R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 103

Merry Christmas from the Ligonier Team

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

Merry Christmas from the Ligonier team.

The Glory of Christmas

On the night Jesus was born something spectacular took place. The plains of Bethlehem became the theater for one of the most spectacular sound-and-light shows in human history. All heaven broke loose.

Luke tells us what happened:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:8-14)

The angelic visitor was surrounded by the glory of God. The glory was shining. This glory did not belong to the angel himself. It was God's glory, signifying His divine mode of being. It was the divine splendor that shrouded the heavenly messenger, a visible divine radiance.

When the shepherds of Bethlehem quaked in fear, they were admonished by the angel: "Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11, NKJV).

Every human being longs for a savior of some type. We look for someone or something that will solve our problems, ease our pain, or grant the most elusive goal of all, happiness. From the pursuit of success in business to the discovery of a perfect mate or friend, we make our search.

Even in the preoccupation with sports we show a hope for a savior. As a sports season ends with far more losers than winners, we hear the cry from cities across the land—"Wait till next year!" Then comes the draft or a new crop of rookies, and the fans pin their hopes and dreams on the new kid who will bring glory to the team. The rookie, the new client, the new machine, the news that will arrive in tomorrow's mail—all are invested with more hope than any creature can possibly deliver.

The burst of light that flooded the fields of Bethlehem announced the advent of a Savior who was able to do the task.

We note that the newborn Savior is also called "Christ the Lord." To the astonished shepherds these titles were pregnant with meaning. This Savior is the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. Every Jew remembered the promise of God that someday the Messiah, the Lord's anointed, would come to deliver Israel. This Messiah-Savior is also Lord. He not only will save His people but He will be their King, their Sovereign.

The angel declares that this Savior-Messiah-Lord is born "unto you." The divine announcement is not an oracle of judgment but the declaration of a gift. The newborn King is born for us.

The New Adventures of Old Trinitarian Heresies

Here’s an excerpt from The New Adventures of Old Trinitarian Heresies, J.V. Fesko's contribution to the December issue of Tabletalk:

“Progress has not followed a straight ascending line, but a spiral with rhythms of progress and retrogression, of evolution and dissolution,” was an astute observation once made by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832). Goethe refutes the idea that the march of time always brings progress and advancement. This applies even to the church. There are times when the church has advanced its understanding of biblical doctrine, and there are other times when its understanding has devolved. We see this throughout history when it comes to the doctrine of God and especially the doctrine of the Trinity.

The early church fought off false teachers and doctrines to obtain a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about who God is and how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to one another in terms of their existence and works. They thought deeply and biblically regarding the Scripture’s affirmation that we worship one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In so doing, the church defended biblical truth against three errors: modalism, Arianism, and semi-Arianism. Yet, these errors did not go away but have periodically reappeared throughout church history.

Continue reading The New Adventures of Old Trinitarian Heresies, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

For a limited time, the new TabletalkMagazine.com allows everyone to browse and read the growing library of back issues, including this month’s issue.

What Are the Essential Ingredients of a True Church?

Lesser matters must never usurp the central purpose of the church. From one of our Ask Ligonier events, R.C. Sproul and Derek Thomas help us to define the distinguishing marks of a true church.

To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, just visit Ask.Ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter. Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

Looking for a Last-Minute Gift?

This Christmas, give meaningful gifts that encourage friends and family to deepen their study of God’s Word. Here are three suggestions:

Provide a gift that lasts all year with a gift subscription to Tabletalk magazine. Buy one and get up to nine more for 50% off.

TABLETALK MAGAZINE

Encourage discipleship and personal growth with a Ligonier Connect gift subscription, providing access to more than ninety interactive video courses.

LIGONIER CONNECT

Give a Ligonier gift certificate so a friend or family member can select trustworthy Christian resources from our online store.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

Tabletalk offer expires on January 31, 2020.

The Incarnation: Its Relevance

To call the incarnation "relevant" almost sounds patronizing. But we need to recognize the intimate connection between this important doctrine and personal piety.

It Opens Up Scripture

Until we grasp that Christ is God-in-flesh, the Old Testament will remain a collection of stories about how men and women struggled with the call to faith. The incarnation helps us to see that the Old Testament sets the stage for God to once again live with man as He did in Eden. On every Old Testament page, God promises a human deliverer who is also stronger than Satan (Gen. 3:15); both a suffering servant and an anointed king.

The reality of God-with-us is explained and applied throughout the rest of Scripture starting with Matthew. The New Testament is not simply a collection of ethical instruction, or even a commentary on the life of a certain Nazarene. It is the real-life story of what happened when God came to men that they might belong to Him. The New Testament is the answer to the Old Testament anticipation of a redeemer. Only in the incarnate Christ, are all of the promises answered with a resounding "yes!" (2 Cor. 1:20).

Near the story's last chapter, John heard these words from heaven: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with then, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and be their God" (Rev. 21:3).

It Makes God Accessible

In the Old Testament, God was accessible only through the mediation of prophets, priests, tabernacle, and temple. No Israelite could properly see God (John 1:18). John Calvin said the revelation of God prior to Christ was like a pencil sketch.

In Christ, God became accessible to us in a most familiar form. Six times in the opening of His first letter, John says, "We saw him!" (1 John 1:1-4). During Jesus' earthly ministry, the majestic God of heaven and earth cried out to the crowds, "Come to me!" (Matt. 11:28). If you want to know what God is like, study Christ. As Richard Phillips has written, Jesus' earthly posture, tone of voice, attitude, and reaction to events were those of God. "God is Christ-like."

It Reveals Our Only Mediator

At Mount Sinai Israel needed mediation; they were justly terrified by God's thunderings. "If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die." (Deut 5:25). God gave Moses as a temporary mediator (Deut. 5:27) who admonished the people to look for a better one! (Deut 18:15). Of the man Jesus, Paul later wrote, "There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men…" (1 Tim. 2:5). In His humanity Christ suffered our judgment for sin. In His divinity He endured that judgment to the very end.

It Reveals God's Humility and Glory

Christ prostrated Himself to the earth because we needed rescue–that's humbling. God lowered Himself to gather to Himself His rebellious children. Even the earthly body of Christ was lowly. It was as crude as the tabernacle in the desert compared with the pyramids of Egypt or the ziggurats of Babylon. Christ willingly compromised His reputation by becoming a man (Phil. 2:7). Paradoxically, in Christ's humility, God also reveals His other-worldly glory. Phillips explains: "Jesus saw the event of His greatest earthly humiliation–the apex of His servant obedience–as His true glorification on earth. 'The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified' (John 12:23)." Calvin boldly states that the richness of God's glory "is invisible until it shines forth in Christ…the majesty of the Father is hidden until it shews itself impressed" on Christ's image."

It Compels Us to Godly Living

"For the love of Christ compels us…those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14-15). True godliness is lived out in a mutually loving experience with God. With biblical warrant, we usually think of the cross as the greatest manifestation of God's love. But if on the cross, Christ's descent reached the pit of hell, the incarnation was His first step in that agonizing descent. We need to know Christ as He truly is, God and man in one beautiful, glorious person. Knowing Christ ensures being changed by Him.

See also:

The Incarnation: The Athanasian Creed
The Incarnation: Its Relevance

Rev. William Boekestein is pastor of Covenant Reformed Church in Carbondale, Pa. He is co-author of Why Christ Came.

Jacobus Arminius

In this brief clip from his teaching series A Survey of Church History, W. Robert Godfrey examines the teaching career of Jacobus Arminius. Watch this entire message for free.

Transcript

So in 1603, Arminius becomes professor at Leiden. Now bear in mind, he's got a letter of recommendation from Beza, he’s a pretty tough nut in terms of orthodoxy, and now from Gomarus but almost immediately after taking his position, rumors began to circulate. Is he teaching some students in private something different from what he's teaching in public? Then he wrote criticizing William Perkins on predestination, only criticizing never quite making clear what he personally believed. He has the students reading Roman Catholic authors. What’s going on here? What’s going on here? And this led to growing tension, growing struggle, growing confusion. The Synod begins an investigation and then Arminius dies – dies in 1609. Well, that’s the end of the problem. Right? Arminianism went away with the death of Arminius. Well, no of course. That's never a solution to problems. It never goes away in that regard. He left a legacy amongst his students.

Professor Jacobus Arminius

In this brief clip from his teaching series A Survey of Church History, W. Robert Godfrey examines the teaching career of Jacobus Arminius. Watch this entire message for free.

Transcript

So in 1603, Arminius becomes professor at Leiden. Now bear in mind, he's got a letter of recommendation from Beza, he’s a pretty tough nut in terms of orthodoxy, and now from Gomarus but almost immediately after taking his position, rumors began to circulate. Is he teaching some students in private something different from what he's teaching in public? Then he wrote criticizing William Perkins on predestination, only criticizing never quite making clear what he personally believed. He has the students reading Roman Catholic authors. What’s going on here? What’s going on here? And this led to growing tension, growing struggle, growing confusion. The Synod begins an investigation and then Arminius dies – dies in 1609. Well, that’s the end of the problem. Right? Arminianism went away with the death of Arminius. Well, no of course. That's never a solution to problems. It never goes away in that regard. He left a legacy amongst his students.

Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?

We cannot maintain a true definition of God while denying the doctrine of the Trinity. From one of our live Ask Ligonier events, R.C. Sproul and Derek Thomas consider whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

If you have a biblical or theological question, just visit Ask.Ligonier.org to ask your question live online.

Read the Transcript

What Does the X in Xmas Mean?

The X in Christmas is used like the R in R.C. My given name at birth was Robert Charles, although before I was even taken home from the hospital my parents called me by my initials, R.C., and nobody seems to be too scandalized by that.

X can mean so many things. For example, when we want to denote an unknown quantity, we use the symbol X. It can refer to an obscene level of films, something that is X-rated. People seem to express chagrin about seeing Christ's name dropped and replaced by this symbol for an unknown quantity X. Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, "Put Christ back into Christmas" as a response to this substitution of the letter X for the name of Christ.

There’s No X in Christmas

First of all, you have to understand that it is not the letter X that is put into Christmas. We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X. That X has come through church history to be a shorthand symbol for the name of Christ.

We don't see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta, which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos, the Greek word for God.

X Has a Long and Sacred History

The idea of X as an abbreviation for the name of Christ came into use in our culture with no intent to show any disrespect for Jesus. The church has used the symbol of the fish historically because it is an acronym. Fish in Greek (ichthus) involved the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish. That's how the symbol of the fish became the universal symbol of Christendom. There's a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.

This excerpt is adapted from Now, That’s a Good Question! by R.C. Sproul.