R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 544

2012 National Conference Preview — Robert Godfrey

Dr. W. Robert Godfrey is the president of Westminster Seminary California, professor of church history, and a Ligonier Ministries Teaching Fellow. He is a member of the board of Ligonier Ministries and the author of An Unexpected Journey and many other titles.

Dr. Godfrey spoke at Ligonier's 2002 National Conference on five errors that hinder us from understanding the Word of God. You can watch his message below:

This passion to see God's people using their minds—to not only know God's Word well but to be the intellectual elite of the world—will be heard in his message at our 2012 National Conference.

Here's a preview of what to expect from Dr. Godfrey in Orlando this March.

We Don't Need No Education by Robert Godfrey

At one time, Christians, particularly Reformed Christians, were the intellectual leaders in America, but this is no longer the case. We are largely marginalized and have abdicated intellectual leadership to secularists. In this message, Robert Godfrey examines the role that antiintellectualism played in this self-inflicted problem and what we must do to turn it around.

The Christian Mind: 2012 National Conference

Registration | Speakers | Schedule | Trailer (Video)

On March 15-17, 2012, we invite you to come and hear Robert Godfrey 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.

Register today

Repairing the Ruins: An Interview with Cal Thomas

Tabletalk: Evangelical Christians took center stage in American politics during the years when the Moral Majority was prominent. Was that a good thing or a bad thing for the Church? Why?

Cal Thomas: As Ed Dobson and I wrote in our 1999 book Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can't Save America, there is no biblical command against believers voting. But followers of Jesus, whose kingdom is not of this world, should not think that having the "right" person in office will somehow restore righteousness to a fallen and sin-infested world. How can a fallen leader repair a fallen society? He (or she) can't. Only God can do that through changed lives. And lives can be changed only by the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Indeed, it has always been so. As revivals of the past have shown us, the social impact was astounding. So if believers want to see a culture improved (fewer abortions, less drunkenness, fewer divorces, and so on), let their objective be to lead more people to Christ. Those converts will then be "transformed by the renewing of their minds," and societal transformation will follow. It's bubble- up, not trickle-down. The problems we face come from our forgetting God and worshipping the golden calf of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In material things and pleasure we trust, not God. That's why He gives us over to the consequences of an unrestrained lower nature. Politics can't redeem us from that.

Continue reading Repairing the Ruins: An Interview with Cal Thomas from the February issue of Tabletalk.

Introductions: Leviticus

Who wrote it? When was it written and why?

These are some of the important questions to answer as you explore any book of the Bible. To aid you in your study of God's Word we have been adapting and posting some of the detailed book introductions found in The Reformation Study Bible. Today, we continue a series through the Pentateuch. 

Please allow The Reformation Study Bible to introduce you to...

The Book of Leviticus

Author | Date & Occasion | Characteristics & Themes

Author

The conclusion that Moses wrote Leviticus derives from the internal character of Leviticus itself and of the Pentateuch as a whole, as well as from Old and New Testament references to Moses as the author of the Pentateuch. For a more complete discussion of issues relating to Mosaic authorship, see "Introduction to the Pentateuch" in The Reformation Study Bible.

Date and Occasion

The precise date Leviticus was committed to writing remains somewhat uncertain, though it doubtless occurred during the wilderness wandering prior to Moses' death (c. 1406 B.C.)

Leviticus everywhere reports the words of God to Moses and his brother Aaron, but it never states when and how these words were written down. The precise date Leviticus was committed to writing remains somewhat uncertain, though it doubtless occurred during the wilderness wandering prior to Moses' death (c. 1406 B.C.). The majority of critical scholars place the writing of Leviticus in the postexilic era (c. the sixth century B.C.), many centuries after Moses. This view is improbable, however, because the content of Leviticus does not fit such a late period: the worship of the second temple differed significantly from that enjoined in Leviticus, and Leviticus is presupposed or quoted by earlier books such as Deuteronomy, Amos, and, most obviously, Ezekiel. Other arguments against the origin of Leviticus in Moses' time are also unconvincing. The book reflects the ideals of worship and holiness that were accepted in Israel from the time of Moses to the fall of Jerusalem in 587/86 B.C.

Characteristics and Themes

No book in the Old Testament presents a greater challenge to the modern reader than Leviticus, and imagination is required to picture the ceremonies and rites that form the bulk of the book. However, it is important to try to understand the rituals in Leviticus for two reasons. First, rituals enshrine, express, and teach those values and ideas that a society holds most dear. By analyzing the ceremonies described in Leviticus, we can learn about what was most important to the Old Testament Israelites. Second, these same ideas are foundational for the New Testament writers. Particularly the concepts of sin, sacrifice, and atonement found in Leviticus are used in the New Testament to interpret the death of Christ.

The God of Leviticus, whose essential character is shown to be holy life, is shown in the Gospels to be present in Christ and His redemptive work.

Precisely because the rituals of Leviticus are so central to Old Testament thinking, they are often obscure to us, because the writers did not need to explain them to their contemporaries. Every Israelite knew why a particular sacrifice was offered on a specific occasion and what a certain gesture meant. For ourselves, every hint in the text must be grasped to understand these things, and a judicious reading between the lines is sometimes required.

Leviticus is part of the covenant law given at Sinai. The ideas that inform the whole Sinaitic covenant, including God's sovereign grace in choosing Israel and His moral demands, are also presupposed here. Certain themes are especially prominent in Leviticus. First, God is present with His people. Second, because God is holy, His people must also be holy (Lev. 11:45). Since man is sinful, he cannot dwell with the holy God. Contact between the sinner and the divine holiness may result in death. Hence, atonement for sin through the offering of sacrifice is of paramount importance. These themes may be elaborated as follows.

1. The Divine Presence. Every act of worship is performed "to the LORD" (e.g., Lev. 1:2), who dwells with His people in the tabernacle of meeting. Because God is present in the Most Holy Place, entry is barred to all but the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:17). Though God's presence is usually invisible, He may manifest His glory on special occasions such as the ordination of the priests (Lev. 9:23, 24). The greatest of God's gifts is that He deigns to dwell with His people (Lev. 26:12).

2. Holiness. The aims of Leviticus are summarized in Lev. 11:45: "You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." Man is meant to be like God in his character. That involves imitating God in daily life. The holiness of God involves His being the source of perfect life in its physical, spiritual, and moral dimensions. Animals offered to Him in sacrifice must be free of blemish (Lev. 1:3), and priests who represent God to man and man to God must be free of physical handicaps (Lev. 21:17–23). Those who suffer discharges, particularly of blood, or who have disfiguring skin diseases are barred from worship until they are cured (Leviticus 12–15). Physical health is seen to symbolize the perfection of divine life. But holiness is also an inward matter of attitudes issuing in moral behavior. The theme of holiness is especially emphasized in Leviticus 17–25, which are chiefly concerned with personal ethical conduct, summed up in Lev. 19:18 as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

3. Atonement Through Sacrifice. Since man failed to live up to God's righteous requirements, a means of atonement was essential so that both his moral lapses and his physical failings could be pardoned. To this end Leviticus gives the most extensive descriptions of the sacrificial system (Leviticus 1–7), the role of the priests (Lev. 8–10; 21–22), and the great national festivals (Lev. 16; 23; 25) found in the Old Testament. These great ceremonies were designed to make possible the coexistence of the holy God with His sinful people.

Through the symbols and rites it describes, Leviticus paints a picture of God's character that is presupposed and deepened in the New Testament. Leviticus teaches that God is the source of perfect life, that He loves His people, and that He desires to dwell among them. In this we see a foreshadowing of the Incarnation, when "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Leviticus also shows clearly man's sinfulness: no sooner are Aaron's sons ordained than they profane their office and die in a fearful display of divine judgment (Leviticus 10). Those suffering from skin disease or bodily discharge, as well as those guilty of grave moral sins, are barred from worship because their imperfections are incompatible with a holy and perfect God (Leviticus 12–15). The symbols of Leviticus teach the universality of human sin, a doctrine endorsed by Jesus (Mark 7:21–23) and Paul (Rom. 3:23). Caught between divine holiness and human sinfulness, man's paramount need is for atonement. It is here that Leviticus has the most to teach the Christian, for its ideas are taken up and developed by the New Testament in describing the atoning work of Christ. He is the perfect sacrificial Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). His death is the ransom for many (Mark 10:45). His blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Above all, Jesus is the perfect High Priest who enters not the earthly tabernacle once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16), but has ascended to the heavenly tabernacle forever, because He has not offered merely a goat for the sins of His people, but His own life (Heb. 9; 10). The rending of the temple veil when Jesus was crucified was a visible demonstration that His death opened up the way to God for all believers (Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:19, 20). Furthermore, Leviticus restricts salvation to the old covenant community of Israel. The food laws (ch. 11) and the prohibitions on mixtures (19:19) reminded Jews of their unique status. But the New Testament opens the kingdom to all nations and abrogates the food laws (Mark 7:14–23; Acts 10), while at the same time insisting on the separation of the church from the world (John 17:16; 2 Cor. 6:14–7:1). And while the Old Testament sufferer had to wait for God to heal him (Leviticus 14), in the Gospels God in Christ drew near and healed both lepers and those with discharges (Luke 8:43–48; 17:12–19). The God of Leviticus, whose essential character is shown to be holy life, is shown in the Gospels to be present in Christ and His redemptive work.

Leviticus, the Latin form of the Greek title of the book, means "about Levites." The Levites were the tribe of Israel from which the priests were drawn; they were responsible for maintaining Israel's worship facilities and practices. The title is apt, because the book is primarily about worship and fitness for worship. However it is not addressed solely to priests or Levites, but also to lay Israelites, telling them how to offer sacrifices and to enter the presence of God in worship. Leviticus speaks to humanity in every age, reminding us of the depth of our sin, but also pointing us to the sacrifice of Him whose blood is far more effective than the blood of bulls and goats.

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Adapted from The Reformation Study Bible, © 2005 Ligonier Ministries.

Valentine the Brave

As a rule, men are relational dolts. From an early age girls develop sophisticated communications arrays, whereby they are able to simultaneously translate what anyone says, whether with words, expression or body language, into what they actually mean. They know from birth that when a genteel southern woman tells them, "Well bless your heart" that war has been declared. Men, on the other hand, are tone deaf and body language blind.

Women in turn understand the intricacies of social interaction. They don't have to be told to write thank you notes; they compose them on the way home from a dinner with friends. They don't have to be told to send out birth announcements- they start filling them out while in labor. Men, on the other hand, bring their favorite beer to a buddy's barbecue not as a "host gift" but to make sure there is enough. We watch Sportcenter during labor.

Which is why, perhaps, western culture has constructed one day a year for us, to make it simple. We know our marching orders- a card, flowers or candy, perhaps a gift and a nice romantic dinner for two. We can do that, once, or twice, or four times a year- birthday, Mother's Day, and the hardest one, our anniversary. When we succeed on these days we tell our wives that we really are trying. We really do love them, and want them to know. We're fighting our man weaknesses as best as we are able.

What we ought to be doing, however, is fighting her woman weaknesses. The Bible calls us to dwell with our wives with understanding (I Peter 3:7). Women, by and large, crave security. They are given to relational worry. When husbands and wives fight, often the husband is merely annoyed, while the wife fears the end is near. Peter doesn't call us to turn our wives into men, but calls men to see it from her point of view. We fight her fears by putting her at ease.

A godly husband, then is not one who four times a year takes up the aggravating task of trying to be relational, in order to keep his wife from getting grumpy. Instead a godly husband is tasked with the constant call of communicating his love and commitment to his wife. This is not a few days a year, but every day. Too often husbands get frustrated, even offended by this hard reality. "Doesn't she think I'm a man of my word? I promised 'Until death do us part' and I meant it."

Such reasoning shows our relational weakness. She doesn't want to know that she can count on you to grimly see your vow through to the end. She wants to know that you would make it all over again today, and tomorrow, and the day after that. She doesn't want to know that you will stay with her, but that you want to stay with her.

A year ago on Valentine's Day I bought my wife a nice gift, and we shared a nice meal together. There were not candles on a linen covered table. There was no table. Denise was in a hospital bed, having been diagnosed with leukemia just days before. Chemotherapy had already begun to erode her appetite for food. Assurance, however, she still desired. She apologized for our surroundings for our celebration. What I heard was "Please tell me we will be okay." I replied, "Our location is this- we are in the loving hands of our heavenly Father, who will never leave us nor forsake us. And I, by His grace, will joyfully walk with you every step of the way. There is no place I would rather be than right beside you."

My counsel for you today is to get the flowers. Enjoy a nice meal together. But tomorrow stop, hold her chin, look her in the eye and tell her, "I give thanks to God for you. I would marry you all over again. You are a joy in my life." And then, the day after that, do it again. Repeat.

Metanoia Prison Ministries

Ligonier has partnered with Metanoia Prison Ministries to help reach inmates with the gospel and sound biblical teaching. We'd like to introduce you to Metanoia and the important work they are doing.

Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. —Hebrews 13:3

What is Metanoia Prison Ministries?

Metanoia Prison Ministries is the prison ministry branch of Mission to North America, a mission agency of the Presbyterian Church in America. "Metanoia" is the Greek word for repentance, and this ministry emphasizes the importance of turning from a life of sin to a life that is lived for the glory of God. Metanoia's mission is to partner with the church for the evangelism, discipleship, and reintegration of prisoners.

How does Metanoia minister to prisoners?

Metanoia offers prisoners the opportunity to take free non-degree correspondence courses that are tailored specifically to inmates. These courses are taught from a distinctly Reformed perspective and are designed to take each student from the basics of the faith to advanced levels of biblical understanding. Metanoia matches each student with a personal instructor who grades the completed coursework and provides helpful feedback. Because prison can be a lonely place for a Christian inmate, written communication from the instructor gives the inmate much-needed fellowship and spiritual support. Metanoia also connects some students with a mentor who can help the student develop a parole plan and find a local church that can assist with the transition to post-incarceration life.

How does Metanoia support the work of the local church?

Prison ministry is done most effectively when members of the local church are mobilized to care for those who are in prison. Metanoia offers the church a comprehensive approach to getting involved in prison ministry by providing training, support, and guidance throughout the process. Metanoia prepares church members to serve as course instructors, and it connects them with students who are eager to learn. Metanoia also helps congregations prepare to welcome and assist Christian prisoners when they are released.

How do Metanoia and Ligonier Ministries work together in prison ministry?

Ligonier and Metanoia have formed a partnership that enables both ministries to expand their outreach to prisoners in new and exciting ways. Ligonier recommends Metanoia's program of study to prisoners and helps Metanoia to obtain resources, such as The Reformation Study Bible, that can aid students in their coursework. Metanoia incorporates and administers Ligonier coursework in its educational program, allowing students who complete the program to receive a certificate from Ligonier. By working together, the unique strengths of both ministries can be most effectively used to help prisoners embrace faith in Jesus Christ and grow to maturity as His disciples.

An Interview with Mark Casson

In this interview, Mark Casson briefly shares the vision and work of Metanoia Prison Ministries, and how together, we're reaching inmates with the gospel and sound biblical teaching.

The Reformation Study Bible

Ligonier has released a paperback edition of the Reformation Study Bible that complies with prison mail regulations. To order, please call us 800-435-4343.

For more information on Ligonier's partnership with Metanoia and how you can show your support, please email us at prisonoutreach@ligonier.org

Smart is Not a Fruit

Leave it to Reformed people to miss the point. When Paul describes the body of Christ as a body, part of which includes hands, ears, and so forth, we are quick to mark our territory — we are the brain of the church. We are the ones who are so rightly careful about our theology. The great minds of the church have been Reformed, and one could certainly argue that the greatest mind, theological or otherwise, ever to grace our North American shores was one Jonathan Edwards.

There is no question the man had a towering intellect. We would be wise to sit at his feet and learn from him. Edwards on the will is unanswerable genius. Edwards on the Trinity will make your head spin. Edwards was a titanic mind whose brilliance was overshadowed only by his earnest and passionate heart. Should we embrace the theological wisdom of Edwards? Of course, by all means. It would be better still, however, if we would just taste of his soul’s devotion.

No one has studied [God] more thoroughly than the Devil, and it hasn't done him a bit of good. —@RCSproulJr

We do not, of course, increase the fervor of our emotions by dimming the capacity of our brains. Neither, however, will we ever bear the fruit of the Spirit if the seed of the Word is planted only in the rocky soil of our brains rather than the fertile soil of the heart. We surely must know Him to love Him. We surely must study Him to know Him. But no one has studied Him more thoroughly than the Devil, and it hasn’t done him a bit of good.

Continue reading Smart is Not a Fruit, R.C. Sproul Jr.'s contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk.

New Teaching Series: The Doctrines of Grace in John by Steven Lawson

One of the most well-known and frequently cited verses in the Bible comes from the third chapter of John's Gospel. John records the words of Jesus:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16

Not only is John 3:16 used by many as a summary of the gospel, it's often advanced as a proof text against Reformed theology. But does John 3:16 and John's Gospel teach a view other than God's sovereign and particular grace?

In this new series, The Doctrines of Grace in John, Dr. Steven Lawson demonstrates that the Gospel of John offers one of the clearest presentations of the doctrines of grace in all of Scripture, revealing that salvation is all of God from beginning to end.

Watch The First Message For Free

12 Messages In The Series

Laying the Foundation
Radical Depravity (Part 1)
Radical Depravity (Part 2)
Sovereign Election (Part 1)
Sovereign Election (Part 2)
Definite Atonement (Part 1)
Definite Atonement (Part 2)
Irresistible Call (Part 1)
Irresistible Call (Part 2)
Preserving Grace (Part 1)
Preserving Grace (Part 2)
This Changes Everything!

The Doctrines of Grace in John is an ideal study for a church, small group, or individual who desires to learn more about the doctrines of grace. A study guide is available that contains lesson objectives, lesson outlines, study questions, and more. You can purchase the study guide here, or download the complimentary PDF.

Get The Doctrines of Grace in John on DVD for a Gift of Any Amount

Every day on our Renewing Your Mind broadcast we provide an opportunity for listeners to receive a biblically enriching resource for a gift of any amount and at the same time support the ongoing work of Ligonier Ministries. Occasionally, we highlight one of these offers on the blog.

Today through Friday, click here to get The Doctrines of Grace in John on DVD for a donation of any amount.

Also available for purchase on CD or digital download from the Ligonier store.

Sex In Marriage

As it is Valentine's Day tomorrow, we thought it would be beneficial to highlight marriage, and specifically sex in marriage.

The Intimate Marriage

Dr. R.C. Sproul has taught a series and written book on marriage. In these resources, Dr. Sproul walks through some of the toughest things couples struggle with today: lack of communication, sex, roles, divorce, anger, and more. He shares what the Bible says about each, as well as lessons He has learned from his own marriage of forty years.

Watch: You can watch The Intimate Marriage series online for free.

Read: You can purchase The Intimate Marriage book from the Ligonier store.

The Puritan's View of Sex in Marriage

There are many caricatures and missinformation when it comes to how Christians through the ages have viewed sex in marriage. In Dr. Joel R. Beeke's Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, he dedicates a chapter to marriage, in which he discusses the Puritan's view.

Marital love must be sexual, so that both marital partners can give themselves fully to each other with joy and exuberance in a healthy relationship marked by fidelity. Reformers such as Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, and John Calvin established this aspect of marriage by abandoning the medieval Roman Catholic attitudes that marriage was inferior to celibacy, that all sexual contact between marital partners was a necessary evil to propagate the human race, and that a procreative act that involved passion was inherently sinful.

This negative view was rooted in the ancient church and based on the writings of such notables as Tertullian, Ambrose, and Jerome, all of whom believed that, even within marriage, intercourse necessarily involved sin.45 This attitude toward marital intimacy, which dominated the church for more than ten centuries, inevitably led to the glorification of virginity and celibacy. By the fifth century, clerics were prohibited from marrying.46 Two classes of Christians emerged: the "religious" (i.e., the spiritual clergy), which included monks and nuns who vowed to abstain from all sexual activity, and the "profane" (i.e., the secular laity), who, being unable to rise to the noble heights of virginity or celibacy, were conceded the right to marry.

Puritan preachers taught that the Roman Catholic view was unbiblical, even satanic. They cited Paul, who said that the prohibition of marriage is a doctrine of devils (1 Tim. 4:1–3). Even the Puritan definitions of marriage implied the conjugal act. For example, Perkins defines marriage as "the lawful conjunction of the two married persons; that is, of one man and one woman into one flesh."47 In contrast with Desiderius Erasmus, who taught that ideal marriage abstained from sexual intercourse, Cotton said in a wedding sermon that those who call for marital abstinence follow the dictates of a blind mind and not those of the Holy Spirit, who says that it is not good that man should be alone.48

The Puritans viewed sex within marriage as a gift of God and as an essential, enjoyable part of marriage. Gouge says that husbands and wives should cohabit "with good will and delight, willingly, readily, and cheerfully."49 "They do err," adds Perkins, "who hold that the secret coming together of man and wife cannot be without sin unless it be done for the procreation of children."50

Perkins goes on to say that marital sex is a "due debt" or "due benevolence" (1 Cor. 7:3) that a couple owes to one another. That must be shown, he says, "with a singular and entire affection one towards another" in three ways: "First, by the right and lawful use of their bodies or of the marriage bed." Such physical intimacy by "holy usage" should be "a holy and undefiled action (Heb. 13:4)… sanctified by the word and prayer (1 Tim. 4:3–4)." The fruits of God-honoring, enjoyable sex in marriage are the blessing of children, "the preservation of the body in cleanness," and the reflection of marriage as a type of the Christ-church relationship. Second, married couples must "cherish one another" intimately (Eph. 5:29) rather than having sex in an impersonal way as an adulterer with a prostitute. Third, a couple should be intimate "by an holy kind of rejoicing and solacing themselves each with [the] other in a mutual declaration of the signs and tokens of love and kindness (Prov. 5:18–19; Songs 1:1; Gen. 26:8; Isa. 62:7)." In this context, Perkins particularly mentions kissing.51

Other Puritans stressed the romantic side of marriage as they compared the love of a husband to God's love for His own. Thomas Hooker writes, "The man whose heart is endeared to the woman he loves, he dreams of her in the night, hath her in his eye and apprehension when he awakes, museth on her as he sits at table, walks with her when he travels and parlies with her in each place where he comes."52 He adds: "She lies in his Bosom, and his heart trusts in her, which forceth all to confess, that the stream of his affection, like a mighty current, runs with full tide and strength."53

The emphasis on romance within marriage (rather than in extramarital relations, as was common in the Middle Ages)54 has often been attributed to the Puritans. Herbert W. Richardson writes that "the rise of romantic marriage and its validation by the Puritans represents a major innovation within the Christian tradition."55 And C. S. Lewis says, "The conversion of courtly love into romantic monogamous love was largely the work of… Puritan poets."56

The Puritans took the matrimonial duty of sex so seriously that failure to extend "due benevolence" by either partner could be grounds for church discipline. There is at least one case on record in which a husband was excommunicated for "neglecting his wife" by not having intercourse with her for a long period of time.

45 J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 1994), 261.
46 Leland Ryken, Worldly Saints: The Puritans As They Really Were (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 40.
47 Perkins, "Christian Oeconomy," in The Work of William Perkins, 419.
48 Ryken, Worldly Saints, 42.
49 Quoted in Ryken, Worldly Saints, 44.
50 Perkins, "Christian Oeconomy," 423.
51 Ibid., 423–427.
52 Thomas Hooker, The Application of Redemption (London: Peter Cole, 1659), 137.
53 Thomas Hooker, A Comment Upon Christ's Last Prayer (London: Peter Cole, 1656), 187. I am indebted to Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 265, for the last two quotations.
54 William Haller, The Rise of Puritanism (New York: Harper, 1957), 122.
55 Herbert W. Richardson, Nun, Witch, Playmate: The Americanization of Sex (New York: Harper & Row, 1971), 69.
56 C. S. Lewis, "Donne and Love Poetry in the Seventeenth Century," in Seventeenth Century Studies Presentedto Sir Herbert Grierson (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1938), 75

Excerpt from Joel R. Beeke's, Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism. Available from ReformationTrust.com.

Twitter Highlights (2/12/12)

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

We must all learn to hear what we do not like. The question is not, “Is it pleasant?” but, “Is it true?” (Spurgeon).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) February 6, 2012

Regeneration is a work of the omnipotent power of God, power that nothing can overcome or resist. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 6, 2012

The two testaments of the Bible are like two lips through which God speaks one language. —Joel Beeke bit.ly/njTRMB

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 6, 2012

Christianity makes no appeal to men who do not feel the burden of sin (Warfield).

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) February 7, 2012

...we fall in private before we ever fall in public. —R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) February 8, 2012

If you really long to save men’s souls, you must tell them a great deal of disagreeable truth (Spurgeon).

— Ligonier Academy (@LigonierAcademy) February 9, 2012

Even with the Bible, we don’t understand the things of God until the Spirit enables us to do so. —Richard Phillips bit.ly/liAnVc

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) February 10, 2012

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

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

Five Evangelical Myths or Half Truths

It can happen even in careful systematic theology. How much more so in popular parlance? We take what the Bible actually teaches, rephrase it so we can understand it, and end up believing our own phrasing, rather than the actual biblical truth. It's not malicious, but it is dangerous. What follows are five common thoughts, common expressions, within the evangelical church that just aren't so.

1. "All sins are equal in the sight of God."

Well, no. It is true enough that every sin is worthy of God's eternal wrath. It is true enough that if we have broken part of the law we have broken the law (James actually says this.) It is true enough that unjust anger is a violation of the commandment against murder (Jesus actually says this.) None of this, however, means all sins are equal in the sight of God. To say that because all sins deserve eternal wrath means they are all equal is like saying that all numbers over 100 are equal. The truth is that Jesus said of the Pharisees that while they rightly tithed their mint and their cumin, they neglected the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23). No sin is weightless, but some weigh more than others.

2. "Hell is the absence of God."

Well, no. If God is omnipresent, and He is, is there anywhere He can not be? David understood this, and thus affirmed, "If I make my bed in Sheol, Thou art there" (Psalm 139:8). Hell isn't the absence of God, but the presence of His wrath. God is there, but His grace, His kindness, His peace are not. God is the great horror of hell.

3. "Jesus saves us from our sins."

Well, no. It is absolutely true that Jesus saves us. When we face trouble, He is the one we should be crying out to for deliverance. But the great problem with our sins isn't our sins, but the wrath of God. The trouble I need to be delivered from is the wrath of God. Hell is not my sins, but the wrath of God. We don't need to be saved from our sins. We need to be saved from the wrath due for our sins.

4. "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

Well, not if your name is Esau. Okay, there certainly is a kind of universal love that God has for all mankind. And certainly all those who repent and believe will be blessed. And certainly God calls all men everywhere to repent. But it is also true that God has prepared vessels for destruction (Romans 9:22). Being prepared for destruction likely wouldn't be considered "wonderful" by anyone. We don't know God's hidden plans, and thus should preach the gospel to all the world. But we shouldn't, in so preaching, promise what He hasn't promised.

5. "Money is the root of all evil."

Well, no. Actually this one is wrong on two counts. First, the text (I Timothy 6:10) tells us that it is the love of money, not money, and that it is all sorts of evil, not all evil. If money were the root of all evil, all we would need to do to bring paradise on earth would be to have no more money. If money were the root of all evil, the problem would be out there, rather than in our hearts. Sin is not an it problem, but an us problem.

The devil isn't lazy. He will take the breaks we give him. Myths and half-truths are perfect opportunities for us to miss who we are, who God is, and how He reconciles His own to Himself. Perhaps were we more faithful to His Word, we might just be more faithful.