R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 541

2012 National Conference Preview — Steven Lawson & Albert Mohler

Dr. Steven Lawson is a pastor, seminary board member, Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow, and the author of such books as Famine in the Land and Pillars of Grace.

Dr. Lawson is committed to the Word of God and its faithful exposition. His committment is seen clearly in this exhortation to pastors:

"When the Bible speaks, God speaks. The man of God has nothing to say apart from the Bible. He must not parade his personal opinions in the pulpit. Nor may he expound worldly philosophies. The preacher is limited to one task — preach the Word."

Dr. Albert Mohler is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a prominent voice within evangelicalism and a frequent guest on national news programs. He also hosts The Briefing, a daily podcast providing worldview analysis about the leading news headlines and cultural conversations, and has written or contributed to several books including Atheism Remix and Whatever Happened to Truth?.

Dr. Mohler was asked about the challenges the church faces in the twenty-first century. He responded:

"What we have failed to understand is that Christians in the twenty-first century are being thrown into a world in which just a little bit of Bible knowledge is simply not going to be enough. Simply having positive fellowship and nurturing experiences in the church and in the Christian family will not be enough. The church must prepare people to be able to think Christianly in a world where the intellectual rules have fundamentally changed."

Here's a preview of what to expect from Drs. Lawson and Mohler at our 2012 National Conference in Orlando next week.

Foolishness to the Greeks by Steven Lawson

Anti-intellectualism is not the only danger Christians face. Those who seek to reclaim the Christian mind face the opposite danger — allowing a desire to please God to mutate into pride and a vain desire for worldly respect. In this message, Steven Lawson explains how we must walk a fine line and never accommodate the gospel in an attempt to please the cultured despisers of Christianity. We have already seen the sad results of a previous attempt to do this in the nineteenth century.

I've Got Half a Mind Too... by Albert Mohler

Our modern culture today is a theater of the absurd where irrationalism and relativism run rampant. We are told that Christianity may be "our truth," but it isn't everybody's truth. In this message, Albert Mohler looks at the roots of today's irrationalism, exposes it's dangers, and explains how we as Christians should respond to it and inoculate ourselves against it.

The Christian Mind: 2012 National Conference

Registration | Speakers | Schedule | Trailer (Video)

Next week, March 15-17, 2012, we invite you to come and hear Steven Lawson and Albert Mohler at our 2012 National Conference, "The Christian Mind." It will be an edifying time of fellowship and teaching together, helping prepare you to think like a Christian in an anti-Christian culture.

The conference is only 8 days away so be sure to register today and save $30.

What Is The Proper Response To Grace?

There can be only one proper response to grace: a life of grateful holiness. Christ's atoning death was "in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4).

There are two ways of understanding these words. One way is to view them as a statement of what our Lord achieved on the cross: He fulfilled what the law required by offering up a perfect obedience (the active obedience of Christ) and by meeting the law's retribution for our sin by His death (the passive obedience of Christ). He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law for us in His life and death.

Grateful law-keeping is the saved sinner’s response to received grace. —@DerekWHThomas

More likely, however, Paul is stating (what he will elaborate on later in this chapter) that Christians, whose sins are forgiven, now live in holy, obedient gratitude for the grace they have received. Grateful law-keeping is the saved sinner's response to received grace. The rest of our lives are a way of saying, "Thank you."

Of course, salvation by grace rather than our performance can be seen as a license to sin (antinomianism). Paul's response in Romans is something like this: if we are not tempted to think like that, we have not understood the gospel. The apostle anticipates our objection at the beginning of chapter 6: "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" (Rom. 6:1).

Grace must raise the temptation to think we can sin as we please; if it does not, we have not understood the true extent of grace. However, at no time can we yield to the temptation to think this way (note Paul's answer to his question in 6:1—"by no means"), because Christians are called to a life of holiness—holiness motivated by gratitude for all that God has done for them in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Law-keeping out of love is the true path of holiness. —@DerekWHThomas

The key to subduing the downward drag of sin in our lives is to know the impulse of gratitude that follows the experience of forgiveness and reconciliation. Law-keeping out of love is the true path of holiness.

Excerpt from Derek Thomas' How The Gospel Brings Us All The Way Home.
Available from ReformationTrust.com

An Inside Look At Reformation Bible College's Sacred Music Program [Video]

The sacred music program at Reformation Bible College (RBC) complements our well-established Bible and theology curriculum. By combining instrumental and vocal training, academic preparation, and ministry and spiritual formation, we will provide the next generation with outstanding leaders, teachers, and pastors who understand and promote the good, the true, and the beautiful in the church's music.

Get an inside look at RBC's sacred music program as Dr. R.C. Sproul and two of our adjunct professors discuss what the degree offers:

If you are interested in learning more about the sacred music program, call 888-RBC-1517 or email admissions@ligonier.org to set up an appointment to meet with one of our faculty members and tour the facilities. For more information, visit us at ReformationBibleCollege.org.

You can also connect with Reformation Bible College on Facebook and Twitter.

Theological Narcissism

According to Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter from Thespia renowned for his beauty. His enemy, Nemesis, lured the arrogant Narcissus to a pool of water where he gazed at his own reflection and became utterly infatuated with the image in the pool, not realizing it was his own reflection. Enraptured with himself, Narcissus could not escape the beauty of his own reflection and eventually died. We are all like Narcissus. We are infatuated with ourselves — obsessed with our own image. However, we're not satisfied merely to bask in our own importance, we want everyone around us to be as enamored with us as we are with ourselves, and, what's more, we want God Himself to be so taken with us that He makes all His thoughts revolve around us as if we were the center and ultimate end of all His plans.

Our self-centeredness is the heart of our pride and the foundation of our rebellion against God. —@BurkParsons

Our self-centeredness is the heart of our pride and the foundation of our rebellion against God. We not only want to know as God knows, we want to inform God in what He knows. Just as our archnemesis deceived our first parents, so we, too, often fall prey to his schemes when we ignore God's law, negotiate our selfish desires with God, compromise His truth, rationalize our sin, and then attempt to hide from Him by closing our eyes and pretending He doesn't see us.

Continue reading Theological Narcissism, Burk Parsons’ contribution to the March issue of Tabletalk.

2012 National Conference Preview — Del Tackett

Dr. Del Tackett is the author and architect of Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative advocating the importance of developing a Christian worldview. He is a former director of technical planning for the U.S. National Security Council, and is currently an adjunct professor at New Geneva Theological Seminary and Summit Ministries.

Dr. Tackett recently sat down with Dr. R.C. Sproul to discuss the theme of this year's conference, "The Christian Mind." You can listen to the interview below or by clicking here.

As heard in the above interview, Dr. Tackett's desire is for Christians to be equipped to articulate, defend, and contend for the faith. This passion will be evident in his message at our 2012 National Conference.

Here's a preview of what to expect from Dr. Tackett in Orlando next week.

When Worlds Collide by Del Tackett

Truth is coherent, and we weaken our defense of it when we deal with issues in an atomistic manner. In order to regain our Christian mind, we have to have a coherent, fully-orbed Christian worldview. In this message, Del Tackett explains the importance of a Christian worldview, what it entails, and how we articulate it.

The Christian Mind: 2012 National Conference

Registration | Speakers | Schedule | Trailer (Video)

Next week, March 15-17, 2012, we invite you to come and hear Del Tackett at our 2012 National Conference, "The Christian Mind." It will be an edifying time of fellowship and teaching together, helping prepare you to think like a Christian in an anti-Christian culture.

The conference is only 10 days away so be sure to register today.

The Davidic Covenant — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

The story of David's rise to the throne of Israel is found in 1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel 4. In 1 Samuel 16, David is shown to be God's chosen one and is anointed king by Samuel (1 Sam. 16:1, 12–13). The anointing of David anticipates the founding of the Davidic dynasty, a crucial event in redemptive history.i The anointing of David is also crucial for understanding the Old Testament concept of the Messiah (Heb. mashiah). As Dillard and Longman explain, "The Hebrew term mashiah means 'anointed one,' and the idea of a Messiah for Israel grows out of her ideology about a righteous king, one who would be like David."ii Throughout the books of Samuel, the "Lord's anointed" is a major theme (cf. 1 Sam. 16:3, 6, 12–13; 24:6; 26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:14, 16; 3:39; 19:21). The king is God's anointed one, that is, his "messiah." The rule of David as God's anointed one, his "messiah," is later used by the prophets to picture the coming eschatological king (cf. Isa. 7:14–16; 9:1–7; 11:1–16).iii The remaining chapters of 1 Samuel recount David's rise in popularity and Saul's repeated attempts to kill him (1 Sam. 17–31). The first book of Samuel ends with the ignominious death of Saul (1 Sam. 31:3–4).

After David learns of the death of Saul, and mourns for him (2 Sam. 1:4, 17–27), the men of Judah anoint him king (2 Sam. 2:4). But Abner, the commander of Saul's army, anoints Saul's son Ish-bosheth to be king over Israel (2 Sam. 2:8–11). There follows a long war between the house of David and the house of Saul (2 Sam. 3:1), but Abner ultimately joins David, Ish-bosheth is murdered, and David is anointed king over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:3–4).iv David then defeats the Jebusites and takes the city of Jerusalem, calling it the city of David (2 Sam. 6–9). The ark of the covenant, the symbol of the throne of the divine King, is brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1–15), and from that point onward the city becomes the religious and political center of the Davidic kingdom.v

A key event in redemptive history is recorded in 2 Samuel 7. According to Walter Brueggemann, this chapter "occupies the dramatic and theological center of the entire Samuel corpus."vi The chapter records the events surrounding the establishment of the Davidic covenant. Dumbrell helpfully explains why the events of this chapter follow those of chapter 6.

What is thus being said by the sequence of these chapters, is that Yahweh's kingship must be first provided for before the question of Israel's can be taken up. Only when such an acknowledgement of Yahweh's rule has been made may the possibility of a firmly established Israelite royal line be discussed.vii

David had captured Jerusalem and had brought the ark into the city, and God had given him rest from all his enemies (2 Sam. 7:1). At this point, David calls Nathan the prophet and expresses his desire to build a "house" (Heb. bayit) before God, a permanent temple instead of a tent.viii God's response to David is found in 2 Samuel 7:4–16.

God reminds David that since the time he brought Israel out of Egypt he has moved with the people in the tabernacle (2 Sam. 7:4–7). He reminds David that he has been with him wherever he went and has defeated David's enemies (2 Sam. 7:8–9a). He then promises David that he will make for David a great name (2 Sam. 7:9b). God declares that he will give Israel rest from her enemies and that he will make a house for David (2 Sam. 7:10–11). God promises that he will establish the kingdom of David's offspring (2 Sam. 7:12). He promises that David's offspring will build a house for God, and that he will establish David's kingdom forever (2 Sam. 7:13).

God promises, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son" (2 Sam. 7:14a). God warns that he will discipline David's offspring if he commits iniquity, but God also promises that his steadfast love will not depart from David as it was taken from Saul (2 Sam. 7:14b–15). Finally, God promises David, "And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16). David's prayer of gratitude is found in 2 Samuel 7:18–29. In this prayer, he refers to God's promise as "instruction for mankind," indicating that this covenant will involve the destiny of all mankind (2 Sam. 7:19).ix

Although the Hebrew term for "covenant" (berit) is not found in this chapter, Scripture elsewhere does refer to this promise as a covenant (cf. 2 Sam. 23:5; Ps. 89:3). The Davidic covenant had been anticipated in God's covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen. 17:6). It would be through the Davidic king that God's promise of blessing to the nations would be accomplished (cf. 2 Sam. 7:19; Ps. 72:8–11, 17). The Davidic covenant had also been anticipated in the Mosaic covenant (cf. Deut. 17:14–20). The Davidic king would be the expression of God's theocratic rule in Israel. He was to reflect the righteous rule of the divine King. He was also to lead Israel in the faithful observance of the Mosaic law. The Abrahamic covenant had promised a realm and a people for God's kingdom. The Mosaic covenant provided the law of the kingdom. The Davidic covenant now provides a human king for the kingdom. God's creational purpose to establish his kingdom with his image-bearer exercising dominion now reaches a new stage in its progressive accomplishment.xi

One of the major emphases of the Davidic covenant is the idea of perpetuity. David had wanted to build for God a permanent dwelling place, but God instead promised that he would establish for David a permanent dynasty.xii The Hebrew term 'ad -'olam, or "forever," is found eight times in this chapter emphasizing the significance of this aspect of the covenant. As Anderson explains, "The main feature of this kingship will be its permanent stability: it will last forever (2 Sam. 7:13b, 16)."xiv

In Genesis 49:10, Jacob had prophesied that the scepter would belong to the tribe of Judah until the coming of the one to whom such royal status truly belonged. This prophecy finds its initial fulfillment in the establishment of the Davidic kingship.xv But the Davidic covenant looks not only to the fulfillment of past prophecies, it also looks forward, laying the foundation for Israel's eschatological hopes. The Davidic covenant becomes the foundation for the messianic prophecies of the later prophets.xvi As O. Palmer Robertson explains, the Davidic throne "was a typological representation of the throne of God itself."xvii The relationship is so close that the throne of David is referred to in Scripture as the "throne of Yahweh" (1 Chron. 29:23). With the coming of the Davidic monarchy, then, God's kingdom had already come to some extent, but it remained a shadow of a greater future reality.xviii

The Davidic covenant became, as Bergen observes, "the nucleus around which messages of hope proclaimed by Hebrew prophets of later generations were built…"xix This covenant is mentioned or alluded to in several of the Psalms (cf. Ps. 21, 72, 89, 110, 132). It is also alluded to in the prophetic writings. As the monarchy eventually began to slide into wickedness, the prophets began to understand the promises of the Davidic covenant eschatologically. As Joyce Baldwin notes, the prophets taught that David's "booth would be repaired (Am. 9:11); a Davidic child would establish his throne with justice and with righteousness (Is. 9:6–7); a branch from the stump of Jesse would yet create an ideal kingdom (Is. 11:1–9; cf. Je. 23:5; Zc. 3:8)."xx The promises that had not yet been fulfilled would be fulfilled in the future (cf. Isa. 7:13–25; 16:5; 55:3; Jer. 30:8; 33:14–26; Ezek. 34:20–24; 37:24–25; Hos. 3:5; Zech. 6:12–13; 12:7–8). Ultimately, these messianic hopes would be fulfilled in Jesus, the true Son of David (cf. Matt. 1:1; Acts 13:22–23).xxi

iWillem A. VanGemeren, The Progress of Redemption (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 202
iiRaymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman III, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 146.
iiiWilliam J. Dumbrell, The Search for Order: Biblical Eschatology is Focus (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), 64.
ivIt is worth noting that the establishment of David’s kingship occurs in progressive stages. He is anointed as the rightful king by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16. Much later, in 2 Samuel 2:4, he is anointed king over Judah. Only after a long war between his house and the house of Saul (2 Sam. 3:1) is he anointed king over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:3–4).
vVanGemeren, The Progress of Redemption 207.
viWalter Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel, Interpretation (Louisville: Westminster, 1990), 253; cf. A. A. Anderson, 2 Samuel, WBC 11 (Waco: Word Books, 1989), 112.
viiWilliam J. Dumbrell, Covenant and Creation: A Theology of Old Testament Covenants (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984), 142.
viiiThe word “house” is used 15 times in this chapter, but it is used with four different denotations. It is used to refer to a king’s palace (vv. 1, 2); a temple (vv. 5, 6, 7, 13); a royal dynasty (vv. 11, 16, 19, 25, 26, 27, 29); and a family (v. 18). See Hamilton 2004, 317.
ixDumbrell, Covenant and Creation, 152.
x Christopher J. H. Wright, “Covenant: God’s Mission Through God’s People,” in The God of Covenant: Biblical, Theological, and Contemporary Perspectives, ed. Jamie A. Grant and Alistair I. Wilson (Leicester: Apollos, 2005), 74.
xiDumbrell, Covenant and Creation, 127.
xii O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants (Phillipsburg: P&R, 1980), 232.
xiiiWalter C. Kaiser, Jr., The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 81.
xivAnderson, 2 Samuel, 122.
xv Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, NAC (Nashville: Broadman, 1996), 336.
xvi Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, 336; cf. Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel, 1990, 257; and Robertson, Christ of the Covenants, 233–4.
xvii Robertson, Christ of the Covenants, 249.
xviii Robertson, Christ of the Covenants, 241.
xix Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, 337.
xx Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, TOTC 8 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988), 213.
xxi Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, 337–8. Jesus is the Son of David who will build a “house” for God, a new temple made without hands. He is the Son of David whose kingdom is established forever.

Adapted from From Age to Age by Keith Mathison. ISBN 978-0-87552-745-1
Used with permission of P&R Publishing Co. P O Box 817, Phillipsburg N.J. 08865 www.prpbooks.com

From Age to Age is available in the Ligonier store.

Twitter Highlights (3/4/12)

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

Most heretics...tried to mask their heresy by using orthodox language to convey it. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 26, 2012

The doctrine of total depravity is the ultimate dampener of personal vanity (@davidpmurray).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) February 27, 2012

Faith which is not built on a dying Christ is but a perilous dream: God awaken all from it that are in it! (Traill).

— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) February 29, 2012

Look what @RefTrust title is now available instagr.am/p/HmxC8ALbK-/

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 29, 2012

NEW course released today - Doctrines of Grace, taught by @Ligonier teaching fellow Dr. Steven Lawson bit.ly/x2MVv4

— Ligonier Connect (@LigonierConnect) March 1, 2012

I take my text and make a beeline to the cross. —Charles Spurgeon bit.ly/xJQvGi

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) March 1, 2012

Before a person exercises saving faith...God must do something for them and in them. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) March 2, 2012

As Christians, we count it both our duty and delight to worship the God who has saved us from our sins (Guy Waters).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) March 2, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

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

Why Are Gas Prices So High?

There are ultimately only two ways by which prices are determined, by market forces of supply and demand, or by government forces imposing themselves in markets. When the nation experiences the pain of rapid price increases it does not take long for people to grow angry at the oil companies. They become the scapegoat. Those slightly more sophisticated may give the oil companies a pass, but blame oil speculators, or futures traders. Neither, however, are to blame.

Prices are determined, ultimately, by the consumer. When prices go up, and we don't change our behavior, we end up paying more than we'd like (which we always do. We'd all like everything we buy to be free) but not more than we are willing. When prices go up and we change our behavior, whether by car-pooling, fewer or shorter trips, or driving cars with better miles-per-gallon, we are decreasing demand. We demonstrate our unwillingness to pay x for y amount of gasoline.

In between prices set by the market and prices set by the state, are prices set by the market, where the state is interfering. Right now prices are rising because of geo-political issues in the middle east. Iran rattles its sword at Israel. Washington rattles its sword at Iran. And those trading in oil futures think there is some chance that the result of all this will be decreased supply, which will create higher consumer prices. They then are willing to pay more for futures contracts (agreements to buy oil at a given price in the future) which makes prices rise now. In like manner, when Washington refuses to allow drilling in its vast holdings, or refuses to allow an oil pipeline to cross our border with Canada this too suggests less supply in the future, pushing prices up.

Doesn't this mean the speculators are to blame? By no means. Speculators are not economic vampires sucking the life out of us. They perform an important economic service in spreading risk. Oil producers begin exploring a given region, looking for oil. They don't know what they will find, nor what what they find will be worth when they find it. A futures trader, however, can guarantee a specific return on their investment by buying the contract. The futures trader also cannot predict what gas will be selling for when the gas is delivered. He is taking a chance, shouldering some of the risk. Sometimes he wins; sometimes he loses.

Why is it, I wonder, that those who complain against the oil companies or futures traders when gas is going up in price never sing their praises when prices are going down? When consumers grumble about greed, at least in a free market, they don't realize that their own greed is showing. We are not owed gas, at this price or that price. No one is cheating us or gouging us when we freely buy their goods, whatever the price. Our calling, at all times, is to give thanks. There is one who knows not only today's and tomorrow's gas prices, but knows that we need food, and clothing. And He told us to stop our fretting, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. Would that we hungered for these more than we hunger for lower prices.

$5 Friday: The Gospel, Stewardship, & Islam

It's time for another $5 Friday sale. We have great resources available on the gospel, stewardship, Islam, suffering, Psalm 23, and theology. Thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for partnering with us this week.

Sale runs from 8 a.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Saturday EST.

View today’s $5 Friday specials.

On Controversy

A minister, about to write an article criticizing a fellow minister for his lack of orthodoxy, wrote to John Newton of his intention. Newton replied as follows:

Dear Sir,

As you are likely to be engaged in controversy, and your love of truth is joined with a natural warmth of temper, my friendship makes me solicitous on your behalf. You are of the strongest side; for truth is great, and must prevail; so that a person of abilities inferior to yours might take the field with a confidence of victory. I am not therefore anxious for the event of the battle; but I would have you more than a conqueror, and to triumph, not only over your adversary, but over yourself. If you cannot be vanquished, you may be wounded. To preserve you from such wounds as might give you cause of weeping over your conquests, I would present you with some considerations, which, if duly attended to, will do you the service of a great coat of mail; such armor, that you need not complain, as David did of Saul's, that it will be more cumbersome than useful; for you will easily perceive it is taken from that great magazine provided for the Christian soldier, the Word of God. I take it for granted that you will not expect any apology for my freedom, and therefore I shall not offer one. For method's sake, I may reduce my advice to three heads, respecting your opponent, the public, and yourself.

Consider Your Opponent

As to your opponent, I wish that before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord's teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love and pity him; and such a disposition will have a good influence upon every page you write.

If you account him a believer, though greatly mistaken in the subject of debate between you, the words of David to Joab concerning Absalom, are very applicable: "Deal gently with him for my sake." The Lord loves him and bears with him; therefore you must not despise him, or treat him harshly. The Lord bears with you likewise, and expects that you should show tenderness to others, from a sense of the much forgiveness you need yourself. In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. Anticipate that period in your thoughts; and though you may find it necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with whom you are to be happy in Christ forever.

But if you look upon him as an unconverted person, in a state of enmity against God and his grace (a supposition which, without good evidence, you should be very unwilling to admit), he is a more proper object of your compassion than of your anger. Alas! "He knows not what he does." But you know who has made you to differ. If God, in his sovereign pleasure, had so appointed, you might have been as he is now; and he, instead of you, might have been set for the defense of the gospel. You were both equally blind by nature. If you attend to this, you will not reproach or hate him, because the Lord has been pleased to open your eyes, and not his.

Of all people who engage in controversy, we, who are called Calvinists, are most expressly bound by our own principles to the exercise of gentleness and moderation. If, indeed, they who differ from us have a power of changing themselves, if they can open their own eyes, and soften their own hearts, then we might with less inconsistency be offended at their obstinacy: but if we believe the very contrary to this, our part is, not to strive, but in meekness to instruct those who oppose. "If peradventure God will give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth." If you write with a desire of being an instrument of correcting mistakes, you will of course be cautious of laying stumbling blocks in the way of the blind or of using any expressions that may exasperate their passions, confirm them in their principles, and thereby make their conviction, humanly speaking, more impracticable.

Consider the Public

By printing, you will appeal to the public; where your readers may be ranged under three divisions: First, such as differ from you in principle. Concerning these I may refer you to what I have already said. Though you have your eye upon one person chiefly, there are many like-minded with him; and the same reasoning will hold, whether as to one or to a million.

There will be likewise many who pay too little regard to religion, to have any settled system of their own, and yet are preengaged in favor of those sentiments which are at least repugnant to the good opinion men naturally have of themselves. These are very incompetent judges of doctrine; but they can form a tolerable judgment of a writer's spirit. They know that meekness, humility, and love are the characteristics of a Christian temper; and though they affect to treat the doctrines of grace as mere notions and speculations, which, supposing they adopted them, would have no salutary influence upon their conduct; yet from us, who profess these principles, they always expect such dispositions as correspond with the precepts of the gospel. They are quick-sighted to discern when we deviate from such a spirit, and avail themselves of it to justify their contempt of our arguments. The scriptural maxim, that "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God," is verified by daily observation. If our zeal is embittered by expressions of anger, invective, or scorn, we may think we are doing service of the cause of truth, when in reality we shall only bring it into discredit. The weapons of our warfare, and which alone are powerful to break down the strongholds of error, are not carnal, but spiritual; arguments fairly drawn from Scripture and experience, and enforced by such a mild address, as may persuade our readers, that, whether we can convince them or not, we wish well to their souls, and contend only for the truth's sake; if we can satisfy them that we act upon these motives, our point is half gained; they will be more disposed to consider calmly what we offer; and if they should still dissent from our opinions, they will be constrained to approve our intentions.

You will have a third class of readers, who, being of your own sentiments, will readily approve of what you advance, and may be further established and confirmed in their views of the Scripture doctrines, by a clear and masterly elucidation of your subject. You may be instrumental to their edification if the law of kindness as well as of truth regulates your pen, otherwise you may do them harm. There is a principle of self, which disposes us to despise those who differ from us; and we are often under its influence, when we think we are only showing a becoming zeal in the cause of God.

I readily believe that the leading points of Arminianism spring from and are nourished by the pride of the human heart; but I should be glad if the reverse were always true; and that to embrace what are called the Calvinistic doctrines was an infallible token of a humble mind. I think I have known some Arminians, that is, persons who for want of a clearer light, have been afraid of receiving the doctrines of free grace, who yet have given evidence that their hearts were in a degree humbled before the Lord.

And I am afraid there are Calvinists, who, while they account it a proof of their humility, that they are willing in words to debase the creature and to give all the glory of salvation to the Lord, yet know not what manner of spirit they are of. Whatever it be that makes us trust in ourselves that we are comparatively wise or good, so as to treat those with contempt who do not subscribe to our doctrines, or follow our party, is a proof and fruit of a self-righteous spirit. Self-righteousness can feed upon doctrines as well as upon works; and a man may have the heart of a Pharisee, while his head is stored with orthodox notions of the unworthiness of the creature and the riches of free grace. Yea, I would add, the best of men are not wholly free from this leaven; and therefore are too apt to be pleased with such representations as hold up our adversaries to ridicule, and by consequence flatter our own superior judgments. Controversies, for the most part, are so managed as to indulge rather than to repress his wrong disposition; and therefore, generally speaking, they are productive of little good. They provoke those whom they should convince, and puff up those whom they should edify. I hope your performance will savor of a spirit of true humility, and be a means of promoting it in others.

Consider Yourself

This leads me, in the last place, to consider your own concern in your present undertaking. It seems a laudable service to defend the faith once delivered to the saints; we are commanded to contend earnestly for it, and to convince gainsayers. If ever such defenses were seasonable and expedient they appear to be so in our own day, when errors abound on all sides and every truth of the gospel is either directly denied or grossly misrepresented.

And yet we find but very few writers of controversy who have not been manifestly hurt by it. Either they grow in a sense of their own importance, or imbibe an angry, contentious spirit, or they insensibly withdraw their attention from those things which are the food and immediate support of the life of faith, and spend their time and strength upon matters which are at most but of a secondary value. This shows, that if the service is honorable, it is dangerous. What will it profit a man if he gains his cause and silences his adversary, if at the same time he loses that humble, tender frame of spirit in which the Lord delights, and to which the promise of his presence is made?

Your aim, I doubt not, is good; but you have need to watch and pray for you will find Satan at your right hand to resist you; he will try to debase your views; and though you set out in defense of the cause of God, if you are not continually looking to the Lord to keep you, it may become your own cause, and awaken in you those tempers which are inconsistent with true peace of mind, and will surely obstruct communion with God.

Be upon your guard against admitting anything personal into the debate. If you think you have been ill treated, you will have an opportunity of showing that you are a disciple of Jesus, who "when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." This is our pattern, thus we are to speak and write for God, "not rendering railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing; knowing that hereunto we are called." The wisdom that is from above is not only pure, but peaceable and gentle; and the want of these qualifications, like the dead fly in the pot of ointment, will spoil the savor and efficacy of our labors.

If we act in a wrong spirit, we shall bring little glory to God, do little good to our fellow creatures, and procure neither honor nor comfort to ourselves. If you can be content with showing your wit, and gaining the laugh on your side, you have an easy task; but I hope you have a far nobler aim, and that, sensible of the solemn importance of gospel truths, and the compassion due to the souls of men, you would rather be a means of removing prejudices in a single instance, than obtain the empty applause of thousands. Go forth, therefore, in the name and strength of the Lord of hosts, speaking the truth in love; and may he give you a witness in many hearts that you are taught of God, and favored with the unction of his Holy Spirit.

Excerpt from The Works of John Newton, Letter XIX "On Controversy."