R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 552

4 Christian Principles For Making New Year's Resolutions

"What's your New Year's resolution?"

If you haven't been asked that question this month, with only two days remaining in 2011 it's likely you'll be asked soon enough. As a culture it seems we're obsessed with making New Year's resolutions in December, and then breaking them in January. Before you follow the pattern of the world, it is worth considering how a Christian should think about resolutions.

In the January 2009 edition of Tabletalk Burk Parson's wrote a very helpful article titled, Resolved by the Grace of God. In that article he reflects on some words from the great theologian, Jonathan Edwards—suggesting four Christian principles for making resolutions.

Please prayerfully consider these before you make any New Year's resolutions.

"Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake." — Jonathan Edwards

1. Resolve Sensibly

Our resolutions must be in accord with the Word of God. -@BurkParsons

"Being sensible," Edwards begins his preface — we must be sensible, reasonable, in making resolutions. If we set ourselves about the business of hastily making resolutions as the result of our grand illusions of sinless perfection, it is likely that we will not merely fail in our attempt to keep such resolutions, we will likely be less inclined to make any further resolutions for similar desired ends. We must go about making resolutions with genuine prayer and thorough study of God's Word. Our resolutions must be in accord with the Word of God; therefore, any resolution we make must necessarily allow us to fulfill all our particular callings in life. We must consider all the implications of our resolutions and be careful to make resolutions with others in mind, even if it means implementing new resolutions incrementally over time.

2. Resolve Dependently

Every resolution must be made in dependence on God. -@BurkParsons

"I am unable to do anything without God's help," Edwards admits. We must be sensible in grasping the simple truth that every resolution must be made in dependence on God. And while every Christian would respond by saying, "Well, of course we must depend on God for all things," most Christians have been sold the world's bill of goods. They think that once they become dependent on God, then they will have immediate strength. They mimic the world's mantra: "Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger." While the principle is generally true, such thinking can foster an attitude of proud independence. We must understand that in being able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us means that we must depend on His strength continuously in order to do all things and to keep all our resolutions (Eph. 3:16; Col. 1:11). In truth, whatever doesn't kill us, by God's conforming grace, makes us weak so that in our weakness we will rely continuously on the strength of our Lord (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

3. Resolve Humbly

We should approach God in humble reliance, seeking not merely the blessings but the one who blesses. -@BurkParsons

"I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions." In making resolutions for the glory of God and before the face of God, we must not come into His presence pounding our chests in triumphal arrogance as if God must now love and bless us more because we have made certain resolutions to follow Him more. In reality, the Lord in His providence may choose to allow even more trials to enter our lives; in His unchanging fatherly love for us, He may decide to discipline us even more in order that we might more so detest our sin and delight in Him. We should approach Him in humble reliance on His grace as we seek not merely the blessings but the one who blesses.

4. Resolve For Christ's Sake

We cannot resolve to do anything with a presumptuous attitude before God. -@BurkParsons

"So far as they are agreeable to his will for Christ's sake." We cannot resolve to do anything with a presumptuous attitude before God. The whole matter of making resolutions is not just goal setting so that we might have happier lives. We are called by God to live according to His will, not our own — for Christ's sake, not our own — for it is not unto us but unto Him that all glory belongs (Ps. 115:1).

Adapted from Burk Parson's contribution to the January 2009 issue of Tabletalk, Resolved by the Grace of God.

$5 Friday: Assurance, Creation, & Anger

We have great digital resources on sale for the final $5 Friday of 2011. Topics include assurance, anger, creation and evolution, the church, theology, and spiritual growth.

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

View today's $5 Friday sale.

Best of 2011: Tabletalk

Each month, a selection of feature articles from Tabletalk are posted on the blog. As this year comes to an end, for your edification, here are the ten most viewed Tabletalk articles of 2011.

An Appetizer for the Feast by Noël Piper

"Go ahead. Ask me what would make me happiest if I had a totally free day. I'd tell you that during such a dream day I'd be by myself, probably with a book. Right at the front of my personality assessment is a capital I that means 'introvert.' It could also stand for 'I want to be alone—a lot.'"

An Outpost of Jesus' Kingdom: An Interview with Mark Driscoll

"Religious idolatry uses God for health, wealth, success, and the like. In this grotesque inversion of the gospel, God is used for our glory, as if not only are we supposed to worship ourselves, but God is also to be a worshiper of us."

Is the Church Full of Hypocrites? by R.C. Sproul

"If a person claims to be without sin and then demonstrates sin, surely that person is a hypocrite. But for a Christian simply to demonstrate that he is a sinner does not convict him of hypocrisy."

Why "Let Go and Let God" Is a Bad Idea by Andrew Naselli

You can tell that Keswick theology has influenced people when you hear a Christian 'testimony' like this: 'I was saved when I was eight years old, and I surrendered to Christ when I was seventeen.'"

The Unholy Pursuit of God in Moby Dick by R.C. Sproul

"I believe that the greatest chapter ever written in the English language is the chapter of Moby Dick titled 'The Whiteness of the Whale.' Here we gain an insight into the profound symbolism that Melville employs in his novel."

The Practice of Mortification by Sinclair Ferguson

"Failure to deal with the presence of sin can often be traced back to spiritual amnesia, forgetfulness of our new, true, real identity. As a believer I am someone who has been delivered from the dominion of sin and who therefore is free and motivated to fight against the remnants of sin’s army in my heart."

Old Answers to the New Atheism: An Interview with Peter Hitchens

"Death is the great reminder that this life is limited, and that it may not be the end. For most of our lives, we behave as if this is not so. It is only when death touches those close to us that we are forced into this understanding, especially in a modern world where death is kept at a distance, ignored, undiscussed, and shuffled off into corners."

The Gospel and the Oncology Waiting Room by Mike Pohlman

"Cancer clinics...are God's megaphone to a chronically amused people."

Ten Years Later by R.C. Sproul

"What is most tragic is that when we were given a wake-up call ten years ago on 9/11, we pushed the snooze button and went back to sleep."

Don't Waste Your Cancer: An Interview with Matt Chandler

"The bulk of my sanctification through this ordeal has been the birth of a deep desire for intimacy with our great God and King."

"Month by month, Tabletalk represents an oasis in a desert of false spirituality, mindless Christianity, and vapid conviction. Tabletalk represents theological rigor, biblical Christianity, and authentic Christian devotion. It is an antidote to the world of superficial Christianity. Read it and grow."

—R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Subscribe to Tabletalk to receive all the feature columns and daily studies. An annual subscription is just $23 ($37 international). That's only $1.92 per month. Subscribe now and enrich your 2012.

Give or Get Daily Bible Study with Tabletalk Magazine

Three reasons why you should get, give, or renew a Tabletalk subscription in 2012.

A Bible Study for Each Day

Tabletalk’s daily Bible studies offer structure for your devotional life. Bringing the best in biblical scholarship together with down-to-earth writing, Tabletalk helps you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living.

Great Teachers, Challenging Articles

Each issue contains thought-provoking, stimulating articles on a wide variety of issues related to theology and Christian living, written by eminently trustworthy teachers—names like Sinclair Ferguson, Albert Mohler and R.C. Sproul.

True to the Historic Christian Faith

Tabletalk avoids trends, shallow doctrine and popular movements to present biblical truth simply and clearly, in keeping with the fullness of the Christian faith and Reformed tradition.

Subscribe, Renew, or Give Now

Great Quotes from The Invisible Hand

I recently had the opportunity to read through almost all of the books of R.C. Sproul. Along the way I built a collection of some of the best quotes from each one of them. Here are several of the best from The Invisible Hand.

If we understand the providence of God and love the God of providence, we are able to worship Him with the sacrifice of praise He inherently deserves when things occur that bring pain, sorrow, and affliction into our lives. This understanding of providence is vital to all who would worship God. It is a worship of faith that is rooted in trust.

To be self-centered is a sin for any creature. We mortals are called to be God-centered in our thinking. For creatures, God-centeredness is a virtue, and self-centeredness a vice. But for God, self-centeredness is pure virtue because it is also God-centeredness. For us to be God-centered is to fix our attention upon the most perfect Being. So it is for God Himself.

While the popular adage declares that “the devil is in the details,” it is more accurate to avow that God is in the details. The doctrine of providence declares that God’s providential rule extends to all things great and small, from the huge to the minute, the infinite to the infinitesimal.

To say that God is sovereign and that man is free is not a contradiction in terms. To say that God is sovereign and that man is autonomous would be a contradiction.

Modern historians who have declared this to be the post-Christian era in which God is dead and the church is His mausoleum have been premature in their obituaries. The church is not dead because it cannot die. Individual parishes may disappear, and whole denominations may become apostate, but the invisible church is impregnable and will always have some visible manifestation on earth.

I do not know the solution to the problem of evil. Nor do I know of anyone else who does. I have never been fully satisfied by any of the theodicies I’ve ever seen. This does not mean the problem is insoluble or that the question is unanswerable. Perhaps tomorrow the problem will be solved. But so far I haven’t been able to find a solution. My ability to identify the problem is no solution to the problem. Diagnosis or analysis is not a cure.

Christianity is a faith that is based upon and rooted in miracles. Take away miracles, and you take away Christianity.

I think adoration is the most fulfilling dimension in prayer. Just as love letters between young lovers focus on the points of delight they find in their partners, so are lovers of God immersed in the praise of His perfections and excellency.

Broken Churches

Broken homes are created by broken people. That is, before we can offer the balm of Gilead to those living in broken homes, we need to be perfectly clear how they got that way. For all the pressures assaulting the family, for all the allure of the world, and for all the temptations of the Devil, it is the flesh, our own sin natures, that destroy our homes. We are so self-deluded, however, that we have lost sight of how selfdestructive we are. We think we are but victims, when the hard truth is that we are villains.

Wisdom tells us, for instance, that a wise woman builds her house, but a foolish woman, with her own hands, tears it down (Prov. 14). Wives, who are called to be keepers at home (Titus 2), too often become destroyers of homes. In like manner, Proverbs also highlights at least one way that men destroy their own lives. Folly, like a carnal woman, beckons us, offering all her pleasures. But, the Bible tells us, her household is the way of Sheol, going down to the chambers of death (Prov. 7:27). Our homes are in shambles because our lives are in shambles.

Continue reading Broken Churches, R.C. Sproul Jr.'s contribution to the December issue of Tabletalk.

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

Many Christians take the beginning of a new year to evaluate their Bible reading habits, and then change or begin a Bible reading plan.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. — Psalm 119:105

For your convenience, we've compiled a list of Bible reading plans for you to choose from. Maybe this year you will read more of the Bible each day. Perhaps you'll slow down your reading and instead spend more time considering what you read. Whatever it is you're looking for in a reading plan, you should find it below.

52 Week Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in a year, with each day of the week dedicated to a different genre: Epistles, The Law, History, Psalms, Poetry, Prophecy, and Gospels.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan

Read through the New Testament in a year, reading Monday to Friday. Weekends are set aside for reflection and other reading. Especially beneficial if you're new to a daily discipline of Bible reading.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

A Bible Reading Chart

Read through the Bible at your own pace. Use this minimalistic, yet beautifully designed, chart to track your reading over 2012.

Duration: Flexible | Download: PDF

Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Read through the Bible in the order the events occurred chronologically.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

The Discipleship Journal Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings beginning in Genesis, Psalms, Matthew and Acts.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

ESV Daily Bible Reading Plan

Four daily readings taken from four lists: Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Every Word in the Bible

Read through the Bible one chapter at a time. Readings alternate between the Old and New Testaments.

Duration: Three years | Download: PDF

Historical Bible Reading Plan

The Old Testament readings are similar to Israel's Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament readings are an attempt to follow the order in which the books were authored.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Professor Grant Horner's Bible Reading System

Reading ten chapters a day, in the course of a year you'll read the Gospels four times, the Pentateuch twice, Paul's letters four to five times, the Old Testament wisdom literature six times, the Psalms at least twice, Proverbs and Acts a dozen times, and the OT History and Prophetic books about one and a half times.

Duration: Ongoing | Download: PDF | Facebook: The 3650 Challenge

Robert Murray M'Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Read the New Testament and Psalms twice and the Old Testament once.

Duration: One or two years | Download: Website

Straight Through the Bible Reading Plan

Read straight through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Tabletalk Bible Reading Plan

Two readings each day; one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF
App: Accessible in the Ligonier App (iPhone / iPad & Android)

The Legacy Reading Plan

This plan does not have set readings for each day. Instead, it has set books for each month, and set number of Proverbs and Psalms to read each week. It aims to give you more flexibility, while grounding you in specific books of the Bible each month.

Duration: One year | Download: PDF

Two-Year Bible Reading Plan

Read the Old and New Testaments once, and Psalms & Proverbs four times.

Duration: Two years | Download: PDF

In addition to your daily Bible reading, if you're looking for devotional material that will help you understand the Bible and apply it to daily living, consider Tabletalk magazine. Try it out for three months absolutely free.

Twitter Highlights (12/25/11)

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

In this video, @ChristianityCom ask Steven Lawson, "Is the Doctrine of Inerrancy merely a recent development?" bit.ly/uzyGN9

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) December 19, 2011

We have in Jesus not simply the birth of a baby, but the incarnation of God. - R.C. Sproul

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) December 19, 2011

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;My chains fell off, my heart was free,I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

— Tabletalk Magazine (@Tabletalk) December 20, 2011

Our obedience is the fruit of our justification. - R.C. Sproul Jr. in Believing God bit.ly/kZw24c

— Reformation Trust (@RefTrust) December 20, 2011

If I am ignorant of God's works and power, I am ignorant of God himself -Martin Luther

— RefBibleCollege (@RefBibleCollege) December 21, 2011

From womb to cradle, from desert to Golgotha, from tomb to throne, our Lord Jesus blazed a trail of grace. - Sinclair Ferguson

— Ligonier Ministries (@Ligonier) December 21, 2011

‎"The cross is God's highest manifestation of justice as well as the highest manifestation of His grace." -Dr. R.C. Sproul, President of RBC

— RefBibleCollege (@RefBibleCollege) December 22, 2011

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:

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

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family a wonderful advent season.

Don't Be A Scrooge This Christmas

Christmas is a holiday, indeed the world's most joyous holiday. It is called a "holiday" because the day is holy. It is a day when businesses close, when families gather, when churches are filled, and when soldiers put down their guns for a 24-hour truce. It is a day that differs from every other day.

Every generation has its abundance of Scrooges. The church is full of them. We hear endless complaints of commercialism. We are constantly told to put Christ back into Christmas. We hear that the tradition of Santa Claus is a sacrilege. We listen to those acquainted with history murmur that Christmas isn't biblical. The Church invented Christmas to compete with the ancient Roman festival honoring the bull-god Mithras, the nay-sayers complain. Christmas? A mere capitulation to paganism.

Every generation has its abundance of Scrooges. The church is full of them. —R.C. Sproul

And so we rain on Jesus' parade and assume an Olympian detachment from the joyous holiday. All this carping is but a modern dose of Scroogeism, our own sanctimonious profanation of the holy.

Click here to read the entire article.