R.C. Sproul's Blog, page 94

The Centerpiece of God’s Saving Purpose in the Universe

The doctrines of grace are a cohesive system of theology in which the sovereignty of God is clearly displayed in the salvation of elect sinners. Not only is God acknowledged to reign over all of human history, both micro and macro, but He is also seen to be sovereign in the dispensing of His saving grace. From Genesis to Revelation, God is emphatically represented in Scripture as being absolutely determinative in bestowing His mercy. He is shown as choosing before the foundation of the world those whom He will save and then, within time, bringing it to pass.

The Apostle Paul clearly announced God’s sovereign grace in man’s salvation. He wrote that, from eternity, God chose, willed, decided, and planned to save some sinners. To elect is to choose, and God chose who would be saved. Paul wrote: “For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Rom. 9:15–16). “This is to say, God decides whom He will save in order to display His glory: “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Eph. 1:4–5); “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” (1 Thess. 1:4); “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13); God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Tim. 1:9); and “Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect” (Titus 1:1).

The Apostle Peter and John taught precisely the same supreme authority of God in the salvation of His elect. Peter wrote: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1); and “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). The Apostle John wrote: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come” (Rev. 17:8).

In this system of theology, the glory of God is central. As every planet revolves around the blazing sun, every truth of sovereign grace rotates around this one fixed point—the glory of God. The unrivaled pre-eminence of God stands at the focal point of this theological universe. That God is to be the chief object of praise in the display of His grace is what energizes this solar system of truth. As the compass always points north, so the doctrines of grace constantly point upward toward the lofty heights of the glory of God.

What is God’s glory? The Bible speaks of God’s glory in two primary ways. First, there is the intrinsic glory of God, which is the sum total of all His divine perfections and attributes. It is who God is—His infinitely vast greatness. Glory in the Old Testament kabod originally meant “heaviness,” “importance,” or “significance.” It came to represent the stunning magnificence of certain objects, such as the blazing sun or the regal majesty displayed by a king. Hence, glory came to be used to describe the magnificent splendor and awesome radiance of God Himself revealed to man. In the New Testament, the word for “glory” is doxa, which means “an opinion” or “an estimate” of something. When used of someone’s reputation, it means “importance,” “greatness,” “renown,” or “significance.” God’s intrinsic glory is the revelation of the greatness of His divine attributes to His creatures. It involves God’s greatness and grandeur being manifested to sinners, especially in the salvation of man from sin. No one can add anything to God’s intrinsic glory. God is who He is, never diminishing, never increasing, forever the same, the sovereign Ruler, all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, all-true, allwise, loving, grace-giving, merciful, righteous, and wrathful. It is this intrinsic glory that God delights in making known to His creatures.

Second, the Bible also speaks of the ascribed glory of God, or the glory that is given to Him. Doxa also has to do with expressing praise to God based upon the revelation of His supreme majesty. The only rightful response to the display of God’s perfections must be to give Him glory. Man must bring the praise due His name. Man must give the worship that belongs exclusively to Him. The display of God’s intrinsic glory causes man to give ascribed glory to God. The more man beholds God’s intrinsic glory in salvation, the more man ascribes glory to God.

This, then, is the centerpiece of God’s saving purpose in the universe—the revelation and magnification of His own glory. This is what is at the very center of God’s being—the passionate pursuit of displaying His own glory for His own glory. This is what should be at the center of every human life—the promotion of the glory of God, that is, beholding and adoring His glory. This is what is primary in the salvation of every lost sinner—the revealing of the glory of God so that sinners might rejoice in the glory of God. No wonder Paul writes: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).

This excerpt is taken from Foundations of Grace by Steven Lawson

$5 Friday (And More): Psalm 51, the Sermon on the Mount, & Predestination

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday sale. This week’s resources include such topics as Psalm 51, the Sermon on the Mount, predestination, George Whitefield, the doctrines of grace, the Holy Spirit, 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:

God’s Technology , DVD $15 $10 (Save 33%)
Pleasing God , DVD Collection $30 $12 (Save 60%)
Moses and the Burning Bush , DVD $48 $12 (Save 75%)
You Must Read , Paperback Book $18 $12 (Save 30%)
Just Do Something , Paperback Book $12 $8 (Save 30%)
The Great Commission , CD $24 $10 (Save 55%)
Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching , Hardcover Book $15 $8 (Save 45%)
Songs of the Reformation , CD Set $34 $15 (Save 55%)

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

View today’s $5 Friday sale items.

The Gospel Is Still the Answer

Praise God that the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the answer.

You can see this testimony throughout the Bible. Just look at Romans 1–2. The Apostle Paul sets up the problem to which the gospel is the answer by listing vices that demonstrate mankind’s descent into wickedness. Sexual perversion, gossip, slander, pride, unfaithfulness—no sin is left unexcused.

If he were ministering in our day, Paul could write these same words, couldn’t he? Almost every sin he points out we see celebrated on television, on social media, in corporate boardrooms, at universities, in government offices—and even in some churches. Human nature hasn’t changed in the past two thousand years. Apart from intervening grace, sin corrupts us to the core.

Dr. Sproul taught that we need to know the bad news before we can understand the good news. And what good news it is! The gospel is the answer. The book of Romans explains it. Though we are unrighteous sinners, the liberating truth is that the perfect righteousness we need is God’s gift to us that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:21–22).

The gospel is not a social program, a self-improvement seminar, or anything of that nature. The gospel is not merely about how to have your best life now. The gospel does not guarantee health or financial success in this life.

Here’s how R.C. said it:

“The gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did. And it also has a subjective dimension. How are the benefits of Jesus subjectively appropriated to us? How do I get it? The Bible makes it clear that we are justified not by our works, not by our efforts, not by our deeds, but by faith—and by faith alone.”

You can join with Ligonier Ministries this month as we proclaim, teach, and defend this message: God is holy, and we’re not. Trust Jesus Christ and His inerrant Word. Know God’s sovereign grace and rely on His powerful preservation of His people among all peoples.

One thing that always concerned R.C. was that so many Christians and churches seem to have lost their confidence in the gospel. In my discussions with the Ligonier Teaching Fellows and other faithful pastors and laypeople, I find that this concern continues to echo. It’s tragic because it’s through the gospel, and only through the gospel, that awakening to the truth of God and lasting reformation comes.

History proves this. For instance, how was the approved sexual ethic in the Roman Empire changed from God-dishonoring licentiousness to the godly commitment of one man to one woman for life? Through the faithful preaching of the gospel and the efforts of ordinary men and women to live out the gospel’s implications. The Christian faith transformed an entire worldview concerning the dignity of men and women, the importance of children, the sanctity of marriage, and many other issues—not by force, but by the gospel.

What this means is that right living is driven by right theology. What we believe about God changes everything. In his letter to Christians in Rome, Paul presents the gospel as the answer to sin and then explains what this means for Christian living. Dr. Sproul stressed that godliness begins with a right view of God, His holiness, and His grace. R.C. didn’t make that up. He got it straight from Paul and the rest of Scripture.

We’re at a critical moment in history. I think we all feel it. Everything seems to be up for grabs in the culture, even the most basic truths about gender and order that make it possible for a society to function. If believers aren’t equipped with the truth of the gospel and its application to all of life, they won’t be ready to stand firm in this hostile world, and they’ll be unable to extend hope to the millions of image bearers—men and women, boys and girls—who are being ravaged by the cultural confusion.

Ligonier Ministries stands firm on the truth of God’s Word, and that’s why we’re seeking to aggressively expand our global outreach and take the gospel to people of every age and walk of life. Online, in print, and over the airwaves, we’re proclaiming what truly matters and supporting the church in training others to do the same.

But we can’t do this without your support. To thank you for your gift to our worldwide Bible-teaching outreach this month, we’ll send you a special USB drive featuring R.C.’s sermon series on Romans preached at his home church. These audio messages explain why the gospel is still the answer, and we believe they’ll help you bring the gospel to bear on the problems you and those around you face.

What’s the answer to sin today? It’s the same as the answer in the first-century Roman Empire, namely, the gospel. We pray that Christians will cling to this beautiful truth and embrace it wholeheartedly so as to create thriving churches, families, and communities that grow in holiness, extend mercy to others, and point people to Jesus Christ. Your gift is vital for making this happen.

Thank you for supporting Ligonier this month.

Donate Now

P.S. God brought revival and reformation in the past as people grasped the gospel in the book of Romans. We believe He will do so again as people know and believe what Romans teaches. We’ll send you R.C.’s entire sermon series in Romans when you give a donation to help send trusted gospel teaching around the world. Thank you.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Here’s an excerpt from The Parable of the Rich Fool, Miguel Núñez's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk:

At the beginning of chapter 12 in the gospel of Luke, we find Jesus surrounded by many thousands of people as He warns them against the leaven of the Pharisees (v. 1). Immediately afterward, He continues with a second warning regarding whom to fear, saying:

I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (vv. 4–5)

And yet, there was a third warning from Jesus for every man and woman: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God” (vv. 8–9).

Continue reading The Parable of the Rich Fool, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

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The God of Peace

Not only does the Christian have peace with God, but he also has access to the peace of God. In this brief clip, H.B. Charles Jr. considers Isaiah 26:3, Romans 5:1, and Philippians 4:6-7.

Transcript:

What is peace? It is more than the absence of hostility and animosity and trouble. It is more than the absence of negative realities. The idea of peace in the Bible is wholeness and completeness and blessing and fulfillment. When in the Old Testament one would say to another, "Peace be with you," he is not saying merely, "I hope you don't get into a fight today." It is a positive statement of blessing. May God's help and strength and favor be yours. Peace be with you. The question is where does this peace come from? That's the emphasis here. He is saying that true peace comes only from God. God is the God of peace. Where there is God, there is peace. Where there is true peace, there is God. God is the source of peace. God is the substance of peace. God is the sustainer of peace. God is the supply of peace. Isaiah 26 verse 3, "You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you." The one who runs to the cross and trusts the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation is a beneficiary of peace with God says Romans 5:1. "Having been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sin makes us enemies of God but the blood of the righteousness of Christ brings peace with God. But not only does the Christian have peace with God, he has access to the peace of God. Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus." John Blanchard commented there that the peace of God is being grateful for past mercy, conscious of present mercy, and certain of future mercy. God is the God of peace.

Our King-Servant-Anointed Conqueror: Jesus

Behold my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights. (Isa. 42:1)

For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isa. 53:2–3)

There is no peace. . . for the wicked. (Isa. 48:22)

These startling words are not addressed to the heathen nations but to God’s covenant people. They describe the people’s condition after their return to the Promised Land from exile. They are a lament. The people have learned so little in their captivity. The reason for their exile is spelled out with a solemn indictment: they had sinned against the Lord, “in whose ways they would not walk, and whose law they would not obey” (Isa. 42:24). They returned to Jerusalem the way they had left it.

What Israel needed was salvation.

What Israel needed was a Savior. One who would come from “outside of themselves.” What Israel (Judah) needed was a Servant Savior who would do what she evidently could not do for herself.

This also is our need.

And God had good news for His rebellious people, news built upon His “covenant love” (hesed) for them. (Isa. 54:8, 10)

The prophecy of Isaiah made promises that were difficult to fulfill.

Chapters 2 and 11 depict a united, transformed world, but there is no sign of that when the exiled Hebrews return to the ruins of Jerusalem. Chapter 9 suggests a glorious David-like kingdom, but there is no sign of this reality on the horizon. Are these promises more like aspirations than certainties? Longings of what might have been rather than what actually did occur?

No, there is more than wishful thinking here. These promises find partial fulfillment in the dawning of the new covenant era: the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus; the significance of Pentecost; and the spread of the church from Jerusalem to “the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And to bring this larger canvas into reality, a Messiah-figure is promised. His depiction is threefold:

1. A King, like David, who will rule and reign over an expansive, worldwide kingdom (see Isa. 1:26–27; 7:14; 9:7; 11:1; 32:1–6; 33:17–24).

2. A Servant, depicted in four “songs” (Isa. 42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12). Twice, the servant is identified as Israel,5 but it is immediately apparent that she cannot be the sinless servant depicted in these songs. She has neither character nor desire to fulfill this role. On the other hand, the true servant is a revealer of truth, perfect, obedient, and explicitly, a substitutionary sin bearer who voluntarily dies and lives again to clothe His people with His own righteousness.

3. An anointed Conqueror. As Isaiah looks forward, he anticipates one who is anointed by the Spirit, engaging in both salvation and vengeance, blessing and cursing (see Isa. 59:21; 61:1–3; 61:10–62:7; 63:1–7).”

And it becomes increasingly clear that the Messiah will come for both the covenant community and the gentiles (the nations):

I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations. (Isa. 42:6)

We might have expected that this responsibility would have been fulfilled by the covenant people themselves. Had they not been told that their joyful obedience would lead the nations to say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people” (Deut. 4:6)? But, as we have seen, God’s people in Isaiah’s day are “blind” and “deaf” (Isa. 42:18–19; 43:8).

If not Israel, then who?

And the answer is another King-Servant-anointed Conqueror—Jesus. From the corridors of the eighth century BC, Isaiah saw the coming of Jesus who would bring redemption and restoration. This is why Isaiah is called “the evangelical prophet”—his entire focus is on the evangel, the “good news” of the gospel.

Good news for sinners like you and me.

This excerpt is adapted from Strength for the Weary by Derek Thomas.

No Other Gospel: A New Teaching Series from Derek Thomas

If you get the gospel wrong, you get everything wrong. In first-century Galatia, false teachers infiltrated the church, claiming that faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to be justified in God’s sight. Responding to this distortion of the gospel, the Apostle Paul wrote a passionate letter defending the doctrine of justification by faith alone, for he knew what was truly at stake.

In this new video teaching series, Dr. Derek Thomas walks us through the background, teaching, and importance of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. While false gospels drive people to despair, the true gospel frees us to rest in Christ alone for our salvation.

This teaching series is available now for purchase on DVD or CD, as a digital download, or as a Ligonier Connect course. A corresponding study guide is also available.

Fourteen 23-Minute Messages:

1. The Only Gospel
2. The Apostle’s Defense
3. Threats to the Gospel
4. Paul Opposes Peter
5. The Heart of Galatians
6. Law & Promise
7. Sons & Heirs
8. The Cost of Legalism
9. Set Free in Christ
10. Standing in Freedom
11. Walking by the Spirit
12. Gracious Restoration
13. Stewards of Grace
14. Boasting in the Cross

Watch This Brief Clip from Dr. Thomas:

Watch the First Message for Free:

 

Purchase Options:

Purchase on DVD ($48.60)

Purchase on CD ($32.40)

Download audio and video ($25.20)

Purchase the corresponding study guide ($12.00)

Enroll on Ligonier Connect ($9.00/month)

 

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Derek W.H. Thomas is senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and author of many books, including How the Gospel Brings Us All the Way Home.

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

Here’s an excerpt from The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven, Aaron L. Garriott's contribution to the February issue of Tabletalk:

The kingdom of God held a prominent position in Jesus’ teaching from the beginning of His earthly ministry (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43). He proclaimed that His coming to earth meant that the kingdom of God was at hand. He was inaugurating the kingdom of God in the very midst of His hearers. Accompanying and demonstrating this inauguration were miracles and teaching. His teaching took different forms, but chief among them were parables, which He used to teach His hearers something about the nature of the kingdom. The parables of the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32; Luke 13:18–19) and the leaven (Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20) reveal something of the mysterious progress and imperceptibility of the kingdom of God. We’ll look briefly at each in turn.

Continue reading The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven, or begin receiving Tabletalk magazine by signing up for a free 3-month trial.

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Do We Add Works to the Gospel When We Call Nonbelievers to Repent?

When we present the gospel to people, should we call them to repent or only to believe? From one of our Ask Ligonier events, H.B. Charles Jr. examines the relationship between repentance and faith in salvation.

When you have biblical and theological questions, just ask Ligonier.

Read the Transcript

Content in His Providence

Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher and mathematician, noted that human beings are creatures of profound paradox. We’re capable of both deep misery and tremendous grandeur, often at the same time. All we have to do is scan the headlines to see that this is the case. How often do celebrities who have done great good through philanthropy get caught up in scandals?

Human grandeur is found in part in our ability to contemplate ourselves, to reflect upon our origins, our destiny, and our place in the universe. Yet, such contemplation has a negative side, and that is its potential to bring us pain. We may find ourselves miserable when we think of a life that is better than that which we enjoy now and recognize that we are incapable of achieving it. Perhaps we think of a life free of illness and pain, yet we know that physical agony and death are certain. Rich and poor alike know that a life of greater wealth is possible but grow frustrated when that wealth is unobtainable. Sick or healthy, poor or rich, successful or unsuccessful—we are all capable of growing vexed when a better life remains outside of our grasp.

Scripture prescribes only one remedy to this frustration: contentment.

Biblical contentment is a spiritual virtue that we find modeled by the Apostle Paul. He states, for example, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Phil. 4:11). No matter the state of his health, wealth, or success, Paul found it possible to be content with his life.

In Paul’s era, two prominent schools of Greek philosophy agreed that our goal should be to find contentment, but they had very different ways of getting there. The first of these, Stoicism, said imperturbability was the way to contentment. Stoics believed that human beings had no real control over their external circumstances, which were subject to the whims of fate. The only place they could have any control was in their personal attitudes. We cannot control what happens to us, they said, but we can control how we feel about it. Thus, Stoics trained themselves to achieve imperturbability, an inner sense of peace that would leave them unbothered no matter what happened to them.

The Epicureans were more proactive in their search for contentment, looking to find a proper balance between pleasure and pain. Their aim was to minimize pain and maximize pleasure. Yet even achieving a goal in this arena can result in frustration. We might never obtain the aimed-for pleasure, or, having obtained it, we might realize that it does not bring what we thought it would.

Paul was neither a Stoic nor an Epicurean. Epicureanism leads eventually to an ultimate pessimism—we can’t get or maintain the pleasure we seek, so what’s the point? The Apostle’s doctrine of the resurrection and the renewal of creation does not allow for such pessimism. Creation “will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:18–25; see 1 Cor. 15). Paul also rejected the passive resignation of Stoicism, for he was no fatalist. Paul actively pressed toward his goals and called us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, believing that God works in and through us to bring about His purposes (Phil. 2:12).

For the Apostle, true contentment was not complacency, and it was not a condition, on this side of glory, that could admit no feelings of discontent and dissatisfaction. After all, Paul frequently expresses such feelings in his epistles as he considers the sins of the church and his own shortcomings. He did not rest on his laurels but worked zealously to solve problems both personally and pastorally.

Paul’s contentment pertained to his personal circumstances and the state of his human condition. Whether he suffered lack or enjoyed material prosperity, he had “learned” to be content wherever God placed him (Phil. 4:12). Note that this was something he learned. It was not a natural gifting but something he had to be taught.

What was the secret to contentment that he had learned? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

In short, the Apostle’s contentment was grounded in his union with Christ and in his theology. He saw theology not as a theoretical or abstract discipline but rather as the key to understanding life itself. His contentment with his condition in life rested on his knowledge of God’s character and actions. Paul was content because he knew his condition was ordained by his Creator. He understood that God brought both pleasure and pain into his life for a good purpose (Rom. 8:28). Paul knew that since the Lord wisely ordered his life, he could find strength in the Lord for any and all circumstances. Paul understood that he was fulfilling the purpose of God whether he was experiencing abundance or abasement. Submission to God’s sovereign rule over his life was the key to his contentment.

As we continue to wrestle with the desires of the flesh, we can be tempted to believe God owes us a better condition than we presently enjoy. To believe such a thing is sin, and it leads to great misery, which is overcome only by trusting in the Lord’s sustaining and providential grace. We will find true contentment only as we receive and walk in that grace.

This post was originally published in Tabletalk magazine.