R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 576

The Faces of Ministry at Ligonier: Kent Madison

Kent Madison serves at Ligonier as Chief Audio Engineer and Studio Manager. In this capacity, Kent oversees audio needs for the ministry, production of the daily Renewing Your Mind radio broadcasts, production of music projects for Ligonier, conference audio acquisition, and new video series audio acquisition and editing; he also has oversight of the audio and video equipment and facilities.

Settling in Nashville in the early 80s, Kent worked as an audio engineer for various music companies, jingle houses, and other production facilities. Kent says, “My favorite part of working in Nashville was all the amazing talent there, especially the session musicians.” Jobs that he worked on ranged from jingles to record projects in genres such as country, rock and jazz. In the early 2000s, Kent worked on several jobs for Ligonier in Nashville while he was still freelancing. In 2004, Kent joined the Ligonier team full time to assume radio production duties and the pursuit of many other music developments for Ligonier. These included three projects with the Atlanta Boy Choir (Dancing Day, Garden of Beauty, and Over Jordan), two orchestral projects recorded in Kyiv, Ukraine (Alphabet of Revelation and Hymn Scenes), two classical projects with Terry Yount, including the organ/trumpet project, God of Grace and Glory and the High Baroque CD, Ligonier Sinfonia, the Tom Howard music/Scripture project entitled Scenes From the Life of Christ, and most recently the Celtic-flavored new hymns project, My Cry Ascends, as well as other Christmas-themed CDs.

Kent enjoys working at Ligonier for the great people he gets to work with, and the mission of Ligonier to be that place ‘between Sunday school and seminary’. Kent says, “What a privilege it’s been to work with R.C.’s content for the radio broadcasts — I’ve learned so much!” He also enjoys having the opportunity to expand his music recording experience into areas he would not have been able to in Nashville, particularly in the Sacred and Classical genres.

Kent has been married to his wife, Laura, for almost 24 years. They have two daughters, Joanna, 31, and Leah, 21. They also have three dogs and all three are rescues from various shelters and breed clubs. Kent says, “They make great additions to our family, but we’re stopping there!”

If You Preach the Gospel

There is something deeply mysterious about Christian preaching, both in terms of its communication and in terms of its content. After all, what we preach is not what the world expects to hear. It is not a message they will hear anywhere else. No human wisdom, no school of philosophy, no secular salesman, no TV commercial speaker selling his CDs is ever going to come up with this on his own. Take a look at what is selling in the bookstores and who is hosting the big conferences. You'll realize that if you can tell people how to buy property and profit from its renovation, you can sell your messages. If you can tell people how to lose weight, you can sell just about anything. If you can tell people how to become handsome and wise, raise children who are well-behaved, and have their pets like them, you will find yourself to be a very popular speaker. You could put your DVDs and CDs together and write books that would be sold in bookstores and hawked on television.

But if you preach the gospel, you just might discover that it is not quite so popular. But it is powerful and it is mysterious. Why? Because it was a mystery that God hid from previous generations in order that it might be displayed publicly at the time of the Lord Jesus Christ

Excerpted from Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching.

Join Us This October for the 2011 Fall Conference

Registration is now open for the 2011 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College. Join Voddie Baucham, George Grant, Michael Morales, R.C. Sproul and R.C. Sproul Jr. as they consider the autobiography of God October 14-15 in Sanford, Fla. Get the early bird rate if you register before September 16th.

Read the invitation from Dr. R.C. Sproul:

Dear friend,

Although Christians may disagree on the sacraments, worship styles, and other matters, there is fundamental agreement among evangelicals regarding what the Bible’s focus is. In other words, if we were to ask believers to describe Scripture’s main emphasis, we are likely to receive this answer: the Bible is all about God.

In a sense, we may understand Scripture as God’s autobiography. After all, He wrote it, inspiring men to give us His truth, and it tells us all about His character, His plan, His ways of working, and even His nature as a triune being. Moreover, since He has been concerned enough to give us this autobiography, we must likewise be concerned to understand what He says about Himself if we are to follow Him in truth and love.

On October 14–15, 2011, Drs. Voddie Baucham, George Grant, Michael Morales, and R.C. Sproul Jr. will be joining me to consider the autobiography of God at our Ligonier Ministries Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College. We will surely have a wonderful time of prayer, fellowship, worship, and study together as we consider God’s plan to redeem His people, the ministry of Christ, the present work of Christ in subjecting all things to Himself, and other important topics. In addition, we are privileged to have Nathan Clark George leading our time of worship. I hope that you will be able to join us this fall for this exciting conference, and I look forward to seeing you in October. 

In Christ,

R.C. Sproul

Find more information on Ligonier.org and Facebook.

A Christian Terrorist in Norway?

Last Friday (July 22, 2011), a bomb went off in Oslo killing eight people and injuring many more. Soon afterward, a gunman went on a shooting spree at an island youth camp in Norway, killing 68 people. The gunman was arrested and later claimed responsibility for both attacks.

When interviewed by the police, Breivik claimed that his actions were intended to save his country and all of Europe from Marxist and Muslim infiltration. Because of his belief that it is failing on the issue of immigration, he wanted to create as much loss as he could for Norway’s Labour Party. The bomb, therefore, was placed near buildings occupied by Labour Party members, and the shooting occurred at a Labour Party youth camp.

Political terrorism has not been unusual in the twentieth and twenty-first century, but this attack hits home for those of us who claim to be Christian because Breivik has identified himself as one of us on his Facebook page. He claims to be a Christian. This has raised important questions in the minds of many. First and foremost, does Christianity promote such politically inspired violence? Some would say yes, pointing to the Crusades as an example. In the following article, however, Dr. Robert Godfrey says no: He rightly points out that it is a betrayal of Christ to “identify Him with the slaughter of political enemies. As Christians, we must seek always to advance Christ’s cause through truth joined by love and self-sacrifice, not through violence.”

Read "The Crusades" by W. Robert Godfrey

Get Dr. Sproul's Youth Series on False Philosophies for a Donation of Any Amount

In a world engulfed with false prophesies and theories, we would be mistaken to think our students are not burdened by them. R.C. Sproul's series, Choosing My Religion, benefits the young person by exposing false philosophies and redirecting them to the truths of the Gospel. Included are interviews with students and young adults, which reveal convictions they hold. Dr. Sproul responds to these views with biblical truth. 

This week you can get this CD series for a donation of any amount. Messages include:

Image Is Everything
The Ultimate Spring Break
Whistling in the Dark
Rude Awakening
Asleep in the Light

Offer valid through July 27th. Donate Now .

Man's Ability to Choose God

It is ironic that in the same chapter, indeed in the same context, in which our Lord teaches the utter necessity of rebirth to even see the kingdom, let alone choose it, non-Reformed views find one of their main proof texts to argue that fallen man retains a small island of ability to choose Christ. It is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

What does this famous verse teach about fallen man's ability to choose Christ? The answer, simply, is nothing. The argument used by non-Reformed people is that the text teaches that everybody in the world has it in their power to accept or reject Christ. A careful look at the text reveals, however, that it teaches nothing of the kind. What the text teaches is that everyone who believes in Christ will be saved. Whoever does A (believes) will receive B (everlasting life). The text says nothing, absolutely nothing, about who will ever believe. It says nothing about fallen man's natural moral ability. Reformed people and non-Reformed people both heartily agree that all who believe will be saved. They heartily disagree about who has the ability to believe.

Some may reply, "All right. The text does not explicitly teach that fallen men have the ability to choose Christ without being reborn first, but it certainly implies that." I am not willing to grant that the text even implies such a thing. However, even if it did it would make no difference in the debate. Why not? Our rule of interpreting Scripture is that implications drawn from the Scripture must always be subordinate to the explicit teaching of Scripture. We must never, never, never reverse this to subordinate the explicit teaching of Scripture to possible implications drawn from Scripture. This rule is shared by both Reformed and non-Reformed thinkers.

If John 3:16 implied a universal natural human ability of fallen men to choose Christ, then that implication would be wiped out by Jesus' explicit teaching to the contrary. We have already shown that Jesus explicitly and unambiguously taught that no man has the ability to come to him without God doing something to give him that ability, namely drawing him.

Fallen man is flesh. In the flesh he can do nothing to please God. Paul declares, "The fleshly mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:7, 8).

We ask, then, "Who are those who are 'in the flesh'?" Paul goes on to declare: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Rom. 8:9). The crucial word here is if. What distinguishes those who are in the flesh from those who are not is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. No one who is not reborn is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. People who are in the flesh have not been reborn. Unless they are first reborn, born of the Holy Spirit, they cannot be subject to the law of God. They cannot please God.

God commands us to believe in Christ. He is pleased by those who choose Christ. If unregenerate people could choose Christ, then they could be subject to at least one of God's commands and they could at least do something that is pleasing to God. If that is so, then the apostle has erred here in insisting that those who are in the flesh can neither be subject to God nor please him.

We conclude that fallen man is still free to choose what he desires, but because his desires are only wicked he lacks the moral ability to come to Christ. As long as he remains in the flesh, unregenerate, he will never choose Christ. He cannot choose Christ precisely because he cannot act against his own will. He has no desire for Christ. He cannot choose what he does not desire. His fall is great. It is so great that only the effectual grace of God working in his heart can bring him to faith.

Excerpted from Chosen by God.

Twitter Highlights (7/24/11)

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

Tabletalk Magazine "Weakness with watchfulness will stand, when strength with too much confidence fails." - Richard Sibbes



Ligonier To despise doctrine is to despise the Word of God. -R.C. Sproul



Ligonier Academy The grace of God justifies sinners, not sin. It leads to humility not presumption.



Ligonier Don't be deceived. God's Word places the sin of #coveting in the same list as #homosexuality. 1 Cor. 6:9-11 #secretsins



Ligonier The Spirit always communicates that He's for you when He convicts you of your sin. -R.C. Sproul



Reformation Trust God is looking for individuals in this generation who will rise above the status quo of contemporary Christianity... -Steven Lawson



Tabletalk Magazine "The torture of a bad conscience is the hell of a living soul." — John Calvin

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:
Ligonier Ministries | Ligonier Academy | Reformation Bible College
Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Can I Tell My Child That Jesus Loves Them?

Is it right to tell my child that Jesus loves them?

Yes, no, no and yes. First, we rightly affirm that there is a form of love that God has for each and every living human. We all bear His image and that is sufficient to elicit His love in a certain sense.  Sometimes called His love of benevolence, the Bible teaches that God has a general good will toward men, such as was announced to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14).

This does not mean, however, that we ought to embrace a bland universal brotherhood of man and universal fatherhood of God perspective. This love of benevolence, while real, does not undo the reality of the wrath of God on those who sin against Him. That, we should understand, includes our own children. The love of benevolence does not keep the judgment of God from descending on His creatures, including the very young. So while we can safely affirm that God loves them benevolently, this doesn’t mean by itself that our children are safe from His just wrath. Their youth does not shield them from the wrath of God for their sins (Psalm 51).

Which brings us to our second “no.” Though I would argue and will momentarily, that God looks at the children of believers and the children of unbelievers differently, this does not mean that all children of all believers are safe from the wrath of God. Though one could argue that later in life he came to saving faith, Esau was the child of believers, toward whom the Bible clearly says God felt hatred (Romans 9: 13). Having a true believer in one’s family tree is not a ticket out of the wrath of God. Neither is my faith as a parent sufficient to gain the work of Christ on behalf of my children. My Baptist friends are absolutely right when they affirm that God has no grandchildren.

When, however, I encourage my children to rest in the love that Jesus has for them I do so not merely because of His love of benevolence. Neither am I denying the “no’s” listed above. Instead I encourage my children to believe that Jesus loves them because of what theologians call the judgment of charity. I treat as believers those that I have some reason to believe believe. Some of them, of course, are tares. That could even be the case about my own children. When we speak of the promises of God, however, we rightly affirm that they are for those who have trusted in the finished work of Christ alone. What we don’t do is look skeptically at those God says are His own. His promise is to be a God to me and to my children, and the only way that can happen is when me and my children trust in Him alone.

There is, of course, an opposite danger. I certainly don’t want my children to be given a false sense of assurance. I don’t either want that for any sheep, young or old, under my care. That is why, while we rejoice in worshipping together over God’s good promises, we in turn call one another to faith and repentance. We do not say to those that we credibly believe believe, as far as we can tell, “Turn from your evil ways and enter into the kingdom.” We do, however, tell the assembled congregation, “Repent and believe” for repenting and believing is not something we do only once.  It is something both wheat and tares are called to do, the former always, the latter for the first time. And henceforth always. And so I do warn my children, and my wife, and myself against presuming upon God’s grace.  We are to make our calling and election sure (II Peter 2:10). We also, on the other hand, all of us, rejoice to proclaim, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God (I John 3:1).

Remember that we cannot know for certain the state of anyone else’s soul. We are not required to see perfectly into the souls of others.  We do, however, have to treat believers one way and unbelievers another. A judgment of charity has its dangers, but so does a judgment lacking in charity. 

$5 Friday: Depression, Love & the Arts

Find $5 Friday resources today on depression, love, hard biblical sayings, the arts, Deuteronomy and the character of God. Christians Get Depressed Too provided courtesy of Reformation Heritage Books. Sale starts Friday at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST.

View today's $5 Friday sale.

Amazing Love

This month's issue of Tabletalk includes an article from John Piper titled "Amazing Love." It begins like this:

The love of Christ for us in His dying was as conscious as His suffering was intentional. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). If He was intentional in laying down His life, it was for us. It was love. “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of His life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was. Consider these five ways of seeing Christ’s intentionality in dying for us.

Visit Amazing Love to consider those five ways.