R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 128

Why Study the Middle Ages?

In this brief clip for his teaching series A Survey of Church History,W. Robert Godfrey explains why it's important for Christians to understand what happened in the Middle Ages. Watch this entire message for free. 

Transcript

The most important question of course is “What were the middle ages? What was the character of them?” In textbooks, maybe a hundred years ago, they were often referred to as the “Dark Ages” and that was a wonderful way of being able to say nothing important happen and we can skip it. And there’s a, particularly, a Protestant tendency to do that. Okay, Augustine died, when exactly did Luther come along? Let's go from one good guide to another and let's ignore the fact that there are only about eleven hundred years between them and surely nothing much could have happened in those eleven hundred years.

Let's get to the Reformation. Well, they weren’t a Dark Age. They were in fact an age of a great deal of cultural and intellectual and ecclesiastical accomplishment that is very important and we need to take a serious look at.

What Is the Biggest Issue We Face in the Church Today?

Sadly, false teaching abounds on the person and work of Christ. From one of our Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul warns us against foundational errors that have threatened the church from its earliest days.

To get real-time answers to your biblical and theological questions, just Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

$5 Friday: Guilt, Forgiveness, & the Atonement

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week’s resources include such topics as guilt, forgiveness, Islam, the Holy Spirit, the atonement, atheism, John Calvin, and more.

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

View today’s $5 Friday sale items.

1 Corinthians 2:4

Here’s an excerpt from 1 Corinthians 2:4, John Currie's contribution to the August issue of Tabletalk:

Ministry style matters. First Corinthians 2:4 tells us that Paul decided on a manner for his entire ministry that was harmonious with his message. Paul’s message was Christ, in His cross and resurrection (1 Cor. 15:1–4), so his manner likewise had to be cross-shaped, rather than posturing or self-promoting. How a preacher presents his message and carries himself either illustrates or distracts from the meaning of the message God has entrusted to him.

This is the ministry logic that lies behind Paul’s refusal to rely on “plausible words of wisdom.” The Corinthians, like the rest of the Greco-Roman world, believed that wisdom is the ability to achieve status and success by appearing to be great, positioning oneself alongside society’s celebrated men, and looking and sounding the part. This cultural wisdom was manifested in the popular orators of the day, or sophists. These were celebrities who knew how to present themselves and speak in order to gain followers, status, and success even if their message was vacuous.

So, when Paul says he decided not to use “plausible words of wisdom,” he was not saying he did not take a studied approach to preaching and teaching, or that how he used words did not matter (2 Tim. 2:15). He decided not to rest the plausibility of his message on his perception as a great man. It wasn’t that he didn’t think carefully and reason thoughtfully in his preaching and teaching (Acts 18:19). He had decided not to mask his weakness so that the power of the Holy Spirit would be evident in his message (2 Cor. 4:7; 12:9–10).

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God: Just and Justifier

In this brief clip from his teaching series Justification By Faith Alone, R.C. Sproul explains why God doesn't unilaterally forgive everyone.

Transcript

The biggest problem that the human race has is this: God is holy, He's righteous, He's just, and we're not. And so the question of justification boils down to this: How can I as an unjust person have a right relationship with my Creator? A lot of people don't worry too much about that. They assume that God is kind of a celestial bellhop that's ready to answer every one of our requests, and that He has such an infinite mercy that He can just unilaterally forgive everybody of their sins, and He doesn't need any process to take place in order to justify the ungodly. He's God. He can do what He wants to do, so why can’t He just wave His hands and say you’re all redeemed, you’re all forgiven, you’re all saved?

Well, He can’t do that. Let me back up and say He won’t do that because He can’t do that, and He can’t do that because He’s God—because He’s righteous. And the only way He could redeem people away from some process of justification would be for Him to negotiate His own righteousness. And so, as Paul says in Romans, God provides a way of justification through Christ so that God may be both just and the justifier.

Why Did Jesus Institute the Lord’s Supper on the Passover?

As the book of Exodus begins, Israel has been in Egypt for more than four hundred years (cf. Ex. 12:40). They are now in bondage under an oppressive Pharaoh. The early chapters of Exodus describe the calling of Moses to be the one who will lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. He comes before Pharaoh demanding that Israel be allowed to go and worship the Lord, but Pharaoh refuses. God then sends a series of increasingly severe plagues on Egypt. Pharaoh’s stubbornness in the face of the first nine plagues results in God’s pronouncement of a final plague that will result in Israel’s redemption from slavery. God warns that He will go into the midst of Egypt and that every firstborn in the land will die. It is in the context of the warning of this final plague that we find God’s instructions regarding the Passover in Exodus 12.

God begins with a statement indicating that the Passover and Exodus will mark a new beginning for the nation of Israel. The month of Abib (late March and early April) is to be the first month of the year for God’s people. This emphasizes the fact that the exodus from Egypt is a key event, a turning point, in redemptive history. So central is the event that from this point forward, God is frequently described in reference to the exodus (e.g., Ex. 20:2; Lev. 11:45; Num. 15:41; Deut. 5:6; Josh. 24:17; Judg. 6:8; 1 Sam. 10:18; 2 Kings 17:36; Ps. 81:10; Jer. 11:4; Dan. 9:15; Hos. 11:1; Amos 2:10). He is identified as the One who redeemed His people from slavery.

In later years, the observation of the Passover would involve the priesthood (cf. Deut. 16:5–7), but on the night of the original Passover, the responsibility for this ceremony falls to the head of each household. The head of every household is commanded to take a male lamb that is one year old and without any blemishes. This substitutionary lamb must be a symbol of perfection. As such, it foreshadows the true Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who was uniquely without blemish (cf. 1 Peter 1:19). At twilight, the lamb for each household is to be killed.

The Lord then reveals what the Israelites are to do with the slain lambs and why they are to do it. Each head of a household is to take the blood of the lamb and put it on the doorposts and lintel of his house. God explains that the blood will be a sign. When He sees the blood on the door, He will pass over that house, and the firstborn in it will be spared from the coming judgment that is to fall on Egypt. After the lambs are killed by the head of the household, they are to be roasted and eaten with the people dressed and prepared to leave on a moment’s notice. Since the Passover is a “sacrifice” (cf. Ex. 12:27; 34:25; Deut. 16:2), the eating of the lamb is a sacrificial meal like that associated with the peace offering described in Leviticus 3 and 7. In such meals, the body of the sacrificial victim is offered to believers to eat after the sacrifice is made (Lev. 7:15).

In Exodus 12:14–20, God reveals the way future generations of Israelites are to observe the Passover. The exodus from Egypt is to be commemorated in the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which will be commenced with the Passover observance. The people are always to remember their slavery in Egypt and God’s act of redemption in freeing them from this bondage. The Passover, therefore, is to be observed throughout their generations.

Exodus 12:21–28 contains Moses’ instructions to the people regarding the Passover and the people’s response. Moses instructs the people to mark the doors using hyssop, a plant that will later be used in connection with various purification rituals (cf. Lev. 14:49–52; Num. 19:18–19). Although some scholars have denied that the Passover is a sacrifice, Moses specifically refers to it as such in Exodus 12:27. Although no specific sin is mentioned, the blood of the lamb turns away the wrath of God. Here again the Passover foreshadows the redemptive work of Christ (1 Cor. 5:7). The tenth and final plague comes on Egypt just as God warned through Moses and Aaron, and the firstborn throughout the land are struck dead. Only those covered by the blood of the lamb are spared. As a result of this final plague, Pharaoh finally relents and commands Moses and the Israelites to go. The beginning of the exodus itself is described in Exodus 12:33–42. The reason for God’s instructions to be prepared to leave in haste now becomes clear. The Egyptians want the Israelites out immediately and urge them to depart. The Israelites plunder the Egyptians of their silver and gold, and after 430 years, they begin the journey out of Egypt and toward the promised land.

Our brief survey of Exodus 12 reveals several important facts about the Passover. The blood of the Passover lamb distinguished the people of God from the unbelieving Egyptians, and observation of the Passover was a sign of faith in God. The Passover also marked Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt. It commemorated her birth as a nation. Throughout all of Israel’s generations, the Passover was to be a memorial of God’s great redemptive act. It was also to be a teaching opportunity for Israelite parents, who were to explain its significance to their children.

In the later prophetic books of the Old Testament, the exodus would be viewed as the paradigmatic act of redemption. When the prophets looked toward God’s future work of redemption, they compared it to the original exodus and spoke of it in terms of a new and greater exodus. We see such language, for example, in Isaiah 52:11–12, where God commanded Israel to depart from Babylon using language reminiscent of that used in connection with the original exodus from Egypt. At the close of the Old Testament, the Israelites were looking forward to a new and greater exodus.

When the Gospels open, it is no coincidence that numerous parallels are seen between Jesus and Moses and between Jesus and Israel. Jesus was even taken down into Egypt only to 27 return after the death of Herod. This is said to have occurred “to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (Matt. 2:15). Herod’s decree to kill all the male children in Bethlehem is a gruesome echo of Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the male children of the Israelites (Matt. 2:16; cf. Ex. 1:15–22). Commentators discuss even more parallels, but the point of the parallels is to communicate to the reader that the long-awaited time of redemption was at hand. The prophesied new exodus was near.

Why, then, did Jesus institute the Lord’s Supper on the Passover the night before His crucifixion? In the first place, it is because He is the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed by the Passover lamb. His blood, the blood of the new covenant, averts the wrath of God for those who place their faith in Him. Second, it is because the Last Supper was the eve of the prophesied greater new covenant act of redemption—the promised act of redemption that the prophets described in terms of a new exodus—and just as the first exodus was preceded by the institution of the Passover, the greater new exodus was preceded by the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on this night to signify that this new exodus was about to begin. This act indicated that the time of redemption had come.

This excerpt is adapted from The Lord’s Supper: Answers to Common Questions by Keith Mathison.

Matthew 18:20

Here’s an excerpt from Matthew 18:20, Harry L. Reeder's contribution to the August issue of Tabletalk:

How many times have we heard a pastor quote this verse to affirm the presence of the Lord in a worship service, fellowship gathering, or prayer meeting? “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matt. 18:20). But in quoting this text this way, we misuse it by taking it out of context.

I still remember the warning of my homiletics professor: “Any text preached out of context is a pretext.” In this case, the common misuse is to some degree benign, because the presence of the Lord in gathered assemblies is a biblical precept and promise found in numerous other texts, and it is a valid implication from this text. But the misuse is still problematic because of what it can promote and because of what it causes us to miss.

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Does Every Person Need a Specific Divine Calling to Do Their Job?

How can you tell whether God is calling you to a certain career? In this Q&A video from one of our live Ask Ligonier events, W. Robert Godfrey gives helpful advice on work, vocation, and service.

To get real-time answers to your biblical and theological questions, just Ask.Ligonier.org.

Read the Transcript

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Wisely Handling the Book of Proverbs

Every culture seems to have its own unique, collected wisdom, pithy insights of the wise. Oftentimes, these tidbits of wisdom are preserved in the form of the proverb. We have proverbial sayings in American culture. I am thinking of sayings such as "A stitch in time saves nine" or "A penny saved is a penny earned."

The Bible, of course, has an entire book of such pithy sayings—the book of Proverbs. However, this compilation of proverbial wisdom is different from all other such collections in that these sayings reflect not just human wisdom but divine wisdom, for these proverbs are inspired by God.

Still, we must be very careful in how we approach and implement these wise sayings. Simply because they are inspired does not mean that the biblical proverbs are like laws, imposing a universal obligation. Yet, some people treat them as if they were divine commandments. If we regard them in that way, we run into all kinds of trouble. Even divinely inspired proverbs do not necessarily apply to all life situations. Rather, they reflect insights that are generally true.

To illustrate this point, let me remind you of two of our own culture's proverbs. First, we often say, "Look before you leap." That is a valuable insight. But we have another proverb that seems to contradict it: "He who hesitates is lost." If we tried to apply both of these proverbs at the same time and in the same way in every situation, we would be thoroughly confused. In many situations, wisdom dictates that we examine carefully where we should place our steps next so that we are not moving blindly. At the same time, we cannot be so paralyzed in our evaluation of the pros and cons of our next move that we hesitate too long before making a decision and lose opportunities when they present themselves to us.

Naturally, it does not really bother us to find seemingly contradictory proverbs in our own cultural wisdom. But when we discover them in the Bible, we find ourselves wrestling with questions about the trustworthiness of Scripture. Let me cite one well-known example. The book of Proverbs says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly" (26:4a). Then, in the very next verse, we read, "Answer a fool according to his folly" (26:5a). How can we follow these opposite instructions? How can both be statements of wisdom?

Again, just as in the example I gave above, the answer depends on the situation. There are certain circumstances when it is not wise to answer a fool according to his folly, but there are other circumstances when it is wise to answer a fool according to his folly. Proverbs 26:4 says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself" (emphasis added). If someone is speaking foolishness, it is generally not wise to try to talk to him. Such a discussion will go nowhere, and the one who tries to carry on the discussion with the fool is in danger of falling into the same foolishness. In other words, there are circumstances when we are better off saying nothing.

At other times, however, it can be helpful to answer a fool according to his folly. Proverbs 26:5 says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes" (emphasis added). Although it was made an art form by the ancient Greek philosophers, the Hebrews understood and in biblical teaching sometimes used one of the most effective ways of arguing with another person. I am referring to the reductio ad absurdum, which reduces the other person's argument to absurdity. By means of this technique, it is possible to show a person the necessary, logical conclusion that flows out of his argument, and so demonstrate that his premises lead ultimately to an absurd conclusion. So, when a person has a foolish premise and gives a foolish argument, it can at times be very effective to answer the fool according to his folly. You step over onto his territory and say, "Okay, I'll take your position for argument's sake, and I'm going to take it to its logical conclusion and show you the foolishness of it."

So, the book of Proverbs is concerned to give us practical guidelines for daily experience. It is a neglected treasure of the Old Testament, with untold riches lying in wait in its pages to guide our lives. It holds real, concrete advice that comes from the mind of God Himself. If we want wisdom, this is the fountain from which to drink. He who is foolish will neglect this fountain. He who is hungry for God's wisdom will drink deeply from it. We need to listen to the wisdom of God so that we can cut through the many distractions and confusions of modern life. But, as with the entirety of the Word of God, we need to be zealous to learn how to handle the book of Proverbs properly.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.