R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 85

Columns from Tabletalk Magazine, April 2020

The April issue of Tabletalk examines several commonly misunderstood doctrines. Many people have observed that Christianity is a religion of orthodoxy, that our faith is centered more on what we believe than on what we do. As such, doctrinal discussion and teaching have always occupied an essential role in the Christian church. Over the centuries, believers have devoted themselves to the study of Scripture and the formulation of doctrines to help Christians properly understand the character of God and the nature of salvation. Despite the best efforts of many churches, pastors, and theologians, however, many Christian doctrines—especially doctrines prized in the Reformed tradition—continue to be misunderstood and misapplied by believers. This issue of Tabletalk seeks to help correct this problem by looking at several commonly misunderstood doctrines, defining them properly and explaining their proper application.

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. You can also purchase the issue or subscribe to get the print issue every month.

Indifference to Doctrine by Burk Parsons
Sola Scriptura by Chad Van Dixhoorn
Limited Atonement by Jonathan Gibson
Predestination and Human Actions by James N. Anderson
Paedobaptism by Guy M. Richard
Ministerial and Declarative Authority by Jon D. Payne
Church Membership by Roland Barnes
The Intermediate State by Kim Riddlebarger
Cessationism by Robert Rothwell
A Heavenly Vision by Stafford Carson
Rearing Your Children for Success by Michael E. Osborne
Living Out a Healthy Fear of the Lord by Andrew M. Davis
Intersectionality and the Church by Rosaria Butterfield

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What Was God's Purpose in the Cross?

The doctrine of limited atonement (also known as "definite atonement" or "particular redemption") says that the atonement of Christ was limited (in its scope and aim) to the elect; Jesus did not atone for the sins of everybody in the world. In my denomination, we examine young men going into the ministry, and invariably somebody will ask a student, "Do you believe in limited atonement?" The student will respond by saying, "Yes, I believe that the atonement of Christ is sufficient for all and efficient for some," meaning the value of Christ's death on the cross was great enough to cover all of the sins of every person that ever lived, but that it applies only to those who put their faith in Christ. However, that statement doesn't get at the real heart of the controversy, which has to do with God's purpose in the cross.

There are basically two ways in which to understand God's eternal plan. One understanding is that, from all eternity, God had a desire to save as many people as possible out of the fallen human race, so He conceived a plan of redemption by which He would send His Son into the world as the sin-bearer for fallen people. Jesus would go to the cross and die for all who would at some point put their trust in him. So the plan was provisional—God provided atonement for all who take advantage of it, for all who believe. The idea is that Jesus died potentially for everybody, but that it is theoretically possible that the whole thing was in vain because every last person in the world might reject the work of Jesus and choose to remain dead in their trespasses and sins. Thus, God's plan could be frustrated because nobody might take advantage of it. This is the prevailing view in the church today—that Jesus died for everybody provisionally. In the final analysis, whether salvation happens depends on each individual person.

The Reformed view understands God's plan differently. It says that God, from all eternity, devised a plan that was not provisional. It was a plan "A" with no plan "B" to follow if it didn't work. Under this plan, God decreed that He would save a certain number of people out of fallen humanity, people whom the Bible calls the elect. In order for that plan of election to work out in history, He sent His Son into the world with the specific aim and design to accomplish redemption for the elect. This was accomplished perfectly, without a drop of the blood of Christ being wasted. Everyone whom the Father chose for salvation will be saved through the atonement.

The implication of the non-Reformed view is that God doesn't know in advance who is going to be saved. For this reason, there are theologians today saying, "God saves as many people as He possibly can." How many people can God save? How many people does He have the power to save? If He is really God, He has the power to save all of them. How many people does He have the authority to save? Cannot God intervene in anyone's life, just as He did in Moses' life, Abraham's life, or the apostle Paul's life, to bring them into a saving relationship with Him? He certainly has the right to do that.

We cannot deny that the Bible speaks about Jesus dying for "the world." John 3:16 is the premier example of a verse that uses this language. But there is a counterbalancing perspective in the New Testament, including John's Gospel, that tells us Jesus laid down His life not for everyone but for His sheep. Here in John's Gospel, Jesus speaks about His sheep as those whom the Father has given Him.

In John 6, we see that Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (v. 44a), and the word translated as "draws" properly means "compels." Jesus also said in that chapter, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me" (v. 37a). His point was that everyone whom the Father designed to come to His Son would come, and no one else. Thus, your salvation, from start to finish, rests on the sovereign decree of God, who decided, in His grace, to have mercy on you, not because of anything He saw in you that demanded it, but for the love of the Son. The only reason I can give under heaven why I'm a Christian is because I'm a gift of the Father to the Son, not because of anything I've ever done or could do.

This excerpt is taken from R.C. Sproul's commentary on John.

God Himself Will Provide the Sacrifice

Before Abraham could do the unthinkable, the Lord provided the sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son. In this classic clip, R.C. Sproul dramatically retells the story of Abraham and Isaac to teach us about the ultimate sacrifice God has provided in His Son.

Transcript

But that dog and I were inseparable from that day forth. I mean, when I would lecture, Hosanna would be by my feet. He would sleep at my side when I would lecture. If I would walk out of the room, he would walk out of the room. If I went to the woods, he went with me.

It was an incredible animal—gentle, loving, strong. When he was about two-and-a-half years old, he had a convulsion. And I took him to the vet, and I said, "He had this terrible convulsion," and the vet examined him and, didn't know what, gave him some medication. The next day, he had another convulsion. The next day, another convulsion. The day after that, two convulsions. And then he started having three, four, five, six convulsions in a day. And the vet tried every medicine that he knew of. He said, "R.C., the only thing I can think of is that we're getting a final reaction to the damage to the dog's brain from the original snakebite." And now, with the degree of medication required for this animal to be able to even function, it was so debilitating that he was in a pathetic state. And the vet said, "The only humane thing to do, to use the euphemism, is to put this dog to sleep." I brought him home. I said, "I have to talk to the kids. I have to talk to Vesta." We talked about it, and Vesta and I agreed that the dog had to be put to sleep.

I said, "We're going to have to take him to the vet." And she said, "Well, will you take him to the vet tomorrow?" I said, "Honey, I can't take that dog, my dog, and put him in my car and drive ten minutes to the veterinarian, knowing that I'm taking him to his death. If that dog looked at me from the side on the seat, I'd go drive right off the road. I can't do that.” I said, "Look, some day this week—don't tell me what day it is—have one of the students here at the study center when I least expect it—have the student take the dog, and tell me when it's done." And three days later, I came home and Vesta met me. She said, "Hosie's dead. I had a student take him to the vet." That was my dog. It wasn't my son. See, I couldn't take my dog, who was in misery, who was going to die anyway, in a car for 15 minutes to be mercifully killed. God asked Abraham to take his son, his only son, the son whom he loved, Isaac, and personally journey with him for three days while the child was robust, full of health, not in any life-suffering or -threatening disease, and by his own hand he was to kill him. Christians, think about that!

On the third day, Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. And Abraham said to his young men, “You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go yonder, and we will worship and return to you.”

So, the two of them walked on together, and there they came to the place which God had told him, and Abraham built the altar, arranged the wood, delaying to the last possible second giving away. Isaac's helping him build the altar. Isaac's still looking around for this lamb that's going to be supplied. Abraham's building the altar. Abraham's stacking the wood. I can see Isaac handing his father pieces of the wood to put up on the altar. And once he puts them up, then Abraham says, "Come here, Isaac." And he picks up his son and he puts him on the altar, and he takes out the cords and the ropes, and he binds him to the altar.

And just as Abraham is ready to bring the knife down into the chest of his son, we read that the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven had said, "Abraham, Abraham!" Abraham stops right there and says, "Here I am," like "Where have you been?" "Here I am." And the angel said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad. Do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." And then Abraham raised his eyes and he looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering unto the Lord. And Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord Will Provide." Mount Moriah, where is it? According to current archaeology, Mount Moriah was a place in the south part of Palestine that later was changed, and its name was called Jerusalem or Mount Zion. The historic place where Abraham offered Isaac is now considered to be the site of the Dome of the Rock in the old city of Jerusalem. Two thousand years later on this same mountain, God took His Son, His only Son, the Son whom he loved: Jesus. And He took Him to that same mountain, and He fastened Him to a vertical altar of sacrifice. But this time, ladies and gentlemen, nobody hollered, "Stop!" God brought the knife into the heart of His only begotten Son, fulfilling, in blood, in time, and in space, the promise that was dramatized and symbolized by the test of Abraham's child of promise. God said, "Abraham, I will provide the sacrifice.”

Resources to Serve You During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Coronavirus. It’s a word that will likely remain etched in each of our minds for years to come. With this word comes a daily reminder of the threat that the virus poses. These are uncertain times outside and inside the church. Congregations around the globe are experiencing significant constraints on their ability to gather corporately and in small groups. In Ligonier’s 50-year history as a ministry, we’ve seen nothing like this. Yet, church history reveals time and time again that Christians of conviction must rise above their circumstances—big or small—for the sake of the gospel to the glory of God.

Ligonier seeks to be the first to serve Christians around the world who are being awakened to the holiness of God. By God’s merciful provision of Dr. Sproul’s vision and the generosity of supporters like you, we are able to make many of our online outreaches even more available in order to serve churches and Christians around the world during this unprecedented moment.

Recently, we unlocked Ligonier’s entire teaching series library with over 2,500 lectures and more than 1,000 hours of teaching. These messages will remain free to stream through at least June 30. Stream any series on Ligonier’s website or on the Ligonier app. Our app is available in the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as on Google Play for your phone or tablet. You can also get it on Amazon and Roku. Just visit Ligonier.org/app or search for “Ligonier” in your app store to begin.

During this time, we have also enabled you to freely download the digital study guides that accompany many of our teaching series. Just add a digital study guide to your online cart and visit checkout with no required payment. Digital study guides allow you to dig even deeper into your study and share what you are learning online with others in your community.

In place of this year’s National Conference, we hosted a special live online event, Made in the Image of God, on March 19. Over 100,000 people viewed the livestream as our Teaching Fellows and several guest teachers considered the reality that we have been created in God’s image. They also discussed the radical implications of the image of God for the unprecedented days in which we are living. You can watch each session from this event for free on our YouTube channel or in the Ligonier app.

Study groups at Ligonier Connect are now also free. To help you stay connected online with friends and church members, you can create your own private online classroom and invite friends to take any course in our library together. You can set a schedule for completing the group course, track the progress of your classmates, and receive notification if they ask any questions along the way. Creating a group is easy, and we’ll guide you through the process. Invite your friends and start learning together today.

Have an Amazon Prime account? We’ve made 20+ teaching series available to Prime members through June 30. This includes all seventy-three messages of Dr. W. Robert Godfrey’s monumental series A Survey of Church History, plus numerous other series.

Do you subscribe to our free podcasts? Choose from several unique programs to help you grow in the truth of God. Study Scripture every day on Renewing Your Mind, travel back in time on 5 Minutes in Church History, build your theological vocabulary with Simply Put, and much more. Now, you can also hear trustworthy answers to your biblical and theological questions with our newest podcast, Ask Ligonier. Simply search for “Ligonier Ministries” in your favorite podcast app.

You can also listen anytime, every day to RefNet, our online Christian radio station. Each day features a fresh playlist of trustworthy teaching, Bible readings, music, and much more. Listen online, download the five-star app, or try our updated RefNet Skill with Amazon Alexa. Just enable the skill and say, “Alexa, start RefNet.”

If you don’t subscribe already, try Tabletalk, our monthly magazine dedicated to helping believers grow in Christ. With articles from pastors, scholars, and teachers, every issue of Tabletalk focuses on something different. Each issue contains feature articles, daily Bible studies, and columns touching on biblical, theological, and practical themes to help strengthen and encourage you in your faith. Your trial also gives you full access to our online library at TabletalkMagazine.com. No credit card information is required to begin your trial, so there’s no risk. This month’s issue, on the providential topic of fear, is also free to read online.

You can also get Tabletalk for your church or Bible study for only $1 per issue. When you request five or more issues each month, you’ll automatically receive this special bulk subscription discount. This is an easy and affordable way to equip your friends, family, and church members to go deeper in their Bible study. Just visit GetTabletalk.com/group, select the number of issues you want each month, and enter your name and address.

We hope these outreaches will serve you, your family, and your church as you seek to steward this unique season well for your own spiritual growth and the discipleship of others. We encourage you to share this page so that even more people can benefit from these resources.

All of Ligonier’s gospel outreach is made possible by the generous support of donors. Thank you for helping to proclaim the holiness of God to people around the world.

 

R.C. Sproul’s Library of Resources in Spanish Continues to Grow

Dr. R.C. Sproul often challenged the Ligonier team to have an increasingly global focus for the ministry. After all, the need for people to know God and His holiness is universal, spanning all ages, cultures, and locations. Two years ago, we launched the Spanish edition of Renewing Your Mind as part of Ligonier’s outreach to the Spanish-speaking world. And today, we’re pleased to announce that two of Dr. Sproul’s beloved children’s books are now available in Spanish.

Thanks to a generous donation from our Latin American partner organization, Planted, The Priest with Dirty Clothes and The Prince’s Poison Cup have been translated into Spanish and are available now. In addition to being available for purchase, more than 1,000 copies of each title will be distributed for free to Spanish-speaking families in Latin America and the United States.

Both of these titles get to the heart of the gospel. In La copa envenenada del Príncipe (The Prince’s Poison Cup), Dr. Sproul instructs readers of all ages about the price Jesus paid to accomplish the redemption of His people, taking the curse of sin and the wrath of God upon Himself in their place. In El sacerdote de los ropajes sucios (The Priest with Dirty Clothes), Dr. Sproul provides an accessible explanation of the doctrine of imputation, the exchange of our sin for Christ’s righteousness in God’s gracious act of justification.

These titles were carefully chosen for their emphasis on the saving work of Christ. They are excellent resources to share with those who know the Lord as well as those who do not. We share our excitement with a friend of Ligonier from the Dominican Republic, who expressed his eagerness to see these books used by families:

“What a joy it is to know that these children’s titles are available for children throughout the Spanish-speaking world. It will be a great blessing for them to be exposed to the most profound truths of the Word through simple stories adapted specifically for them. This is a wonderful way to make the gospel known to the next generation.”

Both of Dr. Sproul’s translated titles can serve as a tool in your own outreach or as significant gifts for parents seeking to bring up their children in “the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). You can find both books in our store. We encourage you to pray that the Lord will use this translation project, especially the distribution of both books to Spanish-speaking families, to awaken people of all ages to His holiness and grace.

These newly translated resources are only one part of our expanding dedicated outreach in Spanish. To learn more about how Ligonier is serving Spanish speakers around the world and how you can help us reach even more people, visit this link.

 

Fear of Being Alone

Here’s an excerpt from Fear of Being Alone, Jayne Clark's contribution to the March issue of Tabletalk:

This morning, I heard on the radio that a fifty-year-old man had been found dead in his apartment. That news was sad enough, but what made it even more tragic was that he had been dead for three years. Three years! For some of us, that news report expressed our greatest fear—dying alone and forgotten.

But though death may rouse the greatest fear of being alone, this fear takes many forms and is not limited to later in life. It can start much earlier. Will I find anyone to sit with in the school cafeteria? Will I have anyone to talk to at the party? Will I ever find someone to spend my life with? Who can I designate as the person to call in case of an emergency? What will happen to me if my marriage falls apart? Will anyone ever visit me if I end up in a nursing home?

These are real questions, genuine concerns, and as hard as they may be to deal with on their own, we sometimes find that they are pointing to even deeper fears. For some, it implies that “I’m not worth knowing” or “I’m so boring or depressed, no one wants to be around me. I’m such a loser.” For others who feel disconnected or isolated, it reflects a belief that they don’t “fit in” anywhere. Still others, vulnerable from bereavement or betrayal, find themselves caught between the prospect of being hurt again and the prospect of ending up alone.

Continue reading Fear of Being Alone, 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.

How Are You Praying through the Crisis Surrounding the Coronavirus (Covid-19)?

The spread of COVID-19 should drive us to our knees in prayer. From our livestream event Made in the Image of God, Burk Parsons discusses how he has been praying through this global crisis.

Just

Dealing with Death and Disease

“I see a spot we need to keep an eye on.” Cancer. It wasn’t a diagnosis that I ever expected to hear as a young man about to start a family. Immediately, my mind filled with questions: How will I tell my wife? How will she manage if I die? What will the treatment cost? Am I ready to die?

There were no words in the immediate aftermath. It helped that the cancer with which I’d been diagnosed has a 95 percent cure rate, but I’d be lying if I said that eliminated my worries. A 95 percent cure rate isn’t a 100 percent cure rate. Would I be part of the “unlucky” few? How would it be possible to maintain a straight face and tell my wife that “everything’s going to be all right” when I had no control over that? Sometimes things don’t turn out all right—at least in the short term.

As scary as that moment was, it pales in comparison to what I felt when I heard the news my wife and I received just after our fourth child was born a little over two years ago. “Your son has Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects one in one hundred thousand people. We don’t know what this means for him yet. He will certainly have developmental delays, but his prognosis could be anything from a normal life to severe mental and physical limitations to death.” I’m paraphrasing a bit here, for the doctors did not say things so matter-of-factly. But it was the most frightening moment of my life. How were we ever going to handle this?

People die every day. Babies, teenagers, young mothers, middle-age fathers, the elderly—death is no respecter of persons. It’s not exactly true that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. You can avoid taxes. If you’re willing to put up with jail time, you need not pay the tax man. Death, on the other hand, is certain. Apart from those who are living when the Savior returns to consummate His kingdom, no one gets out of this world alive. And long before we breathe our last, all of us are going to face disease and watch friends and family suffer, or even suffer ourselves. Right now, as I am updating this article, the whole world is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Death and disease are very much on everyone’s mind.

Why do we fear death so much? For non-Christians, the answer is easy. No matter how they suppress the truth in unrighteousness, whether by atheism, agnosticism, or false religion, they can’t escape their God-given awareness that they’ve broken His law and deserve hell.

Christians also fear death and disease. Of course, we know that we’re not supposed to, and we’d never tell anyone that we harbor such fears. Certainly, we know all the right things to say about death: God is sovereign. He has a good purpose in my pain. The Lord can teach and sanctify my family, friends, and me through the process of suffering and dying. Often, however, we say these things because we “have to” and not because we’re fully convinced. I’ve been guilty of that.

Believers don’t fear death and disease for the same reasons as non-Christians because we know Christ has a home for us in heaven (John 14:1–3). Instead, we fear losing control. We insure ourselves against property loss. We order our days so that we are most productive. By and large, we enjoy happy and fulfilling relationships by listening to others and giving of ourselves. But despite our best efforts, we can’t keep death and disease away.

We also fear suffering. Nobody wants a terminal illness. Nobody wants chronic pain. Nobody wants to lose his mental faculties. Nobody wants to see a friend, parent, child, or grandparent endure surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or any other drastic measure to keep that person alive.

In many ways, it’s right to fear death and suffering. Since God made the universe “very good” (Gen. 1:1–2:4), death and disease are intruders. They’re here because of sin, and they’ll be gone in the new heavens and earth. Until then, however, we must live with our fear of death and disease. How can we glorify God in so doing?

I can’t give all the answers, but I hope to offer some help. First, we should know why we fear death and disease. If you fear death because you are not reconciled to God, then you must be reconciled today by trusting in Christ alone. In so trusting, you will stand clothed in Jesus’ perfect righteousness before the Judge of all, and He will welcome you into His kingdom. He has promised to give eternal life to all who believe in Jesus.

Second, admit your fears to God and others. I don’t know all the reasons why the Lord allows us to suffer. I do know that He uses our pain to conform us to Christ. Confessing our fears gives people the opportunity to pray for us and encourage us to keep our eyes on Jesus, not our suffering. It allows us to bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).

Third, help make your church a place where people can admit their fears honestly. Talk to your leaders about what you can do to create a church culture where people can find help if they or someone they love is facing the specter of death and disease. Help with bereavement support groups, take meals to suffering families—there’s no end to what can be done. During our trial with our youngest son, our church, Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., has been exceptional at this. Pastors and elders have prayed with us and have visited us in the hospital. Deacons have offered practical and financial assistance. In particular, I want to highlight the women in the congregation who have brought us meals when our son has had surgery and hospital stays and have even provided childcare when our extended family (who have also been incredible) was unavailable. A group of them, on their own initiative and without our asking, even organized themselves and cleaned our house during the worst of it. The support and care that the body of Christ offers its hurting members is a gift to help us endure gloomy days.

Fourth, trust God’s sovereignty. Death and disease don’t surprise Him. He’s numbered our days (Ps. 139:16), so He’s always accomplishing His good purposes for us.

Finally, meditate on God’s promises until they become part of your very soul. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18). “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). These words of life comfort us in dark days.

Ten years and four children later, I’m cancer-free. After many surgeries and with more on the way, our youngest son is developing well. Though there remain many unknowns, he appears to have one of the least severe cases of his syndrome. But death still lies ahead for me and for us all. Let us face our fear of it with courage, because Jesus has already faced death for us and won.

The Declining Influence of Christianity in the 19th-Century West

While many Western people remained committed Christians in the 19th century, many of the most influential individuals did not. From his teaching series A Survey of Church History, W. Robert Godfrey examines the impact of this religious decline on our own culture today.

Transcript:

Already at the beginning of the 19th century, there was a sense that Christianity’s future was problematic. In 1799, a still relatively young German pastor gave a series of lectures that were later published with the title “On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers.” That’s very interesting, that a young preacher would think Christianity was so under attack by the intellectual elites in Germany, and more broadly in Europe, that he decided to try to address that forthrightly with this series of addresses, “On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers.” That points out an important thing that we see as we go along in the 19th and 20th century: that Christianity will remain in many places strong and influential among what we might call more “common people,” but with declining influence amongst the “power brokers”—the intellectual power brokers, the political power brokers. We don’t have to stretch our imaginations very far to understand that, because we see that in our world today, don’t we? Vast sections of America are still religious, are still churchgoing, are still pious, and are still Bible-believing. But the cultural elites in America—those who control the universities, those who control public media—these people, by and large, are not interested in that and are not convinced of the importance of that.

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