R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 72

What Does "Sola Scriptura" Mean?

The final answer to any question is “What does the Bible have to say about this?” From one of our Ask Ligonier events, Derek Thomas explains the meaning of the doctrine of “sola Scriptura.”

To ask a biblical or theological question, just visit ask.Ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.

Read the Transcript

What Is God’s Name?

Moses had a momentary encounter with the Holy, and the closer he got, the more afraid he became. He heard the voice of God sending him on a mission, and his fear turned to doubt. “Who am I, that I should go on this mission?” And God responded, “I will be with you” (Ex. 3:12). He didn’t really answer Moses’ question about who Moses was; He simply said, in effect, “Don’t worry about who you are, because I’m going to be with you.”

“‘And this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’ Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’” (Ex. 3:12–13). Now we get to the crux of the matter. Moses no longer was asking the question, “Who am I?” At this point, what Moses asked was, “Who are you? What’s your name?”

In the very early days of Ligonier Ministries, somebody asked me, “What are you trying to do? What’s your mission? What’s the purpose of this ministry that you’ve put together?” I told him, “It’s a teaching ministry to help ground Christians in the Word of God,” and he responded, “What is it that you want to teach, that the people don’t already know?” That was easy. “Who God is,” I said. “Romans 1:18–25 tells us that everyone in the world knows that God is, because God has so clearly manifested Himself to all of them in creation that men are left without excuse, because His general revelation has pierced their minds. They know He exists, but they hate Him.” I went on: “In large measure, that’s because they know He is, but they don’t have any idea who He is.” The fellow said, “But what do you think is the most important thing that Christians need to know in this day and age?” I said, “Christians need to find out who God is.”

I think the greatest weakness in our day is the virtual eclipse of the character of God, even within our churches. A woman with a Ph.D. in psychology who was a member of a church on the West Coast once got in contact with me. She was very angry and said, “I go to church every Sunday, and I get the feeling that our minister is doing everything he can to conceal from us the character of God. He’s afraid that if he really opened up the Scriptures and proclaimed the character of God as He is portrayed in the Bible, people would leave the church because they would be uncomfortable in the presence of the Holy.” Moses wasn’t the first person to hide his face in the presence of God. That started in the garden of Eden, with the flight into hiding by Adam and Eve, who were ashamed.

So Moses asked, “Who are you? What’s your name—if you even have a name?” God had already revealed Himself as “the God of your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (see Ex. 3:6). Moses knew that; he wanted to know God’s name.

In 1963, on national television, David Frost interviewed Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the famous militant atheist. Frost debated with O’Hair about the existence of God. As she was getting angrier and more frustrated, Frost decided to settle the debate in the classic American way: by taking a vote. He put it to the studio audience, saying, in effect, “How many of you people out there [about thirty people were there] believe in some kind of God, some kind of higher power, something greater than yourself?” Everyone raised their hands. O’Hair essentially responded, “What do you expect from the uneducated masses? These people haven’t grown out of their intellectual infancy; they’re still brainwashed from the culture and this mythology of God.” She went on insulting everybody in the studio audience.

That’s not what I expected her to do. I thought she would turn to the audience and say, “You believe in some kind of higher power, in something greater than yourself. Let me ask you: How many of you believe in Yahweh, the God of the Bible? The God who demands that you have no other gods in front of Him? The God who sends men, women, and children to hell forever, and condemns people because they don’t believe in this mythical Jesus?” I wonder how the vote would have changed if the question had been asked with more clarity. It’s almost an institution in our culture to describe God as a higher power, a force, something greater than ourselves. But what is that higher power? Gravity? Lightning? Earthquakes? The trouble with a nebulous, nameless, characterless power is that, first, it is impersonal, and second and more importantly, it is amoral. There’s an upside and a downside to worshiping such a higher power. The upside, to a sinner, is that an impersonal, amoral force makes no ethical demands on anyone. Gravity does not make judgment about people’s behavior; even if someone should jump out of a window six stories high, there is no personal condemnation from gravity. No one’s conscience is seared by gravity. If your higher power is impersonal and amoral, that gives you a license to behave any way you want with impunity.

The downside, however, is that there is nobody home. This belief means that there is no personal God, no Redeemer. What kind of a salvific relationship can you have with thunder? Thunder makes noise, booming through the sky—but in terms of content, it’s mute. There is no revelation, no hope offered. Thunder and gravity have never been able to forgive any sin.

In God’s answer to Moses, we see a contrast to this impersonal force. He didn’t say, “It is what it is,” which seems to be the name of false gods of our day. He said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). This name is related to God’s personal name, Yahweh. So the very first thing that God reveals about Himself in that name is that He is personal. He can see; He can hear; He can know; He can speak. He can relate to the creatures He made in His own image. He is the God who brought up His people out of the land of Egypt. He is a God with a name and a history.

Many years ago, I taught a college course on theology, and we were studying the names of God. I was trying to illustrate the significance of the names of God, and what they reveal about God’s character. Just before class, a girl, whom I’ll call Mary, walked into the room in a strange, somewhat awkward manner—so that anyone could see the glittering diamond ring on her left hand. I said, “Mary, are you engaged?” She pointed to a man in the back room and said, “Yes, to John.” I said, “Congratulations. When you say you’re going to marry him, I assume you love him—is that a safe assumption?” She said, “Yes.”

I said, “Why do you love him?” She said, “Because he’s so handsome.” I said, “Yes, he is very good looking. But look at Bill—he was the escort to the homecoming queen this year. Don’t you think he’s good looking?” She said, “Yes, Bill’s very handsome.” I said, “There must be something else about John, besides the fact that he’s handsome.” She said, “He’s also athletic.” I said, “Yes, he’s good. But Bill’s the captain of the basketball team. Why don’t you love Bill instead of John?” She was starting to get frustrated, and said, “John’s so intelligent.” I said, “He is a very good student. Of course, Bill is probably going to be the valedictorian of the class. So, Mary, there has to be something else about John that distinguishes him from Bill in your eyes—something unique to him, that causes you to have this great affection. What is it about him that makes you love him so much?

She became almost upset and said, “I love him because . . . I love him because—I love him because he’s John.” And I said, “There you go. When you want to focus on the crystalized essence of who He is, and what He means in terms of your relationship and personal history with Him, it all comes back to His name.

I turned to the class and explained, “That’s why, when we look at God, we know His name is wonderful. In that name, He reveals manifold things about the excellency of His being and the perfections of His character. And that’s why the saints of old, if we asked, ‘Tell us everything you know about God,’ they would finally say, ‘Yahweh—I AM WHO I AM.’”

This excerpt is adapted from Moses and the Burning Bush by R.C. Sproul.

Living as Christians in a Pluralistic Society

How can Christians live faithfully in a society that is becoming increasingly intolerant toward us? In this brief clip, W. Robert Godfrey examines the solution Abraham Kuyper posed to several of the problems we face in the Western world today.

Transcript:

One of the issues we as Christians are constantly being confronted with today is, “How can you claim to know the only truth, how can you claim to serve the only God and still survive in a pluralistic society? Aren’t you necessarily, Christians, theocrats? Don’t you necessarily want to persecute everybody who disagrees with you?” I think the brilliance of Kuyper is to say, “Here is a way forward where we do not compromise our commitments to truth, but we find a way to develop a pluralistic society where we can live with one another without violating one another’s conscience, without violating one another’s abilities to live according to truth.” I think if we were more Kuyperian in America in our thinking, we would be safe from some of our problems. He thought America was wonderful, but in his analysis, he said, “The polar opposite today in Western society,” meaning the late 19th century, “is this tendency to the authoritative, tyrannical state on the one hand or utterly radical individualism on the other hand.” Part of what we see in America today is a radical individualism that is increasingly becoming intolerant. Because it’s an individualism that says you can’t have your own schools, you can’t have your own families, and you can’t have your own religion. You have to function in a society where every individual is equally respected in every institution. I think Kuyper had an antidote for that, too. You know, if you want to raise your children in a certain radically liberal mental state, you could have schools for that. But leave our schools alone; leave our children alone. And so, Kuyper, I think, is the great modern thinker in his ability to encourage us to a genuinely tolerant pluralistic society in which there is freedom and at the same time in which Christians are free to build the schools and the institutions that they need.

What Does "Sola Scriptura" Mean?

The final answer to any question is “What does the Bible have to say about this?” From one of our Ask Ligonier events, Derek Thomas explains the meaning of the doctrine of “sola Scriptura.”

To ask a biblical or theological question, just visit ask.Ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.

Read the Transcript

Explaining the Universal Phenomenon of Religion

Have you ever wondered why there's a universal phenomenon of religion? You can go anywhere on the globe and you'll find evidence of cultic practices of sacrifice. Why is that? I suggest that it is because the original program and prescription for the worship of the living God was sacrifice. Adam told it to Cain, Abel, and Seth. Seth told it to Enoch, and he told it to his sons and they to their sons and so on. It was taught to Abraham. It was taught to Isaac. It was taught to Jacob. It was taught to Joseph. It was taught to Moses. It was also taught to Ishmael and to Esau, and so the idea of the requirement of sacrifice in faith pervaded the whole human race.

But today the need for sacrifices to be made in faith is forgotten—we hear that it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you're sincere. In fact, the basic requirement of sacrifice is unknown—it doesn't matter what your religious practices are. It doesn't matter what you worship. It only matters that you do worship. It's said that the Jews worship God in their way, the Muslims worship God in their way, the Buddhists worship in their way. The unspoken assumption is God is obligated to receive, honor, and respect any kind of worship that people bring.

God didn't respect all of the worship in Genesis 4. He had no respect for the worship of Cain. And Cain responded in anger when he saw that his worship was unacceptable to God. A faithful man, a righteous man, would have said, "O my God. I'm heartily sorry for having sinned against You. Teach me Your statutes, O Lord, show me the more excellent way. Change my heart, so that the offering that I bring You next Sabbath day will honor you. I'm glad, at least, Holy Father, that You were pleased with my brother's offering. Father, give me an attitude by which I can learn from my brother, because my brother lives by faith and is trying to obey You." But that was not Cain's response.

In reality, that is never the response of the godless to the godly. Which of the prophets did they not kill? Which of the reformers in church history was not despised by the organized church? Like Cain, who rose up and slew his brother Abel, wicked churches have spilled the blood of true Christians. In fact, it was the church that rose up to kill Jesus because He did not respect their sacrifices.

$5 Friday (And More): Assurance, Grace, & Sola Scriptura

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week’s resources include such topics as assurance, grace, sola scriptura, salvation, John Calvin, Martin Luther, 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:

Found: God’s Peace, Experience True Freedom from Anxiety in Every Circumstance by John MacArthur, Paperback book $5 $3
Martin Luther's 95 Theses with Stephen Nichols, Paperback book $4 $3
Remembering God: December 2016 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
Addictions: August 2016 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
The Eighteenth Century: July 2018 Tabletalk , Magazine $3 $1
Famine in the Land by Steven Lawson, Paperback book $13 $9
Assured By God: Living in the Fullness of God's Grace by Burk Parsons, Paperback book $16 $10
Abortion with R.C. Sproul, DVD collection $30 $15
Tough Questions Christians Face: 2010 National Conference , DVD collection $75 $15
The Next 500 Years: 2017 National Conference , DVD collection $75 $10
Foundations of Grace: Old Testament with Steven Lawson, CD collection $36 $15
Standing Firm: 2012 Seattle West Coast Conference , CD collection $45 $15
Bride of Christ with R.C. Sproul, CD collection $31 $15
The Moment of Truth with Steven Lawson, Audiobook CD $20 $10
Welcome to a Reformed Church with Daniel Hyde, Audiobook CD $13 $10
Moses and the Burning Bush by R.C. Sproul, Hardcover (Spanish) $10 $7
The Doctrines of Grace in John with Steven Lawson, Study guide $15 $8

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

View today’s $5 Friday sale items.

Special Father’s Day Sale

This Father’s Day, save on a gift for Dad that will equip him as a disciple of Christ. For the next week, select teaching series, books, study Bibles, and more have been discounted up to 60%.

Browse our sale collection today and find gifts to help a father in your life deepen his understanding of God’s Word and lead his family faithfully.

This sale ends on June 20, so order your gifts now and save. If a friend or someone at your church is also looking for gift recommendations, remember to tell them about these discounted resources while supplies last.

 

The Word of God as a Means of Grace

Here’s an excerpt from The Word of God as a Means of Grace, Robert VanDoodewaard's contribution to the June issue of Tabletalk:

We sometimes hear of talented athletes, artists, or authors who are considered underrated. Despite their abilities, their work is neglected, and they have not been given their due. The popularity and success of less-talented people baffles us, and we wonder why our culture is so fixated on superficiality and empty celebrity. We should, however, consider that a far more unreasonable pattern has played out in this world: the very Word of God has become underrated. As Christians, we ought to stand firm in treasuring the Word of God, which He uses as the primary means for the creation and edification of His church.

Continue reading The Word of God 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.

Strength for the Weary by Derek Thomas: Yours for a Gift of Any Amount

Life in this world is not easy. Trials and sorrows strike against us like waves, threatening to knock us from our feet. Where can we find strength to press on when everything seems to be going wrong and we are weighed down with grief?

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isa. 40:1). These words open the second half of the book of Isaiah, sometimes called the “Book of Comfort.” When His people endured a time of great suffering and hardship, the Lord reminded them that “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isa. 40:29). As believers today are tempted to despair in a fallen world, the words of our Father provide security and hope. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). Christians find strength in the promises of God.

To thank you for your donation of any amount to Ligonier’s global outreach this month, we will send you Strength for the Weary by Derek Thomas. This book takes us through the words of comfort found in the final chapters of Isaiah, laying out the remarkable promises that the Lord makes to His people. In these pages, find consolation amid the struggles of life and encouragement for the road ahead. The God of Comfort has promised to be with His people always.

By God’s grace, your gift today will help weary Christians around the world find strength in the promises of God and live faithfully for Jesus Christ. Thank you for your gift.

 

The Triumph of Christ

Many of the debates about how to interpret Revelation 20 have obscured its most important message. From his new teaching series Blessed Hope, W. Robert Godfrey explores the encouraging implications of Christ’s triumph over the evil one.

Transcript:

"And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." The end of the dragon. The end of the dragon. He was strong and he was weak, but the final word: he is destroyed. He is condemned. That's the judgment here, the final judgment that we see. So, this is a powerful picture, isn't it? It's a powerful representation that the Lord is in charge of history, that even when we're weak, we're strong. Even when time seems short, we have time. When time seems to drag on long forever, it won't be so long. The Lord's in charge. And the paradoxes help us think through the strangeness of our life before the glory is revealed. And so, this is really, in a variety of ways, I think, wonderfully encouraging to us. It's not that I really want to fight with other interpretations of Revelation 20. It's just that I fear we've missed the blessing too often by raising weird questions that don't really apply and missing the real point that's being made: that we reign with Christ now, and we have plenty of time to do our work, and the devil has hardly any time at all to do his. We're going to win. That's what Dennis Johnson said once, "What's the book of the Revelation all about? Jesus wins!" And we see that really wonderfully here.