R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 108

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Happy Thanksgiving: Free Downloads by R.C. Sproul

Each year at Thanksgiving, millions of Americans gather together to celebrate an age-old tradition. They enjoy each other's company as they watch college football games, catch up on old times, and eat lots of good food.

What could be wrong with a tradition like that? The problem is not so much what we do, but what we neglect to do. How much thanks do you give each year? In this special two-part message, R.C. Sproul reminds us of what is missing from so many Thanksgiving feasts and the fundamental sin we are guilty of every day.

Thanksgiving (Part 1) (Right click to save)

Thanksgiving (Part 2) (Right click to save)

Thanksgiving is a moment to express profound, deep, sincere and genuine gratitude to the providence of God for a year's worth of tender mercies that we have received from the hand of His benevolence. From His care, from His comfort, from His guidance, from His government of our lives, we are to take time to be grateful.

—R.C. Sproul

Ligonier Ministries wishes you a happy Thanksgiving.

Helping Our Children Grow in Gratefulness

Here’s an excerpt from Helping Our Children Grow in Gratefulness, Melissa Kruger's contribution to the November issue of Tabletalk:

We walked out of the ice cream store in tears. What was meant to be a fun summer treat had turned into a family meltdown. Just five minutes earlier, we had walked into the store all smiles and excitement. However, as I explained to my three children that they were only allowed a single scoop of ice cream (instead of a more expensive treat with lots of toppings mixed in), their faces fell and complaining commenced. As the grumbling grew, I realized it was time for a difficult lesson. “Everyone, back in the car. We’re not getting ice cream today.”

My children looked at me in shock and then in tears. I was crying too. Some lessons are as painful to teach as they are to learn. I wanted to have this fun treat with my children, but my bigger concern was their hearts. If they couldn’t be grateful for a scoop of ice cream because they saw something better, how would they learn thankfulness in a world that’s always enticing them to want more?

Raising grateful children is not an easy endeavor. We live in the midst of a fallen world, so all of life is a mixture of blessings and hardships. Even as adults, we’re tempted to focus on what’s lacking rather than rejoicing in what’s given. We tend to feel entitled to the good and shocked by the hard. However, with the Spirit’s help, we can train our minds to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and help our children learn thankfulness even when circumstances don’t live up to our expectations or hopes.

Continue reading Helping Our Children Grow in Gratefulness, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

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Deuteronomy Helps us See the Savior

In this brief clip from his teaching series Discovering Deuteronomy, W. Robert Godfrey examines how the book of Deuteronomy points us to Christ.

Transcript

And suddenly, isn't it fascinating, to see these three things put together in Deuteronomy chapter 21 -- the firstborn son, the firstfruits of his father's strength, the one who gets a double portion, the praise and the honor given to the firstborn son. That tells us a lot about Jesus. And then we move on to the story of the rebellious son who is worthy of death, and that tells us how Jesus was rejected. And then we move on to the story of hanging on a tree as a sign of being cursed and abandoned, and that tells us about Jesus. Of course, in case you're wondering, I'm not just making this up. This is exactly what the Apostles preach, isn't it? The Apostles appeal to Deuteronomy 21 to explain what happened to Jesus in Acts 5:30. There's an allusion to Jesus hanging on the tree and again in Acts 10:39. And in Galatians 3:13, Paul quotes this passage from Deuteronomy 21. And again, there's allusions in 1 Peter 2:24 where Peter wrote, "He bore our sins in his body on the tree." So I hope you get as excited as I do to see how the Lord has prepared all of this, all of it in places that initially might seem very strange and kind of obscure and maybe even we wonder, "What is the relevance of this?" The relevance is it helps us to see the Savior.

Grace and Gratitude

A number of decades ago at the Ligonier Valley Study Center, we sent out a Thanksgiving card with this simple statement: "The essence of theology is grace; the essence of Christian ethics is gratitude." In all the debates about our role versus God's role in sanctification—our growth in holiness—we'd stay on the right track if we'd remember this grace-gratitude dynamic. The more we understand how kind God has been to us and the more we are overcome by His mercy, the more we are inclined to love Him and to serve Him.

Yet we can't get the grace-gratitude dynamic right if we aren't clear on what grace means. What is grace? The catechisms many of us learned as children give us the answer: "Grace is the unmerited favor of God." The first thing that we understand about grace is what it's not—it's not something we merit. In fact, if that is all we ever understand about grace, I'm sure God will rejoice that we know His grace is unmerited. So, here's our working definition of grace—it is unmerit.

Paul's epistle to the Romans sheds light on what we mean when we say that grace is unmerit. In 1:18–3:20, the Apostle explains that on the final day, for the first time in our lives, we will be judged in total perfection, in total fairness, in absolute righteousness. Thus, every mouth will be stopped when we stand before the tribunal of God. This should provoke fear in the hearts of fallen people, as condemnation is the only possible sentence for sinful men and women: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23).

But those who trust in Christ Jesus have hope, for if we are in Him by faith, we have been "justified freely by His grace." Note that justification is accomplished not by obligation, but freely through grace on account of the redemption purchased by Jesus alone. There's no room for boasting, for we are justified not by our works but by grace alone through faith alone. Paul goes on to cite Abraham as the preeminent example of one who was justified by faith alone and therefore free from God's sentence of condemnation. If the basis for Abraham's salvation, his justification, was something that Abraham did—some good deed, some meritorious service that he performed, some obligation that he performed—if it were on the basis of works, Paul says, he would have had something about which to boast. But Abraham had no such merit. All he had was faith, and that faith itself was a gift: "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (4:3; see Eph. 2:8–10).

Romans 4:4–8 is a key passage here:

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

That's grace. Paul couldn't say it any other way. To him who works, it's debt; if you merit something, it means that someone is obligated to pay you. If I hire you as an employee and promise to pay you one hundred dollars if you work eight hours, I must pay you for working the eight hours. I'm not doing you a favor or giving you grace. You've earned your pay. You've fulfilled the contract, and I'm morally obliged to give you your wages.

With respect to the Lord, we are debtors who cannot pay. That's why the Bible speaks of redemption in economic language—we were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20). Only someone else—Christ—can pay our debt. That's grace. It's not our good works that secure our rescue but only the works of Christ. It's His merit, not ours. We don't merit anything. He grants us His merit by grace, and we receive it only by faith. The essence of grace is its voluntary free bestowal. As soon as it's a requirement, it's no longer grace.

Grace should never cease to amaze us. God has an absolute, pure, holy standard of justice. That's why we cling with all our might to the merit of Jesus Christ. He alone has the merit to satisfy the demands of God's justice, and He gives it freely to us. We haven't merited it. There's nothing in us that elicits the Lord's favor that leads to our justification. It's pure grace.

And the more we understand what God has done for us as sinners, the more willing we are to do whatever He requires. The great teachers of the church say the first point of genuine sanctification is an increasing awareness of our own sinfulness. With that comes, at the same time, an increasing awareness of God's grace. And with that, again, increasing love and increasing willingness to obey Him.

When we truly understand grace—when we see that God only owes us wrath but has provided Christ's merit to cover our demerit—then everything changes. The Christian motivation for ethics is not merely to obey some abstract law or a list of rules; rather, our response is provoked by gratitude. Jesus understood that when He said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." If I may have the liberty to paraphrase: "Keep My commandments not because you want to be just, but because you love Me." A true understanding of grace—of God's unmerited favor—always provokes a life of gratitude and obedience.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

How Gratefulness Shapes Our Service

Here’s an excerpt from How Gratefulness Shapes Our Service, Steffen Mueller's contribution to the November issue of Tabletalk:

A Christian is someone who fundamentally should be a deeply thankful person. Some of the reasons for this can be seen in Colossians 3:12–17, which lists characteristics that we are to “put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (v. 12).

To be chosen by God, not because we are smarter or stronger or theologically more savvy than others but simply because God loves us, should both humble us and make us rejoice. In Christ, we are holy and we are God’s beloved children for all eternity. With that in mind, you and I as believers should be humble when we interact with other people. We are not better than they are; it is merely by God’s grace that we have received God’s forgiveness (v. 13) and God’s love. Therefore, we are to love and serve God first and then other people. Mark 10:45 says,“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

A GRATEFUL HEART

Yet, when we interact more closely with people, it doesn’t take long to realize that people can be difficult and that they are sinful. The question, then, is, How do we respond? Do we withdraw from them, at least to a certain extent, and show them less love and less Christ-centered service?

The message of the gospel is exactly the opposite: because you and I are difficult and sinful, Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins and make us more and more like Him. As we grow in Christlikeness, we will less and less withdraw from people and we will less and less cut them off from our lives and service. In Colossians 3:14, God says, “Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” A grateful heart shows itself in loving service to God and to other people. The more grateful we are for God’s grace and love in our lives, the more eager, committed, and determined we will be to love and to serve others—even when they are difficult and sinful.

Continue reading How Gratefulness Shapes Our Service, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

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Since Heaven is Perfect, Why Do We Need the New Heavens and New Earth?

On the last day, God will complete His work of redemption by renovating the entire cosmos. From one of our Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul helps us understand the Bible's depiction of the new heavens and new earth.

Do you have a biblical or theological question? We invite you to ask Ligonier at Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

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Core Convictions about Prayer

To experience God in our midst we must be people of prayer. To be people of prayer we need to know what prayer is. From the example of David in Psalm 109, we can see that prayer is the total offering of oneself to God for everything that is needed. Because of this people of prayer affirm several core convictions.

God invites us to pray.

Through the psalmist the Lord invites us, saying, “Pour out your hearts before him” (Ps. 62:8). When he walked this earth our Lord showed that he invites us to pray, saying three times in his teaching on prayer, “When you pray,” and then he said, “Pray then like this” (Matt. 6:5, 6, 7, 9). Clearly, God desires and delights in our prayers.

God is able and available to hear our prayers.

David knew the pain of abandonment. Yet he can say of the Lord, “He stands at the right hand of the needy one” (Ps. 109:31). The right hand of God is the place of power and honor; it is the place where our Lord Jesus currently stands. But here we are told that God stands next to us, at our right hand, ready to advocate for us! Even before we ask or think, God has the power to do above and beyond all that we will ask or think in a superabundant way (Eph. 3:20–21). How? The same power that raised Christ is the same power at work in us to raise us from sin to salvation (1:20–21). In the words of Thomas Manton, “Faith sets prayer a-work, and prayer sets the almighty power of God a-work.” “It is much for the glory of God’s goodness, and the encouragement of ours, that He is a God hearing prayer.” 

God promises to answer our prayers.

The Lord promised through Isaiah, “The Lord will answer . . . He will say, ‘Here I am’” (Is. 58:9). God is not only available to hear prayer but also to answer. We see this in relating the beginning of Psalm 109 with the end. In verse 4, David prays, and then, in verse 31, he is reassured that God is right at his side, in his struggles, in his prayers. God is near “to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.” God is fully available, being at our right hand. But he is also fully able, being the God who actually saves us from our dire distress. In the words of John Calvin, “There is nothing better to stir us to make our prayers, than a firm assurance that we shall succeed in them.” 

God promises to answer our prayers made in accord with his will.

“Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14; cf. 15:16; 16:23–24). The key is that whatever we ask of God must be done “in [Jesus’] name.” D.A. Carson explains that this means our prayers “are offered in thorough accord with all that his name stands for (i.e. his name is not used as a magical incantation: cf. 1 John 5:14), and in recognition that the only approach to God those who pray enjoy, their only way to God (cf. vv. 4–6), is Jesus himself.” The questions we need to be asking are these: am I asking for something that Jesus would pray for? Am I asking for something that will bring glory to the Father? If so, we ask; then we wait.

God grants us the help and intercession of His Holy Spirit when we are at a loss in prayer.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26).

God promises us His blessings when we pray.

God compares his blessings given through prayer to renewing rain which He grants from heaven. “Put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need” (Mal. 3:10); “He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth” (Hos. 6:3); “I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall blossom like the lily; He shall take root like the trees of Lebanon” (Hos. 14:5). In the words of Alfred Tennyson’s poem on the death of King Arthur, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.

This excerpt is abridged and adapted from Daniel R. Hyde’s chapter “Continuing in Prayer” in Faithful and Fruitful: Essays for Elders and Deacons edited by William Boekestein and Steven Swets

Thomas Manton, “A Treatise of the Life of Faith,” in Works (1870–75; repr., Homewood, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2008), 15:146.

Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 8th printing, 1997), 834, col. 2.

John Calvin, A Harmony of the Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke: Volume 1, trans. A.W. Morrison, eds. David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance, Calvin’s Commentaries 12 vols. (1972; repr., Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1975), 1:229.

D.A. Carson, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991), 497.

“Morte D’Arthur.” As found at https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem... (Accessed July 20, 2018).

John Calvin and the Five Points of Calvinism

Did John Calvin believe the five points of Calvinism? In this brief clip from his teaching series A Survey of Church History, W. Robert Godfrey examines the relationship between John Calvin and the five points of Calvinism. Watch this entire message for free.

Transcript

I think one of the things that's a little sad is that a lot of people when they hear Calvin and they think theology, if they're at all well informed, they think five points of Calvinism. Calvin never talked about five points. That's a later phenomenon. I think Calvin believed the five points of Calvinism but that was not any way in which Calvin thought about what he was doing, what he was believing, what he was teaching. Now it's hard to find a kind of center to Calvin's theology because I really think Calvin labored and was remarkably successful at simply being biblical in his theology. You can’t just lift one doctrine out of the Bible and make it the center of everything if the Bible doesn’t do that. And that's what Calvin tried to avoid doing. He tried to develop a theology that was faithful to the Bible and balanced the way biblical theology is balanced.