Questions Answered by R.C. Sproul | Learn Reformed theology from top theologians and teachers at Ligonier.org

In Acts 16 Paul encourages Timothy to be circumcised, then later condemns it. Was he being hypocritical?

I don’t think the apostle was being hypocritical at all. This is a very interesting historical situation that the New Testament records for us. It does say that Paul circumcised Timothy and then refused to circumcise Titus, and this became …Read More

First Corinthians 15:29 says, “Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?” I know it’s a Mormon doctrine to believe in baptism for the dead by proxy. What is the Christian view of this?

There’s not a single text in all of Scripture that gives an explicit mandate for the church to practice proxy baptism, or baptism for the dead, and yet here is a practice that has emerged in one religious body. The …Read More

Is God concerned with the material well-being of Christians?

The short answer to that, emphatically and definitely, is yes. Not only is God concerned about the material well-being of Christians, he’s deeply and profoundly concerned for the material well-being of the whole world. God created a material world. He …Read More

Scripture says that Christ stated the unforgivable sin as being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Can you expand on that, and how should I pray for someone committing that sin?

There’s a lot of confusion over the sin that Jesus says cannot be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come. Some people think that the unforgivable sin is murder because the Old Testament gives us such …Read More

How should I handle my own doubts about God’s presence in my life?

This question brings to mind an experience I had early in my ministry. In fact, I’d only been ordained a few months and was teaching at a college. One church had a minister who was much loved by his congregation; …Read More

In Numbers 14 it appears that Moses changed the mind of God. How can you explain this?

“To change one’s mind,” in the New Testament means to repent. When the Bible speaks of my repenting or your repenting, it means that we are called to change our minds or our dispositions with respect to sin—that we are …Read More

Do we stand before God in judgment upon death or later?

We have to make a distinction, as I think the Bible does, between the judgment that we receive immediately upon our death, at which we are brought before Christ, and what the Bible speaks of as the last judgment. There’s …Read More

What role does human achievement or good works play in salvation?

Human good works play a tremendously important role. There can be no salvation whatsoever without good works, and your good works are crucial to your salvation. Now, how can a Protestant make a statement like that? First of all, good …Read More

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who’s been a Christian for many years?

That’s a tricky question, but I think it’s a fascinating one and certainly one that many people are concerned about. We talk about foxhole faith, when people cry out in desperate moments of crisis or postpone to their deathbed the …Read More

The Bible says that all power is given by God. How can we explain then the power that Satan and men such as Hitler have had in the past?

God is saying not only that he is omnipotent, all powerful in and of himself but also that he is the fountainhead of all power and all authority in this world. And so the devil himself is subordinate and dependent …Read More

If justification is by faith alone, how can we apply James 2:24, which says a person is justified by what he does, not his faith alone?

That question is not critical only today, but it was in the eye of the storm we call the Protestant Reformation that swept through and divided the Christian church in the sixteenth century. Martin Luther declared his position: Justification is …Read More

How do you know the Bible is true?

That’s an excellent question because so much is at stake in the Christian faith in terms of the truthfulness of Scripture. The Bible is our primary source of information about Jesus and about all of those things we embrace as …Read More

What is the doctrine of eternal security?

When we speak of the doctrine of eternal security, we’re using a popular description of a classical doctrine that we call the perseverance of the saints. What it means is that once a person has become quickened by the Holy …Read More

Doesn’t science disprove Christianity?

There have been obvious conflicts between the scientific community and the religious community over certain points. Of course, the most notable dispute historically was the embarrassing episode of Galileo and the whole theory of whether the earth or the sun …Read More

Both Peter and Paul call us to submit to governing authorities. In light of that, is revolution ever possible for a Christian, and if so, under what circumstances?

It certainly is clear that the New Testament puts an emphasis on the Christian’s responsibility to be a model of civil obedience. In Romans 13, Paul tells us that the powers that be are ordained by God. That doesn’t mean …Read More

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In Acts 16 Paul encourages Timothy to be circumcised, then later condemns it. Was he being hypocritical?

First Corinthians 15:29 says, “Otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?” I know it’s a Mormon doctrine to believe in baptism for the dead by proxy. What is the Christian view of this?

Is God concerned with the material well-being of Christians?

Scripture says that Christ stated the unforgivable sin as being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Can you expand on that, and how should I pray for someone committing that sin?

How should I handle my own doubts about God’s presence in my life?

In Numbers 14 it appears that Moses changed the mind of God. How can you explain this?

Do we stand before God in judgment upon death or later?

What role does human achievement or good works play in salvation?

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who’s been a Christian for many years?

The Bible says that all power is given by God. How can we explain then the power that Satan and men such as Hitler have had in the past?

If justification is by faith alone, how can we apply James 2:24, which says a person is justified by what he does, not his faith alone?

How do you know the Bible is true?

What is the doctrine of eternal security?

Doesn’t science disprove Christianity?

Both Peter and Paul call us to submit to governing authorities. In light of that, is revolution ever possible for a Christian, and if so, under what circumstances?

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