more truths about Christmas...

Continue Reading Christmas according to the Apostle Paul -- Gal 4:4-5 (Pt. 2 of 3)...

One of the most beloved carols that Christians sing during the Christmas season is that of William C. Dix, What Child is This?  As few other carols do, the lyrics of this selection prompt us to contemplate the identity, the person and work, of the Babe in the manger. ...

Continue Reading Christmas according to the Apostle Paul -- Gal 4:4-5 (Pt. 1 of 3)...

by Sinclair B. Ferguson I took the hand of my toddler son (it was several decades ago now) as we made our way into the local shop on the small and remote Scottish island where earlier that year I had been installed as minister. It was Christmas week. The store...

Continue Reading Santa Christ?...

"Faith cannot be without a settled peace of mind, from which proceeds the bold confidence of rejoicing," John Calvin wrote in his commentary on Hebrews in the mid-sixteenth century. This point is most striking, and mostly underplayed by many exegetes. How could Calvin write something so...insensitive? And again: "We hence...

Continue Reading Confidence in Christ...

by John H. Gerstner De Jong in his Covenant Idea made a mountain out of Miller's relative mole hill. He found Edwards to be the chief underminer of New England covenant theology. The broad structure of his book and Jonathan Edwards' place in it can be seen in the table...

Continue Reading Jonathan Edwards On "Covenant" (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner When the term "covenant" is used, the general educated reader needs to be told its religious meaning. The general reader, somewhat literate on matters religious and Christian, will likely think of the "covenant of grace", which he will likely associate generally with Protestantism, and he may...

Continue Reading Jonathan Edwards On "Covenant" (pt. 1)...

Peter didn't just blow it, he blew it badly. "Though they all fall away...I will never fall away" (Matt. 26:33). Peter's resolution we admire for its confidence and bravery. But it is a statement relying on one's own strength and it is doomed for shipwreck. A few hours go by...

Continue Reading Mercy for the impetuous...

R. Albert Mohler Jr.:Evangelical pastors commonly state that biblical preaching is the hallmark of their calling. Nevertheless, a careful observer might come to a very different conclusion. The priority of preaching is simply not evident in far too many churches.We must affirm with Martin Luther that the preaching of the...

Continue Reading Preaching: the first essential mark of the Church...

I was recently skimming a book about Cambridge University and ran across a picture of the new Divinity Faculty building completed in 2000. Having looked at page after page of pictures of the centuries-old buildings of Cambridge, I was taken aback by the design chosen for this new structure. I...

Continue Reading When an Architect Should "Take a Mulligan"...

What happens when church marketing meets church history? Citizens of the German city of Wittenberg may soon find out. In honor of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's arrival in Wittenberg as a student and a monk, the leaders of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) have declared a "Luther...

Continue Reading Wittenberg: The Protestant Rome?...

by R.C. SproulIn Acts 14, Luke sets forth for us the events that took place on Paul's first missionary journey, a journey on which Barnabas accompanied him. We've seen this pattern emerge over and over again. The apostles would come into the synagogue or the public square known as the...

Continue Reading Principles for Voting (text)...

At Ligonier Ministries we praise the Lord for the life and ministry of John H. Gerstner (1914-1996). He was Dr. Sproul's primary mentor and served for many years at Ligonier as a resident theology advisor. He excelled in theology, church history, and apologetics, as well as being a renowned Jonathan...

Continue Reading Theology for Everyman...

by John H. Gerstner Dante's Inferno tells of Virgil leading Dante to the entrance of Inferno. There is a sign that says, "Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here." There is a sign over the entrance to the Kingdom of God also, and it reads: "Abandon all pride, all...

Continue Reading The Way: Straight and Narrow (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner The lessons are now over. Now comes the homework. This is the "lab" part of our course. Here is where you learn by doing, having learned by reading. Jesus tells us that in spite of the glorious way of divine salvation, not many will find it....

Continue Reading The Way: Straight and Narrow (pt. 1)...

by John H. Gerstner There is more Scripture to the same effect, but I think this is sufficient to indicate the thought of the Bible. Let me say a final word on this subject as to why I believe people think that there is a possibility of moving or progressing...

Continue Reading The Future: Heaven or Hell? (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner It has been characteristic of the sects to deny future punishment. Unitarianism emerged in this country basically as a protest against vindictive justice. It is true that this was not always in the foreground of the controversy, but it is probable that it was always in...

Continue Reading The Future: Heaven or Hell? (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner Edwyn Bevan, in his book Christianity, says that some modern Roman Catholics, speaking off the record concerning their official doctrine of the endless punishment of the wicked, "teach that the punishment involves real pain, but that it is not forever; others that the punishment is really...

Continue Reading The Future: Heaven or Hell? (pt. 1)...

by John H. Gerstner What, then, is the church of Christ? Although the previous definition is unsatisfactory, the addition of two words will make it quite satisfactory. Thus, the church consists of all who sincerely profess faith in Christ, who are normally subordinate to His officers, and who associate with...

Continue Reading The Church: The Body of Christ (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner This notion that members of some particular denomination are necessarily members of Christ's church or body I cannot grant. I will not deny that a person who sincerely and truly makes a sound profession of faith in Christ is a member of His true church, but...

Continue Reading The Church: The Body of Christ (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner There are fundamentally two views of the church. There are variations of these and mixtures of them, but fundamentally only two views. This division runs through the various denominations or "churches," as we shall see. The first conception of the church is stated as follows: It...

Continue Reading The Church: The Body of Christ (pt. 1)...

by John H. Gerstner The third fruit of justification that the apostle mentions in our text is rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. The preceding joy of fellowship with God was augmented by its promise. In a certain sense, that present joyful fellowship was partly from anticipation...

Continue Reading Assurance: How We Know That We Know Christ (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner The second proof of one's salvation that the apostle mentions is a gracious state: "We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." The grace here mentioned signifies a condition of fellowship with God. It introduces us to a second level of Christian experience....

Continue Reading Assurance: How We Know That We Know Christ (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner Up to this point our interest has been in coming to Christ. We have considered our lost condition by nature, our need of a Savior, Christ's remarkable qualifications for that role, and the way by which we are persuaded of it. But now we address ourselves...

Continue Reading Assurance: How We Know That We Know Christ (pt. 1)...

In the beginningActive and present at creation, hovering over the unordered conditions (Gen. 1:2)In the Old TestamentThe origin of supernatural abilities (Gen. 41:38)The giver of artistic skill (Ex. 31:2-5)The source of power and strength (Judg. 3:9, 10)The inspiration of prophecy (1 Sam. 19:20, 23)The equipper of God's messenger (Mic. 3:8)In...

Continue Reading The Work of the Holy Spirit...

When Jesus "speaks of future disaster, he always teaches its close relation with the [joy] of redemption, so that when disasters suddenly come they...may be borne by hearts that have premeditated them."-- Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, 3.17.23...

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by John H. Gerstner But to come back to our point: We must put on holiness. It is not enough to know how it is done, it must be done. It is not enough to know that it must be done, we must do it. Though I have all knowledge...

Continue Reading Sanctification: Christianizing the Christian (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner In What Sense the Christian Is Imperfect Now The saint's imperfection is no less apparent than his perfection. It jumps right out from the Scripture. In Colossians 3:12 we are told that Christians are elect and holy; immediately after that we are exhorted to put on...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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by John H. Gerstner What has been the influence of Christ on succeeding centuries? Shortly before His death He said, "Believe Me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works...

Continue Reading Jesus Christ: The God-Man (pt. 3)...

By John H. Gerstner The Deity of Christ But now we find ourselves in an extraordinary situation. If we admit, as the world does, that Christ is the perfect man, we must also admit that He is God then! "Why," you ask, "if we acknowledge Christ to be the perfect...

Continue Reading Jesus Christ: The God-Man (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner When I studied at Harvard University in the 1940's, we had a very interesting professor, Dr. H. H. Cadbury, who used to attempt to introduce Christ to his classes. In attendance, he would have, in addition to the divinity school men, a number of the regular...

Continue Reading Jesus Christ: The God-Man (pt. 1)...

by John H. Gerstner Let us now apply this doctrine to ourselves. First, let me apply it to myself. This doctrine means that, though I am a minister of the gospel, I am by nature a child of wrath. Even Paul, the greatest of ministers and apostles, included himself. "We...

Continue Reading Sin Makes No Racial Distinctions (pt. 3)...

by John H. Gerstner Reinhold Niebuhr, America's distinguished neo-orthodox theologian, lectured to the students and faculty of Harvard Divinity School in 1940. He was discussing original sin and gave this domestic illustration. He son, who was then seven, had been in a neighborhood brawl. Niebuhr was inclined to finish what...

Continue Reading Sin Makes No Racial Distinctions (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner Speaking of God's providence we noticed sin incidentally. We now bring it into focus. One cannot think of God's holy ways without thinking of our unholy ones. We cannot think of ourselves without thinking of our sin. Sin is the most important conviction any man can...

Continue Reading Sin Makes No Racial Distinctions (pt. 1)...

by Steven J. Lawson For the last four years, I have spoken at a conference on the West Coast called Resolved. The name is drawn from the Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards and is aimed at college students and "twenty-somethings" in the next generation. As an eighteen and nineteen year old,...

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by John H. Gerstner Positive Providence When considering the definition of negative providence, we used Ed Wynn's comic parody of the poet. Now, considering positive providence, we consider the poet himself: There is a destiny which shapes our ends, Rough hew them though we may. The "rough hew" needs explanation....

Continue Reading God's Providence: A Two-edged Sword (pt. 3)...

Coram Deo (Living before the face of God)by Burk ParsonsOur enemy's supreme deception is in his attempt to convince us that he doesn't exist. Toward that end, he has launched his assault against us with every weapon in his carefully fashioned arsenal. Perhaps his greatest success is in persuading us...

Continue Reading Don't Be So Open-minded...

by R.C. SproulToday the need for sacrifices to be made in faith is forgotten -- we hear that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere. In fact, the basic requirement of sacrifice is unknown -- it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere....

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Early in 2005, Mark Dever sat down with R.C. Sproul for an installment of the 9Marks Ministries audio interview series. Their topic was "Theology & Books". Mark is an excellent interviewer and leads a fascinating discussion with R.C. giving some of the "story behind the story" for many of his...

Continue Reading Mark Dever Interview with R.C. Sproul...

by Leland RykenThe most important lessons that we can learn from C.S. Lewis' Narnian Chronicles are the ones that Lewis himself wanted us to learn. It so happens that Lewis said enough about literature in general and the Narnian books in particular that it is possible to read Lewis' classic...

Continue Reading The Imagination of C.S. Lewis...

Right Now Counts Foreverby R.C. SproulC.S. Lewis emerged as a twentieth-century icon in the world of Christian literature. His prodigious work combining acute intellectual reasoning with unparalleled creative imagination made him a popular figure not only in the Christian world but in the secular world as well. The Chronicles of...

Continue Reading The Weight of Glory: The Significance of C.S. Lewis...

Skeptics often point to the existence of variants within the biblical manuscripts as evidence that the doctrine of inerrancy is false. Sometimes Christians who notice the effects of these variants when they compare different Bible translations can have their faith shaken. It is important that Christians have an informed understanding...

Continue Reading The Inerrancy of the Autographs...

by John H. Gerstner Negative Providence What do we mean by negative providence? Suppose we begin with the late comedian Ed Wynn's definition based on a slight alteration of some famous lines: There is a destiny that shapes our ends rough; Hew them how we may. This is negative enough,...

Continue Reading God's Providence: A Two-edged Sword (pt. 2)...

by John H. Gerstner According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, "God's works of providence are His most holy, wise, powerful preserving and governing all His creatures and all their actions." This comprehensive statement says that God's providence encompasses all, and not merely some, of the acts of His creatures. Such...

Continue Reading God's Providence: A Two-edged Sword (pt. 1)...

Right Now Counts Foreverby R.C. Sproul"The sinfulness of sin" sounds like a vacuous redundancy that adds no information to the subject under discussion. However, the necessity of speaking of the sinfulness of sin has been thrust upon us by a culture and even a church that has diminished the significance...

Continue Reading Cosmic Treason...

by John H. GerstnerNo One Can Be Saved Without Being a Theologian. If the above is enough to indicate that persons may have divine knowledge without being saved, then let us go on to indicate the still more pertinent truth, that no one can be saved without the knowledge...

Continue Reading Everyone Must Be a Theologian (pt. 3)...

by John H. GerstnerEveryone May Be a Theologian Without Being Saved!"But," the layman exclaims, "do you mean to tell me that if I do not have the knowledge of God I shall perish, and that if I do have the knowledge of God I will live forever? Do you mean...

Continue Reading Everyone Must Be a Theologian (pt. 2)...

At Ligonier Ministries we praise the Lord for the life and ministry of John H. Gerstner (1914-1996). He was Dr. Sproul's primary mentor and served for many years at Ligonier as a resident theology advisor. He excelled in theology, church history, and apologetics as well as being a renowned Jonathan...

Continue Reading Everyone Must Be a Theologian (pt. 1)...

Pro Ecclesia (For the Church)by R. Albert Mohler Jr.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...

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The gospel of Christ is the good tidings that God has revealed concerning Christ. As all mankind was lost in Adam and became the children of wrath, put under the sentence of death, God, though He left His fallen angels and has reserved them in the chains of eternal darkness,...

Continue Reading Jeremiah Burrough's Summary of the Gospel...

It is one of the brightest hopes in the United States at the present time that Gospel preachers, from different denominational backgrounds, are being spontaneously drawn together in a common concern to advance the cause of Christ. This cause does not need new labels or structures; most of all it...

Continue Reading Iain Murray on Unity...

Pro Ecclesia (For the Church)by Richard D. PhillipsSince we live in a fallen world, our greatest strengths have a way of giving birth to our greatest weaknesses. This is why some churches that emphasize a strong Bible-preaching pulpit are less vigorous in ministries of mercy. One inner city Presbyterian church...

Continue Reading What the Needy Need...

If you are a reader of contemporary theological works and you have not already encountered the name "N.T. Wright," you will. Wright is the Anglican Bishop of Durham, and he is one of the most prolific biblical scholars of our day. I first encountered Wright's name years ago while doing...

Continue Reading When Wright Is Wrong...

Right Now Counts Foreverby R.C. SproulThe Latin word credo means simply "I believe." It represents the first word of the Apostles' Creed. Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to distinguish true content from error...

Continue Reading Norma Normata -- A Rule that is Ruled...

This is from Burk Parsons' column "Coram Deo: Living Before the Face of God" written to introduce the April 2008 edition of Tabletalk. He is the editor of Tabletalk magazine and minister of congregational life at Saint Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida.*****One dutchman, a theologian. Two dutchmen, a church. Three...

Continue Reading Confessionally Challenged...

The April edition of Tabletalk has now reached our subscribers hands. This month's theme is on The Three Forms of Unity, those formative documents produced during that revival of the Gospel we call the Protestant Reformation. The daily devotions continue our study of the book of Matthew.We'll post some of...

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

Most readers know Tabletalk magazine for its helpful, topical articles as well as the daily Bible studies. In 2008, the editors have started posting the magazine's columns as well as R.C. Sproul's popular "Right Now Counts Forever" article. Here are the links to the March edition:Coram Deo (Living Before the...

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