R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 12

When people say, “Everything happens for a reason,” how do I respond biblically?

Sometimes we hear people say, “Everything happens for a reason.” How should we respond in a biblical way? From one of our Ask Ligonier events, Sinclair Ferguson provides insight. To get real-time answers to your biblical and theological questions, just ask Ligonier.

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The Problem of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a problem for many people due to their misunderstanding of what forgiveness involves and confusion about what forgiveness really is. Part of the issue is that sometimes we are unable to distinguish between forgiveness and feeling forgiven. Sometimes our feelings can get out of sync with the reality of forgiveness.

Once a man came to talk to me about feeling greatly distressed because of his guilt. He said that he had committed a particular sin and had prayed and prayed about it but hadn’t received any relief. He wanted to know what he had to do to experience God’s forgiveness. But since he had confessed his sin and begged God to forgive him, I told him that he needed to ask God to forgive him for a different sin—the sin of arrogance. God says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). When we don’t believe that God has in fact forgiven us when we have confessed our sin, we are calling into question His faithfulness. We are saying that God’s promise cannot be trusted. That is supreme arrogance, so we need to ask God’s forgiveness for our refusing to believe His promise.

There is more to this problem of forgiveness. When we sin, one of the most difficult things for us is accepting free, gracious, merciful forgiveness. We are creatures of pride. We think that God’s forgiveness is fine for other people, but when we do something wrong, we want to make up for it. However, this is absolutely impossible for anyone to do. God requires perfect holiness. Once perfection is lost, we cannot regain it. We are debtors with a debt we cannot pay. This is difficult for us to accept because we want to be able to pay our own way. It’s because of our pride and arrogance, both fruits of our sinfulness, that we refuse to accept the forgiveness of God.

Back to the distinction between forgiveness and feeling forgiven: forgiveness is objective but the feeling of forgiveness is subjective. I can feel forgiven but not be forgiven because I haven’t repented. I can excuse myself when God has not excused me, and that false feeling of forgiveness can lead me astray. But I can also not feel forgiven even when I actually have been forgiven. If God declares that a person is forgiven, that person is in fact forgiven. Our lack of feeling forgiven does not negate the reality of what God has done.

What is the authority in our lives? Our feelings, which are subjective, or the Word of God, which is objective truth? The Christian must live practically each day by the Word of God rather than by his feelings. The issue of forgiveness is not whether we feel forgiven, but whether we have repented. If we confess our sin and ask God for forgiveness through Christ, we can be assured that He forgives us.

Sometimes we don’t forgive ourselves even though God has forgiven us. But who are we to refuse to forgive one whom God has forgiven? What makes us so wicked that God’s forgiveness is not enough to cover our sin? In effect, we’re saying that we’re so evil that even the grace of God can’t help us. No, we’re so proud that we refuse God’s grace.

Now let’s look at what forgiveness is. The Bible teaches that when God forgives us, He forgets our sins. This doesn’t mean He erases them from His memory. It means that He doesn’t hold them against us anymore.

How many times has someone told you that he has forgiven a sin you committed against him, and then, the next time you have a fight, he brings up what you did the last time? That person has, in a sense, rescinded his forgiveness. God doesn’t do that. If I am pardoned by God, it is settled and is never to be brought up again. God puts those sins aside and will never speak of them. However, we often reopen old wounds. We allow them to disturb the relationship. If I have forgiven someone, I should never again mention that sin. Forgiveness means not bringing it up.

There is another issue to look at, and that is our obligation to forgive others who sin against us. If such people confess their sin and repent, it is our moral obligation to forgive. However, if they don’t repent, we are not required to forgive. We may forgive, as Jesus did for those who killed Him (Luke 23:34). But in doing that, Jesus didn’t command that we must always forgive those who don’t repent. You can go to those who have wronged you and tell them they have offended you (see Matt. 18:15). If they repent, you have won them. But you are not called to forgive if they don’t repent. You are not allowed to be bitter or vindictive. You have to be loving, caring, concerned, and compassionate, but you don’t have to forgive. You can still talk about it and seek public vindication.

Here is one last problem related to forgiveness that we deal with often as elders in Christ’s church. A husband or wife commits adultery, repents deeply, and then asks his or her spouse for forgiveness. In such a situation, the offended spouse must forgive the guilty partner. However, that spouse is not obligated to stay married to that partner. The Bible makes a provision for the dissolution of a marriage in the event of adultery. The person is required to treat the repentant person as a brother or sister in Christ but not as a spouse.

Another example is a man stealing from us fifty times in our office and repenting each time. We must forgive him, but we can ask for restitution. We don’t have to keep him in our employ, but we must still treat him as a brother in Christ. This situation is an important practical application of the concept of forgiveness. We can have forgiveness and restored relationships, but that does not necessarily mean there are no lasting consequences for our sin.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

$5 Friday (And More): John Owen, Grace, & Prayer

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week’s resources include such topics as John Owen, grace, prayer, reformed theology, evangelism, and more.

Plus, several bonus resources are also available for more than $5. These have been significantly discounted from their original price. This week’s bonus resources include:

Jesus the Evangelist by Richard Philips, $19 $9 1-2 Peter: An Expositional Commentary by R.C. Sproul, $20 $10 The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson, $16 $10 Enjoy Your Prayer Life by Michael Reeves, $5 $3.50 Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon $23 $12And More

Sale runs through 12:01 a.m.–11:59 p.m. Friday ET.

VIEW TODAY'S $5 FRIDAY ITEMS

 

An Extra Gift for Dads and Grads

For a limited time, give a twelve-month Tabletalk subscription to a father or graduate in your life and we will send them an extra gift at no cost. For only $23, you can help deepen their understanding of God’s Word with a subscription to Tabletalk and a helpful resource to accompany their Bible study.

During this special offer, you can send a copy of The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men by Richard Phillips or send a Burning Bush Journal with your gift subscription to equip someone for an entire year of accessible and engaging study of the Scriptures. While supplies last.

WITH THEIR SUBSCRIPTION, THEY’LL RECEIVE:

Twelve issues of Tabletalk with digital access to current and past monthsAn effective plan for reading through the Bible in one yearDaily Bible studies to help bring structure to their Scripture readingMonthly articles and columns from gifted Bible teachers and pastors

Give a gift subscription and a book or journal now for only $23. Don’t delay—this special offer ends June 20, 2021.

Holiness Is Critical for Our Assurance of Salvation

We cannot expect to have great assurance of faith if we are content to exhibit little holiness in our lives. In this brief clip, Joel Beeke comments on the relationship between producing the fruit of salvation and having the assurance of salvation.

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Transcript:

Assurance is critical, because the more assurance you have, the more holiness will flow from your life. And here's a key thought if you forget everything else I say in this whole mini course. If you remember this, it'll be worth the course for you. A believer cannot persist in high levels of assurance while he continues in low levels of holiness. I can’t continue in a high level of assurance of the love of my dear wife if both of us are unfaithful in our marital relationship. If we continue in low levels of marital commitment, we can't have high levels of assurance of our love. Holiness is critical for the maintenance of high levels of assurance.

 

How Did John Calvin Die?

The last ten years of Calvin’s life were quiet and productive. The final edition of his magnum opus, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, now expanded to four times its original size, was published in 1559. His lectures on Lamentations were concluded in 1563, as were his sermons on 1 and 2 Samuel.

But, beginning that summer, his health began to rapidly decline. For a time, he was unable to engage in public duties, though his home continued to play host to a steady stream of eager visitors from Geneva and all over Europe, all keen to get the great Reformer’s wisdom and counsel. He did manage to attend the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Easter Sunday, 1564, though his poor health meant he had to be carried to the service on a chair. That April saw him confined to his sickbed, from which he was never again to rise.

Resolved to serve the Lord while he had breath, from his room he exhorted the gathered ministers of Geneva to persevere in their labors for the sake of the kingdom. On Saturday, May 27, 1564, his close colleague Theodore Beza, having just left his bedside, was suddenly summoned to return. Hurrying back, he found that Calvin had already died, “without a word or a groan or even the slightest movement. He seemed rather to have fallen asleep.”1 “We can truly say,” he noted, “that in this one man God has been pleased to demonstrate to us in our day the way to live well and to die well.”2

In accordance with his wishes, Calvin’s remains were wrapped in a simple shroud, placed in an unadorned casket, and buried in an unmarked grave in the Pleinpalais cemetery. There would be no possibility of a “cult of Calvin” if the great Genevan Reformer had anything to do with it. Indeed, his remarkably unremarkable burial reflected the driving priorities of his life. In his brief final testament, he surveyed the major accomplishments of his life only to lament, “Alas my desires and my zeal, if I may so describe it, have been so cold and flagging that I am conscious of imperfections in all that I am and do.”3

In life, Calvin was often bold in defense of the faith. He was incessant in preaching and lecturing, in writing and editing, so that the truth of the gospel might reach further and with more clarity than ever. He was indefatigable, and his literary output was extraordinary. But when it came to his view of himself, Calvin had learned the grace of humility. In death, as in life, his great priority was never to point to himself, but to Christ his redeemer.

Commenting on Matthew 24:43, he wrote, “But God does not bestow the honourable title of his children on any but those who acknowledge that they are strangers on the earth, and who not only are at all times prepared to leave it, but likewise move forward, in an uninterrupted course, towards the heavenly life.”4 This was the ideal for which Calvin strove in life and in death. Let us, like him, set our sights on the heavenly life and move resolutely toward it without interruption.

 

1Theodore Beza, The Life of John Calvin (Darlington, UK: Evangelical Press, 1997), 118.
2Beza, The Life of John Calvin 118.
3Cited in Bruce Gordon, Calvin (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011), 334.
4John Calvin, Commentary on the Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Vol. III, Rev. William Pringle trans. in Calvin’s Commentaries, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 1-11, Vol. XVII, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1993), 163.

Living Faithfully with Anxiety

Here’s an excerpt from Living Faithfully with Anxiety, Aaron L. Garriott's contribution to the May issue of Tabletalk:

Anxiety is mystifying and elusive. Some people have experienced debilitating anxiety that has found them in the back of an ambulance, while others have the occasional anxious thought that passes briefly through their minds before they fall into a peaceful sleep. For some, anxiety can make it difficult to perform daily rudimentary tasks. For others, anxiety comes around only a few times every year and doesn’t significantly disrupt everyday life. Whatever form anxiety takes, Christians need to know how to meet it with biblical directives and wisdom for our unsettled hearts. When anxiety rears its ugly head, what are we to do? When anxiety is a constant companion for the Christian, how do we remain faithful?

Continue reading Living Faithfully with Anxiety, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

 

Is Roman Catholic baptism valid?

Should Protestants recognize the validity of a baptism administered by the Roman Catholic Church? From one of our live events, R.C. Sproul addresses this difficult and complex question. Get answers to your biblical and theological questions online as they arise at ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

 

Is Jesus Knocking at the Heart of the Unbeliever?

We have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text as an appeal to the unconverted, saying: "Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you open the door, then He will come in." In the original saying, however, Jesus directed His remarks to the church. It was not an evangelistic appeal.

So what? The point is that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. Seeking is the business of believers. Jonathan Edwards said, "The seeking of the Kingdom of God is the chief business of the Christian life." Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it.

When we are converted to Christ, we use language of discovery to express our conversion. We speak of finding Christ. We may have bumper stickers that read, "I Found It." These statements are indeed true. The irony is this: Once we have found Christ it is not the end of our seeking but the beginning. Usually, when we find what we are looking for, it signals the end of our searching. But when we "find" Christ, it is the beginning of our search.

The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. This movement of growth is prodded by continual seeking after God.

In your spiritual walk, are you moving from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life? Are you continually seeking after God?

Can You Trust Your Senses?

How much can we trust our physical senses of sight, hearing, or touch? In this brief clip, R.C. Sproul discusses Augustine’s teaching on the role and limits of sense perception in our pursuit of the truth.

Today, watch the entire message for free.

Transcript:

Now, Augustine was not ready to put sense perception at the highest level of certitude by any means. Nor was he prepared to simply jettison sense perception as a useless enterprise. He understood something fundamental to our humanity, and that is that our only transition, our only link to the world apart from our own interior minds, and our own thinking is our body. Our bodies are the links that we have with the external world. I have no way to get in touch with the external world except by either seeing it, hearing it, tasting it, touching it, or smelling it. So, I am dependent upon my senses to have any information coming to me from outside the interior chambers of my own mind. Now, if that vehicle of knowledge is completely untrustworthy, then of course I have no way of knowing for sure about anything outside of my own thinking. So, Augustine took a close look at that problem of sense perception. One of his famous illustrations was the illustration that was common to people in the ancient world, and one that I think all of us have experienced at one time or another. If you’ve ever been in a rowboat and you put the oar in the water, and you look—from the perspective of sitting there in the rowboat—you look at the oar, of course you can see the handle of the oar until it goes into the water. But if the sky is bright and the water is clear enough, you can then see further down into the water and see the end of the oar. But from your vantage point it looks like once the oar hits the water, it bends. Do you recall that kind of sensation? From the vantage point of being out of the water, you put the oar in the water, and from where you are sitting, you look and the blade of the oar is bent away from you. So, looking at that you would say, “I have a bent oar in my hands.” Is the oar really bent? Or is this an illusion caused by the water and the light and all of that? Well, if it is an illusion, and if such illusions are part of our daily experience of perception, how do we know that all of our perceptions are not illusions? Augustine made a very simple distinction here, but it is one that is very important, not just at a theoretical level, but at a practical level. He said, “I may be wrong about what the oar is actually doing. But I still can be confident that I am perceiving the oar as being bent.” That is, the content of my perception may not be perfectly accurate, but I can still know that I am having the perception, and that I am perceiving that the oar is bent.