R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 490

Seeing Beyond The Shadowlands

It has long been my contention that the Reformed church never quite got over the Enlightenment. While we rightly reject this premise and that conclusion at the heart of the Enlightenment experiment, we still drink deep of its spirit. We deny that this world is all there is, but we live as though this world is all there is. We are willing to admit that the spiritual realm, the unseen, is real, but in turn we insist that the natural realm, the seen, is more real. We live as though all there is is this. In short, we lack faith.

Our eyes see a church that is corrupt, compromised and inconsequential. His Word tells us that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. We sit with Him who has already overcome the world. Our hearts see our own individual sins, our failures, our infidelities. His word tells us we are being remade, that He who began a good work in us will see it through to the day of Christ Jesus. Our minds see our strategies, our alliances, as we seek change. His Word tells us it is through the foolishness of preaching that the souls are won and the world remade.

The truth is we live, as C.S. Lewis pointed out, in the Shadowlands. This world is being remade. We will spend eternity here, in the new heavens and the new earth. This is the world our Savior came to rescue, and we ought never to diminish it. In waging war against Gnosticism, however, we need to be careful not to wage war against heaven. In his great work The Great Divorce Lewis recounts a sort of field trip some sinners take from hell to if not heaven, at least its foothills. (Look for the movie, with N.D. Wilson as screenwriter, scheduled to be released this year). As the souls disembark their bus they squeal in pain. As they walk across the grass if feels to them like blades of diamonds. Why? The grass is dense to the point of pain precisely because it is so real. It carries the unbearable weight, the sublime beauty of being.

As we grow older, indeed as we suffer the pangs of this side of the veil, it seems by His grace the veil grows more thin, more gauzy. We move from hungering to get as much done in this life as we can, from squeezing life dry, to anticipating the freshness of eternity. As we grow older we come to understand that we've been looking at reality inside out. We no longer ponder what the other side must be like, and come to understand that we are on the other side. Here are the Shadowlands, and there is the Light who casts His shadow. As we grow older we come to understand that the haunting melodies of Pachelbel , the soaring descants of Palestrina, these are just the orchestra getting in tune before the curtain goes up. As we grow older we come to understand that every dram of laughter, every scent of joy, these are but the echoes of eternity. As we grow older we come to understand that our Master Carpenter is indeed preparing a place for us, even as He prepares us for a place. If it were not so, would He have not told us?

Seeing Beyond the Shadowlands was originally published at RCSproulJr.com

Day 1 — 2013 National Conference

Today, over 5000 gathered in Orlando for our 2013 National Conference, No Compromise: Standing for the Truth of God's Word. It is such an encouragement to witness so many willing to stand for the truth of God's Word. Below is a summary and several highlights from today.

Today's Sessions

The Article on Which the Church Stands or Falls from R.C. Sproul

R.C. Sproul began the conference by speaking on the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls: the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He highlighted how this doctrine has been esteemed and defended, as well as challenged, minimized, and compromised. Sola Fide (faith alone) is absolutely essential to the gospel.

Feet Firmly Planted in Midair from Steven Lawson

Teaching from John 18, Steven Lawson presented us with key points on the nature of the rejection, reality, and reception of truth. There is indeed a truth-doubting and truth-despising "spirit of Pilate" that has infiltrated almost every area of society in our day—including the church. It is against this spirit that we must keep to the truth of God, for "There is but one source of truth in the universe, and that is God."

Questions and Answers with Alistair Begg, Anthony Carter, Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul, and R.C. Sproul Jr.

Today's questions ranged from addressing justification by faith alone, the salvation of Roman Catholics, baptism, seeker-sensitive churches, and more.

Preach the Word from Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg affirmed the power and necessity of biblical preaching. Preachers are not called to innovate or be popular, they're called to faithfully proclaim His Word as the foolishness of preaching is God's appointed method for feeding the sheep.

Tweetable Highlights

It's either Christ's righteousness or my righteousness. There cannot be a middle ground. —RC Sproul on justification by faith alone #lmnc

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 21, 2013

We live in a world that has its feet firmly planted in midair. —@drstevenjlawson #lmnc

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 21, 2013

The Puritans hated sin with a holy hatred because God hates sin with a holy hatred. —@joelbeeke #lmnc

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 21, 2013

If the history of redemption is a story told in pictures, then the blood of Jesus is the paint... —Anthony Carter #lmnc

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 22, 2013

The message of the cross forever and always offends against the pride of man. —@alistairbegg #lmnc

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 22, 2013

Google Hangout

During our 2013 National Conference we're "Hanging Out" with several of our guests. Today we interviewed David Murray and discussed today's messages, the trinity, good works, depression, and much more. You can watch it here or see it below.

Note: Our conference messages will be on Ligonier.org next week to stream for free. Stay tuned for an announcement of when they're available.

$5 Friday: Atheism, the Gospel, and Sin

It's currently day two of our 2013 National Conference so we're having a special digital only $5 Friday sale today.

This week's digital resources cover such topics as theology, the gospel, the beatitudes, sin, atheism, the tabernacle, and more.

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

View today's $5 Friday sale items.

The Word-less "Church"

Many American churches are in a mess. Theologically they are indifferent, confused, or dangerously wrong. Liturgically they are the captives of superficial fads. Morally they live lives indistinguishable from the world. They often have a lot of people, money, and activities. But are they really churches, or have they degenerated into peculiar clubs?

What has gone wrong? At the heart of the mess is a simple phenomenon: the churches seem to have lost a love for and confidence in the Word of God. They still carry Bibles and declare the authority of the Scriptures. They still have sermons based on Bible verses and still have Bible study classes. But not much of the Bible is actually read in their services. Their sermons and studies usually do not examine the Bible to see what it thinks is important for the people of God. Increasingly they treat the Bible as tidbits of poetic inspiration, of pop psychology, and of self-help advice. Congregations where the Bible is ignored or abused are in the gravest peril. Churches that depart from the Word will soon find that God has departed from them.

Churches that depart from the Word will soon find that God has departed from them.

What solution does the Bible teach for this sad situation? The short but profound answer is given by Paul in Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." We need the Word to dwell in us richly so that we will know the truths that God thinks are most important and so that we will know His purposes and priorities. We need to be concerned less about "felt-needs" and more about the real needs of lost sinners as taught in the Bible.

We need to be concerned less about "felt-needs" and more about the real needs of lost sinners as taught in the Bible.

Paul not only calls us here to have the Word dwell in us richly, but shows us what that rich experience of the Word looks like. He shows us that in three points. (Paul was a preacher, after all.)

First, he calls us to be educated by the Word, which will lead us on to ever-richer wisdom by "teaching and admonishing one another." Paul is reminding us that the Word must be taught and applied to us as a part of it dwelling richly in us. The church must encourage and facilitate such teaching whether in preaching, Bible studies, reading, or conversations. We must be growing in the Word.

It is not just information, however, that we are to be gathering from the Word. We must be growing in a knowledge of the will of God for us: "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Col. 1:9). Knowing the will of God will make us wise and in that wisdom we will be renewed in the image of our Creator, an image so damaged by sin: "Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (3:10).

This wisdom will also reorder our priorities and purposes, from that which is worldly to that which is heavenly: "The hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel" (1:5). When that Word dwells in us richly we can be confident that we know the full will of God: "I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known" (1:25). From the Bible we know all that we need for salvation and godliness.

Second, Paul calls us to expressing the Word from ever-renewed hearts in our "singing." Interestingly, Paul connects the Word dwelling in us richly with singing. He reminds us that singing is an invaluable means of placing the truth of God deep in our minds and hearts. I have known of elderly Christians far gone with Alzheimer's disease who can still sing songs of praise to God. Singing also helps connect truth to our emotions. It helps us experience the encouragement and assurance of our faith: "That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:2–3).

The importance of singing, of course, makes the content of our songs vital. If we sing shallow, repetitive songs, we will not be hiding much of the Word in our hearts. But if we sing the Word itself in its fullness and richness, we will be making ourselves rich indeed. We need to remember that God has given us a book of songs, the Psalter, to help us in our singing.

Third, Paul calls us to remember the effect of the Word to make us a people with ever-ready "thanksgiving." Three times in Colossians 3:15–17 Paul calls us to thankfulness. When the "word of Christ" dwells in us richly, we will be led on to lives of gratitude. As we learn and contemplate all that God has done for us in creation, providence, and redemption, we will be filled with thanksgiving. As we recall His promises of forgiveness, renewal, preservation, and glory, we will live as a truly thankful people.

We need the word of Christ to dwell in us richly today more than ever. Then churches may escape being a mess and become the radiant body of Christ as God intended.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

Going Outside the Camp

Here's an excerpt from Going Outside the Camp, James Coffield's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

"It began as a friendly family game of Monopoly. I informed my son that he had landed on Park Place. His mind stuck on the words and started to spin: "Park Place, Park Place…" Over and over he repeated the words. I should have remembered—hard consonants at the beginnings of words often get stuck in his mind—and an obsessive-compulsive mind is one of the symptoms of autism. I'm not sure at what moment his mood changed, but his anger turned from himself to me—after all, I was the one who had said the phrase that was now bombarding his brain. He called me rude and other names. The game was over. In those moments, it is difficult for me to know what to do. They remind me that the fall did not just corrupt our bodies but our minds as well. When did my son cross the line into sin—or did he? I can't discipline or teach the obsessiveness away. Yet, he is responsible for how he responds during these moments. How should a parent react? I became frustrated and simply wished we had not even played the game. It would have been easier to avoid the situation by not engaging my son.

The church finds itself in the same sort of dilemma when dealing with those suffering from mental illness. Although they have spiritual roots as well, mental illnesses are collections of behaviors that are caused, at least partially, by the mind and the complex chemical reactions in the nervous system. Dealing with the illness can become messy, so we often want to discount the idea altogether and attempt to "re-teach" or discipline away the behaviors of those who suffer with these afflictions.

Continue reading Going Outside the Camp or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3 month trial.

Streaming Live in Spanish and Portuguese — 2013 National Conference

As thousands of Christians travel to Orlando for the beginning of our 2013 National Conference tomorrow, we're preparing to reach out to thousands more by live streaming the conference's teaching in Spanish, Portuguese, and American Sign Language.

Thanks to our partner, Mision Virtual, each sesson will be translated live and available to watch here.

We're grateful for the team of translators that make this possible and we ask for your prayers as we seek to extend the reach of our teaching into the nations.

Watch Live at: http://misionvirtual.org/ligonier/

Note: There will be no live stream in English, however, the sessions will be posted on Ligonier.org next week for you to watch for free. Stay tuned to the blog for an announcement of when they're available.

What Are "Dead Works"?

Dead works are the works of our hands. These are works of selfrighteousness, and they are appropriately called "dead" works because they lead to death. Twice the book of Proverbs says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (14:12; 16:25). We rely on work. We get significance from our work. We like a job that is well done. And well we should, because God created us to work. Yet all of our labors are useless, and thus dead, if they do not point to the worship of God. Any significance and esteem we attain from our labor apart from the end of bringing God glory and establishing His rule upon the earth is misplaced. Such godless labor may appear good to us and even receive the applause of others, but heaven finds it repulsive and defiled by sin. In other words, unless we have been washed in the blood of Christ, all our good deeds are worthless, useless, vain, and dead.

...unless we have been washed in the blood of Christ, all our good deeds are worthless, useless, vain, and dead.

These works are lethal because the thing that most keeps people from Christ is the belief that they can be good without Him. Their lives may be filled with good deeds in the eyes of men, but such works are not necessarily good in the eyes of God. Unfortunately, many have been led astray by the church, as preachers and teachers have told them that the gospel is what they do. Live right. Eat right. Give right. Die right. The truth, however, is that only faith in Christ matters—everything else is sin (Rom. 14:23). You can sing like Mahalia Jackson or Whitney Houston. You can play like Mozart or Yo-Yo Ma. Without Christ, these works are dead. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal is believed to have said, "There are only two kinds of people in the world: the righteous who understand themselves to be sinners, and the sinners who believe themselves to be righteous." The Bible says that, apart from God in Christ, all my righteousness is but filthy rags—defiled and unclean (Isa. 64:6). Apart from the blood of Christ, my conscience and my hands are unclean, and my worship and works are dead. But in Christ, not only am I made alive, so are my works.

Why don't dead works cut it? Simply put, our God is a living God. God is not into dead things. Death and Christ are not friends. Whenever Jesus came upon a death, He reversed it. When Jesus went to a funeral, it did not stay a funeral. The Bible records three instances during the life of Jesus when He came in contact with the dead. Each time, the dead were brought back to life. He raised the son of a widow (Luke 7:11–17). He raised Jairus' daughter (Luke 8:41–42; 49–56). He raised His friend Lazarus (John 11:1–44). When Jesus touches the dead, He makes them alive. Why? Because He is alive! Consequently, to serve and worship God is to serve and worship the living God. Dead people do not worship a living God. This is why the Bible says we have been made alive in Christ (Eph. 2:5). We do not glory in our dead deeds. We glory in the living Christ! Only Jesus provides the clean consciences, hands, and hearts we need to glory in Him.

This post is an excerpt from Anthony Carter's new book, Blood Work.

A Heart for Adoption

Here's an excerpt from A Heart for Adoption, Dan Cruver's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

"To be loved by the Father through the Son in the Spirit is to be caught up into an ever-flowing eternal love that progressively transforms, often painfully so, the one who is loved. As those who have been brought graciously to faith in Christ, to be caught up into a love like that is the greatest, most universe-renewing of all gifts. We who were once haters of God, "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2), are now forever in His eternally beloved Son through God's transformative work of adoption (1:3–6; see Rom. 8:15).

This wonderful gospel reality—or, I should say, this breathtaking adoption reality—forever changes everything, including how we relate to God, our fellow human beings, and creation itself as God's good stewards.

One of the gifts that a heart aflame with the adoptive love of our triune God has is an increasing openness to those who are fatherless in this sin-cursed, sin-spoiled world. Because of the rebellion of our first parents, Adam and Eve, we find ourselves in a world that idolizes the strong and powerful, but marginalizes the weak and powerless."

Continue reading A Heart for Adoption or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3 month trial.

Ask Our Panel of Speakers a Question — 2013 National Conference

We frequently hear that one of the many highlights of a Ligonier Conference is the "Questions & Answers" session. Unscripted and without forewarning, we ask a panel of our speakers theological questions. These questions are normally collected from those in attendance, however, this year we're also giving you an opportunity.

There will be two "Questions & Answers" sessions at this week's 2013 National Conference, No Compromise: Standing  for the Truth of God's Word.

Thursday's Questions & Answers Session

Alistair Begg, Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul, and R.C. Sproul Jr.

Saturday's Questions & Answers Session

Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, R.C. Sproul, and Cal Thomas.

To ask your question simply complete the form below (or click here).

If your question is asked you'll hear it answered when the sessions from the conference are posted on Ligonier.org. Stay tuned to the blog for an announcement of when those sessions are available.

"You Must Be Born Again"

I distinctly remember the birth of both of my children. Although they were born six years apart, I remember the preparation for each trip to the hospital. The drive there. Escorting my wife to the elevator. The rooms, the monitors, the nurses, doctors, and family members. The anticipation and waiting. Most of all I remember seeing my children for the first time and seeing the look on my wife's face when the nurses handed her this tightly bundled little person. I look up now and see a photograph taken of me holding my newborn daughter twelve and a half years ago. The birth of a child is truly an amazing and unforgettable experience.

As amazing as the birth of a child is, it pales in comparison to the miracle of spiritual birth. You see, my children were born physically healthy, and for that I thank God. But they, like every descendant of Adam, were spiritually stillborn. They were born spiritually dead, and they are not alone. You and I and every other person were born dead — dead in sin (see Eph. 2:1). We were born dead because of the sin of our representative head, Adam. The apostle Paul teaches us that "sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12). And spiritual death is not the end of it. Even if we are born physically healthy, our spiritual death will be followed at some point by our physical death: "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19).

In our natural Adamic state, we are not on our sick beds. We are in the grave. —@KeithMathison

It is for this reason that Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (John 3:7). The spiritually dead cannot enter God's holy presence. "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). In order to see God's kingdom, then, the spiritually stillborn must be brought to life. There must be spiritual resurrection.

There must be new life, eternal life. "You must be born again." Jesus' words befuddled Nicodemus. He said to Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (John 3:4). Here Nicodemus gives us a textbook example of missing the point.

Nicodemus is not alone. There are a large number of professing Christians who miss the point. To hear some tell it, you would think Jesus merely said, "You must be well again." According to many, we are not spiritually dead but are simply sick. We are on our death beds, and Jesus offers us the cure. All we have to do is reach out and take it. Or we are drowning and Jesus offers us a life buoy, and all we have to do is grab it to save our lives. The picture painted by Jesus and the apostles, however, is much more bleak. In our natural Adamic state, we are not on our sick beds. We are in the grave. We are not flailing about on the surface of the sea. We are lifeless at the bottom of the ocean. We are dead.

This is the point that Nicodemus and we must understand. When Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born again, He is indicating that this is not something Nicodemus can do himself. Just as we had no control over our physical birth, we do not control our spiritual birth. It is the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. Those who say that we are only spiritually wounded will say that we can be regenerated, born again, by placing our faith in Christ. This, however, puts everything precisely backwards. We do not believe in order to be regenerated; we must be regenerated in order that we might believe. Regeneration precedes faith.

Jesus commands us to believe in Him, but we cannot respond unless God first gives us spiritual life. —@KeithMathison

Our spiritual situation is similar in some ways to that of Lazarus in the grave (see John 11). Lazarus was dead. He could do nothing in and of himself to gain new life. Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth from the grave, but Lazarus could not respond unless God first gave him life. In the same way, we are spiritually dead and can do nothing to gain spiritual life. Jesus commands us to believe in Him, but we cannot respond unless God first gives us spiritual life. Jesus gives us this new life because he has overcome death, once and for all. As Peter explains, "According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3).

If you are a Christian, consider what God has done for you. Consider the fact that you were born dead in sin. Jesus came to your grave. He commanded you to come forth and gave you spiritual life and faith. Now you have been born again and are an adopted child of God (John 1:12). You are a co-heir with Christ. And although your physical body will still die, you can rest secure in the hope of the resurrection. Those in Christ will be made alive (1 Cor. 15:22). Our present body is perishable, but it will be raised imperishable, never to die again. When God raises us, death will finally be swallowed up in victory.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.