Latest from R.C. Sproul
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Accepting “No” as God’s Will
from R.C. Sproul Dec 11, 2011 Category: Reformation Trust
I am astonished that, in the light of the clear biblical record, anyone would have the audacity to suggest that it is wrong for the afflicted in body or soul to couch their prayers for deliverance in terms of “If it be thy will….” We are told that when affliction comes, God always wills healing, that He has nothing to do with suffering, and that all we must do is claim the answer we seek by faith. We are exhorted to claim God’s yes before He speaks it. Keep Reading -
An Inalienable Right to Grace?
from R.C. Sproul Dec 09, 2011 Category: Articles
My favorite illustration of how callous we have become with respect to the mercy, love, and grace of God comes from the second year of my teaching career, when I was given the assignment of teaching two hundred and fifty college freshman an introductory course on the Old Testament. On the first day of the class, I gave the students a syllabus and I said: "You have to write three short term papers, five pages each. The first one is due September 30 when you come to class, the second one October 30, and the third one November 30. Make sure that you have them done by the due date, because if you don't, unless you are physically confined to the infirmary or in the hospital, or unless there is a death in the immediate family, you will get an F on that assignment. Does everybody understand that?" They all said, "Yes."
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Revealed Ethics
from R.C. Sproul Nov 28, 2011 Category: Articles
At the heart of Christian ethics is the conviction that our firm basis for knowing the true, the good, and the right is divine revelation. Christianity is not a life system that operates on the basis of speculative reason or pragmatic expediency. We assert boldly that God has revealed to us who He is, who we are, and how we are expected to relate to Him. He has revealed for us that which is pleasing to Him and commanded by Him. Revelation provides a supernatural aid in understanding the good. This point is so basic and so obvious that it has often been overlooked and obscured as we search for answers to particular questions. Keep Reading -
Ever Ready
from R.C. Sproul Nov 27, 2011 Category: Articles
If your neighbor says, "I notice that you are a Christian. What is it that you believe?" are you ready to explain not only what you believe but why you believe it? Keep Reading -
Amen
from R.C. Sproul Nov 03, 2011 Category: Tabletalk Magazine
And all the people said… “Amen!” The “amen corner” has had an important place in the life of the church throughout the ages. However, it is rare to find such a spot among Presbyterians. We are known as God’s frozen chosen for a reason. It has been said that the Methodists like to shout “Fire,” the Baptists like to shout “Water,” and the Presbyterians like to softly say, “Order, order.” Nevertheless, in spite of the idiosyncrasies of various ecclesiastical persuasions, the function of the word amen far transcends denominational usages in the modern era. Keep Reading -
How Has God Used Ligonier Ministries in Your Life?
from R.C. Sproul Oct 19, 2011 Category: Ministry News
It seems like only yesterday that Mrs. Dora Hillman approached me with the idea of opening a small study center just outside of Pittsburgh, PA, to train people for ministry. Back then, I never realized that within a generation God would grow the Ligonier Valley Study Center into a teaching fellowship with an international reach. By God’s grace, Ligonier Ministries has labored for forty years — the equivalent of a biblical generation — to help others to know and remember the Lord. Keep Reading -
Receive a Special-Edition Copy of Chosen by God for Your Gift of Any Amount
from R.C. Sproul Sep 19, 2011 Category: Ministry News
All Christians at times struggle to embrace certain teachings of the Bible. I’ll never forget my seminary days when I challenged Dr. John Gerstner regarding divine election. I made a pest of myself, but Dr. Gerstner patiently endured me. Slowly, I came to learn that I must teach what the Bible says is true, not what I want the Bible to say is true. Keep Reading -
Satan the Proud and Powerful (Part 2)
from R.C. Sproul Aug 15, 2011 Category: Articles
In our day there has been a renewal of interest in the work of Satan. Hollywood has given us The Exorcist and The Omen and a host of other films to whet our appetite for the occult. Within Christian circles there has arisen a new concern for ministries of deliverance. Some of these deliverance ministries have developed a bizarre and radically unbiblical view of demon possession and deliverance.
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Satan the Proud and Powerful (Part 1)
from R.C. Sproul Aug 12, 2011 Category: Articles
Where did the idea of a red-flanneled, pitchfork-bearing Devil come from? The roots of this grotesque caricature of Satan are found in the Middle Ages. It was popular sport in medieval days to mock the Devil by describing him in ludicrous terms. There was a method in this madness. The medieval church believed in the reality of Satan. It was aware that Satan was a fallen angel who suffered from an overdose of pride. Pride was Satan's supreme weakness. To resist Satan, that proud but fallen creature, required fierce combat. The combat focused on Satan's most vulnerable point, his pride. The theory was this: Attack Satan at his point of weakness and he will flee from us.
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Man’s Ability to Choose God
from R.C. Sproul Jul 25, 2011 Category: Articles
It is ironic that in the same chapter, indeed in the same context, in which our Lord teaches the utter necessity of rebirth to even see the kingdom, let alone choose it, non-Reformed views find one of their main proof texts to argue that fallen man retains a small island of ability to choose Christ. It is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Keep Reading
