R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 601

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Our Liberating God

"Why would anyone love the law of God? Why would we love that which constantly tells us what miserable wretches we are, daily points out all our shortcomings, relentlessly reminds us of all our death-deserving sins, and keeps knocking us down to our knees, leaving us crying out for help?" These are the questions Burk Parsons asks as he begins his editorial introduction to the March issue of Tabletalk—an issue that seeks to answer some of the hard questions revolving around God's law in the lives of Christians today.

"The truth of the matter is that not just anyone loves the law of God but only those who have been set free by our law-giving, law-keeping, and law-liberating Savior. We love the law of God not because we possess some sort of inherent self-inflicting, self-deprecating sadistic disposition towards our sin but because, in His electing grace, God set His glorious and enduring love upon us, laid His eternal claim upon us, took hold of us and clutched us in His strong hands, and made us His dutiful bondslaves that we might be free to delight in His law (Rom. 7:22) and in all the commands of Christ (Matt. 28:20), who by no means abolished the Law but in fact fulfilled it perfectly in our behalf (Matt. 5:17). His death is our life. His fulfillment is our freedom. His duty is our delight."

Read more in Our Liberating God.

A Primer on Inerrancy (pt. 2)

In this excerpt from John Gerstner's Primitive Theology, Dr. Gerstner looks at the issue of inerrancy and seeks briefly and non-technically to present a case for Bible Inerrancy that a serious-minded layman can follow and evaluate. Though by no means an exhaustive treatment, it is one that is sound and faithful to the Scriptures. This is the second part of this series and here Dr. Gerstner picks up his discussion on unsound bases for sound doctrine.

Continued from Part 1

2. The Holy Spirit's Testimony as the Basis for Bible Inerrancy

One of the precious doctrines of the church is called the "Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit." Like the self-attestation of Scripture, it is a most gracious gift of God to His church. And like that gift it is sometimes misunderstood and misused even by those who love it most. A case in point is the one before us in which the internal testimony is submitted as proof that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God.

The thinking here may be shown to be wrong, but it does have the merit of being clear. It runs like this: just as the Bible certifies itself by the letter of Scripture, so by the living voice of God the Spirit convinces the hearts of men. Many think that the Bible's witness to itself remains a dead letter until the living Spirit speaks within the soul. But when the Spirit does thus speak men have the most solid possible basis for knowing that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Some, by no means all, of the advocates of this view go on to teach that unless the Spirit testifies, the Bible is not the Word of God; and only when He does is it the Word of God. In any case, the argument at first glance is quite impressive. When God witnesses to His own Word, how can there be any doubt that it is His inerrant Word? If you want evidence, these men assure us, here is the best. What more can any reasonable or spiritual person desire than to have God speaking directly to his own soul?

We agree. As this case is often stated, it leaves nothing to be desired. We would never be so foolish as to question the very voice of God in our souls. Our search for truth would be ended promptly when God opened His mouth and spoke and that to each of us individually and inwardly.

We agree, that is, if the Holy Spirit does actually thus speak to individual souls. But I have never heard the Holy Spirit say to my soul or mind, "The Bible is the Word of God." I have never met anyone who claims to have heard the Holy Spirit say that or anything like that to his soul. In fact, the advocates of the internal testimony as the basis of inerrancy never quite get around to saying it either. Rather, most of them would be inclined to rebuke us at this point for gross misunderstanding, if not outright caricature, of their opinions on this subject. "We do not mean," they will reply, "testimony as an audible voice in the soul. Of course the Holy Spirit has not spoken to individual hearts telling them that the Bible is His Word! Of course you cannot find anyone in his right mind who claims any such experience," they may indignantly respond.

Very well," we reply. "We are sorry; we meant no offense and intended no caricature of a brother's doctrine. Nor are we totally ignorant of the history of this doctrine. Indeed, we ourselves believe it in the sense in which Calvin, for example, meant it. But when it is used as the argument for inerrancy (which, incidentally, we do not think was Calvin's idea at all), that is something else. It is that something else which we are now considering." If it is so used as proof of inerrancy how is it such unless somehow God's Spirit testifies, tells, signifies to us, reveals in us or the like that the canonical Scriptures are from Him? But very well, we will withdraw our query as we hear our wounded brethren protesting that they mean no such thing. Let it be agreed, then, that the "testimony of the Spirit is not like the testimony of a witness in court speaking to what he did or did not see or hear. The Spirit's testimony is non-verbal, more subtle, more in the nature of an influence on the soul than an audible voice or mystical writing. But, we must insist, how then does the Spirit's witness reveal inerrancy?

If the advocates of this line of thought say that the Spirit confirms our own convictions when we read the Bible; if they say that He makes the Bible student sure that the Bible is what the Bible student feels that it is; then the Spirit does not communicate any new information which the Bible reader receives, but somehow intensifies his experiences as he meditates on Holy Writ. We are inclined to believe that the Holy Spirit does precisely that in the hearts of many. But we do not see that even if He does so that this proves the inspiration of the Bible. All we would now have is this: a man reads his Bible. His feelings are stirred as he reads. He senses, or thinks he senses, that there is some other spirit besides his own at work in his heart as he reads. He cannot be sure that there is another spirit. If he does believe it, he cannot know what spirit it is. Certainly, he has no way of knowing that it is the divine spirit. And, even if he did, all he knows is that the divine Spirit is working in his heart as he reads the Scriptures and not "testifying" or saying that this Scripture is the inerrant Word of God. If it is said, "But the Bible tells us that the Spirit bears witness and therefore it must be true and the Word to which He testifies must truly be God's Word," we are back where we began: accepting the testimony of the Scripture to itself without any (at present)
just reason for so doing.

In summary, we must reject the testimony of the Spirit as the basis of inerrancy (not, please note, the testimony of the Spirit) because, first, if His "testimony" is construed as audible or verbal, it simply does not exist; second, if His "testimony" is construed as a spiritual effect intensifying our feelings as we read Scripture, this is not a proving of the inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture.

It may be necessary to show that we are not here opposing the Westminster Confession of Faith's view of things, but actually defending it. It teaches that "our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof (of the Scriptures) is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts" (I, 5). But these words teach only that the "testimony of the Holy Spirit" persuades us of the inspiration of the Bible. It does not prove the doctrine, but persuades us of the truth of the doctrine. It leads us to acknowledge the evidence for inspiration which, apart from the Holy Spirit's influence, we (as sinful persons, cf. Chapter VI) are prone to resist. This evidence is utterly sufficient to persuade us if we were frank enough to admit evidence when we see it. Thus the Westminster Confession of Faith says in full: "We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet, not withstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts" (Chap. I, 5).

According to this great creed the various characteristics of the Bible "abundantly evidence" (prove) its inspiration,
but only the influence of the Holy Spirit (overcoming our sinful dispositions) can "persuade" us to acquiesce in what we clearly see is the Word of God.

The reader may notice a certain difference (not discrepancy) between the approach of the WCF here cited and that of this little monograph. The "arguments" to which Westminster appeals are internal evidences drawn from the nature (not testimony) of the Bible itself, such as its harmony, perfection, etc. That these, in their cumulative effect, are arguments we agree, and have so written elsewhere. We are bypassing them in this monograph only because they take longer to develop, involve more debates with modernity, and are not so directly conclusive as the argumentation developed in Part II. That the approach of this Primer was abundantly used by the Westminster divines and seventeenth century Orthodoxy in general could be extensively illustrated, were there any necessity to prove what no one questions.

To be continued...

Excerpted from Primitive Theology by John H. Gerstner.

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

All Christians must be well grounded in the basics of the Christian faith in order for them to grow into maturity. In Basic Training, R.C. Sproul gives a concise explanation of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity in the Apostles' Creed. It is especially useful for those who have little to no Christian background and need to learn the basic doctrines of Christianity.

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

What Is Faith?
God the Father
The Person & Work of Christ (Part 1)
The Person & Work of Christ (Part 2)
The Holy Spirit & the Church
Forgiveness, Resurrection, & Life Everlasting

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Not Lords, Stewards

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"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." (1 Corinthians 4:1)

The apostle Paul was neither afflicted with false modesty nor with any sort of apostolic pomposity. He understood his role and his office in the household of God. At times we find him needing to assert his apostolic office to the end that his readers would heed him as they would the Lord. On other occasions we find him passionately putting himself in place. He strove valiantly with the Corinthians to maintain their firm grasp of his apostolicity that they might obey his charge to regard him rightly as a man, a servant, and a steward, and most certainly not a king, a deity, or a little messiah.

As we read between the lines of Paul's letters, attempting to become more intimately acquainted with our beloved older brother in the faith, we come away with the impression that he hated the celebrity that seemed so often to accompany his office, and one thing is abundantly clear from what we read here in chapter four, considering the Corinthians' borderline deification of the apostles, Paul saw himself as nothing more, and nothing less, than a steward.

In the first century, a steward was one who served a family and an entire household by managing its affairs. From the same word as the English cognate economy, a steward was not the master, or head, of the household but was the master's entrusted manager of his entire household. In order for the master to be successful in his work, in society, and in the broader community, the steward of the master's household must be the greatest of servants as he carried the great-but-oft-confounding burden of actively leading in the master's absence and responsively serving in the master's presence.

Having been a Pharisee, Paul knew well what it was to set himself up above the law of God as he zealously sought to keep man's laws above and beyond God's laws in order to ensure God was abundantly satisfied with him and blessed him. Attempting to be faithful rulers, Paul and the Pharisees established themselves as masters of the house, lords of God's household, not as faithful stewards.

I've often said to those with whom I serve most intimately that the greatest servants make the greatest leaders, that all great leaders were once great servants, and that if they prove to be good leaders at life's end it's only because they have remained faithful servants. The faithful servant will never allow himself to rise to the place of master, even if the household should clamor for such. When the dear and immature Corinthians clamored, Paul put himself in his place. However, he didn't simply state the case of his role and how people should regard him as a steward and servant and then move on to something else; rather, in classic Pauline fashion, he qualified his role with a rejoinder, saying, "Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." At the end of the day, when the master comes home, the steward must be found faithful. If not, he wasn't simply proven to be a bad steward but no steward at all. In fact, if he was found unfaithful the steward could be discharged, imprisoned, or even executed (similar to what Joseph experienced in Genesis 39, though, of course, falsely accused). A steward is, by necessity, faithful. If he is found to be unfaithful, he will find himself a steward no longer. A "bad steward" is oxymoronic. A bad steward is no steward at all.

A "bad steward" is oxymoronic. A bad steward is no steward at all.

In his letter to Titus, Paul writes concerning the qualification of elders:  "For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach" (Titus 1:7). In the same breath and with no further explication, Paul enjoins the elder's office as "overseer" and his role as "steward." The language of "overseer" suggests the elder's appropriate role of authority, and the language of "steward" suggests his role of responsibility as an entrusted servant of the only Master and Head, Jesus Christ whose kingly authority is not merely titular but in every way real, active, and necessarily guarded.

John Calvin aids us in getting right to the heart of the matter of the elder's authority and stewardship: "Now the medium observed by Paul consists in this, that he calls them stewards of Christ; by which he intimates, that they ought to apply themselves not to their own work but to that of the Lord, who has hired them as his servants, and that they are not appointed to bear rule in an authoritative manner in the Church, but are subject to Christ's authority—in short, that they are servants, not masters."

No one can better and more appropriately grasp the role of elder than a faithful, biblically qualified elder in the household of God. Few things, if anything, in life can bring more constant fulfillment and more confounding heartache. And while we as elders must never suffer the devilish affliction of false modesty in making less of our office than Christ does, neither should we make more of our station than Christ does, even when his household comes flattering, deifying, and making us into celebrities. We must daily put ourselves in our right places by the daily aid of the always-faithful Spirit who daily pricks us and convicts us to the end that we would hate our celebrity as much as Paul and be as amused by our supposed celebrity as Christ is.

To be a steward we must be faithful, and such faithfulness begins with the regular reminder to ourselves first and then to the household of God that we are not lords, but stewards, entrusted by God with His Gospel, not ours—and if it's His, we ought not trifle with it knowing well that if we do we will not simply be found bad stewards but not stewards at all, deserving not only discharge from our office but a mill-stone around our necks.

Deep Truths of the Bible for Children

Young children learn about God through stories tailored especially for them. Weaving tales from real life situations that children can easily relate to, great-grandfather and theologian R.C. Sproul opens important biblical truths to children. (Parents might even learn a thing or two.)

In The Priest with Dirty Clothes, R.C. Sproul teaches the concept of imputation, which lies at the heart of the important biblical doctrine of justification. Using the story of Joshua the high priest (Zechariah 3:1–5) as his jumping-off point, Dr. Sproul weaves a classic tale about a young priest who is invited to preach his first sermon before the king and his court. But on his way to the palace, he falls from his horse, getting his clothes hopelessly muddy. Jonathan finds that he needs powerful help if he is to stand before the king.

The Prince's Poison Cup is the story of a little girl, Ella, who is sick and must take yucky medicine to make her well. Ella wonders why something that will make her get well has to taste so bad. She puts the question to Grandpa who tells her the story of atonement and the terrible price that Jesus had to pay for our redemption by being willing to drink that awful cup. It is also available as an animatic DVD.

The Lightlings weaves an allegorical tale that captures the essence of the biblical story of redemption in a manner that will fascinate and delight children. A race of tiny beings known as lightlings are a picture of humanity as they pass through all the stages of the biblical drama -- creation, fall, and redemption. The Lightlings is an excellent introduction to the key themes of Scriptures and is also available as an animatic DVD.

In The King Without a Shadow, Dr. Sproul tells of a king who hears of another King - one so great He casts no shadow. The first king embarks on a search for the Great King, a search that leads to a bearded prophet called The Man of the Cave. "The Great King has no shadow because He has no darkness in Him," says the prophet. "The King without a shadow is God Himself." This story is about the holiness of God.

Veteran children's writer Mrs. Susan Hunt, takes little ones on a delightful trip through Psalm 23 from the point of view of a sheep named Sammy in Sammy and His Shepherd. Each chapter is an exploration of a passage from Psalm 23. As children work through the book, they will grow in their understanding of the metaphors the psalmist used in composing this inspired poem. But more important, they will gain a deeper appreciation for the one who is the subject of the psalm: the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, March 2011

The March edition of Tabletalk is out. This month's issue explores the hard questions revolving around God's law in the lives of Christians today. Contributors include R.C. Sproul, John Piper, David Hall, Carl Trueman, Mark Bates, Chad Van Dixhoorn and R.C. Sproul Jr.

[image error]We do not post all of the feature articles or the daily devotionals from the issue, so you'll have to subscribe to get those. But for now, here are links to a few select columns and articles from this month:

"Our Liberating God" by Burk Parsons
"The Goodness of the Law" by R.C. Sproul
"Ministering by the Life-Giving Spirit" by David Hall
"The End of Soap Oprah" by Carl Trueman
"It Takes a Church to Raise a Child" by Mark Bates
"Minutes and Years: The Westminster Assembly Project"
"Motive Power" by R.C. Sproul Jr.
"Listening Before Answering" by John Piper

*****

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5 Things I'm Surprised I Can't Find in the Bible

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God is all and only wisdom, the very font of all truth. The Bible is His Word, and is true in all that it teaches, as well as sufficient to guide us into every good work. His Word is perspicuous, that is clear, and understandable.  Not all of the Bible, however, is as clear as all the rest. These ground rules inform us, broadly speaking, that the Bible tells us everything we need to know, but that it might not all be right out there in the open.  He has not only not left us orphans, He has not left us blind. That said, here are five things that are less clear in the Bible than I might, in the abstract, expect them to be.

#1 - Proper form of church government.  The Bible is crystal clear that women are not to rule in the church, and that we are to submit to the elders over us. See Hebrews 13 for the latter.  Thus the Reformers were correct to list discipline as a mark of the true church. If you are not under the authority of name-able specific elders, you are not part of the visible church and thus do not have a credible profession of faith. You should get under authority. That said, good men have read all the relevant texts and ended up believing that only the local elders of a local church have any authority. That is what we call, historically, congregational church government. John Owen believed this and John Owen is pretty good company. Others believe that a body of elders in a given region oversee the local elders at the local church.  This is Presbyterian church government.  This is what Knox, Calvin, and all the great Princeton divines affirmed. Then some see oversight of particular congregations being done by bishops, individual men with peculiar callings. Here we find Lattimore, Ridley, and Cranmer. The Bible doesn't come with a Form of Government.

#2 - Proper form of a service of worship. The Bible forbids us to forsake the gathering together of the saints. It tells us, in rather great detail, exactly how worship was done in the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant we know that we are not supposed to shed blood anymore. We know, anecdotally, what happened at this meeting and that. But even the most ardent supporter of the most narrow construction of the Regulative Principle of Worship has to confess that we tend to construct our orders of service like Frankenstein constructed his monster, a part here, a part there, cobble it all together and hope lightning strikes.

#3 - Proper form for preaching the Word. The Bible is clear that there is power to change us in the preaching of the Word. We know we are to preach the Word, and not our own wisdom. We know we are to preach Christ, and Him crucified. That, however, doesn't tell us everything. I confess that I could preach for days on how to preach a proper sermon, but I would run out of proof-texts the first hour.

#4 - Proper way to move from single to married. The Bible is clear that marriage is between one man and one woman. They are to leave and cleave. And there are any number of specific instructions on how to be married. Not so much on how to get there in the first place. For such an important decision, it's kind of scary there isn't more direction here.

#5 - More information on the incarnation and the Trinity. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is a man. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God. The Bible clearly teaches that the Father is God, the Spirit is God and that God is One. How these things can be, that's where it gets awfully complicated. For the first five hundred years after the ascension of Christ the church wrestled over these complex issues of doctrine.  Athanasius was exiled five different times for championing the orthodox position that eventually prevailed.

This exercise, of course, isn't designed to register complaints with the Bible. It is perfect. The exercise does, however, instruct me. I am far less than perfect. It reminds me to not shout where God has whispered. It reminds me to seek to align my priorities with His. It reminds me that while the Bible is not less than a rule book for the Christian, it is more than that. It is the very food by which we live. When we find ourselves troubled by the Bible, either by what is in there or what isn't, we get a clue as to where our troubles lie. We learn submission to authority is more important than the form of the authority. We learn that while form matters, worship is a matter of the heart. We learn to allow preaching to correct us, more than we correct preaching. We learn that being a godly spouse is more powerful than picking the perfect spouse. And we learn that we have eternity to learn more about who God is.

The Bible, like its author, is perfect. Praise that author that He is perfecting me through it.

The Bible, like its author, is perfect. Praise that author that He is perfecting me through it.

Twitter Highlights (2/27/11)

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

Ligonier There is no possible escape ever from the holiness of God. You are going to have to deal with it now or at some point. -R.C. Sproul



Ligonier The power of transforming people is not found in my personal testimony...it's found in the proclamation of...Christ. -R.C. Sproul



Reformation Trust The people who are most religious are often unregenerate. While professing loyalty to God, they pursue false gods. -Steven Lawson



Tabletalk Magazine Christians must be known as people of the book: men and women who believe, live, and proclaim the teachings of Scripture.



Ligonier If God is sovereign, can man be free? Are these two concepts contradictory, or reconciled when properly understood? http://bit.ly/fk95bF



Reformation Trust In every generation, the strongest pillars in the church are men who are strongest in the truth. -Pillars of Grace http://bit.ly/aWYewv



Ligonier Academy Christian education prepares you, not only for what God calls you to do, but for who He calls you to become.

You can also find our various ministries on Facebook:
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Links We Liked (2/26/11)

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

God's Love Is the Cause and Result of Ours - John Piper: "Let's be sure we read the word of God with discernment, and make the distinctions implied whenever things look contradictory."

Said Musa Released - "In the midst of joy and gratitude, the sobering reality of anti-Christian persecution in Afghanistan and other nations remains."

Does Regeneration Precede Faith? -"Why, if God has worked everything out to such an extent that He is the one within people who is sovereignly and irresistibly calling them to a new life in Christ, does He initiate His plans with a human response of faith?"

Tabletalk Magazine Coming to Logos Bible Software - Tabletalk for Logos is now available for pre-sale.

Not Busyness - Ben Miller: "It is not busyness that eats the life out of the soul, if busyness means simply having lots to do. To be human is to have lots to do. What wears down the inner life is the impossibility of sustained concentration in a world where everything under the sun is relentlessly, rapidly, even simultaneously presented to the senses with demand for some kind of response, though no response is expected. It's the bewildering fragmentation that accompanies unlimited access to everything. It's the barrenness that results when one's most significant contact, quantitatively speaking, is with virtual reality, insulated from the solid pleasures and stubborn challenges of pre-virtual reality: back porch conversation, rainstorms, weeds, machinery parts, street beggars, and handheld musical instruments. It is the lethargy, the listlessness that breeds when all is instant (or trying to be), when one has forgotten how to be deliberate, and to write in pencil. It's not busyness that eats away the soul; it's the acid of catered sovereignty, of dwindling finitude."