R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 536

Forsaken — Jesus Became A Curse

If there ever was an obscenity that violates contemporary community standards, it was Jesus on the cross. After he became the scapegoat and the Father had imputed to him every sin of every one of his people, the most intense, dense concentration of evil ever experienced on this planet was exhibited. Jesus was the ultimate obscenity.

So what happened? God is too holy to look at sin. He could not bear to look at that concentrated monumental condensation of evil, so he averted his eyes from his Son. The light of his countenance was turned off. All blessedness was removed from his Son, whom he loved, and in its place was the full measure of the divine curse.

Jesus Was Forsaken

At midday he turned the lights out on the hill outside of Jerusalem so that when his face moved away, when the light of his countenance shut down, even the sun couldn't shine on Calvary. Bearing the full measure of the curse, Christ screamed, "Eli, Eli lema sabachthani," that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46).

Jesus took that occasion to identify with the psalmist in Psalm 22 in order to call attention to those looking upon the spectacle that what they were witnessing was really a fulfillment of prophecy. I don't think Jesus was in a Bible-quoting mood at the time. His cry was not, as Albert Schweitzer opined, the cry of a disillusioned prophet who had believed that God was going to rescue him at the eleventh hour and then felt forsaken. He didn't just feel forsaken; he was forsaken. For Jesus to become the curse, he had to be completely forsaken by the Father.

I've been thinking about these things for fifty years, and I can't begin to penetrate all it meant for Jesus to be forsaken by God. But there is none of that to be found in the pseudo-gospels of our day. Every time I hear a preacher tell his people that God loves them unconditionally, I want to ask that the man be defrocked for such a violation of the Word of God. What pagan does not hear in that statement that he has no need of repentance, so he can continue in sin without fear, knowing that it's all taken care of? There is a profound sense in which God does love people even in their corruption, but they are still under his anathema.

The Gospel—Our Only Hope

Just because a man is ordained is no guarantee that he is in the kingdom of God. The odds are astronomical that many are still under the curse of God. There are ordained men who have not yet fled to the cross, who are still counting on the nebulous idea of the unconditional love of God to get them through, or even worse, still thinking that they can get into the kingdom of God through their good works. They don't understand that unless they perfectly obey the law of God, which they have not done for five minutes since they were born, they are under the curse of God. That is the reality we must make clear to our people—either they will bear the curse of God themselves or they will flee to the One who took it for them.

Thomas Aquinas once was asked whether he thought that Jesus enjoyed the beatific vision throughout his whole life. Thomas said, "I don't know, but I'm sure that our Lord was able to see things that our sin keeps us from seeing." Remember that the promise of the vision of God in the Beatitudes is the promise made to the pure of heart. The reason why we can't see God with our eyes is not that we have a problem with our optic nerve. What prevents us from seeing God is our heart, our impurity. But Jesus had no impurity. So obviously he had some experience of the beauty of the Father until that moment that our sin was placed upon him, and the One who was pure was pure no more, and God cursed him.

It was as if there was a cry from heaven, as if Jesus heard the words "God damn you," because that's what it meant to be cursed and under the anathema of the Father. I don't understand that, but I know that it's true. I know that every person who has not been covered by the righteousness of Christ draws every breath under the curse of God. If you believe that, you will stop adding to the gospel and start preaching it with clarity and boldness, because, dear friends, it is the only hope we have, and it is hope enough.

You can hear R.C. Sproul teach further on the curse motif of the cross today on Renewing Your Mind.

Excerpt adapted from "The Curse Motif of the Cross" by R.C. Sproul in Proclaiming a Cross Centered Theology, Copyright ©2009. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187.

R.C. Sproul on the Meaning of the Cross [VIDEO]

In 1990, R.C. Sproul recorded his teaching series, "Hath God Said?" Watch the excerpt below where he considers the various ways the cross was viewed by people in the New Testament.

Jesus: The Only Savior

I cannot imagine an affirmation that would meet with more resistance from contemporary Westerners than the one Paul makes in 1 Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” This declaration is narrow and downright un-American. We have been inundated with the viewpoint that there are many roads that lead to heaven, and that God is not so narrow that He requires a strict allegiance to one way of salvation. If anything strikes at the root of the tree of pluralism and relativism, it is a claim of exclusivity to any one religion. A statement such as Paul makes in his first letter to Timothy is seen as bigoted and hateful.

Paul, of course, is not expressing bigotry or hatefulness at all. He is simply expressing the truth of God, the same truth Jesus taught when He said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Paul is affirming the uniqueness of Christ, specifically in His role as Mediator. A mediator is a go-between, someone who stands between two parties that are estranged or involved in some kind of dispute. Paul declares that Christ is the only Mediator between two parties at odds with one another — God and men.

Continue reading Jesus: The Only Savior, R.C. Sproul's contribution to the April issue of Tabletalk.

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, April 2012

The April edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's issue explores the God-centered life. With all levels of society pressuring Christians to pursue their own esteem and desires improperly, the necessity for addressing narcissism and combating it with a God-centered worldview gains even more importance. Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with William Barcley, Michael Horton, Robert Letham, Albert Mohler, R.C. Sproul Jr., Justin Taylor, Derek Thomas, Bernie Van Eyk, Guy Prentiss Waters, and Trevin Wax. Tabletalk features articles about topics central to the Christian faith and daily, in-depth Bible studies with featured columns by contributors such as Michael Haykin and David Murray.

We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have to subscribe to get those. But for now, here are links to a few select columns and articles from this month:

Fixing Our Eyes On Jesus by Burk Parsons
Jesus: The Only Savior by R.C. Sproul
The Secret of Contentment by William Barcley
The Challenge of Same-Sex Unions by Albert Mohler
Not So Fast by Trevin Wax
God-Centered Preaching by Bernie van Eyk
Between Two Worlds: An Interview With Justin Taylor
Pleasures Forevermore by R.C. Sproul Jr.

If you have not yet subscribed to Tabletalk, now is the perfect time. It's only $23 for a year, and $20 to renew. You save even more if you get a 2- or 3-year subscription (as little as $1.36 per issue). We offer special discounts for churches or businesses who want multiple copies of each issue.

Get your subscription to Tabletalk today by calling one of Ligonier Ministries' resource consultants at 800-435-4343 (8am-8pm ET, Mon-Fri) or by subscribing online. You can also get free shipping on individual 2012 issues of Tabletalk.

Holy Week Resources For Growing Christians

This week is Holy Week. Therefore Christians and Christian families all over the world are paying particular attention to the work of Jesus Christ in His life, death, and resurrection.

...there is more to be learned at the foot of the cross than anywhere else in the world. —J.C. Ryle

These are worthy topics for our consideration. Jesus' accomplishment on the cross was not—as some suggest—simply God's "Plan B" after the Fall. Instead, R.C. Sproul reminds us that "from all eternity, God determined that He would redeem for Himself a people, and that which He determined to do was, in fact, accomplished in the work of Jesus Christ, His atonement on the cross."

To help you in your worshipful study this Holy Week, we have compiled a list of resources. We pray they will encourage you and lead you to praise the God who saves.

R.C. Sproul, "The Curse Motif of the Cross"

Articles

The Bearer of Iniquity by Joseph Pipa, Jr.
Biblical Scholasticism by R.C. Sproul
The Blood of the Lamb by Gordon Wenham
Cur Deus Homo by R.C. Sproul
For God So Loved the World by Tom Ascol
For God So Loved the World by R. Scott Clark
God's Holy Love by Albert Mohler
It Is Finished by Burk Parsons
The Lamb of God by Derek Thomas
Lift High the Cross by Michael Beates

Streaming Media Resources

The Atonement by R.C. Sproul
Blessing or Curse? by Albert Mohler
Christ Our Ransom by Derek Thomas
The Cross of Christ by R.C. Sproul
The Curse Motif of the Atonement by R.C. Sproul
Exalted to the Right Hand of God: The Resurrection and the Ascension by Michael Horton
He Is Not Here: The Significance of the Empty Tomb by Alistair Begg
Imputation by R.C. Sproul
Meaning of the Gospel by R.C. Sproul
The Perfect Sacrifice by R.C. Sproul
The Resurrection of Christ by R.C. Sproul
The Substitutionary Atonement of Christ by Sinclair Ferguson
The Suffering Servant by R.C. Sproul
The Symbol of the Cross by R.C. Sproul
What Is the Gospel? by R.C. Sproul
Why the God-Man? by Sinclair Ferguson

Store Resources

The Atonement of Jesus teaching series by R.C. Sproul
Comforts from the Cross book by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Counted Righteous in Christ book by John Piper
The Cross of Christ teaching series by R.C. Sproul
The Cross of Christ: 2006 Fall Conferences
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ book by John Owen
The Donkey Who Carried a King book by R.C. Sproul
Is There Life After Death?: 2009 West Coast Conference
The Life of Jesus teaching series by R.C. Sproul
The Priest With Dirty Clothes book by R.C. Sproul
The Prince's Poison Cup book by R.C. Sproul
Redemption Accomplished and Applied book by John Murray
The Truth of the Cross book by R.C. Sproul
Understanding the Gospel teaching series by R.C. Sproul
What Did Jesus Do?: Understanding the Work of Christ teaching series by R.C. Sproul
What Is the Atonement? booklet by Richard Phillips

The Supreme Malediction — Jesus Became A Curse

The Curse Motif of the Atonement

One image, one aspect, of the atonement has receded in our day almost into obscurity. We have been made aware of present-day attempts to preach a more gentle and kind gospel. In our effort to communicate the work of Christ more kindly we flee from any mention of a curse inflicted by God upon his Son. We shrink in horror from the words of the prophet Isaiah (chap. 53) that describe the ministry of the suffering servant of Israel and tells us that it pleased the Lord to bruise him. Can you take that in? Somehow the Father took pleasure in bruising the Son when he set before him that awful cup of divine wrath. How could the Father be pleased by bruising his Son were it not for his eternal purpose through that bruising to restore us as his children?

But there is the curse motif that seems utterly foreign to us, particularly in this time in history. When we speak today of the idea of curse, what do we think of? We think perhaps of a voodoo witch doctor that places pins in a doll made to replicate his enemy. We think of an occultist who is involved in witchcraft, putting spells and hexes upon people. The very word curse in our culture suggests some kind of superstition, but in biblical categories there is nothing superstitious about it.

The Hebrew Benediction

If you really want to understand what it meant to a Jew to be cursed, I think the simplest way is to look at the famous Hebrew benediction in the Old Testament, one which clergy often use as the concluding benediction in a church service:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Num. 6:24–26)

The structure of that famous benediction follows a common Hebrew poetic form known as parallelism. There are various types of parallelism in Hebrew literature. There's antithetical parallelism in which ideas are set in contrast one to another. There is synthetic parallelism, which contains a building crescendo of ideas. But one of the most common forms of parallelism is synonymous parallelism, and, as the words suggest, this type restates something with different words. There is no clearer example of synonymous parallelism anywhere in Scripture than in the benediction in Numbers 6, where exactly the same thing is said in three different ways. If you don't understand one line of it, then look to the next one, and maybe it will reveal to you the meaning.

We see in the benediction three stanzas with two elements in each one: "bless" and "keep"; "face shine" and "be gracious"; and "lift up the light of his countenance" and "give you peace." For the Jew, to be blessed by God was to be bathed in the refulgent glory that emanates from his face. "The Lord bless you" means "the Lord make his face to shine upon you." Is this not what Moses begged for on the mountain when he asked to see God? Yet God told him that no man can see him and live. So God carved out a niche in the rock and placed Moses in the cleft of it, and God allowed Moses to see a glimpse of his backward parts but not of his face. After Moses had gotten that brief glance of the back side of God, his face shone for an extended period of time. But what the Jew longed for was to see God's face, just once.

The Jews' ultimate hope was the same hope that is given to us in the New Testament, the final eschatological hope of the beatific vision: "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2). Don't you want to see him? The hardest thing about being a Christian is serving a God you have never seen, which is why the Jew asked for that.

The Supreme Malediction

But my purpose here is not to explain the blessing of God but its polar opposite, its antithesis, which again can be seen in vivid contrast to the benediction. The supreme malediction would read something like this:

"May the Lord curse you and abandon you. May the Lord keep you in darkness and give you only judgment without grace. May the Lord turn his back upon you and remove his peace from you forever."

When on the cross, not only was the Father's justice satisfied by the atoning work of the Son, but in bearing our sins the Lamb of God removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. He did it by being cursed. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13). He who is the incarnation of the glory of God became the very incarnation of the divine curse.

You can hear R.C. Sproul teach further on the curse motif of the cross tomorrow and Wednesday on Renewing Your Mind.

Excerpt adapted from "The Curse Motif of the Cross" by R.C. Sproul in Proclaiming a Cross Centered Theology, Copyright ©2009. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187.

Twitter Highlights (4/1/12)

Here are highlights from the various Ligonier Twitter accounts over the past week.

By nature we are at enmity with God, by nature we are the mortal enemies of our Creator. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) March 26, 2012

Christ went more willingly to the cross than we do to the throne of grace (Thomas Watson).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) March 27, 2012

The law says, "Do this and live," but we cannot. The problem lies in us, not in the law. —@DerekWHThomas bit.ly/eHYlzL

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) March 28, 2012

If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants (Isaac Newton).

— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) March 29, 2012

A man's greatest care should be for that place where he lives longest; therefore eternity should be his scope (Thomas Watson).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) March 30, 2012

What Arminians say God "would never" do, the Bible says He does. —Richard Phillips bit.ly/uq23dz

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) March 30, 2012

The more we understand how righteous God is the less we can deceive ourselves about our ourselves. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) March 31, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

Ligonier Ministries | Ligonier Academy | Ligonier Connect
Reformation Bible College | Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Is It True That God Blesses Those Who Bless Israel and Curses Those Who Curse Israel?

It must be true, because this is what God says, isn't it? Well, actually God says this, "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3).

When God makes a promise we can know that it is certain, and that He will not change. The problem is, however, when we hear Him saying what He did not say. This text does say that God will bless those who bless Israel, but rather those who bless Abraham, to whom God is speaking. Later, however, in Numbers 24, it gets a little more clear. There Balaam, clearly speaking about the nation of Israel says, "Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you."

That should settle the matter, should it not? The difficulty is still, however, answering about whom this promise is made. Does not Paul himself say, "But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel" (Romans 9:6). Here it is all too easy to get confused. What could it mean that not all Israel is of Israel?

If there are some who are Israel that are called Israel, and some that are not Israel that are called Israel, which of these are the ones that fit the promise? My dispensational friends suggest that the Israel to whom this promise is made matches up with the nation of Israel founded in 1948 in the Middle East. They hear in this promise that those who bless that nation of Israel will be blessed and those who curse that same nation will be cursed. This, in part, informs the politics of American foreign policy. As long as America sees this Israel as a friend, the reasoning seems to go, God will bless America. When America turns its back on that nation, God will curse this nation.

The Reformed perspective takes a different tack. It affirms that that Israel which is actually Israel, just as with the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, applies to those who are in Christ, who trust in His finished work. Though we deny the moniker, this is what our dispensational friends call "replacement theology." The Reformed, however, see this is as the outworking of the truth of Galatians 3:7- "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." We who are Reformed do not believe God replaced Israel with the church. We believe instead that there has always been only one people of God, those who believe.

Israel is the sons of Abraham. Those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. Those who are of faith are therefore Israel. And in turn, those who bless those who are of faith will be blessed, and those who curse those who are of faith will be cursed. It is how we treat the church that matters. What of ethnic Israel? What of that country in the Middle East? Many in the Reformed camp hold out hope that there will be one day a mass conversion of those who are not today the sons of Abraham, that virtually all of Israel will once again become Israel. That said, many of these likewise hold out hope that there will be a mass conversion of Arabs, and Persians, of every tongue and every tribe. All of the promises of God belong to the children of Abraham, those who are of faith, including the promise that through Abraham, all the world will be blessed.

30 Things to Remember in Seminary

In January, David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell at Desiring God Ministries began a series of blog posts titled "How to Stay a Christian in Seminary." When I saw the title of their series, I was immediately intrigued. While to some the title of their series might seem a trifle presumptuous, it is precisely the sort of title that will hopefully catch the attentions of current seminary students and those entering seminary. Theirs is an appropriate concern, for they have rightly recognized the many dangers, toils, and snares that exist along the journey through seminary.

Last week, David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell contacted several of us and asked if we would be willing to write a blog post for their series, which has the following stated goal:

The goal is to get this topic out there so that those in seminary, or considering seminary, would see this unique season as one of amazing potential growth—and so that they wouldn't get caught off guard and end up "going backwards," so to speak, in their Christian lives. We're under the conviction that this season of theological training has an amazing impact on future ministry. By touching on this topic, we'd love to serve seminarians now for the good of the church tomorrow.

This is precisely the sort of intramural ministry work that needs to be done for the church, and I am grateful to have been asked to contribute some thoughts on this crucial matter.

Satan Is At Work In Seminaries

Seminary is an academic graduate school, indeed, but, more fundamentally, it is a training institution for those who believe they have been called by God to give the entirety of their lives to fulfill the Great Commission—at whatever cost. It should be no surprise, then, that it's in the seminary where our Enemy is seeking someone to devour, accuse, and deceive. Having blinded the minds of unbelievers, we know that Satan and his minions are constantly waging war against professing Christians, and that they are often hardest at work against those who are daily engaged in the spiritual battle of heralding the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ to a dark world. And where best to work but among those who are in training to tear down the devil's strongholds?

Many men who enter seminary are leaving the comfort and immediate support of their families, friends, mentors, and churches, and they are heading into a world that is far more dangerous than they realize, with far more at stake than they ever could have imagined, namely, their souls.

Nevertheless, we are confident that he who is in us is greater than he who is in the world, and if God is for us, none can ultimately stand against us. And if a man enters seminary only later to deny the faith once delivered to the saints, then it is better for him and far better for the church that he leave the seminary and the ministry altogether so that he not lead any of God's children astray and receive a much greater sentence than a mere millstone around his neck, for we know that teachers will incur a stricter judgment.

30 Things to Remember in Seminary

A few days ago, my brother Trevin Wax wrote a very helpful piece for this same series titled "Four Things To Remember in Seminary," and borrowing from his theme of things to remember in seminary, I offer the following thoughts, in no particular order, to the end that my brothers in seminary and all believers training for ministry at whatever level and for whatever ministry purpose might find some of my comments helpful and reflect on these points and pray that the Holy Spirit would grant them wisdom and humility and that he would guard their souls and instill within them a mind for truth and a heart for God.

1. Remember why you're in seminary—God's glory, God's kingdom, and God's name, not your own.

2. Remember the beautiful simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ and your need to grow in dependence on the Lord with a more biblically doctrinally rooted childlike faith.

3. Remember the Great Commission, and let it constantly be at the forefront of what motivates you and focuses your studies, your discussions, your research papers, and your prayers.

4. Remember your pastors and mentors, and speak with them and pray with them as often as possible, finding in seminary not just that one ultimate mentor but many men from whom you can learn—ordinary, local-church pastors, elders, deacons, and godly, wise older men.

5. Remember your frailty and live dependently and in community, not as an independent lone ranger who's too busy and too smart to be authentically connected to others in the church.

6. Remember the biblical qualifications for elders and set your heart on those, not the superficial qualifications of men.

7. Remember your role as a student, who is never above his professors, and always show respect to them, don't unnecessarily criticize them, pray for them, and thank God for them as those who keep watch over your souls.

8. Remember that your professors aren't perfect, and be Berean-like in your study of Scripture never allowing any professor, no matter his degrees or books, to demythologize your faith.

9. Remember the church, which is the foundation and fountain of your training for the sake of the church, the covenant people of God. Be committed, be involved, and be the man in the church while you are in seminary that you hope to be in the church when you are out of seminary.

10. Remember that you're not training to be a glamorous superstar in the entertainment industry but a servant who sacrifices himself, his interests, and his dreams daily for the sake of God and God's people.

11. Remember that seminary isn't a sprint, it's a three-to-five-year-long marathon, and, generally speaking, the longer you take, the more deep will be your learning and the more thorough will be your training.

12. Remember that the Bible is not just one of your textbooks, it is your wellspring of daily life-giving water by the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit.

13. Remember that going to seminary in and of itself doesn't make you holy, but, by God's grace, it should. Growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ will, by necessity, bring you to your knees in repentance, faith, and authentic holiness.

14. Remember to keep yourself from the idols of a big ministry, a big church, a big name, and all the pomp and circumstance of a you-driven ministry.

15. Remember to redeem the time and to work hard in seminary recognizing that you're not college boys anymore who can waste your time away with daily pick-up basketball games, hours at the gym, and weekends around the television filled with watching every possible game.

16. Remember that seminary is easy compared to the daily life of fulltime ministry. Though you may not believe it, seminary life is fun and simple comparatively, so be diligent and disciplined in your studies and your training.

17. Remember the Lord's Day and remember that God made for us to worship, rest, relax. Work well so that you might relax well, play well, and rest well. Schedule and keep regular times for community and fraternity with other men.

18. Remember that not everyone is in seminary for the same reasons that you are; thus remember not to unnecessarily compare yourself with your fellow students, as God may use and gift them differently in his kingdom than he may use and gift you.

19. Remember that seminary only partly prepares you for ministry. Though it is an important part, you also need to be involved in the community, in the church, and at home.

20. Remember that seminary is foremost a time to learn how to learn. It's a time to learn how to study and where to study, so don't be discouraged by everything you forget and all you discover you don't know.

21. Remember that seminary exposes you to the beautiful breadth of biblically founded theology throughout the ages of church history, which should inform your understanding and tone in how you engage with brothers in the church with whom you disagree.

22. Remember not to develop your theology based on how much you like your professor, his teaching style, or his grading, but be discerning and as objective as possible as you establish what you believe, not by stacking up the number of respected scholars on two sides of a theological debate, but by studying to show yourself approved by God.

23. Remember your wife and family as your first responsibility, not just to keep yourself from divorce or to keep up all appearances of happiness for the sake of your ministry but to show forth the gospel in your marriage by sacrificially loving your wife and authentically loving her as Christ loved the church. Don't ever make a particular hour of study seem more important than helping your wife do the dishes. For what does it profit a pastor, if he gains the whole church yet loses his family?

24. Remember to keep your eyes fixed on Christ, who is the author and finisher of your faith and who will always sustain you in his calling upon your life, thus put your trust and your future in his care, not in your own abilities, intelligence, or degrees.

25. Remember you're not there to learn how to be a self-kingdom-networking-pragmatic-political opportunist but a principled shepherd of souls.

26. Remember that you are not training to be a master over men or a master of divinity, but a shepherd-servant of men and a steward of God who daily kneels and swears fealty to the Lord and ultimate love of his life.

27. Remember that pastoral ministry revolves around two overarching callings—the ministry of prayer and the Word, thus give yourself over to prayer and the Word—not just to read and talk, but to listen, meditate, and commune, and not just have said you did, but for the sake of our own soul.

28. Remember that the Holy Spirit is your ultimate teacher, advocate, counselor, comforter, and friend, so lean upon him mightily for your strength amid strength and weakness, confidence and fear, and he will always bear you up and lift up the light of his countenance upon you.

29. Remember that you're not in seminary primarily to get a degree but to learn how to and what it means to feed sheep, wash feet, and die to self.

30. Remember your first love.

Finally, may we always remember the words of Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf (1700–1760), and may his words help to define our ministries: "Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten."

Burk Parsons is an associate minister at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, Florida, editor of Tabletalk magazine, and a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida.

$5 Friday: Thomas Goodwin, Atonement, & Doctrines of Grace

In this week's $5 Friday sale we have resources that cover such topics as Thomas Goodwin, the atonement, the doctrines of grace, apologetics, the five solas of the Reformation, and Ecclesiastes.

Sale runs through our new time of 12:01 a.m. — 11:59 p.m. Friday EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale items.