R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 71

A Theology of the Home

Christians have long viewed the home as the hub of life. It is a nursery for aspiring astronauts, playground for wannabe heroes, and sanctuary for weary but heaven-bound wayfarers. Home is a place for cultivating virtue through meandering conversations, large helpings of laughter, hearty meals, excruciating trials, and loads of hard work. Whether you are a child learning to read, a freshman in a dormitory, newlyweds settling into a first apartment, an upstart launching a career, a family with a quiver full of children, or a widow navigating life without a spouse, the comfort of home is a stabilizing reality of life.

Yet for many, the home is far from heaven. It is hell on earth. For those suffering in the environs of oppression, the home is a cauldron of abuse, violence, and manipulation. It is a prison to escape from, not a refuge to run to. Still others have never had the privilege of permanent shelter, let alone experienced the warmth of a fireplace. As Christians discuss the value of home, we must not lose sight of the fact that the guilt and corruption of the fall reaches into every heart, and therefore into every home. Our ultimate hope lies not within the boundaries of a picket fence but in Him who is “our dwelling place” (Ps. 90:1).

When thinking through a theology of home, there are two equal but opposite errors that we must avoid. In the first place, we must not give the impression that life at home in a fallen world is everything. When we do, we are guilty of a misappropriated eschatology. Yes, we must tend to the gardens of our homes. But we must also populate the pews of the church and venture onto the highways of the world. The command of Jesus to “go” in the Great Commission pushes those of us who are tempted to withdraw into the quiet habitats of home to see that when we settle for heaven on earth, we domesticate the kingdom according to our tastes and traditions. The reason we strive to make disciples of all nations is because Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Like Abraham, we are “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10).

If one tendency we have is to idealize (and idolize) the home, then the other mistake we must avoid is marginalizing it. We must not give the impression that life at home in a fallen world means nothing. This is the error of an overly privatized sociology. In the modern world, we have fallen into the deathly trap of believing that who we are in private has little to no bearing on what we do in public. Conviction and character are severed from policy and productivity. As a result, what someone does in the confines of the home is viewed as irrelevant to success in the workplace. As Christians, however, we understand that the prayer closet and the kitchen table are vital places for developing excellence in every area of life. Our view of productivity is inextricably linked to our view of piety. The reason is simple: the dividing wall between the private and the public is meaningless before the eyes of an all-knowing God (Job 34:21). In all of our conduct, we are to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:15).

The home is not a neutral zone for acting upon baseless desires, nor is it simply a bastion for maintaining traditional values. One of the primary purposes of the home is to cultivate Christlike virtues that animate who we are in private and facilitate what we do in public. When the Apostle Paul addressed the households in the church of Colossae, he instructed wives, husbands, children, masters, and servants alike to put to death the exploits of the flesh, put on the qualities of Christ, and do everything in word and deed for the glory of God (Col. 3:1–4:1). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul sandwiches his instructions to households between teaching on devotion and worship (Eph. 5:1–21) and spiritual warfare (6:1–20). And the Apostle Peter prefaces his comments to families with an extended discussion on the church (1 Peter 2:1–11; 2:12–3:8), an important reminder that home life can never be isolated from church life.

This side of heaven, home should be a place where faith, hope, and love flourish. Faith in the sure work of Christ crucified and resurrected. Hope in the power of the gospel to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. And love for a triune God whose glory and beauty knows no end. The Christian home in a fallen world is a place of rooted optimism. Rooted in the place where God has called us and optimistic about a far greater place He is preparing for us. The home front is the forlorn battlefield of the cultural wars. In our strivings to defend the gospel against doctrinal decline in the church and increasing secularism in the culture, we must not forget the importance of cultivating virtue in the home. For the church to remain a city on the hill, the light of the gospel must shine brightly in the home.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine. Dr. John W. Tweeddale is academic dean and professor of theology at Reformation Bible College.

A Remarkable Century

The 20th century witnessed many advances, but it was also the bloodiest century in history. Today, watch as W. Robert Godfrey introduces opportunities and problems that the church faced during this period.

Does the Doctrine of Total Depravity Teach That We Have Lost the Image of God?

Is humanity still made in the image of God after our fall into sin? From one of our Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul assesses the effects of total depravity on our image bearing.

Do you have a biblical or theological question? We invite you to ask Ligonier.

Read the Transcript

The Cure for a Lack of Fruit in Our Christian Lives

The Westminster Confession of Faith insists that Christians may be “certainly assured that they are in the state of grace” (18:1) and goes on to assert that this “infallible assurance of faith” is “founded upon” three considerations:

“the divine truth of the promises of salvation”
“the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made”
“the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are children of God” (18:2).

The possibility of “certain” and “infallible” assurance is set against the backdrop of medieval and post-Reformation Roman Catholic views that paralyzed the church with an “assurance” that was at best “conjectural” (wishful thinking), based as it was on rigorous participation in a sacramental treadmill. Few epitomized the contrast more starkly than Cardinal Bellarmine (1542–1621), the personal theologian to Pope Clement VIII and ablest leader of the Counter-Reformation, who called the Protestant doctrine of assurance “the greatest of all heresies.” What, after all, could be more offensive to a works-based and priest-imparted system of salvation than the possibility that assurance could be attained without either? If Christians can attain an assurance of eternal life apart from participation in the church’s rituals, what possible outcome could there be other than rampant antinomianism (the belief that God’s commandments are optional)?

But what exactly did the Westminster divines mean when they implied that our assurance is “founded upon” inward evidence? Behind this statement lies a practical syllogism:

(major premise) True believers demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.

(minor premise) The fruit of the Spirit is present in me.

(conclusion) I am a true believer.

It should be obvious that the subjectivity of this argument is fraught with difficulty. While the certainty of salvation is grounded upon the (objective) work of Christ, the certainty of assurance is grounded upon the (objective) promises God gives us and the (subjective) discovery of those promises at work in us. And it is this latter consideration that gives rise to one or two problems.

Theologians have made a distinction between the direct and reflexive acts of faith. It is one thing to believe that Christ can save me (direct act of faith). It is another thing to believe that I have believed (reflexive act of faith). Apart from the first consideration (that Christ is both willing and able to save) there can be no assurance of faith. Indeed, it is pointless to move forward with the discussion about assurance apart from a conviction of the truthfulness of this statement: “Christ is able to save those who believe.”

Assuming, then, that there is no doubt as to the ability and willingness of Christ to save those who believe, how may I be assured that I have this belief? The answer of the New Testament at this point is clear: there is an “obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5; 16:26). True faith manifests itself in outward, tangible ways. In other words, the New Testament draws a connection between faithfulness and the enjoyment of assurance. True believers demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, and this fruit is observable and measurable.

Four Ways of Knowing

The Apostle John addresses this very issue in his first epistle: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Apart from belief “in the name of the Son of God,” there is no point in furthering the discussion about assurance. The question at hand is, “How can I know if my belief is genuine?” And John’s answer emphasizes four moral characteristics of the Christian life.

First, there is obedience to the commandments of God. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1 John 5:2–3). True faith is not and can never be antinomian.

Second, there is practicing righteousness: “You may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29). Those who have a genuine faith will display a life of faith, a life molded and shaped by the obedience of faith. They demonstrate a desire for godliness.

Third, there is a radical breach with one’s former life. John expresses it radically (by employing a relative contrast in absolute terms): “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning” (1 John 5:18; cf. 3:6, 9). The explanation of this admittedly difficult language requires more space than is allotted here, but it is clear enough that a true and genuine faith is incompatible with a continuation in the pattern of sinful behavior that characterizes the life lived in unbelief.

Fourth, there is walking in love: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death . . . whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 3:14; 4:7). Loving our brothers and sisters is something dear to the Apostle John’s heart. After all, according to tradition, the elderly Apostle in Ephesus, carried by the arms of his disciples, was heard to repeat, “Little children, love one another.” And when asked why he kept repeating it, he answered: “It is the Lord’s command. And if this be done, it is enough.”

These four marks then collectively contribute to an assurance that our faith in Christ is genuine. But what if I cannot discern these outward evidences in myself and wonder if they are lacking? Should I then conclude that my faith is hypocritical or insincere? Yes, that is a possible conclusion. But it is not necessarily the correct conclusion, because our assessment of the evidence of outward faith in these four marks may be faulty. We may be too hard on ourselves. We may doubt what others can clearly see. Satan may cloud our thinking. The lack of consistency may lead us to conclude that no evidence at all is present. And personality and disposition may lead us to negative assessments when a more objective scrutiny deduces a different conclusion. But the possibility exists that our faith may be insincere. What then?

Faith in Evidence or Faith in Christ?

And it is here that differences of counsel appear. A predictable counsel might be, “Try harder.” It is a comment I most remember from annual school reports—“Could do better.” A person who doubts the genuineness of his faith due to inconsistency of behavior would then be urged to “be more consistent.” Read more Scripture, pray with greater fervency, love with greater altruism, and so on. But what would such counsel achieve? First of all, it is doubtful that someone predisposed to read the presence of fruit negatively would fare any better in his evaluation simply by increasing effort. But more importantly, such counsel is predisposed to commit the fatal error of viewing the fruit of the faith as the root of faith. It is fundamentally predisposed to appeal to self-justification—something for which we are all hardwired.

The counsel to “do more” in the belief that works provide the ground of assurance rather than the evidence of assurance is the path to legalism—and legalism in its proper sense. In his book The Whole Christ, Sinclair B. Ferguson urges a “gospel logic” to the effect that “there is no assurance of faith that can be experienced apart from faith.”

And it is here that one perceives a counterintuitive counsel that must be given to the one lacking assurance. To look to works (and the counsel to “do more works”) as a means of gaining assurance is essentially counterproductive and pastorally deadly. Only Christ can save us, and assurance, when lacking, must be found by looking to Him. Apart from faith in Christ, no work on our part will assure us of anything except Pharisaism.

Far from being a counsel to laxity, what this counsel intends to secure is an understanding that faith gives rise to obedience rather than obedience’s giving rise to faith. And the difference is crucial. One gives rise to legalism; the other to evidentiary, evangelical (gospel-based) works.

Abiding in Christ

Is not this counsel (to look first to Christ) precisely what Jesus said in His final word to the disciples in the Upper Room?

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4–5) Bearing fruit, something that Jesus identifies as keeping His commandments (15:10), is intimately related to abiding in Him. It is in the sphere of abiding in Christ and not apart from it that fruit emerges.

There is only one cure for a lack of fruit in our Christian lives. It is to go back to Christ and enjoy (yes, enjoy) our union with Him. The “love of Christ controls us” (2 Cor. 5:14). The Greek verb translated here as “controls” is elsewhere rendered as “surrounds” and “hems in” (Luke 8:45; 19:43). That’s what the experience of abiding in Christ does—it hems us in to obedience. From such gracious love, compliance with His commands emerges. Disobedience drives Him away. But when we enjoy His presence, we also desire to “please him” (2 Cor. 5:9). And as we bear the fruit of this union, assurance grows.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

$5 Friday (And More): The Holy Spirit, the New Testament, & Atonement

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week’s resources include such topics as the Holy Spirit, the New Testament, atonement, faith, Calvinism, John Knox, and more.

Plus, several bonus resources are also available for more than $5. These have been significantly discounted from their original price. This week’s bonus resources include:

Are These the Last Days? by R.C. Sproul, Paperback book (Spanish) $4 $2.50
Are These the Last Days? by R.C. Sproul, Paperback book $2 $0.75
Discipleship: June 2018 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
The Church: September 2016 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
Perfectionism and Control: October 2018 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson, Audiobook CD $20 $12
Surprised by Suffering by R.C. Sproul, Hardcover book $15 $8
Discovering God's Will by Sinclair Ferguson, Paperback book $10 $7
Willing to Believe by R.C. Sproul, Paperback book $18 $10
The Just War with R.C. Sproul, DVD collection $10 $7
God's Technology with David Murray, DVD collection $15 $10
Awakening: 2018 National Conference , DVD collection $75 $18
Love Divine II , CD $15 $10
Developing Christian Character with R.C. Sproul, CD $45 $15
Developing Christian Character with R.C. Sproul, Study Guide $15 $8
Foundations of Grace: New Testament with Steven Lawson, CD $52 $15
Foundations of Grace: New Testament with Steven Lawson, Study Guide $24 $8

Sale runs through 12:01 a.m.–11:59 p.m. Friday ET.

View today’s $5 Friday sale items.

The Sacraments as Means of Grace

Here’s an excerpt from The Sacraments as Means of Grace, William Barcley's contribution to the June issue of Tabletalk:

I grew up in a large Baptist church where baptisms were frequent and the Lord’s Supper was rare. Baptism was always a celebratory event—sometimes people even cheered. The Lord’s Supper, on the other hand, was solemn, quiet, and, to a young boy, dull. I never understood the purpose of having to sit still for an extra fifteen to twenty minutes. Couldn’t the pastor just say, “Jesus died on the cross for your sins,” and be done with it? I never really understood the purpose of baptism either, except that Jesus had commanded it. When I was baptized at age twelve, it was simply a rite of passage to me.

Continue reading The Sacraments as Means of Grace, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

For a limited time, the new TabletalkMagazine.com allows everyone to browse and read the growing library of back issues, including this month’s issue.

One-Day Sale: 12 Months of Tabletalk Magazine for $12

Looking for a trustworthy tool to help you understand and apply God’s Word to your life? Just reach for Tabletalk magazine. Each monthly issue includes a wealth of daily devotionals and theological articles, along with exclusive online content to supplement your study and help you take your Bible study even deeper.

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Thousands of people in more than seventy countries turn to Tabletalk each month for its trusted teaching and practical commentary. Join them today for only $1 per issue and be equipped to think and live biblically. This special sale ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET.

 

The Significance of the Sinlessness of Jesus

"And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). I have long wished that, in heaven, I might get to see the entire history of Christ's earthly life, from Hi s birth to Hi s ascension—viewing each and every act of obedience. The reason is simple. Jesus lived a representative life. Jesus lived a sinless life, and it was, therefore, a life of representative sinlessness. Our Lord's obedience stands in the place of His people's sin. His law-keeping is counted as the law-keeping of those who have faith in Him.

Christ's sinless life is set against the background of the scriptural testimony to the sinfulness of man. Job declared that man is "abominable and corrupt," one who "drinks injustice like water" (Job 15:16). Solomon acknowledged, "there is no one who does not sin" (1 Kings 8:46). The apostle John warned, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" and "make Him a liar" (1 John 1:8, 10). The apostle Paul summed it all up when he said, "none is righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). Yet, when the Son of God took to Himself a human nature, a sinless man entered into time and space.

In a life that spanned three decades, our Lord never entertained a thought, never uttered a word, and never carried out an action that was defiled by impure motives. He always honored His Father in heaven, always honored His earthly father and mother, never lusted, never uttered a word in sinful anger, never gossiped about or slandered His neighbor. He never stole, never lied, and never coveted. In short, He submitted to every commandment of the law of God without wavering. He loved the Lord with all His heart, soul, mind and strength, and He loved His neighbor as Himself. The Scriptures bear manifold witness to this truth, and it is one of the most profitable truths upon which we ought to meditate.

The Bible expressly declares that Jesus was sinless. The writer of Hebrews tells us that He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26, NASB). The apostle Paul boldly asserts that He "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). At the announcement of His birth, an angel called Him "that Holy One who is to be born." Pilate's wife told her husband: "Have nothing to do with that just man." Pilate himself said, "I find no fault in Him." The dying thief acknowledged the innocence of Jesus when he said, "this Man had done nothing wrong." The centurion, at the foot of the cross, said, "Certainly this was a righteous man" (Luke 23:47). Even the demons recognized that Jesus was "the Holy One of God" (4:34).

If external testimony was not enough, Christ bore witness to His sinlessness when He said, "the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood" (John 7:18). Add to this the fact that He had said almost a thousand years earlier (through the psalmist): "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, and Your law is within my heart." Jesus' life was a life of perfect conformity to the will of God.

In regard to the commands that God gave to the covenant people, we find that Christ began to fulfill them when He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was the only one who did not need what circumcision signified. At the beginning of His public ministry, He underwent a baptism "of repentance," though He needed no repentance. When John tried to stop Him from being baptized, He said, "permit it to be so now, for thus is it fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). Jesus was obeying as the representative of His people.

Christ's obedience, however, can sometimes mistakenly be reduced to His obedience only to the moral law. While it is certainly true that He obeyed all those commands that are binding on all men for all time, He also fulfilled the ceremonial laws given to the Jews. There is, however, another dimension of the obedience of Christ. Jonathan Edwards observed that Jesus obeyed the mediatorial commands that the Father specifically gave to Him—commands that were more difficult than any given to us. Besides those moral and ceremonial laws, Jesus was commanded to "lay down His life willingly, and take it again." "This command," He said, "I have received from My Father" (John 10:17).

Our redemption rests upon Christ's sinless life and substitutionary death. When we see the corruption of our minds, hearts, and wills, we must look at the One who knew no sin and yet was made sin for us. When we long to know Christ in a deeper and more intimate way, it is good for us to meditate on Scripture's teaching concerning His representative perfection. Are you laboring under the weight of your sin before the presence of God? We must remember the One who was obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.

Prayer as a Means of Grace

Here’s an excerpt from Prayer as a Means of Grace, Christopher J. Gordon's contribution to the June issue of Tabletalk:

Christians have the great privilege of coming boldly before the throne of grace and talking with God. This communion between us and God is called prayer. That believers have the ear of God and are invited to cast their cares upon the Lord because He cares for them is the most remarkable of all blessings. Yet, prayer is one of the most neglected disciplines of Christians in our day. J.C. Ryle once said: “Yes: few pray! It is just one of the things assumed as a matter of course, but seldom practiced; a thing which is everybody’s business, but in fact hardly anybody performs.” If this assessment can be made of our age as well, what are the consequences of a prayerless Christianity? Is the church’s mission suffering today from a lack of prayer? Are Christians stifled in their holiness because few are asking God for help in sanctification?

Continue reading Prayer as a Means of Grace, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

For a limited time, the new TabletalkMagazine.com allows everyone to browse and read the growing library of back issues, including this month’s issue.

New Online Foundation Year Program at Reformation Bible College

In 2011, Dr. R.C. Sproul founded Reformation Bible College in order to train a new generation of articulate Christians who “understand the Bible and their faith deeply and live out that faith in every nook and cranny of the world.” This fall, RBC is taking a significant step forward in launching an online certificate program. This carefully designed online program will provide young Christians with a solid theological foundation for their chosen vocation or continued education. Graduates of the program will earn a Certificate in Theology.

“With the help of technology,” said RBC President Dr. Stephen Nichols, “we’ll be able to train students through a comprehensive program of biblical studies and expand the borders of our RBC community beyond central Florida.”

Foundation Year online students will participate in live classes, engage with RBC professors and students in real time, and have the opportunity to revisit recorded lectures at their own convenience.

In the fall semester, students will study apologetics with Dr. Nichols, learning how to defend their Christian faith in a world of competing truth claims and other religions. Dr. Matthew Dudreck will guide students through the essential teachings of the four Gospels to help interpret and apply the New Testament to their lives, and Professor Aaron Garriott will help students develop vital communication skills to think, write, and speak more effectively.

In the spring, Foundation Year online students will review the development of Christianity from the Reformation to the present with Dr. John Tweeddale, examining how modern church history informs Christian beliefs, practices, and worship today. Students will also study the Old Testament texts known as the Writings with Dr. Ben Shaw to apply the biblical wisdom offered to their lives, examine the existence and attributes of the triune God in The Doctrine of God with Dr. Keith Mathison, and more.

Reformation Bible College is accepting applications for Foundation Year Online. In addition to no application fee, RBC is waiving the $300 enrollment fee for applicants who complete an online application and submit all required documents by Wednesday, July 15. The regular application deadline for Foundation Year Online is Monday, August 3.

If you are interested in learning more about Foundation Year Online, visit ReformationBibleCollege.org/online or contact the Admissions team at admissions@reformationbiblecollege.org.