|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Grace, R.C. Sproul Jr. |
|
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?...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul Jr., Scripture |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Development, Money |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Forgiveness, Guilt |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
C.S. Lewis, R.C. Sproul Jr. |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Accordance, Review |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul, Worship |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Music, R.C. Sproul, Worship |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
assurance |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul, Sanctification |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul Jr. |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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?...
|
|
Tags:
God's Will, R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Prayer, R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
John Calvin |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Art, R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Art, R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Art, R.C. Sproul |
|
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!...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul, Resurrection |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Hell |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Hell |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
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...
|
|
Tags:
Caledonia, Homesickness, Music, Pilgrims |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
David, Jesus Christ, Samuel, Theology |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Lifeviews, 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...
|
|
Tags:
blog |
|
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?...
|
|
Tags:
Christmas, Jesus Christ |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Apostle, Grace |
|
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"...
|
|
Tags:
Architecture |
|
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?...
|
|
Tags:
Martin Luther, Wittenberg |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
John Gerstner, Theology for Everyman |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Holy Spirit |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Jonathan Edwards, R.C. Sproul, Revival |
|
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)...
|
|
Tags:
Jonathan Edwards, R.C. Sproul, Revival |
|
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,...
Continue Reading Resolved...
|
|
Tags:
Christian Living, Tabletalk Magazine |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Pluralism, Tabletalk Magazine |
|
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....
Continue Reading Sacrifices in Faith...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul, Worship |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
Inerrancy, R.C. Sproul |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
R.C. Sproul, Tabletalk Magazine, Theology: Man |
|
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...
Continue Reading Training Pastors in Church...
|
|
Tags:
Pastoral Ministry |
|
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...
|
|
Tags:
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...
|
|
Tags:
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...
|
|
Tags:
Mercy Ministry, Tabletalk Magazine |
|
Facebook Group

|