Ligonier Ministries: The teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul

We don’t understand God. What is it about Him that so often leads Him to mute His power, to hide behind the weak and lame? It’s not as though He doesn’t understand His own power. His Word created the whole of the universe. His Spirit gave life to us when we were dead. That Word never returns void. That Spirit is omnipotent. But He has chosen to not only work on us, but to work through us. The Word reaches the apex of its power not when it stands alone, but when it is preached. God is pleased to use the foolishness of preaching to give life, to change the world. He works through us. Keep Reading

What an excellent question. There are those who would suggest that the Bible doesn’t give us a model at all, and we are therefore free to do whatever we please. Happily your question, and the Bible, leaves no room for that option. So let’s consider the other two.  Keep Reading

God calls us to think His thoughts after Him. That means all of His thoughts. That is, we ought to have a sound and biblical view on everything the Bible touches on. Where it touches on political issues, we are called, again to have sound biblical views. We need to think biblically about what is just war and what is not. We need to think faithfully about taxation, and the size and scope of government. We need to think through what obligation, if any the state has to protect property, to protect our lives. Keep Reading

We, these United States are in what is, for us, hard times. Foreclosures abound. Unemployment is high. And inflation may well be warming up in the bullpen. That said, I remain somewhat surprised at the news today that a particular church in southern California has recently declared bankruptcy, that economic hardship has touched this particular spot.  Keep Reading

In this review, R.C. Sproul Jr. reviews one of his father's books--Knowing Scripture. Keep Reading

Not too long after so many of us were swept up in the significance of Y2K, R.C. Sproul Jr. peers back at Y1K and looks for its lessons. "As the tenth century drew to its conclusion, too many Christians saw in that grand, round number what they thought was a glimpse into the private thoughts of God. The millennium bug bit us, and we caught the fever." He warns, though, that "Disappointments along these lines, then and now, can be peculiarly damaging, as theologies are twisted and Scriptures denied in order to explain how our math turned out wrong." He reflects on the significance of numbers, even saying that "Numbers, because of their abstract nature, may be that place where our thinking grows closest to God’s. We hear in the harmony of music and we see in the dance of the heavenly spheres echoes and reflections of the beauty of not just creation but the Creator. In its place, this is right and proper. We should always marvel at His glory and power." Still, they can be dangerous and "we must always remember that His ways are not our ways, His thoughts not our thoughts. We must not, as Satan tempted us, see numbers as a tool for our own power and glory." Having warned of the allure of numbers and the danger they can bring us, he turns to the one number that matters most. Keep Reading

Logistics intimidate me. Had I been present at the sermon that preceded the feeding of the five thousand I wouldn’t have heard a word. My mind would have been rather occupied with that one burning question — How are we ever going to feed all these people? There I would have been failing to hear the words of life from the Bread of Life all because I was worried about where bread would come from. Keep Reading

I scanned my notes rather quickly, looking for problems. I would soon be preaching amidst a gathering throng of Kenyans. Was there an allusion somewhere in here to America culture? Were there idioms that would make no sense to these saints? Was there a hint of technical jargon connected to theological controversies that had not yet crossed the Atlantic? Truth be told, I was more nervous than I have been in a long time.  Nairobi West Presbyterian Church is neither tiny (which tends to make me more nervous than large crowds) nor massive (which tends to make some others more nervous.) The pews were, however, filled with a rather mixed crowd- most of them local, but a decent sized contingent of those who had been travelling with me from these United States. Keep Reading

One of the great blessings of my calling is that I am from time to time called to travel far and wide. Over the course of little more than a year I have travelled to teach in the United Kingdom, in Japan, and now in Africa. I come home each time encouraged to see the Spirit of God at work in places that are far to me, but near to Him. While my joy increases however, so does my concern. That is, the more aware I become of how God is at work in distant lands, the more I become aware of the need. My vision is expanded on the expanse of the kingdom, which in turn causes me to more clearly see the fields white for harvest. Keep Reading

One of my many weaknesses is that I don’t, at least in my heart, believe that missionaries have weaknesses. I see them as super-heroes. How wonderful they must be to leave the comforts of home and family to go and serve. My mind knows better, but the heart has its reasons. Missionaries, I know objectively, are not super spiritual people who do not sin. They are instead super-spiritual people whose consciousness of their own sin fuels gospel gratitude which in turn leads to sacrificial love for others. Keep Reading