When error comes into the church we face a set of obligations. First, we must confront the error. The world has embraced a live-and-let-live relativism that will accept any foolishness, but will not accept the wisdom of calling foolishness by its name. Too often the church follows suit. We want to get along, and so pet the wolves in our midst rather than drive them away. Our calling, as faithful soldiers of the kingdom, is to combat error in whatever form it takes. Second, we must not err when confronting the error. If we would have sound and accurate thinking in the church, we must be sound and accurate in what we denounce. We are not serving well the kingdom of God when we fight carnally, using gossip, innuendo, and aiming our fire at our allies. Consider the almost civil war during the time of Joshua. Those tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan, you’ll remember, built an altar. Their brothers prepared to make war against those who would establish false worship within the land. These brothers came to understand, thankfully, that the altar wasn’t built for false worship, but as a reminder of the covenantal union those on the east had with the rest of Israel. Far from an occasion for division, the altar was a monument to unity. Zeal without knowledge, in this instance, could have led to unnecessary division and senseless slaughter. (See Joshua 22 for the full story.)

Keep Reading at Tabletalk

by R.C. Sproul Jr.

I find that fear is a constant battle for me.  I tend to worry about so many things that I shouldn’t.  I fully acknowledge that this is a major weakness.  It is one that can only be overcome by the working of the Lord in my life.  I need to continually seek him for healing from fear.  I came across a quote today that slapped me upside the head!  It is something I already knew but when you come face to face with the bare bones of the issue it often makes your head spin.

Our fears are grounded in either a failure to believe in God’s strength or a failure to believe His gospel. — RC Sproul Jr

Lord,

I praise you Lord, Creator of all, You are God!  Mold me into your image, may I be surrendered, softened, and easy to mold.  Cleanse me, heal me, create in me a clean heart, one that is absent of fear and clings to you.  I know that worry can not add a single day so let me not waste the ones you have given.  Draw me closer to you that I may never fail to believe and rely upon you.  Remove my self-reliant tendencies.  May you be glorified in my life!

Amen

The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

R. C. Sproul

via Modern Reformation – Print Friendly.

When visiting my father a year or so ago, God showed me something amazing.  It was quite a shock to my system and to be perfectly honest I have been a bit gun shy in posting about it.  Why?  Because it may receive some unwanted backlash.  But here I go anyway.

I was visiting and sharing a bit about how God has worked and changed my life and continues to do so.  My father said, “Well, that God thing works for some people but I just can’t believe that.”

I have mulled that statement over and over again in my mind.  I wonder does anyone else see what I saw?

Here a non-believer, unknowingly, stated biblical theology more accurately than many Christians do. Ironic, huh?

I am still wondering if anyone else sees what I saw?

He didn’t say don’t or even won’t.  He said can’t.  How true that is!   It isn’t that he has just chosen not to believe.  He has an inability to believe.

For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  Romans 3:9b-12

R.C. Sproul puts it this way…..

No vestigial “island of righteousness” escapes the influence of the fall. Sin reaches into every aspect of our lives, finding no shelter of isolated virtue.

Jesus says:

And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” John 6:65

We are unable, we can’t.  It must be granted by the Father.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.   Romans 8:6-8

I will quote R.C. Sproul once more since he has a great gift with words.

For a person to be able to come to Christ, it must be granted or “given” to that person to come to Christ. God must do something for us to overcome our moral inability to come to Christ. We cannot embrace Christ in the flesh. Without the aid of the Holy Spirit, we cannot come to Christ.

So often we try and take the work of the Lord and make it ours. So many Christians rely on what they think they have chosen.  This is works righteousness.  It is all of God and nothing of ourselves that brings about and secures our salvation in Christ. It is not of ourselves or our own choosing. Simple put, we can’t, only God can.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:1-9

Christians are called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but in our day there is confusion about the content of the Gospel.  The biblical Gospel is challenged not only by Roman Catholics and liberals, but by those who claim to be evangelical.  In this lecture, Dr. R.C. Sproul will clarify exactly what the Gospel is and what it is not.

~~Ligonier Ministries~~

Here is the link.  It is well worth your time to listen and take to heart.  You might be surprised if your answer is different.  Set aside some time to listen to the full message.  It is good for iron to sharpen iron.

What is the Gospel?

I am not so sure it is considered in good form or not to repost an entire blog post from somewhere else but I thought that this was definitely worth sharing. It was posted on the Ligonier Ministry Blog today.  That is a great place for solid, toe-stepping yet encouraging Biblical guidance.  This is one I read today that I think everyone should read often.  (I am not thinking of anyone in particular, I was too busy rubbing my own sore toes).  We often take our sin more lightly than we should.  It is easy to point fingers and say we are not as bad as so and so.  That is an easy way to justify our own actions but it is not what we are called to do.  We are called to a higher standard than each other.  We are called to repent.

Lord, forgive me for where I have failed you, for thinking more highly of myself than I ought, for focusing on the apologies I should receive (and may never get) and remember to give the ones I owe.  May I bring honor and glory to your name.  Amen

Now for the article.  Watch your toes!

Repent, For the Kingdom of God

December 4, 2009 @ 6:40 AM | Posted By: Tim Challies
by R.C. Sproul, Jr.

How quick are you to repent? If you're anything like me, you've just this moment added several more things to repent of. First, pride. I suspect that you, if you are like me, think yourself a pretty decent repenter. You likely wish that others would learn from your wonderful example, and do likewise. Indeed, now that I mention it, you can think of several people that owe you an apology, and aren't you the one for being so gracious about it up until now?

Second, lying. I suspect that you, if you are like me, have in thinking all of the above, lied to yourself in an egregious way. You are deluded, your delusions springing forth from your deceitful heart like so many dandelions on a spring day. Third, pride again. Here your pride is less about you and more about Jesus. That is, our failure to understand what failures we are is in turn a reflection on the work of Christ. We diminish His work on our behalf when we diminish the scope of our own sin. Fourth, unrepentance. That is, because you are a bigger sinner, like me, than you are willing to face, you have not repented for your sins like you ought. You have repented lightly for dark sins.

What should you do? You could get mad at me for pointing this all out. Or, you could repent.

You could ask that God would forgive you for thinking too highly of yourself. Ask that He would empower you to be swift to see your own sins, and swift in turn to confess them both to Him and to those that we wrong. You could ask that you might have earned the right to have etched on your gravestone, “He was quick to repent.” And you could thank God for His provision of His Son, so that we can be forgiven. You could ask Him to gently remind you, each time you find yourself unhappy about the sins of your family, your neighbors, your fellow parishioners from your church, your parents, your elders, that such would be a prompt to you to honestly assess your own weaknesses. That we are sinners is a problem solved by the coming of Jesus the Savior. That we don't know we are sinners, that is a problem for the Holy Spirit, who convicts, and sanctifies.

The answer to every problem is simple–repent and believe the gospel.

As frustrating as our own blindness might be, the light has come into the world. As maddening as our weaknesses might be, the Sovereign One has come and dwelt among us. As embarrassing as our pride might be, the one who is poor in Spirit has sent the Spirit to lead us into all truth, including the ugly truth about ourselves.

The coming year is likely to bring political unrest. Were I a betting man, I would guess in turn that it will be a year filled to the brim with economic hardship. We can expect to see more cultural decline. All of which will be for nothing if we do not learn the first lesson, to repent and believe.

Before we take over the levers of power, before we dominion our way back to prosperity, before we press the crown rights of King Jesus over the culture, may we remember the crown of thorns, and repent. And when we have repented, let us repent again for the anemia of our repentance. Then, let us believe that He is at work in us, both to do and to will His good pleasure. And all these things will be added unto us.

via Repent, For the Kingdom of God | Ligonier Ministries.

I have on occasion been called legalistic, a pharisee, and even a heretic. I am not; being one who is passionate about the law of the Lord, striving to live a holy lifestyle, and having an expectation that others who claim to be followers of Christ to live according to his WORD does not a legalistic pharisee or heretic make. If you are a Christian, do you love the law of God? Do you long for the law of God? Do you want his governance or your own, or even the governance of the world? These are things to think upon and evaluate.

I want to share this short devotion on the matter………………

Longing for God’s Law
by R.C. Sproul

A survey by George Gallup Jr. revealed a startling trend in our culture. According to Gallup, the evidence seems to indicate that there are no clear behavioral patterns that distinguish Christians from non-Christians in our society. We all seem to be marching to the same drummer, looking to the shifting standards of contemporary culture for the basis of what is acceptable conduct. What everybody else is doing seems to be our only ethical norm.

This pattern can emerge only in a society or a church wherein the law of God is eclipsed. The very word law seems to have an unpleasant ring to it in our evangelical circles.

Let’s try an experiment. Read the passages from Psalm 119 that accompany this devotion. Try to crawl into the skin of the writer and experience empathy. Try to feel what he felt when he wrote these lines thousands of years ago.

Does this sound like a modern Christian? Do we hear people talk about longing passionately for the law of God? Do we hear our friends expressing joy and delight in God’s commandments?

Coram Deo: Do you long passionately for God’s law? Do you express joy and delight in His commandments?

Psalm 119:97: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Psalm 119:11-12: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You! Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!”

Psalm 119:131: “I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments.”

It is one thing to say we love the word of the Lord but if our lives trend after that of the world our words mean nothing. This evaluation of our life and our longing for the law of God can indeed wane. Sadly enough, I have often found myself saying I love the law of the Lord but finding that my life at the time was not displaying that statement to be true. I must repent and pray for that passionate longing to return! I must be obedient to seek after God, & his word, & his truth.

I want to end this post with one of my favorite hymns. It is one many have not heard and many would cringe when trying to sing.  BUT it is one that I love because it reminds me to long for and to love the law of God.

I have posted this hymn on my blog before but I want to share it once again.

Most Perfect is the Law of God
From Psalm 19:7-11 and Psalm 119:97

Most perfect is the law of God, Restoring those that stray;
His testimony is most sure, Proclaiming wisdom’s way.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The precepts of the Lord are right; With joy they fill the heart;
The Lord’s commandments all are pure, And clearest light impart.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

The fear of God is undefiled And ever shall endure;
The statutes of the Lord are truth And righteousness most pure.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

They warn from ways of wickedness Displeasing to the Lord,
And in the keeping of his Word There is a great reward.

O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
O how love I thy law! O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

We do not “find” God as a result for our search for him.  We are found by him.  The search for God does not end in conversion; it begins at conversion.  It is the converted person who genuinely and sincerely seeks after God.

R.C. Sproul–What is Reformed Theology?

It is important to remember that in his decree of election, God considers the mass of humankind in their fallen sinful condition.  He chooses to redeem some people from this condition and to leave the rest in that condition.  He intervenes in the lives of the elect, while he does not intervene in the lives of the reprobate.  One group receives mercy and the other receives justice.

The concept of justice incorporates all that is just.  The concept of non-justice includes everything outside of the concept of justice: injustice, which violates justice and is evil; and mercy, which does not violate justice and is not evil.  God gives his mercy (non-justice) to some and leaves the rest to his justice.  No one is treated with injustice.  No one can charge that there is unrighteousness in God.

R.C. Sproul–What is Reformed Theology?

I just finished a great book.  I am one who likes to underline things in the books I read so that I can go back and ponder them or even just for quick reference.  I underline the things I had not thought of before or things that I just really agreed with and liked the way it was worded.  It is hard when you find a book and want to underline every other sentence!

There is much confusion today in Christian circles about what Reformed Theology really is.  There is misunderstanding in what it really means.  In Reformed circles it is what we distinguish between little r reformed and big R Reformed.  Many think that Reformed Theology means merely being Calvinistic, this is little r reformed.  Calvinism is most definitely a central part but it is by no means an all encompassing definition.  There is more to the big R Reformed.  This book covers the other aspects of Reformed Theology as well as those of Calvinism. It explains using scriptural support for the all or nothing nature of the doctrines of grace.  One cannot be a 3 or 4 point Calvinist, it simply does not work.  All points work together and cannot be separated.

I find it also important that those who seek to know more about Reformed Theology look to those who truly understand it as well as believe it.  There are  many authors who write on Reformed Theology from a disagreeing and often not fully comprehending point of view and therefore do not adequately explain or try to discredit.  This benefits only the dissenting view.

One of my favorite authors has written a book on Reformed Theology just to explain the basics.  It is a book I would recommend to anyone, not just those looking to know more about Reformed Theology.  It is a great book!

Here is the book blurb from Ligonier Ministries:

In What is Reformed Theology? (formerly titled Grace Unknown), Dr. Sproul explores the depth and richness of God’s grace in saving sinners. Through it you can enrich your understanding of key biblical teaching about the nature of God, man, and salvation as it was recovered and defended by the Reformers.

“We believers must ask ourselves why we have come to faith while many of our friends have not. Did we exercise faith in Christ because we are more intelligent than they are?” asks R.C. Sproul in this book. “Did we respond to the gospel positively because we are better or more virtuous?

“We all know the answers to these questions,” continues Dr. Sproul “I cannot adequately explain why I came to faith in Christ and some of my friends did not. I can only look to the glory of God’s grace toward me, a grace I did not deserve then and do not deserve now.”

This book can help believers become more firmly anchored to the important theological truths that remind us we are saved by grace alone through faith alone and not by our works.

If you have read this book already, I would love to hear your thoughts. Or maybe you could share a favorite quote. I may be sharing quotes from this book from time to time, there are just a lot of good ones in there!

If you have not read this book, I would highly recommend it!