R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 581

$5 Friday: Spiritual Growth, Church & Free Will

Find $5 Friday resources on spiritual growth, the church, Calvin, worldviews, free will and more. Sale starts Friday at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST. Special thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for partnering with us this week.

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Caring for Our Families

Here is a brief excerpt from John Piper's article in the current issue of Tabletalk magazine. "A few years ago I wrote a short book on justification that was published by Crossway under the titleCounted Righteous in Christ. In one section of it I ask, 'Why would a pressured pastor with a family to care for … devote so much time and energy to the controversy over the imputation of Christ’s righteousness? Well, it is precisely because I have a family to care for, and so do hundreds of my people.' Here is part of the answer I wrote in chapter one of the book:

"Yes, I have a family to care for. Noël and I have one daughter at home, and we have four sons who are grown and out of the house. But they are not out of our lives. Every week, in person or on the phone, there are major personal, relational, vocational, theological issues to deal with. In every case the root issue comes back to this: What are the great truths revealed in Scripture that can give stability and guidance here? Listening and affection are crucial, but if they lack biblical substance, my counsel is hollow. Touchy-feely affirmation won’t cut it. Too much is at stake. These young men want rock under their feet."

Keep Reading in "Caring for Our Families."

Ethics and the Conscience

The function of the conscience in ethical decision making tends to complicate matters for us. The commandments of God are eternal, but in order to obey them we must first appropriate them internally. The “organ” of such internalization has been classically called the conscience. Some describe this nebulous inner voice as the voice of God within. The conscience is a mysterious part of man’s inner being. Within the conscience, in a secret hidden recess, lies the personality, so hidden that at times it functions without our being immediately aware of it. When Sigmund Freud brought hypnosis into the place of respectable scientific inquiry, men began to explore the subconscious and examine those intimate caverns of the personality. Encountering the conscience can be an awesome experience. The uncovering of the inner voice can be, as one psychiatrist notes, like “looking into hell itself.”

Yet we tend to think of the conscience as a heavenly thing, a point of contact with God, rather than a hellish organ. We think of the cartoon character faced with an ethical decision while an angel is perched on one shoulder and a devil on the other, playing tug-of-war with the poor man’s head. The conscience can be a voice from heaven or hell; it can lie as well as press us to truth. It can speak out of both sides of its mouth, having the capacity either to accuse or to excuse.

The conscience can be a voice from heaven or hell; it can lie as well as press us to truth.

In the movie Pinocchio, Walt Disney gave us the song “Give a Little Whistle,” which urged us to “Always let your conscience be your guide.” This is, at best, “Jiminy Cricket theology.” For the Christian, the conscience is not the highest court of appeals for right conduct. The conscience is important, but not normative. It is capable of distortion and misguidance. It is mentioned some thirty-one times in the New Testament with abundant indication of its capacity for change. The conscience can be seared and eroded, being desensitized by repeated sin. Jeremiah described Israel as having the “brazen look of a prostitute” (Jer. 3:3, NIV). From repeated transgressions, Israel had, like the prostitute, lost her capacity to blush. With the stiffened neck and the hardened heart came the calloused conscience. The sociopath can murder without remorse, being immune to the normal pangs of conscience.

Though the conscience is not the highest tribunal of ethics, it is perilous to act against it. Martin Luther trembled in agony at the Diet of Worms because of the enormous moral pressure he was facing. When asked to recant from his writings, he included these words in his reply: “My conscience is held captive by the Word of God. To act against conscience is neither right nor safe.”

Luther’s graphic use of the word captive illustrates the visceral power the compulsion of conscience can exercise on a person. Once a person is gripped by the voice of conscience, a power is harnessed by which acts of heroic courage may issue forth. A conscience captured by the Word of God is both noble and powerful.

Was Luther correct in saying, “To act against conscience is neither right nor safe”? Here we must tread carefully lest we slice our toes on the ethical razor’s edge. If the conscience can be misinformed or distorted, why should we not act against it? Should we follow our consciences into sin? Here we have a dilemma of the double-jeopardy sort. If we follow our consciences into sin, we are guilty of sin inasmuch as we are required to have our consciences rightly informed by the Word of God. However, if we act against our consciences, we are also guilty of sin. The sin may not be located in what we do but rather in the fact that we commit an act we believe to be evil. Here the biblical principle of Romans 14:23 comes into play: “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” For example, if a person is taught and comes to believe that wearing lipstick is a sin and then wears lipstick, that person is sinning. The sin resides not in the lipstick but in the intent to act against what one believes to be the command of God.

The dilemma of double jeopardy demands that we diligently strive to bring our consciences into harmony with the mind of Christ lest a carnal conscience lead us into disobedience. We require a redeemed conscience, a conscience of the spirit rather than the flesh.

The manipulation of conscience can be a destructive force within the Christian community. Legalists are often masters of guilt manipulation, while antinomians master the art of quiet denial. The conscience is a delicate instrument that must be respected. One who seeks to influence the consciences of others carries a heavy responsibility to maintain the integrity of the other person’s own personality as crafted by God. When we impose false guilt on others, we paralyze our neighbors, binding them in chains where God has left them free. When we urge false innocence, we contribute to their delinquency, exposing them to the judgment of God.

Excerpted from How Should I Live in This World?

Get Dr. Sproul's Series on Providence for a Donation of Any Amount

Have you ever attributed the events of your life to chance? Have you ever wondered how your prayers can change things if God is sovereign? In The Providence of God, R.C. Sproul explores the way God governs the universe. He shows that God is the paragon of both power and goodness. He reveals that “chance” is actually a figment of the imagination. And he shows how God guides all events without being guilty of human wickedness or destroying human freedom.

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

What Is Providence?
God Makes It All Happen
God or Chance?
Is God Responsible for Human Wickedness?
What About Human Freedom?
If God Knows Our Needs, Why Pray?

Offer valid through June 27th. Donate Now .

An Interview with Peter Hitchens

Many Christians are aware of the hostile atheism of Christopher Hitchens. However, few Christians are aware that his brother, Peter, was also for many years antagonistic toward Christianity and a self-avowed atheist like his brother. Unlike Christopher, however, Peter is a prodigal son who has returned home. The story of the way God used simple beauties, such as architecture and painting, to draw Peter to faith is truly moving. Many Christians have wondered what is going on inside the heads of atheists to make them so angry. In this interview from the June issue of Tabletalk Peter Hitchens gives us a glimpse into his life and thought as a Christian who was converted from atheism.

Tabletalk: Some of our readers will not have read your book, The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith, by the time this goes to print. Specifically, what are atheism’s three failed arguments?

Peter Hitchens: Atheism has dozens of failed arguments. The ones I felt qualified to deal with were these: that religion, and specifically Christianity, is a major cause of conflict; that an effective moral code can exist without a belief in the eternal; and my brother’s claim that the Soviet regime was religious in character.

Continue Reading "Old Answers to the New Atheism: An Interview with Peter Hitchens."

The God Who Is There

She was understandably frustrated. She had called from another state to learn how she could remedy the educational program for home school families she had been hired to direct. She complained that, though the program claimed it was making Christ known to students, it provided no specific teaching either in Bible or in Christian doctrine. As we talked, I realized her frustration was only going to increase when she tried to fix the problem. That’s because, when I spoke with her about the Bible’s basic storyline and its main ideas, what she was hearing was brand new information for her. I’ve taught children and teens over the years, and I’ve seen a steady decline in the level of Bible knowledge in children from Christian families. My assumption has been that parents aren’t spending adequate time teaching their children. After the conversation with this educator, though, I began to think that perhaps the problem is that Christian parents themselves don’t know what’s in the Bible.

D. A. Carson has written a superb little book to address this problem. The book is entitled The God Who Is There:  Finding Your Place in God’s Story. Carson’s first chapter begins by stating the fact that at one time, almost everyone knew what was in the Bible, and knew it well—even those who didn’t believe the Bible at least knew what it said that they didn’t believe. A basic working knowledge of the Bible no longer being a given for most people (even Christians), Carson wrote this book to help.  In it, he assumes no prior knowledge of the Bible; early on, he explains how to find things using chapter and verse numbers. At the same time, there are riches in its pages for seasoned believers too. Speaking both to those who are new to the Bible and to those who know it well, Carson keeps his comments up-to-date, often pausing to point out the Bible’s perspective on popular attitudes and contemporary theories.

In The God Who Is There, the author accomplishes at least four things in every one of the fourteen chapters.  First, he carefully takes a key Bible passage, precisely chosen for the important Christian teaching it sets forth, and expounds it. He explains what the passage means, defines the religious terms it uses, and shows where it fits in the Bible as a whole. The result is a clear body of Christianity’s basic teachings, built on fourteen plus passages of Scripture, concise enough to be grasped by the beginning student and detailed enough to be satisfying to the more advanced.

Secondly, Carson delivers on the promise found on the book’s back cover to take readers through the big story of Scripture.  He hits all the important high points on the way. Beginning with  creation, the fall in Eden, and the stories of Abraham, he explains the Bible’s teaching of a transcendent God, the origin of sin and evil, and God’s grace in making a covenant with human beings. In covering the exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the Promised Land he explains the reasons for the moral Law, the tabernacle, and the whole system of sacrifices. He introduces the biblical idea of the kingdom of God through a discussion of the times of the kings and devotes a chapter to the wisdom literature (in our English Bibles, the books of Job through the Song of Solomon).

In a chapter (the seventh) transitioning between Old and New Testaments, Carson combines a very brief look at the promises found in the prophets with the opening chapters of the gospels. The emphasis here is on Christ as the fulfillment of Old Testament promise, with a superb exposition of the meaning of the Incarnation and a demonstration of why the concept of the Trinity is a biblical one.  That’s a great deal to cover in one chapter, and, if I have one tiny quibble with this excellent book, it would be right here. I would like to have seen this chapter written as two chapters, with an entire chapter devoted to the riches found in the writings of the prophets. Isaiah through the end of the Old Testament is a huge block of Scripture, having so much to reveal about the beauty of God’s character, as seen in the severity of his holiness and the surprise of his grace. As a portion of Scripture, it is regularly misused or neglected, and I would love to have seen a greater attempt made here to invite people into a deeper acquaintance with these books. (Carson himself says that he wishes he had the space to devote several chapters to the prophets.)

The next three chapters tell of the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, pointing out the significance of those things for the salvation of God’s people. Using the epistles and Revelation, the remaining chapters discuss justification, the church, judgment, and the return of Christ in glory.  As promised, The God Who Is There provides a concise overview of the Bible’s storyline, with enough detail to bring out all its key points.

The third thing D. A. Carson accomplishes in this look at all the Bible’s parts is a clear presentation of how all those parts fit together.  He promises in the preface:  “If you have quite a few of the pieces of the Bible stored in your mind but have no idea of how the exodus relates to the exile or why the New Testament is called the New Testament, this book is for you.” All the way through, Carson is careful to point out important ideas when they first show up. He doesn’t lose track of them as the book progresses, but keeps reminding his readers of them, pointing out how they are developed, fulfilled, or finally consummated (depending on which part of Scripture is under discussion).

Fourthly, Carson does what the book’s title suggests: he makes clear that all the teaching of the Bible is, primarily, the self-revelation of God. The Bible’s story is the story of God. The title of every chapter of this book begins with the words “The God Who….” The author’s focus is always on how this part of the story or that doctrinal teaching highlights the glory of God’s character. Time and again, I found myself setting down the book and pausing to marvel at the beauty of the God of Scripture.

An introduction to Christian Scripture for those who know nothing about it, a guide to making sense of the Bible for those who love it but find it puzzling, and profound devotional reading for mature believers—The God Who Is There is all that! I can’t think of anyone for whom I would not recommend it!

Starr Meade taught Bible in a Christian school for eight years. She is the author of several books, including The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Study: A Survey of the Bible for middle school students.

Twitter Highlights (6/19/11)

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

Tabletalk Magazine "Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect alone are they whose eyes God opens" - J. Calvin



Reformation Bible College "Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live" - Jonathan Edwards



Ligonier The only God that we are to worship is the God who reveals Himself in sacred scripture. -R.C. Sproul



Ligonier Academy All right, look in the mirror and repeat 3x: "I am crucified with Christ..."



Ligonier If you neglect the study of God's Word your life will be incomplete. You will be missing out on this...treasury of truth. -R.C. Sproul



Ligonier One of the worst things we can ever do is to waste the gifts that God has given to us. -R.C. Sproul



Reformation Trust We sin because we are sinners. Apart from the gospel, our guilt condemns us forever. -Derek Thomas

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:
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Reformation Trust | Tabletalk Magazine

Links We Liked (6/18/11)

Here is a round-up of some of the notable blogs and articles our team read this week.

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards in Categories - As Matt Perman has been working on his book on gospel-centered productivity, he grouped Jonathan Edwards’ famous resolutions by category.

Speaking of Resolutions… - The Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution this week against the updated NIV at their annual meeting. “Resolved, that we cannot commend the 2011 NIV to Southern Baptists or the larger Christian community.”

Pray for Danny Wuerffel - He is suffering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Keep up with his recovery at their Facebook page.

Atheists are the most fervent commenters on matters religious - CNN.com religion editor, Dan Gilgoff, looks at 10 things the Belief Blog learned in its first year. (HT: David Murray)

Gratuitous Grace - “My understanding of unconditional love and its implications deepened when I was ten years old and I flooded our next door neighbor’s home.”

Exegetical Commentary - Sangre de Cristo Seminary has a weekly blog of an exegetical commentary of the book of II Peter. Each week a few verses are presented along with a translation, commentary, truth statement, and application.

The Efficacy of Prayer

We have to guard against taking a fatalistic view of prayer. We cannot allow ourselves to dismiss prayer from our lives simply because it might not seem to have pragmatic value. Whether or not prayer works, we must engage in it, simply because God Himself commands us to do it. Even a cursory reading of the Bible, particularly the New Testament, reveals a deep emphasis on prayer, supplication, and intercession. It is inescapable that prayer is an expected activity for the people of God. Furthermore, our Lord Himself is the supreme model for us in all things, and He clearly made prayer a huge priority in His life. We can do no less.

Whether or not prayer works, we must engage in it, simply because God Himself commands us to do it.

But it is also true that Scripture teaches us that prayer does “work” in some sense. Let me cite three examples.

We all know that the apostle Peter boldly declared that he would never betray Jesus, that he was ready to go to prison and even to death for his Lord. But rather than praising Peter for his determination, Jesus rebuked him and said, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times” (Matt. 26:34). Luke’s account adds an interesting detail to this exchange. Jesus said: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31– 32). Jesus warned Peter that a time of “sifting” was coming in his life, that Satan was going to attack him. But Jesus was sure that Peter would turn from his sin and turn back to Jesus. How could Jesus be sure of that? Well, He had prayed for Peter, that Peter’s faith would not be shaken. Jesus was right—Peter did indeed turn back to Jesus and he did much to strengthen the brethren. Jesus’ prayer for Peter was effective.

Not only do we see the prayers of Jesus effecting change in this world, we also see the prayers of the saints working. In the early days of the church, Peter was thrown into prison, but the believers gathered for a season of intense prayer on his behalf. They poured out their hearts before God, begging God to somehow overcome the adversity of the situation and secure the release of Peter. You know what happened: While they were involved in this intense prayer, there was a knock at the door. They didn’t want to be disturbed from their prayer time, so they sent the servant to the door. When she went to the door and asked who was knocking, Peter answered and the servant recognized his voice. Overjoyed, she left the door closed and ran to tell the others that Peter was outside. The disciples refused to believe it until they opened the door and saw Peter himself standing there. God answered the prayers of His people, delivering Peter from prison by the help of an angel, but when he appeared at the house where the believers were gathered, these people who had prayed so earnestly for his release were frightened and shocked that God had actually answered their prayer. That’s the way we are so often; when God answers our prayers, we can hardly believe it.

Moving to a didactic passage, James strongly encourages the people of God to pray:

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. . . . Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:13–18)

After these stirring words, which strongly emphasize the effectiveness of prayer, James goes on to speak of the prophet Elijah. He stresses that Elijah was a man just like we are—he wasn’t a super-saint or a magician. However, his prayers were extremely powerful. He prayed that God would stop the rain, and no rain at all fell for three and a half years. Then he prayed that God would send rain, and torrents fell.

Given these scriptural passages, and the many, many more that clearly show that prayer does achieve things, we are not free to say: “Well, God is in control. He’s sovereign, immutable, and omniscient, so whatever will be will be. There’s no point in praying.” Scripture universally and absolutely denies that conclusion. Instead, it affirms that prayer does effect change. God, in His sovereignty, responds to our prayers.

Excerpted from The Prayer of the Lord by R.C. Sproul

$5 Friday: Apologetics, Pluralism & More

It's $5 Friday! Find books on apologetics, the Reformation, spiritual discernment, pluralism, Galatians, and more. Also special thanks to our Reformation Trust Facebook fans for voting to include The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards this week. Sale starts at 8 a.m. and ends Saturday at 8 a.m. EST. While supplies last!

View today's $5 Friday sale