Marriage, Family & Relationships¶
We've crafted an unofficial, source-cited, non-commercial index of Dr. R.C. Sproul's publicly available teachings, weighted by how many independent sources corroborate each point. The content is authored by Dr. R.C. Sproul and published by Ligonier Ministries (a few items are third-party YouTube re-uploads); see the Methodology & Rights page for more info. Quotations are brief, linked to their source, and reproduced for study under Ligonier's Copyright Policy (ligonier.org/copyright-policy). This site is humbly offered for personal use only, out of love and respect, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ligonier Ministries or St. Andrew's Chapel.
220 positions — 4 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
The Bible does not teach a universal brotherhood of man; rather, it teaches a universal obligation to treat all people with dignity and justice, which is called neighborhood.
The Bible doesn't teach the universal brotherhood of man; it teaches the universal neighborhood of man. Biblically, all men are not my brothers. If you are a Christian, you are my brother or my sister. If you are not, you're not my brother or my sister in the New Testament sense. But whether you're my brother or my sister, theologically and biblically in that sense, you are my neighbor.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 22:18 · R.C. Sproul @ 5:48 · The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
A worldview is the way of examining the world and the meaning of individual lives.
Now, from a philosophical perspective, we call that a worldview, a way of examining the world in which we live and the meaning of our own individual lives.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 4:31
True love involves sharing in both the joy and the sorrow of others.
It is sharing in your joy. If your daughter is getting married and that is all you can think about, I am not going to scoff at it. I will say: “That is terrific. Is that not great? What an exciting thing that one of the daughters of our church is going to get married soon.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:55 · Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God reserves a special dimension of love, called complacency, which is a love that takes delight in the object of one’s affection.
But there is a special dimension of love of which the Scriptures speak for which God reserves to Himself the sovereign right of selection. That is what we call the love of complacency. This is not complacency in the modern use of the term when we identify it with an attitude of smugness.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:42 · Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
God first established a loving, grace-based relationship with His people before defining specific laws.
Only after that grace-based relationship was established did God begin to define the specific laws that are pleasing to Him.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
In the context of loving one's enemies, love is defined as a verb involving doing good, rather than merely a feeling.
Notice that this love is not defined in terms of warm, fuzzy, or sanguine feelings but in terms of behavior. In this context, love is more of a verb than a noun. To love our enemies is to be loving toward them. It involves doing good to them.
Source: Abundant Love (Ligonier article)
God instituted marriage as a response to human loneliness.
God instituted marriage, and He did it, in the first instance, as an answer to human loneliness.
Source: The Basis of a Christian Marriage (Ligonier article)
It is poor teaching practice to point out similarities between different positions without also acknowledging the significant differences between them.
It’s just simply not good teaching to point out similarities between different positions without at the same time acknowledging the significant differences between them. In your critique of Christianity, you have failed to mention these differences, which is not a sound approach to the matter.
Source: Be Prepared (Ligonier article)
When selecting a college or university, the most important factor is the faculty, not the campus's beauty or the institution's history.
The most significant barometer for choosing any kind of institution of higher learning is not the beauty of its campus but its faculty.
Source: Be Prepared (Ligonier article)
The faculty and instructors are the most critical element in determining the quality of education and the future success of students.
Yet it is the faculty that matters most. These are the people who have a definitive impact on our future.
Source: The Blessing of Great Teachers (Ligonier article)
Distinguishing between two things is harmless, but separating them can be destructive or even murderous.
If I distinguish your body and your soul I do you no harm. If I separate your body and your soul, I murder you.
Source: The Christian and Science (Ligonier article)
The Bible provides the most accurate insight into human behavior and is superior to secular academic disciplines like psychology or sociology.
No psychologist, sociologist, or anthropologist will ever improve on the Bible because there we find the wisdom of God Himself—the One who has made us and who understands our frame inside and out.
Source: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article)
The primary goal of communication is not abstract knowledge, but personal knowledge, which is the knowledge of intimacy.
The goal of communication is knowledge—not abstract, theoretical, impersonal knowledge but personal knowledge, the knowledge of intimacy.
Source: Communication in Marriage Is Important (Ligonier article)
The ultimate purpose of marriage is to provide a safe place where individuals can be known without fear.
They yearned for a place where they could take off their clothes and be known without fear. God provided that place in the institution of marriage.
Source: Communication in Marriage Is Important (Ligonier article)
Sin is the fundamental force responsible for breaking up families, and humans cannot fix this brokenness on their own.
Sin violates family unity. Sin is the force by which families are broken. And sinners have no power within themselves to repair that which is broken.
Source: Divorce (Ligonier article)
The church's ministry must extend its care to all individuals in broken family relationships, not just those whose brokenness resulted from death.
Obviously, the church’s concern must extend beyond those whose brokenness has been caused by death. Anyone who is involved in a broken family relationship needs the ministry and care of the church.
Source: Divorce (Ligonier article)
Christians do not view their sons and daughters as financial burdens.
Yet Christians do not consider their sons and daughters to be burdens.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
The people of God are often compared to sheep, a metaphor the speaker finds uncomplimentary.
To be honest, it bothers me a bit that the people of God are compared to sheep. It’s not really a very complimentary metaphor if you know anything about sheep.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
True Christian patience is not merely the ability to wait for future gain, but rather involves longsuffering and forbearing in personal relationships.
It involves more than the rest or peace of the soul that trusts in God’s perfect timing. The patience that is in view here focuses more on interpersonal relationships with other people. It is the patience of longsuffering and of forbearing in the midst of personal injury.
Source: Waiting on God (Ligonier article)
The decisions related to marriage have profound and far-reaching effects on a person's life.
The decisions relevant to the marital relationship have such far-reaching effects on our lives.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Societal expectations regarding marriage are not supported by biblical teaching.
Such assumptions are by no means found in the Scriptures.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Paul does not contrast celibacy as good and marriage as bad, but rather presents them as rival goods.
However, even a cursory glance at the text indicates that Paul is not contrasting the good and the bad, but rival goods.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
God established rules for marriage out of love, concern, and compassion for humanity.
God ordained certain rules regulating marriage in order to protect people. His law was born of love and concern and compassion for His fallen creatures.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
The most intimate human activity makes people highly vulnerable, necessitating safeguards.
No human enterprise renders a person more vulnerable to hurt than does the estate of marriage.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Desiring marriage is positive, and like pursuing a job or college, actively taking steps to find a partner is necessary.
If I have a strong desire to marry, then the next step is actively to do something about fulfilling that desire. If a person wants a job, he must seriously pursue employment opportunities. When we decide to attend a college or a university, we have to follow the formal routine of making applications, of evaluating various campuses.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
There is no biblical rule that prohibits a woman from actively seeking a suitable mate.
No biblical rule says that a woman eager to be married should be passive. There is nothing that prohibits her from actively seeking a suitable mate.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Individuals seeking a life partner must be proactive, going where single people gather and participating in activities that facilitate communication.
Those seeking a life partner need to do certain obvious things such as going where other single people congregate. They need to be involved in activities that will bring them in close communication with other single Christians.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Marriage requires the commitment of two active selves based on reciprocal sharing and sensitivity.
The self is very much active in building a good marriage, and marriage involves the commitment of the self with another self based on reciprocal sharing and sensitivity between two actively involved selves.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
When seeking a partner, one should look for someone who will enrich one's life and who will also be enriched by the relationship.
When someone seeks a mate, he should be seeking someone who will enrich his life, who will add to his own self-fulfillment, and who at the same time will be enriched by that relationship.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
The decision regarding a marriage partner is of grave importance to the future of the couple and their families.
However personal and private the decision might be, it is one of grave importance to the future of the couple and their potential offspring, their families, and their friends.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Marriage is not a private matter because its functioning affects many people, including the couple's family and friends.
However personal and private the decision might be, it is one of grave importance to the future of the couple and their potential offspring, their families, and their friends. Marriage is never ultimately a private matter because how the marriage works affects a multitude of people.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Counseling, particularly from parents, is valuable because parents may possess insight into their children's personalities that the children themselves cannot perceive.
Sometimes the parents have keen insight into the personalities of their children, seeing blind spots that the offspring themselves are unable to perceive. In the earlier example of a person with an inordinate need to be mothered attracting someone with an inordinate need to mother, a discerning parent can spot the mismatch and caution against it.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Happy marriages can be achieved even if the partners did not choose each other, provided that biblical precepts are consistently applied.
It may sound outrageous, but I am convinced that if biblical precepts are applied consistently, virtually any two people in the world can build a happy marriage and honor the will of God in the relationship.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Before marriage, individuals should undergo serious premarital study, evaluation, and counseling to understand potential pitfalls.
Wisdom dictates that we enter into serious premarital study, evaluation, and counseling with competent counselors so that we may be warned of the pitfalls that come in this new and vital human relationship.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Financial stability is crucial for marriage, and parents often advise young people to wait until they are employed before starting a family.
Financial pressures imposed upon a relationship already besieged with emotional pressures of other kinds can be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back. That is why parents often advise young people to wait until they finish their schooling or until they are gainfully employed so that they can assume the responsibility of a family.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
True readiness for marriage involves a commitment to a specific person for life, regardless of external circumstances.
I am ready to get married when I am prepared to commit myself to a particular person for the rest of my life, regardless of the human circumstances that befall us.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Married couples are expected to demonstrate faithfulness, provide mutual needs, and maintain mutual respect under Christ's lordship.
God expects, among other things, faithfulness to the marriage partner, provision of mutual needs, and mutual respect under the lordship of Christ.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Successful marriages require hard work and the willingness of the individuals involved to make the marriage function.
I will say that good marriages require hard work and individuals willing to make their marriages work.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
Modern culture has become overly preoccupied with analyzing moods and feelings, which is evidenced by the drug industry.
We are a nation preoccupied with analyzing our moods and our feelings. One obvious manifestation of this preoccupation with feelings is seen in the explosion of drug use.
Source: What Is Hedonism? (Ligonier article)
A mediator is defined as a go-between who stands between two estranged parties or those involved in a dispute.
A mediator is a go-between, someone who stands between two parties that are estranged or involved in some kind of dispute.
Source: Jesus: The Only Savior (Ligonier article)
God places a high value on love, considering it more important than spiritual gifts or human performance.
It’s higher than the gifts and more important than performance.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
Kind people are characterized by being generous, sensitive, and tender to others, and they are not rude, severe, or mean.
Kind people are not rude, not severe, not mean. They have generous hearts. They are sensitive and tender to other people.
Source: Love That Is Patient and Kind (Ligonier article)
Genuine love is not an involuntary or passive emotion, but an intentional action rooted in knowledge.
But real love is not an involuntary thing. It is something we do purposefully based on our knowledge of the person we love.
Source: Loving God with Our Minds (Ligonier article)
True spiritual kinship is defined by obedience to the Father's will, not by biological relation.
Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother
Source: Many Hear the Gospel with Joy but Don’t Continue in the Faith (Ligonier article)
The ability to classify, which is central to science, began with humanity's assignment to name the animals.
With the naming of the animals, the task of classification, which is at the heart of science, was begun.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
Conversion involves a shift from understanding Christianity abstractly to understanding it as a personal relationship with God.
In her conversion, she made a transition from understanding Christianity in an abstract sense to understanding it as a personal relationship with God.
Source: Knowing the Holy Spirit (Ligonier article)
The relationship between the Father and the Son is described by the Greek word 'with,' indicating a face-to-face relationship that was unique to the divine persons.
The relationship, as John explained it, is described by the word with. The Word was with God. Literally, John was saying that Father and Son have a face-to-face relationship, precisely the type of relationship Jews were denied with the Father.
Source: Obscene, yet Beautiful (Ligonier article)
The concept of God's fatherhood in the Bible is not universal, but rather primarily restricted to the filial relationship with Christ.
Rather, the fatherhood of God has as its primary reference a filial (father/son) relationship that is restricted. In the first and most important case, God has only one child, His only-begotten Son, the monogenēs , which restricts this filial relationship to Christ.
Source: Our Father (Ligonier article)
Sartre concludes that human life is meaningless because all concerns and aspirations are empty of significance.
Sartre's grim conclusion is that all of our caring, our concerns, our deepest aspirations are empty of significance. Human life is meaningless.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
Existentialism is inherently hostile to established systems and instead builds upon singular insights drawn from daily life.
A second reason existentialism has made its influence felt is that the philosophy is itself, by definition, hostile to systems. It is an antisystem. It thrives not so much on an interconnected, coherent, well-related world view, as much as it builds upon singular flashes of insight, brilliant vignettes drawn from the close regions of daily life.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
Human relationships must be subject-to-subject, recognizing people as persons rather than objects or things.
When I relate to another person I am not relating to an “it.” Human relationships are to be subject-subject , not subject-object .
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
When individual purposes are implemented into a curriculum, there must be an overarching blueprint or overall purpose that governs their selection.
You have to make a decision about what goes into the curriculum. Therefore, you must have some overarching blueprint that governs the selection of the individual and particular purposes that you have in the curriculum.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
God defines love by requiring the rejection of sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness.
For instance, Paul lays out the principle that we must “walk in love,” but then he immediately tells us that “sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph. 5:2–3). God defines love as being the rejection of sexual immorality, impurity, and covetousness.
Source: Principles and Situations (Ligonier article)
A society requires a unifying system of thought, or 'world view,' for its various parts to function together.
The glue is found in a unifying system of thought, what we call a “world view.”
Source: Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (Ligonier article)
The logic of semi-Pelagianism implies that if one person is a Christian because of a proper response, that person has effectively made a good response and the neighbor has made a bad one.
If indeed in the final analysis the reason I’m a Christian and someone else is not is that I made the proper response to God’s offer of salvation while somebody else rejected it, then by resistless logic I have indeed made the good response, and my neighbor has made the bad response.
Source: What Does “Soli Deo Gloria” Mean? (Ligonier article)
When calamities strike, preparation must extend beyond the family to include the community and neighbor.
When calamities occur, local or national rugged individualism or isolationism simply won’t do. We cannot control the future; it belongs to God. This is His world. Our confidence for tomorrow must rest in Him.
Source: Taking Thought for Tomorrow (Ligonier article)
The constant exposure to diverse ideas and values leads to a basic inconsistency in a person's life.
The diversity and confusion are so great that for most of us it seems that the melting pot is found not so much in the culture but in our own hands and that the asparagus is getting stuck to the pasta. The result is a basic inconsistency in our lives, an inconsistency we are often unaware of.
Source: The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article)
The author argues that modern Christian life is often characterized by contradictory beliefs and inconsistency, which leads to chaos.
We are at once religious and secular. We believe in God, sometimes. Our religion has elements of superstition at some times and is tempered by sober science at other times. We are at the same time Christians and card-carrying pragmatists.
Source: The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article)
Earthly peace is inherently fragile, unstable, and prone to being broken or interrupted by conflict.
These are the normal conditions of earthly peace. Peace treaties, like rules, seem to be made to be broken. A million Neville Chamberlains leaning over balconies with hands outstretched, declaring, “We have achieved peace for our time” would not ensure that human history is ever anything but one continuous Munich.
Source: War and Peace with a Holy God (Ligonier article)
Loving God is a prerequisite for loving one's neighbor, and the two are inseparable.
You cannot have the latter without the former and those who truly have the former will also have the latter, for if we love the God of infinite dignity, we will also love people because they reflect, however imperfectly, His dignity.
Source: We Are Not Germs: The Case for Human Dignity (Ligonier article)
The Christian life should be based on objective Scripture rather than subjective personal feelings or experiences.
I would much prefer that her friend tried to live the Christian life on the basis of Scripture, because Scripture is objective truth that transcends the immediacy of a person’s experience.
Source: What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven? (Ligonier article)
Divine gifts and power must be utilized within the context of love, otherwise, their use is meaningless.
The Apostle says that you can have a miraculous endowment, you can receive power from God the Holy Spirit, but it is to be used in the context of the grace of love. And without that love, the use of the divine power is a charade.
Source: What Is Love? (Ligonier article)
Reconciliation is only necessary when a relationship has been ruptured or when estrangement has occurred.
Reconciliation is needed only when estrangement has occurred—only when a relationship has been ruptured.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
The head of a household has a biblical responsibility to provide for the needs of his family.
The responsibility is given to the head of the household to be the one who provides and makes provision; that is, that person has to know in advance what the family is going to need in terms of the essentials of life, then meet those needs.
Source: What Is Providence? (Ligonier article)
The New Testament emphasizes the importance of correct doctrine, contradicting the modern notion that personal relationships are more important than theological issues.
That notion is propounded even though the New Testament is replete with Apostolic concern about correct doctrine.
Source: What Was the Cause of the Protestant Reformation? (Ligonier article)
In the vertical relationship with God, no person is truly innocent, and this applies to all people.
But in the vertical dimension, in their relationship to God, none of them was innocent, and the same is true for us.
Source: When Towers Fall (Ligonier article)
The text in Genesis 6 likely describes marriages between believers and unbelievers, rather than sexual relations between angels and human beings.
This means Genesis 6 could simply be speaking about the intermarriage of those who manifested a pattern of obedience to God in their lives and those who were pagans in their orientation. In other words, this text likely describes marriages between believers and unbelievers.
Source: Who Are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6? (Ligonier article)
Biblical characters are not fictional or fairy tale characters, but real people whose emotions and experiences should be considered.
They are real people -- real flesh, real blood -- and we need to be reminded if anything is the Scriptures themselves remind us from time to time, as St. James does in his epistles when he exhorts the people of God to pray.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:36
Scripture is filled with intense human drama, including sexual impulses, anger, and hostility.
The blood is flowing in the streets. The sexual impulses of men and women burn like fire throughout the Scriptures. Anger, hatred, hostility…
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:40
Paul's argument demonstrates that love is supremely important, defining the essence of the Christian life and outweighing all other spiritual gifts and actions.
Now what Paul is doing here is making a case to demonstrate the supreme importance of love over all of these other things, because this is that which defines the essence of the Christian life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:19
Kind love does not boast or gloat, especially when others fail to heed counsel.
You see kind love never, ever says, “I told you so.” Because when we’ve been given counsel and we ignore it and then the disaster comes, the last thing we want to hear is “I told you so,” because we’re very much aware that we were told not to do that.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:18
The Great Commandment requires loving God with all of one's heart, soul, and strength, and loving one's neighbor as much as oneself.
We say, “Oh, we can recite that the Great Commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all of thy soul and all of thy strength, and so on, and thy neighbor as much as myself.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
God's love is characterized by loyalty, which is the most loyal love a person can experience and surpasses human understanding.
But we also have to understand that the love of God is a loyal love. In fact it is the most loyal love that anyone can ever experience and it is a loyalty that passes all human comprehension.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
The term 'world' refers not just to a geographical location, but to a person's standpoint or perspective regarding God's things.
Now, do you see how the term “word” – or “world” – is beginning to take on that slightly different nuance to refer not simply to geographical location, but to one’s standpoint or perspective with regard to the things of God?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:57
Traditional services and concepts, such as marriage, contain deep thought and care in every word, making them valuable and stable.
I realized that a great deal of thought and care had been filled in each word, and so we have a tradition that has developed in this wedding service.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:55
Modern culture is challenging the traditional concept of marriage, leading young people to fear commitment and live together instead.
We know that more and more young people are coming from broken homes, and there's a fear that's emerged, a suspicion about the whole business of marriage. And so we see couples living together rather than jumping into marriage for fear that the cost of that kind of a commitment may be too much.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:39
God ordained marriage not as punishment or bondage, but for human fulfillment and intimacy.
God ordained marriage, not as punishment, not as ball-and-chain bondage, but for human fulfillment, for intimacy -- the finest expression of what it means to be a human being in this world.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:02
The ultimate need is not merely physical nakedness in marriage, but the ability to be naked before God without shame.
But what we need more than anything else is not just to be back in Eden, where we can find a woman who can look at us while we're naked and not laugh, but that we can find a place where we can be naked before God, without shame.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:42
Sproul asserts that the human tongue, or what people say to each other, is the most severe problem contributing to the destruction of marriages.
But I think there is something that is even more severe in its power to hurt and destroy marriages, and I would rank the number one problem with marriages is the human tongue.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:20
Poor communication and thoughtless remarks are highly damaging to the trust, love, and respect within a marriage.
we haven't learned how to talk, not only to each other by way of communication, but we have often been cruel and thoughtless inflicting damage on each other with unguarded remarks.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:13
The speaker realized the profound positive influence of his eighth-grade English teacher after a thought experiment about compliments.
I don't know whose names I would have written down for those fifty people, but I know I never would have dreamed to include this woman whose name appeared twice in that first list of five compliments. It was my eighth grade English teacher.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:47
The speaker asserts that the words used in a relationship are crucial because they build the environment of trust, intimacy, and love.
We need to understand that, because what we say to each other in marriage is what creates the environment of trust, of intimacy, and in love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:53
The sanctity of marriage is a divine institution built into creation and applies universally, regardless of whether the individuals are Jewish or Christian.
There is no requirement that one be a Jew or a Christian in order to participate in the sanctity of marriage. It's built into creation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:13
Biblical subordination does not imply inferiority, and women retain equal dignity and importance to men in marriage.
Subordination, in terms of division of labor in the Bible, never carries with it the idea of inferiority. Even our doctrine of the Godhead says that the Son is subordinate to the Father, and the Holy Spirit is subordinate both to the Father and to the Son, and no wise do we infer from that inferiority, or that there’s any less dignity to the Holy Ghost than there is to the Son or to the Father. So in marriage -- there’s no less dignity, no less importance, no less value to the woman than to the man
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:17
Even when disagreeing with a spouse, a man is called upon to respect her judgment and insight.
I am called upon to respect her judgment. I am called upon to respect her insight. I am called upon to respect her person, and if she disagrees with a policy that I think we ought to engage in, it would be ungodly of me to ignore her and just simply to say, "Hey, women are to be seen and not heard."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:40
A husband is responsible to love his wife like Jesus loved the church.
you are responsible to love your wives like Jesus loved the church.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:05
Wives, according to a book, are told that their husbands desire their admiration rather than their advice.
Context: Quoting a statement from the book 'The Total Woman'
She said, "Your husbands don’t want your advice. They want your admiration."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:38
The relationship between husband and wife is a divine creation intended for the two individuals to become one flesh.
This isn’t a battle. This isn’t a competition for authority, but it is that place that God created that we looked at originally where the two shall become one flesh.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:05
God declared that human loneliness and isolation are inherently undesirable and not good.
It's interesting, isn't it, that the very first thing in human history that receives the malediction of God is the situation of human loneliness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:06
The man has a specific responsibility to cherish his wife, which involves love, commitment, and tenderness.
And in those traditional vows, we have the man's responsibility to cherish his wife. Nobody beats what he cherishes. Nobody exploits what he cherishes. Nobody oppresses what he cherishes. No one denigrates or demeans what he cherishes.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:35
The ultimate purpose of marriage is for the two individuals to become one flesh through love and commitment.
He will embrace her with love and with commitment and with tenderness. That's what marriage was ordained to be, suitable, dynamic, intimate. The two become one flesh.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:35
The initial state of marriage was characterized by total exposure, vulnerability, and freedom from shame.
In the first marriage, there was total exposure, total vulnerability, no hiding, no clothes, no covering, and no shame. That's the idyllic setting for marriage.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:50
When encountering strangers, people subconsciously perform a classification process to determine if the person is safe or a threat.
And all the while you’re doing that, you’re determining in your mind what kind of person it is that’s coming. Because you want to know is that person safe or is that person a threat.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:57
Being too perfect or excellent can lead to social discomfort and isolation from peers.
She was not liked because she was too good. She was too perfect. And so people were uncomfortable around her.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:06
The concept of steadfast and loyal love, which is central to the family unit, is communicated by the motto 'we stick with the stuck.'
That is an expression that communicates what Micah is talking about when he says we ought to love mercy - that we should be steadfast and loyal in our love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:03
True understanding is demonstrated by the ability to communicate complex ideas in terms that a child can grasp.
the real test of whether or not one scholar understands what he's talking about is can he state it in terms that a six-year-old child can understand?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:48
He strongly condemns physical abuse within marriage, stating that hitting a wife is absolutely unconscionable.
I'm going to say this to every man in this room, there are lots of sins that I can understand, but I cannot for the life of me understand how any man could ever hit a woman. Never let it be said of you that you would ever let your anger, in a domestic dispute, move you to such an action as to actually hit your wife. That's absolutely unconscionable.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:11
If the unbelieving partner wants the believing partner to stay, and there are no other biblical grounds for divorce, the believer has a moral duty to remain married.
God says in Holy Writ that if the unbelieving partner wants the believing partner to stay, and there’s no other biblical grounds for divorce, it is your moral duty to stay. That’s the prescriptive will of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:49
True love, or agape, is characterized by its humility and its focus on the needs of others rather than its own desires.
Wow. When I say that I wonder why people love this text so much, when it is so devastating in its critique of our behavior, I'm usually am thinking of this aspect, "Love does not seek its own."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:39
The most basic tendency of a human being is to prioritize their own needs.
Again we have to remember that the most base tendency of a human individual is to seek his or her own.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:47
The speaker noted that people tend to remember specific, immediate personal experiences more vividly than factual details from major historical events.
I remembered vaguely the announcement of the death of FDR, but I could tell you exactly where I was sitting, exactly what I was doing, when I heard the news that Kennedy had been shot.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:29
God requires His people to treat each other according to the standard of steadfast love, lovingkindness, or loyalty.
That God said, "I want my people to treat each other according to the same standard by which I relate to them which is this standard of steadfast love, this standard of lovingkindness or of loyalty.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:13
Modern, industrialized culture can create a significant distance from the agricultural settings described in the Bible.
and as our culture becomes more and more industrialized, we are that much further removed from the pastoral setting and agricultural setting in which the Bible comes to us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:09
Both liberals and conservatives generally agree that the Bible teaches the subordination of the wife to the husband within the home.
Liberals and conservatives agree for the most part that the Bible does teach the subordination of the wife to the husband in the home, and the liberals and the conservatives do agree that the apostle Paul, for example, did set down certain restrictions about the functions of women in the church.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:03
A biblical principle is a universal teaching that applies to all people in all places and times, while customs are local reflections of principles for a specific time and place.
What we mean by a principle, a biblical principle, is a teaching or an admonition or a precept that is trans-cultural. That is, it applies to all people in all places in all ages.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:45
Our understanding of humanity is the ultimate determinant of our ethical framework and behavior.
Again, our anthropology determines ultimately our ethics. How we view the importance of humanity will have tremendous influence on how we behave. It's that simple.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:33
Rules that cross community lines are those established in creation, as these principles are given to man universally, not just to specific historical groups.
As I said, if anything crosses the line from community to community, it's those rules that are set down in creation because those are given to man not as first century Christian or as fifth century B.C. Jew or as seventeen -- or as seventeenth century Dutchman or twentieth century American, but those principles are set down and given to man as man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:44
Improving a marriage requires a disciplined study of the people involved in the family unit.
But what it means primarily is a disciplined study of the people that are involved in your family: your wife, your husband, your children, your in-laws.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:58
The strength of the family unit is directly related to the intimacy it enjoys, which is built upon knowing each other.
Because the strength and the intensity of the family unit is inseparably related to the intimacy that that family enjoys; and intimacy, my friends, is built upon knowledge of each other.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:17
God's love, exemplified by David's actions toward Mephibosheth, virtually adopts us into God's family.
Because of his love for Jonathan. Because David loved Jonathan he virtually adopted Mephibosheth to be a part of his house. And that’s what God has done for us. Because of his love for Christ,
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:55
God not only institutes marriage but also regulates it through commandments, meaning human autonomy is limited.
Not only does God institute marriage, but He regulates it by His commandments. Think about that. Marriage is not a gift where God says to His creation, “Here’s a wonderful thing. Do with it what you want. I’ll ordain marriage. I’ll institute marriage. I’ll put My blessing on your marriage. But after you get married, you work it out how you want to work it out—that you are free to do whatever you both agree upon doing in that marriage.” No. God regulates marriage.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:38
God's regulations for marriage are motivated by His wisdom and benevolent desire for the welfare and well-being of humanity, not merely to oppress.
And He does it not to be a nasty dictator or despot tyrannizing us by putting us in chains, but His regulations pursued both from His wisdom and His benevolent desire for our welfare and our well-being.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:40
Because humans are bound by space and time, they must use human terms and analogies to communicate about God.
We are bound by space and time. We are physical creatures, and the only terms in which we can communicate about anything are human terms because we're human and so we use analogies to describe God drawn from human experience.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:01
A greater degree of love for one person makes the lesser love seem like hatred by contrast.
the greater love that God has for Jacob makes the love that he has for Esau seem like hatred in comparison.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:43
The Hebrew idea suggests that a lesser degree of love is considered being not loved or the antithesis of love, which is hatred.
So here we see that Hebrew idea where there is a degree of love, where one is higher than the other, that by contrast, that which is less loved is considered being not loved or, the antithesis of love, which is hatred.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:00
Jesus requires a profound commitment to him that supersedes even the love for one's family.
He's saying, "I am going to require such commitment from you, such devotion, such love if you want to enter into discipleship to me, that by comparison you would in effect be hating your parents, and hating your own family, and hating your children, and hating your own life by comparison."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:15
The phrase 'hate your family' in the context of discipleship is an idiom of preference, not a literal command for hostility.
No, again he's using this Hebrew idiom of preference. He's saying, "I am going to require such commitment from you, such devotion, such love if you want to enter into discipleship to me, that by comparison you would in effect be hating your parents, and hating your own family, and hating your children, and hating your own life by comparison."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:08
Determinism refers to things happening strictly by external forces, but human choices can also be influenced by internal forces.
Determinism means that things happen to me strictly by virtue of external forces. But in addition to external forces that are determining factors in what happens to us, there are also internal forces that are determining factors.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:15
True reality must be objective and cannot be determined by mere impressions or preferences.
I'm not interested in impressions here. I'm not interested in preferences. I want to get to the truth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:01
Only God can truly know a person's inner thoughts, unlike even the closest human relationships.
She can't get inside my mind like God can. She can only know what I unveil to her, what I am willing to expose of myself to her.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:57
God uses the institution of marriage as a supreme image to communicate the intimate relationship He desires with humanity.
Is it any wonder that God uses the human institution of marriage as the supreme image to communicate to His people the relationship that He wants with them, that Israel in the Old Testament is the bride of Yahweh? The church in the New Testament is the bride of Christ because that image of marriage is to demonstrate intimacy and a depth dimension of communion where we're comfortable.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:43
A breakdown in marital intimacy occurs when one or both partners begin to hide or conceal things from each other.
The clothes are coming on because something is being hidden and concealed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:37
Humans do not enter the family of God by nature, but must be adopted through a relationship with the Only Begotten Son, Jesus.
And we enter into the family of God not by nature, not simply by being born a human being. In fact, the bible says we're children of wrath, doesn't it? But in order to become a child of God, we must be adopted into the Father's family by virtue of our relationship with the Only Begotten Son, who is Jesus.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:44
The statement 'God is love' should not be interpreted as a tautology or an identity where God equals love, but rather that God possesses the quality of being loving.
And the worst mistake, I think, is looking at this statement “God is love” and seeing it as a tautology. That is where the subject “God” and the predicate “love” are linked by an equal sign in the sense that God equals love in the same way that love equals God, where there’s an identity between subject and predicate.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:11
The dominant cultural view is that both humanity and the world originated through chance, which is an idea equivalent to something coming out of nothing.
The dominant view of the origin of the cosmos, the dominant view of the origin of the human race in our culture is that both man and his world have come by, from, and through chance. Now if you don't give ontological status to chance, they'll still say that it still came by this chance, random collision of molecules or of atoms that happened for no reason at all.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 39:56
True Christian relationship means being known, protected, and possessed by Christ.
Whoever is in Christ is known by Christ, is protected by Christ, is possessed by Christ, and will be redeemed by the King.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:51
The family is the primary unit of society responsible for teaching children about the character of God.
The cardinal unit of society as God has ordained it is the family. The parent is responsible to inculcate into the children a clear understanding of the character of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The passage in Deuteronomy emphasizes that parents have a continuous, daily responsibility to teach their children about God's character.
And the whole thrust of that passage is that the parent is responsible as a daily matter of priority to inculcate into the children a clear understanding of the character of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:29
Despite passionate disagreements, the nation maintains a standard of tolerance for one another.
But still there is this sense that's part of the fiber of our nation that people disagree sometimes passionately on matters that are very important and yet in spite of those disagreements, we have this standard of tolerance one for another.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:38
Many people resent government intrusion into private matters concerning family, sexuality, and pregnancy.
And there are many people in this country who profoundly resent government entering in to private issues of decisions of family, of sexuality, and in this case, pregnancy and birth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:40
The way people react to a dramatic natural event, like lightning, reflects a fundamental difference in how they view the relationship between God and nature across different centuries.
So, the Merry Mex laughs and jokes about his close brush with lightning, whereas Luther changes his entire career. It's not because Luther's crazy, and Lee Trevino is sane, but it's a totally different perspective and a totally different view of the relationship between God and nature, between how it's viewed in the 20th century and how it was perceived in the 16th century.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:23
Most people fail to keep the great commandment because they do not love God with all their mind, soul, and strength.
And, if you're honest about it, you realize that you haven't kept great commandment for five minutes in your life, that you've been breaking the great commandment steadily in the last five minutes.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 41:05
The biblical use of the verb 'to know' regarding intimacy signifies the deepest level of human intimacy, which requires knowledge to occur.
It's using that verb "to know" to communicate the deepest level of human intimacy, and that's because for intimacy to happen, whether it's physical or emotional or spiritual, knowledge has to take place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:22
Intimacy requires a process of knowing one another, which is necessary for it to build a permanent marriage.
what creates the kind of love that builds permanent marriage is when that process of knowing one another deepens and continues and continues and continues because that is absolutely necessary for intimacy to take place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:10
During initial dating, people often try to present an idealized version of themselves to make a good first impression, sometimes avoiding being truly known.
And so on the first date we do everything in our power to make sure that that person we're trying to impress doesn't know who we are, right? Trying to avoid being known in that situation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:16
Experiencing intimacy requires the effort of getting to know one's partner, which necessitates study.
So the principle is this: that if we are to experience intimacy we have to get to know our partners. It's that simple. Knowledge is a requirement. Marriage cannot be continued and sustained on feelings alone. Knowledge has to happen.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:51
Achieving intimacy requires moving beyond superficial conversation to discussing deep feelings and personal matters.
We have to get to what I call the second level of communication, not just commonplace reactions, but down into how we feel about things. That's when intimacy starts to take place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:32
Couples contemplating or already in marriage benefit from discussing specific ideal traits they desire in a partner.
You know when you go into a car -- car lot -- and you want to buy a new car, you walk into the dealership, and first thing they tell you is that they have seven or eight different models, and you have to figure that out. And then each model comes with 150 possible factory options, and so that the combinations that you can order for a car just boggle the mind -- all the different things.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:10
The speaker asserts that the concept of selfless love is false, arguing that all love requires the self to be involved.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is bologna. There is no such thing as selfless love. For me to love, my self has to be involved in it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:45
In marriage, it is acceptable to want certain needs met, and both partners should communicate their priority needs to each other.
But there's nothing wrong with wanting certain needs met in marriage, but my wife, if she loves me, needs to know what my priority needs are; and if I love her, I need to know what her priority needs are.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:51
If one of a person's top five felt needs in a marriage is not being met, that unmet need becomes a point of vulnerability.
Why? Because if one of your top five felt needs is not being met, that is your point of vulnerability.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:58
The modern world has shifted away from objective truth, making truth a matter of personal feeling rather than thoughtful understanding.
But it's not by accident that language in our day has changed in this way because we live in a world where preferences have supplanted objective truth. Truth is now no longer considered to be a matter of cogent thoughtful understanding so much as it is a matter of personal feeling.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:39
The primary way humans encounter the external world is through their physical senses, requiring sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste.
The only way I can encounter the external world is through my body. I have to see it, I have to hear it, or I have to touch it or smell it or taste it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:40
The New Testament primarily uses two types of love, philein and agape, while the concept of eros is absent.
What you do find in the New Testament are the other two kinds of love, philein and agape.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:10
Phileo or philein generally refers to a deep affection experienced among friends, which is less transcendent than agape.
Now, usually we think of phileo or philein as being a kind of love that is experienced among friends -- where we like each other, have a deep affection for each other, but it falls short of the transcendent kind of love that is spoken of in supernatural terms in the New Testament with respect to agape.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:14
If one loves Christ, that love must be demonstrated through actions of care, such as feeding and tending the sheep.
If you love me," Jesus says to Peter, "then you feed my lambs."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:08
Claiming that Christianity is only about relationships and not propositions establishes a dangerous and false dichotomy.
And to say, “Christianity is not about propositions, but about relationships,” is to establish an extremely dangerous, false dichotomy, and to do insult to the Spirit of Truth, whose propositions they are.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:49
The concept of loving mercy should be applied to being steadfast and loyal in love, similar to the commitment of a family.
That is an expression that communicates what Micah is talking about when he says we are to love mercy, that we should be steadfast and loyal in our love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:10
The speaker believes that while research points to sexual issues as the number one reason for marital breakdown, he thinks the true underlying cause is deeper than the sexual dimension.
I have to say this, too, at this point: that even though the research indicates that this is the number one reason given for the breakdown of marriages in our country, I personally don't believe that it is the number one reason. I believe it's the number one reason people say, but I think there's an underlying reason that goes even deeper than the sexual dimension
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:32
Christian couples face the difficulty of transitioning from a life situation where God forbade certain things to a married relationship where those things are not only allowed but commanded.
One of the biggest problems, of course, that we face in adjusting to the sexual dimension of marriage, particularly as Christians, is making the transition from living in a life situation all the way up until marriage where God says, "No," and then all of a sudden we're expected to enter into a relationship where that which was once forbidden is now not only allowed, but in biblical categories, is commanded.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:02
The current problem in marriage is sexual paralysis, which is a continuum rather than an absolute state of impotency or frigidity.
These terms represent a continuum, degrees that deal with how free we are able to express ourselves sexually in the marriage estate, so that we have to think in terms of degrees of impotency or degrees of frigidity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:21
Sexual relationships should not be viewed as a display or a competition, but rather as an expression of love built upon a foundation of intimacy.
Well our sexual relationship is not for display. Nobody's keeping score. It is for the intimacy of the two people that are involved, and it is to be built upon a foundation of love; and that doesn't mean just an emotional feeling. That means a foundation where sex is not ripped out of the relationship to love, but sex becomes an expression of love.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:56
Sex should be understood as an expression of love, rather than merely a physical activity separate from emotional connection.
But if the sex is an expression of love, and I understand that my wife is committed to me, and she understands that I love her, then the pressure to perform diminishes.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:38
Open communication about fears is necessary in marriage, as the speaker cannot help a spouse by forcing them to confront their fears.
here is where we need communication, where the husband and the wife need to talk, where we need to express to each other what is it that you're afraid of? Are you afraid of something, and how can I help?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:22
He shared a detailed personal story about his childhood friendships and interests.
One of my favorite pictures that I have at home is a picture of myself and my best friend at age three. In fact, this boy was my first playmate, and the picture was taken where the two of us were standing on a log at the public park called South Park in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:30
The perceived qualities of objects, such as color, do not actually reside or inhere in the object itself.
But even as we speak, we know that this rug is not as it appears to be, that there's no such thing as blueness residing or inhering in this rug, don't we? We know that colors come from light, and whatever light is reflected from this rug, as the spectrum is separated and the light waves are separated, then the blue shade or the blue tone is reflected,
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:44
God's giving of good gifts to His people is compared to a father's ability to give good gifts to his own children.
No, He makes this comparison: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Source: Asking & Knocking (Ligonier)
Christians should focus on building each other up rather than engaging in destructive behaviors like criticism, gossip, or slander.
What we are called to do in the name of Jesus, says the Apostle, is not to tear each other apart, but to build each other up.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
Christian life should prioritize others' needs over personal desires, following the pattern of Jesus.
You may know the acrostic JOY—Jesus first, others second, yourself last. That is simple stuff. You do not have to have a PhD in theology to get that message. Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
The initial point Paul makes regarding love is not merely one of many virtues, but serves as the central theme for all subsequent responsibilities.
Paul begins with the first point, which I believe is not just one of a loose list of virtues that we are to manifest, but rather the thematic statement for all the responsibilities that follow.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The love shared within the church fellowship should be like the love found within a family.
The Apostle is saying that the love we are to have for each other in the fellowship of the church is to be the same kind of love that you experience within your family.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
True love requires actively sharing in the joy and sorrow of others, rather than maintaining emotional distance.
This is what love means: “Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.” “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
When someone is offended by something the speaker has done that is just, it is the person's problem for taking offense, and the speaker should try to maintain a peaceable relationship.
If they are offended by something you have done that is just, then it is their problem that they take offense. There is not much you can do about it, except to try to maintain a peaceable relationship with them.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's mercy is characterized by a combination of strength and tenderness, which is exemplified by the relationship between the husband and wife.
The two things that they wanted more than anything else in a man were a man who was strong and a man who was tender. They didn’t want a strong man who was harsh. They didn’t want a strong man who was a bully.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Customs, such as naming children after relatives, are generally acceptable and do not constitute a theological or ethical issue.
The custom itself was what we call adiaphorous . It had no inherent ethical import. It is perfectly alright if families name their children after relatives.
Source: The Birth of John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The relationship between Jews and Samaritans was characterized by deep-rooted hostility, leading them to avoid traveling through Samaria.
The Scriptures teach us about the hostile relationship between Jews and Samaritans, and the Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. The hostility was so deeply rooted that when the Jews wanted to go from Judea to Galilee, instead of going the shortest route directly through Samaria, they crossed the Jordan to Transjordan and went up the desert road, bypassing Samaria to get to Galilee and back.
Source: Cleansing of the Leper (Ligonier)
Stopping the transport of goods and services across borders often leads to intense rage and conflict.
The phrase goes like this: when goods and services freely cross borders, soldiers rarely do. But when borders are stopped for the transport of goods and services, that will often produce the kind of rage we read about in our text, and that can escalate into full-blown war.
Source: The Death of Herod (Ligonier)
Christ separates people into two groups: those who trust in Him and those who ignore or reject Him.
Christ divides between those who embrace and put their trust in Him, and those who ignore Him or reject Him.
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
Primary separation involves withdrawing oneself or one's family from a situation, while secondary separation involves refusing to associate with people involved in the objectionable activity.
If I separate myself or my family from abortion, that is primary separation. If I separate myself from anyone that has anything to do with abortion, that is secondary separation.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
From a purely naturalistic perspective, human life is meaningless, and concepts like dignity, right, and wrong are merely personal preferences.
If you are a naturalist, nothing makes any difference. There is no one home up there. If there is no one home, and all you have is nature, you do not live your life in an environment that is hostile to you.
Source: The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
The worst sin a person could commit is breaking the Great Commandment, which is to love God and neighbor.
If the Great Commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and strength, and soul, and your neighbor as yourself—if that’s the number one commandment from God—then the worst thing we could ever do would be to break that one.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
Predestination is always related to our relationship with Christ and is never discussed in the abstract.
Keep in mind that when Paul speaks about predestination, when the New Testament speaks about predestination, the focus of predestination is always and everywhere related to Christ.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
Non-justice is a category that encompasses everything outside the circle of justice.
Non-justice would point to and include everything outside of our circle of justice.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus' command to 'hate' family members is not an instruction for hostility, but a comparative statement meaning that love for Christ must exceed all other loves.
Jesus was saying, comparatively speaking, as a manner of speaking: “If you are going to love Me, you must love Me first of all. The love that you have for Me must so exceed the love you have for your friends, your spouses, your mother, your father, your children, that by comparison, the love you have for them would be seen as hatred.”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
Leah's statement that she was 'hated' by her husband was a comparative way of saying that she was second in terms of his preference compared to Rachel.
If you look at the context, she was saying: “I am second in terms of his preference. Compared to the affection that pours out on my sister Rachel, his feelings for me may be called hatred.”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
God does not need human counselors, and humanity approaches God to receive advice, not to give it.
Do you know why God does not have any counselors? He does not need any counselors. What would we counsel Him about? That is what I said a few moments ago about our prayers. We do not go to God to give Him our advice; we go to God to hear His advice for us.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Believers are invited not just to be friends with the groom or the bride, but to be the bride herself.
We are invited not simply to be friends of the groom, and not simply to be friends of the bride, but we are invited to be the bride. That is what is going on here.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Christians must understand that their personal struggles and strengths are not universal, and they should accept the diversity of gifts and experiences.
Part of our growth as Christians is understanding that the things that are not a big problem for us may be very difficult for other people. The things that I struggle with, you may never struggle with at all.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should accept and receive one another even when they disagree on matters that are indifferent (adiaphora).
The point Paul makes is that we are to receive each other when we differ on these matters of adiaphora.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The father recognized his son upon seeing him from a distance, knowing him by his manner of walking.
He could see the way the boy was walking. He could see the way he carried himself. He could see his gait. He knew it was his son.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Loving one's enemies is not about feeling affection, but rather about behavioral action.
He doesn’t mean that you must have feelings of warm fuzzies and affection towards your enemies. Here, as almost everywhere in the Scriptures, love is defined more by a verb than a noun.
Source: Love Your Enemies (Ligonier)
The primary obligation Paul speaks of is not financial debt, but the perpetual debt of loving one's neighbor.
Any commentator I have ever consulted on this portion of the text says that the basic point the Apostle is making is that we operate under only one perpetual debt or obligation, and that is to love our brothers.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
All practical applications of righteousness and justice, including paying debts and rendering due honors, are rooted in the overarching responsibility to love one's neighbor.
All these practical applications of righteousness and justice that Paul is explaining here are rooted and grounded in the overarching responsibility we have to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
The early Christian community lived in a state of shared possessions and mutual support.
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
A culture that devalues human life will tend to value animals more highly than people.
It is only in a culture of death where human life is denigrated, not esteemed, that people begin to value animals more than people.
Source: A Fearful Deliverance (Ligonier)
Jesus observed the people as being aimless and lacking a clear purpose, comparing them to sheep without a shepherd.
He saw people running. He saw people determined to get to a certain point, but they had no idea why they were doing what they were doing. They were rushing aimlessly. They were moving without any real understood purpose. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
Source: Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
Voting for a tax on a neighbor that is not a tax on oneself is equivalent to stealing from that neighbor.
Any time you vote for a tax on your neighbor that is not a tax on you, you are stealing from your neighbor.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The chief duty of every human being is to love God and one's neighbor, which summarizes all obligations.
What is the single most important commandment God has given to the world? What commandment sums up the whole duty of human beings before their Creator?
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The ultimate reason for loving God is recognizing His inherent worthiness and wonderful nature.
We do not really progress in the Christian life until we understand that to love God is to love Him because He is lovely. He is wonderful. He is worthy of the creature’s unqualified affection.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
Ancient Palestinian homes typically consisted of a single story with walls and a flat roof, which served as a deck for activities like eating or receiving company.
In Palestine at this time, the normal structure of a house was one story with walls and a flat roof on top. Roofs were normally constructed with beams set across the walls of the house, then between the beams were interlaced sticks and reeds. Within the reeds and sticks was woven a kind of thatch, like we know of thatched roofs.
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
The Jewish custom was to name men based on their relationship to their father, not their mother.
No, in almost every single case, the Jews would name men according to their relationship to their father, not to their mother.
Source: Jesus at Nazareth (Ligonier)
Understanding and foundation of truth are necessary even for defining a good personal relationship.
In fact, you cannot even define what a good personal relationship is without first having some understanding and foundation of truth.
Source: Jesus before Pilate (Ligonier)
For Christians, cohabiting outside the institution of marriage is a serious sin against God.
Let me say this in all candor: it’s a matter of course in the pagan society, but for Christians ever to cohabit outside the institution of marriage is a gross and heinous sin against God.
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
The specific grounds for divorce mentioned in Deuteronomy are not adultery, but rather an 'uncleanness' or 'shameful thing'.
The specific sin of adultery is not in this text in Deuteronomy.
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
The Hillel school interpreted the 'unclean thing' broadly, suggesting that anything that embarrassed, disgraced, or even displeased a husband could be grounds for divorce.
The advocates of the Hillel school said, “Anything that a woman does that embarrasses her husband, disgraces him, or even displeases him would be under this broad rubric of shameful or unclean thing.”
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Jesus concluded that what God has joined together, man should not separate, referencing the divine institution of marriage.
Therefore”—here is our Lord’s conclusion—“what God has joined together, let not man put asunder or separate.”
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Jesus established that the only grounds for divorce are the commission of porneia, which means a sexual violation of the marital union.
Jesus said, basically, “The only grounds for divorce is the commission of porneia .”
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Every Christian should commit to the sacred institution of marriage, recognizing it as the basic unit of civilization and culture.
There is no more basic unit to civilization and culture than the family. Though the whole world goes crazy with that institution, let every Christian determine to be committed to the sacred institution of marriage.
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts that there will be no marriage in heaven because humans will be like angels, who are not married and do not procreate.
I think Jesus was speaking straightforwardly, saying there will not be any marriage in heaven because we will be just like the angels. The angels are not married. The angels do not have offspring. They do not procreate.
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
A child in a woman's womb is a distinct individual human being, not merely part of the woman's body.
First, a child in a woman’s womb is not part of the woman’s body. It may be in the woman’s body, but it is not the woman’s body. The clearest evidence of the distinction between individual human beings is DNA.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
The mere existence of tensions or difficult-to-harmonize passages does not constitute an actual contradiction.
The fact that there are tensions, discrepancies, and difficult-to-harmonize passages in a book that thick, even if it were delivered by a parachute from heaven, shouldn’t surprise anyone. But if there are actual contradictions, that’s a serious charge.
Source: The Nobleman's Son (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that every human being encountered should be loved as much as one loves oneself.
He could have said: “Everybody in the world is your neighbor. Every human being that you have ever come across, you must love as much as you love yourself.”
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
Being a neighbor means acting in a way that demonstrates Christ's compassion toward others.
When he was asked what it means to love your neighbor, he said it means that you must be Christ for your neighbor.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
Loving everyone means acting according to what love demands for every person, regardless of personal feelings or background.
To love everybody means to be loving to everybody, to do what love demands for everyone you come across, whether you like him or do not, whether he is a Jew or a Samaritan.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The good soil refers not to inherently good people, but to hearts that have been prepared and made fertile by the Holy Spirit.
The good soil is that which has been changed by God the Holy Spirit. It is the good soil where the seed takes root because the Holy Spirit has prepared it, tilled it, and made it fertile, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
When facing change or new leadership, people sometimes react negatively, which is a common human tendency.
From my experience working in organizations over my lifetime, any time new management comes in, people get nervous. Some of them revolt and rebel because they do not like to go through change, or they resent the one in the new position of leadership over them.
Source: Paul's Sermon at Antioch (Ligonier)
Being adopted into God's family is an undeserved affection from God, as humans have no inherent claim to it.
To be adopted into the family of God means to experience an affection from God that we have no claim upon. There is nothing in us that in the sight of God is lovely.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The obligation to love our neighbor is a perpetual debt that cannot be fully paid until we enter heaven.
But our debt in this world to love our neighbor is never discharged until we cross into heaven.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The commandments mentioned in the text describe human behavior toward one another, which operates on a horizontal plane.
Whatever we conclude on that question, the commandments that are mentioned in this text prescribe behavior on the horizontal plane and describe our behavior toward each other.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The concept of 'neighbor' is not limited to people who live nearby, but encompasses all people.
Your neighbor is not just someone that lives next door, down the street, or in your neighborhood.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The law of love requires that if one loves their neighbor, they will not commit sins such as adultery, murder, or slander.
If we love our neighbor, if we love our fellow human beings, we will not commit adultery, because adultery is the hatred of our neighbor. It is the destruction of our friends and our family.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Statements made under the guise of 'love' are often vicious personal attacks and should be treated with extreme caution.
He said that almost every time someone comes to you and says, “I would like to tell you something in love,” what they then tell you has no love in it. It is just a license for vicious personal attacks.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Christians should not vote for taxes on their neighbors that do not apply to themselves, as this contributes to oppression and injustice.
If you are a Christian, do not ever vote for a tax on your neighbor that is not on yourself.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
Christians should rejoice when their neighbor prospers rather than expressing envy.
When I see my neighbor prosper, I am to be glad. I am to rejoice for that person that they have received these benefits rather than express envy.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
The living water is something that continuously nurtures a person over extended periods of time.
It is something that continues to nurture day after day, year after year.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Scripture does not prohibit interracial marriage; the only potential issues are cultural prejudices.
I don’t see anything, even in Scripture, that would prohibit interracial marriage other than the problems people might face in terms of cultural prejudices.
Source: Does God frown upon interracial marriages? (Ligonier Q&A)
God appears to disapprove of racist behavior, as evidenced by the reaction to Moses' marriage.
So if anything, it would seem to me that God frowns upon those who are racists.
Source: Does God frown upon interracial marriages? (Ligonier Q&A)
The phrase 'God so loved the world' refers to the generic cosmos, not every individual person.
When the Bible says, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), it doesn’t say that He loved everybody in the world equally. This text is pointing to the world, the generic cosmos.
Source: Does God love the wicked the same way He loves the elect? (Ligonier Q&A)
God's love is categorized into three types: benevolent love (goodwill for the whole world), common grace (kindness to all sinners), and the love of complacency (special love for the redeemed).
In theology, we distinguish among three different kinds of God’s love. First of all, there is the benevolent love of God. God’s goodwill is bene-volence . That is, His goodwill which He gives to the whole world. Second, there is common grace, where God is kind to all sinners in the world to some degree. Related to this is the will of beneficence, which describes His good actions.
Source: Does God love the wicked the same way He loves the elect? (Ligonier Q&A)
The biblical commandment to love one's neighbor reflects the fact that God has endowed every human creature with value.
That’s why in the Bible the great commandment not only deals with our relationship with God but our relationships with human beings. “Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your might, and with all your strength . . . and your neighbor as much as you love yourself,” because God has endowed every human creature with value.
Source: What is the biblical basis for human dignity? (Ligonier Q&A)