Repentance & Forgiveness¶
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.
354 positions — 36 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
The only effective cure for real guilt is real forgiveness, which requires confessing sin with a humble and contrite heart.
The only effective cure for real guilt is real forgiveness. To try to cover the stain on our hands is a poor substitute for having the stain removed. To experience the profound liberation of forgiveness, one must simply go to God and confess the sin with a humble heart and a contrite spirit.
Corroborated across 8 sources: Resolving Abortion’s Guilt (Ligonier article) · What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 22:13 · R.C. Sproul @ 26:22 · R.C. Sproul @ 0:05 · The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier) · Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier) · Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
True repentance involves genuine sorrow for disobeying God and acknowledges guilt without attempting to justify it.
Contrition involves a genuine and godly sorrow for having disobeyed God. It differs from the repentance of attrition, which is a false form of repentance motivated by a fear of punishment. Attrition is seen in a child who, when he sees a paddle in his mother’s hand, is sorry that he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Corroborated across 7 sources: Can I Be Forgiven If I’ve Had an Abortion? (Ligonier article) · Resolving Abortion’s Guilt (Ligonier article) · What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 17:50 · R.C. Sproul @ 13:32 · R.C. Sproul @ 8:17 · God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Objective guilt stems from breaking God's law, while subjective guilt is the personal sense of guilt that accompanies wrongdoing.
That’s objective guilt—they are guilty because they have broken God’s law. But some people have so destroyed their consciences that they believe it really doesn't matter what they do as long as it is consensual and causes no harm. Their subjective guilt—the sense of guilt that accompanies wrongdoing—diminishes.
Corroborated across 4 sources: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article) · Guilt Leading to Joy (Ligonier article) · What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 15:49
The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, and this conviction leads to repentance and forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, and with that conviction comes a certain tender mercy that leads us to repentance and forgiveness so that we might walk in His presence.
Corroborated across 4 sources: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 20:05 · R.C. Sproul @ 20:59 · The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Believers who confess their sins are forgiven by God, and this forgiveness means God holds nothing against them anymore.
But as a Christian we say I believe in the forgiveness of sins. I believe that when I come to God and confess my sins. He forgives me. That’s the joy of the Christian life, is, that’s like Christian in, “Pilgrims Progress,” to get that ugly, obscene, dreadful burden of weight that’s what’s weighing down on the back. Get it off of you and throw it away.
Corroborated across 4 sources: The Greatest Issue We Face (Ligonier article) · The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 11:55 · R.C. Sproul @ 15:21
God's forgiveness is unmerited, freely given, and requires no payment or strings attached.
He freely forgave the debt. There weren’t any strings attached to his mercy. He simply canceled the debt. There was no payment and nothing that could be done to earn it.
Corroborated across 4 sources: The Holiness of God and the Sinfulness of Man (Ligonier article) · The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 11:49 · The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
While God offers forgiveness, humans must actively repent, confess their sins, and put their trust in Christ to experience it.
God does not just pass out forgiveness willing nilly. God does not just sit up in heaven and say, “Well, boys will be boys and girls will be girls. No matter what they do they're covered. I’ll take care.” No, no, no. God commands that we turn from our evil. God commands that we confess our evil to Him.
Corroborated across 4 sources: What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 25:53 · R.C. Sproul @ 11:49 · Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
The unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only be committed by a Christian who has received the revelation of Christ's identity.
On the one hand, the only kind of person who could theoretically commit the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be a Christian because Christians are the only people who have received this revelation and have a clear understanding, by virtue of the power of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is the Son of God.
Corroborated across 4 sources: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article) · The Unpardonable Sin (Ligonier) · The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier) · Scripture says that Christ stated the unforgivable sin as being blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Can you expand on that, and how should I pray for someone committing that sin? (Ligonier Q&A)
The power of sin can erode the conscience, making it hardened and callous, which leads to condemning what is right and excusing what is wrong.
But the power of sin can erode the conscience to the point where it becomes a faint voice in the deepest recesses of your soul. By this, our consciences become hardened and callous, condemning what is right and excusing what is wrong.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Ethics and the Conscience (Ligonier article) · The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 16:32
Jesus' ministry was intended to call sinners to repentance, not to save or call the righteous to repentance.
I didn’t come to save the righteous or to call the righteous to repentance, but to call sinners to repentance. Maybe you don’t think you need to hear my message, Mr. Pharisee. Maybe you don’t need My ministry because you’re righteous, and I’ve only come to call sinners to repentance.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Self-Righteous Snobbery (Ligonier article) · The Call of Levi (Ligonier) · New Wine Skins (Ligonier)
Assurance of forgiveness and salvation must be based on objective truths found in Scripture, not on subjective feelings.
It doesn’t matter what you feel—if you’re forgiven by Christ, that’s an objective state of affairs. If you’ve confessed your sins, God has promised to forgive you for your sins. If you confess your sins, then your sins are forgiven. It doesn’t matter how you feel.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier) · Am I really a Christian if I don’t feel any different? (Ligonier Q&A)
The process of receiving forgiveness requires repentance, which involves acknowledging sin and relying on the Redeemer.
The price tag for forgiveness is repentance, and that is when you say to God: “I know my sin, and I am profoundly sorry that I have offended You. I acknowledge my sin. My sin is ever before me, and my only hope in life and death is the Redeemer.”
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 26:45 · Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
Biblical repentance is not merely a change of opinion, but a profound transformation that penetrates the core of one's personality.
Context: Quoting David's acknowledgment of God's desire for truth.
But when we’re talking about repentance in the biblical sense, we're talking about something that doesn't happen at the edge of our experience, but something that happens in the very core of your personality, where you are pierced by the Spirit of God to your heart.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 6:27 · R.C. Sproul @ 15:30 · Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
The core message is that people must repent, or they will perish.
He said, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” What He was saying to His disciples, and through His disciples to us, is a hard saying that we almost never think about, dear friends, and it’s this: Why shouldn’t God let that temple fall on those people’s heads?
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:47 · The Locus of Astonishment (Ligonier) · The Parable of the Barren Fig (Ligonier)
Jesus chose the more difficult path of claiming authority to forgive sins publicly, demonstrating that the Son of Man has the power to pardon.
I personally think, given the circumstances, that Jesus did not take the easier tack but the far more difficult one when He publicly pronounced that this man’s sins had been forgiven.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier) · Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier) · Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
Individuals who have been involved in abortion can receive forgiveness by repenting of the sin and coming to God.
If a woman has been involved in abortion, God does not require that she spend the rest of her life walking around with a red “A” on her chest. He does require that she repent of her sin and come to Him for the cleansing of forgiveness.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Can I Be Forgiven If I’ve Had an Abortion? (Ligonier article) · Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
God's forgiveness is not automatic, and one must confess sins and remain repentant to receive it.
No—as long as you remain impenitent, as long as you refuse to confess your sins before Him, He will not forgive you.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Greatest Issue We Face (Ligonier article) · Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
Hypocrisy is a specific sin that requires claiming not to do something sinful, and seeing oneself do it, whereas simply sinning without such a claim only makes one a sinner, not a hypocrite.
If I claim not to do something sinful and then you see me do it, I am guilty of hypocrisy. But if you see me do something sinful that I never claimed I do not do, I am a sinner but I am not a hypocrite.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Hypocrites in the Church (Ligonier article) · Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
God's judgment is a retributive process that leads the people to repentance, which in turn leads to God's rescue.
Following each relapse into gross sin recorded in the book of Judges is the retributive justice of God whereby He pours out His judgment and wrath against His own people. Under the weight of that retributive justice of God, the people are then brought to repentance, and they bewail their situation and await their rescue by God, who redeems them.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Learning from the Judges (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Sin occurs when a person desires the sin more intensely than they desire to please God.
The simplest way to state the mechanism of sin is to understand that at the moment I sin, I desire the sin more than I desire to please God. Stated another way, my love for the sin is greater at the moment of its intense desire than is my love for obedience to God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 11:58
Abortion is a serious sin, but it is not the unforgivable sin, and forgiveness is available through Christ.
Yes, abortion is an egregious sin. It is a weighty sin, but it is not the unforgivable sin. We have a Savior who can forgive you of that sin and remove that guilt from you before you die.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
True forgiveness requires the individual to be honest with God and confess their sin.
There is a price for forgiveness, and it is that we must be honest with God. We must lay ourselves bare before God and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
If a guilty spouse repents, the innocent spouse is obligated to receive that spouse as a brother or sister in Christ, but not as a spouse, because God allows for ending the marriage if the trust is violated.
I disagree. I think if the guilty spouse repents, the innocent spouse is now obligated to receive that spouse as a brother or sister in Christ, but not as a spouse, because God gives the provision for ending the marriage if the trust that is at the very heart and foundation of that marital union is violated.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Problem of Forgiveness (Ligonier article) · Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Genuine repentance is inspired by God the Holy Spirit, making it a revelation of what true repentance looks like.
this particular prayer is inspired by God the Holy Spirit so that David as he is experiencing his repentance is at the same being used by God as a spokesman of revelation showing us what real repentance looks like.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:57
The ignorance that excuses sin is not an invincible kind, but an evincible kind, meaning one that could have been avoided by paying attention to the Word of God.
While you did this in ignorance, it was not an invincible ignorance, the kind that excuses. It was evincible ignorance. You were ignorant because you ignored the plain teaching of the Word of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article) · Peter's Second Speech (Ligonier)
Refusing to forgive someone who has repented is a transgression against God, which exposes the forgiver to divine wrath.
In other words, it is transgression against God when we refuse to forgive those who have repented for their offenses to us. This is the teaching of Jesus. It is the mandate of Jesus.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Why Forgive? (Ligonier article) · Judge Not… (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit's conviction of sin is distinct from Satan's accusation because the Spirit assures the person of forgiveness, while Satan's accusation aims only to destroy.
Somehow that when the Holy Spirit confronts us with our sin, at the same time that He tells us we are guilty, He assures us that we are forgiven as we turn to Him – that He comes to us not as somebody trying to destroy us. But Satan’s accusation is designed not to redeem us but to destroy us, and there’s a total difference.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 17:46 · R.C. Sproul @ 22:07
Glorification is the process where all remnants of sin are removed from a person's character, resulting in a state of total sanctification.
The Bible tells us at the end of our sanctification is our glorification where all vestigial remnants of sin are removed from our character. It's all gone. No more doubt. No more fear. No more error. No more pain. No more evil. All gone.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:35 · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
True repentance is characterized by complete humility, which contrasts sharply with self-righteousness or pride.
The answer is obvious. It's the publican who receives the pardon of God because there is no mixture of pride, no mixture of arrogance in his plea, no false gratitude, but rather there is complete humility in the plea of the publican who throws himself naked, as it were, on the mercy of the court.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 3:32 · Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Ligonier)
Divine forgiveness is comprehensive, removing all sins completely.
I'm removing your transgressions from you as far as the east is from the west. And I am purging you of your guilt, and I'm making you clean.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 15:41 · R.C. Sproul @ 23:28
Although God implants conscience, repeated sin allows humans to put calluses on it, learn to silence, and almost completely eradicate the voice of conscience.
Because even though God plants conscience in the mind of every creature, through our repeated transgressions, through our ongoing sin, we have the ability to put calluses on our conscience and we learn how to silence the voice of conscience and almost completely eradicate it.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 2:04 · The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Confession requires the individual to not only acknowledge their sins but also to recognize and remember them.
But, to receive forgiveness, you had to confess your sins, and don't you see that to confess your sins, not only did you have to acknowledge them, you had to recognize them, and you had to remember them.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 39:50 · Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
True repentance involves acknowledging that sin is a violation against God's perfection, majesty, and holiness.
David understood that he had violated Bathsheba and that he had violated his own wives. He had violated his family and the whole nation. But David is speaking in the ultimate sense in this Psalm, recognizing that the wickedness of sin does violence to the perfection, majesty, and holiness of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 29:46 · God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Redemption involves a double imputation where sin is reckoned to Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer.
But I said also, if you recall, that this imputation is dual in the sense that not only is our sin reckoned to Christ, transferred or imputed to His account, but His righteousness is imputed to us. He gets our guilt; we get His merit.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier) · Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God desires a broken and contrite heart, which is the reality of true repentance.
God doesn’t despise a broken and contrite heart, but rather He desires it as the reality of our repentance.
Corroborated across 2 sources: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier) · Does repentance require confession? (Ligonier Q&A)
The text does not teach that it is a moral obligation to unilaterally forgive people who have sinned against us without their repentance.
I do not believe that this text or any text in the New Testament teaches that it is our moral obligation to unilaterally forgive people who have sinned against us without their repentance.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier) · Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
The brothers sinned not only against Joseph but also against their father, and they compounded that sin by hypocritically pretending to comfort him.
They sinned not only against their brother but against their father as well, and they compounded that sin by hypocritically making a show of bringing comfort to their father.
Source: A Sin Concealed (Ligonier article)
The speaker asserts that the Reformers maintained a distinction between lesser sins and serious, heinous sins.
Calvin and every one of the Reformers strenuously maintained that there is a difference between lesser sins and what they called gross and heinous sins.
Source: Are There Degrees of Sin? (Ligonier article)
Certain sins, such as adultery, incest, drunkenness, murder, and fornication, are serious enough to warrant church discipline.
Adultery is serious. Incest calls for ecclesiastical discipline. Drunkenness, murder, and fornication are repeatedly mentioned. These sins are so destructive that they call forth church discipline when they are manifested.
Source: Are There Degrees of Sin? (Ligonier article)
The idea of sin and reward gradation is based on God's justice, meaning punishment and reward fit the crime or virtue.
The idea of gradation of sin and reward is based upon God’s justice. If I commit twice as many sins as another person, justice demands that the punishment fits the crime. If I’ve been twice as virtuous as another person, justice demands that I get more of a reward.
Source: Are There Degrees of Sin? (Ligonier article)
The Bible teaches that sin and reward are graded, meaning that greater guilt and greater responsibility lead to greater judgment and rewards.
Jesus measures and evaluates guilt, and with the greater guilt and greater responsibility comes the greater judgment. It’s a motif that permeates the New Testament.
Source: Are There Degrees of Sin? (Ligonier article)
A person should not assume that committing a more severe sin is acceptable because they are already guilty of a lesser sin, as the judgment for the greater sin will be more severe.
The judgment of actual adultery will be much more severe than the judgment upon lust. God will deal with us at that level, and it’s a foolish thing for a person who has committed a misdemeanor, to therefore say, “I’m already guilty; I might as well make it a felony.”
Source: Are There Degrees of Sin? (Ligonier article)
God's anger is directed against guilty people, specifically those who reject God's self-disclosure.
God’s not angry with innocent people; He’s angry with guilty people. The specific point for which they are charged with evil is in the rejection of God’s self-disclosure.
Source: Are Those Who Have Never Heard of Christ Going to Hell? (Ligonier article)
The idea that God errs is repugnant to both the mind and the soul.
The idea that God errs in any way, in any place, or in any endeavor is repugnant to the mind as well as the soul.
Source: Does the Bible Have Errors? (Ligonier article)
The root concept of apostasy in the Old Testament was the failure to remember God's blessings.
In the Old Testament, the root concept of apostasy was the idea of forgetting.
Source: Breaking Down the Dividing Wall (Ligonier article)
When God forgives and cleanses a person, they are made clean.
When God forgives us, we are forgiven. When God cleanses us, we are made clean.
Source: Can I Be Forgiven If I’ve Had an Abortion? (Ligonier article)
The Law is necessary for people to gain knowledge of sin and feel a sense of burden.
Without the Law there is no knowledge of sin, and without a knowledge of sin, there is no sense of burden.
Source: The Weightiness of the Gospel (Ligonier article)
Death often leaves survivors with guilt over things they failed to say or do.
Death often leaves a burden of guilt to the survivors who are plagued by memories of things left unsaid or undone or of hurts imposed on the deceased.
Source: Death Is No Stranger (Ligonier article)
Peter, despite a serious fall, endured to the end, repenting, being forgiven, and being restored.
Indeed, history testifies that Peter, in spite of this radical and serious fall, nevertheless endured to the end. He repented, he was forgiven, he was restored, and he endured to the end.
Source: The Difference Between Judas and Peter (Ligonier article)
The more sins are repeated, the greater the guilt incurred, but the person becomes less sensitive to the pangs of guilt in their conscience.
Here is the supreme irony and tragedy of sin: the more we repeat our sins, the greater the guilt we incur, but the less sensitive we become to the pangs of guilt in our consciences.
Source: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article)
The true measure of sin is not the feeling of guilt, but the objective reality of being guilty before God.
We aren’t going to be judged on the last day on whether we feel guilty, but on whether we are guilty.
Source: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article)
A conscience must be sensitive to the Word of God, and the Word of God is necessary to prevent sin.
That's why developing a conscience sensitive to the Word of God is so important.
Source: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article)
Luther's refusal to recant was based on his conscience being captive to the Word of God.
In essence, he said, “I am in captivity to the Word of God. That is why I cannot recant.”
Source: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article)
Humans tend to excuse their sin, and the feeling of guilt is a signal that sin has occurred.
The feeling of guilt is the signal that there’s probably something wrong.
Source: Don’t Adjust Your Conscience to Fit the Culture (Ligonier article)
The belief that God loves people unconditionally leads to the dangerous assumption that repentance is unnecessary, allowing people to continue in sin.
Every time I hear a preacher tell his people that God loves them unconditionally, I want to ask that the man be defrocked for such a violation of the Word of God. What pagan does not hear in that statement that he has no need of repentance, so he can continue in sin without fear, knowing that it's all taken care of?
Source: Forsaken: Jesus Became A Curse (Ligonier article)
Grief itself is a legitimate emotion, but if it is not managed properly, it can turn into bitterness and become a sin.
Yet the emotion itself is perfectly legitimate. If we fail to deal with our grief, if our mourning goes beyond sorrow into bitterness, then we have allowed pain to abscess and become poison. We must examine the griefs we experience and take care that they never become the occasion for sin.
Source: A Grief Observed (Ligonier article)
Jesus demonstrated forgiveness by declaring that he would not condemn the woman, despite her sin.
Then Jesus declared, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).
Source: Is It OK to Be Angry? (Ligonier article)
When disagreeing with fellow Christians, one should assume that the motives of the person is pure and that they are disagreeing honestly and with personal integrity.
When we disagree with one another, I believe that we are called as Christians to assume the motives of the person with whom we disagree are pure motives. This is the approach we are to have with those with whom we have an honest difference in biblical interpretation but who love the Bible and aren’t trying to change what it teaches. Such people are unwilling to compromise the essential truths of the Christian faith.
Source: What Is the Judgment of Charity? (Ligonier article)
Jesus built His church on the confession of Peter, which was the rock of Peter's confession.
The rock on which Christ would build His church was the rock of Peter’s confession.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
The New Testament suggests that those who commit full and final apostasy were never truly believers in the first place.
John writes in his epistle: “Those who went out from us were never really among us” (1 John 2:19). We read in chapter 6 of Hebrews, at the end of the most chilling warning against apostasy: “But we are persuaded of better things from you, things that accompany salvation” (v. 9b).
Source: More than Conquerors (Ligonier article)
Pelagius asserted that guilt can only be incurred by one's own actions, and there is no transfer or imputation of guilt from one person to another.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
if those who follow in the pathway of Adam imitate his disobedience, they will share in his guilt, Pelagius asserted, but only by being actually guilty themselves. There can be no transfer or imputation of guilt from one man to another according to the teaching of Pelagius.
Source: The Pelagian Controversy (Ligonier article)
Voting for a tax on others that is not a tax on oneself constitutes sin and theft.
Anytime you vote a tax on somebody else that is not a tax on yourself, you're stealing from your brother.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
God does not coerce the reprobate to sin; rather, to be reprobate means being left in sin.
If God, when He is decreeing reprobation, does so in consideration of the reprobate’s being already fallen, then He does not coerce him to sin. To be reprobate is to be left in sin, not pushed or forced to sin.
Source: The Reformed View of Predestination (Ligonier article)
A person who approaches God with true humility, contrition, and a resolution not to sin again will receive God's forgiveness.
Anyone who approaches God with true humility, contrition, and an earnest resolution not to commit the sin again will surely receive the forgiveness of God…
Source: Resolving Abortion’s Guilt (Ligonier article)
God does not require a woman involved in abortion to spend her life marked by her sin, but rather requires her to repent and seek forgiveness.
If a woman has been involved in abortion, God does not require that she spend the rest of her life walking around with a red “A” on her chest. He does require that she repent of her sin and come to Him for the cleansing of forgiveness.
Source: Resolving Abortion’s Guilt (Ligonier article)
If the church fails to identify sin, it cannot call people to repentance or rescue them from divine condemnation.
But if we go along with this trend, we’ll have no good news to preach, for we’ll have no sin from which we need the gospel to rescue us.
Source: The Revolution That Enslaves (Ligonier article)
Using spiritual experience to justify sin is dangerous and is a form of manipulation that silences questioning.
we put ourselves in grave danger when we appeal to the Spirit to justify our transgressions. One of the most powerful devices of manipulation we've ever designed is to claim that we have experienced the Spirit's approval of our actions.
Source: The Role of Experience (Ligonier article)
Sproul stated that he could not know the specific reason for someone's suffering, only that there was an answer for their guilt.
I cannot fathom the secret counsel of God or read the invisible hand of His providence, so I did not know why she was suffering. I did know, however, that whatever the reason for it, there was an answer for her guilt.
Source: Suffering and the Glory of God (Ligonier article)
Historically, Protestantism was defined confessionally, using creedal statements to set forth core doctrines.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the Protestant movement began, various ecclesiastical groups created confessions, creedal statements that set forth the doctrines these groups embraced.
Source: The Church Is One (Ligonier article)
The word providence literally means 'to see beforehand' because its root means 'to see.'
The word providence has a prefix, pro -, which means “before” or “in front of.” The root comes from the Latin verb videre , which means “to see”; it is from this word that we get our English word video . So, the word providence literally means “to see beforehand.”
Source: The God Who Sees (Ligonier article)
Christians must confess sin and remember that God is sovereign and owes nothing to humanity.
We must always be confessing sin, for that is one of the surest marks of a Christian. And we are to pray that God will protect us from the evil one. We must always remember that God is God and owes no man anything.
Source: The Power of Prayer (Ligonier article)
The speaker asserts that guilt can signal a spiritual wrong, and that the remedy for this is forgiveness.
Spiritually speaking, the pain of guilt can signal to us that something is wrong with our souls. There is a remedy for that and it’s the same one that the church has always offered, namely, forgiveness.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
The speaker notes that the woman's problem illustrates the conflict between the traditional understanding of sin and conscience and the new concept of conscience.
This woman’s problem illustrates the conflict between the traditional understanding of sin and conscience and the new concept of conscience.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
The conscience is a tool used by the Holy Spirit to convict believers, leading them to repentance and the forgiveness found in the gospel.
The conscience is the tool that God the Holy Spirit uses to convict us, bring us to repentance, and to receive the healing of forgiveness that flows from the gospel.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
Sin can erode the conscience, leading to a hardened state where people condemn what is right and excuse what is wrong.
By this, our consciences become hardened and callous, condemning what is right and excusing what is wrong.
Source: The Question of Conscience (Ligonier article)
Christians should study and master the elementary principles of reasoning to overcome the effects of sin on their thinking.
So, as a matter of discipline, it is much to our benefit to study and master the elementary principles of reasoning so that we can, by the help of God the Holy Spirit, overcome to a certain degree the ravages of sin upon our thinking.
Source: Thinking Like Jesus (Ligonier article)
God maintains His integrity in salvation by fully punishing sin after it has been imputed to Jesus.
In this twofold transaction, we see that God does not compromise His integrity in providing salvation for His people. Rather, He punishes sin fully after it has been imputed to Jesus.
Source: The Very Heart of the Reformation (Ligonier article)
The initial and fundamental step of authentic repentance is recognizing the profound need for God's mercy.
The first fruit of authentic repentance is the recognition of our profound need for mercy.
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
When confessing sin, one must ask God to remove the stain and cleanse the soul, not merely seek justice.
When David pleads with God to blot out his transgressions, he’s asking God to remove the stain from his soul, to cover his unrighteousness, and to cleanse him from the sin that is now a permanent part of his life.
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
Humans are incapable of removing the stain of their own guilt or atoning for their sins.
David knows that he’s incapable of removing the stain of his guilt from himself. He cannot make up for it.
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
Christians should not act smugly or self-righteously, but rather should share the message of forgiveness.
Christians have nothing to be smug about; we are not righteous people trying to correct the unrighteous.
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
Saying 'amen' is not merely acknowledging personal agreement, but an expression of willingness to submit to and be bound by the word spoken.
Therefore, the expression “amen” is not simply an acknowledgment of personal agreement with what has been stated; it is an expression of willingness to submit to the implications of that word, to indeed be bound by it, as if the Word of God would put ropes around us not to strangle or retard us but to hold us firmly in place.
Source: What “Amen” Means in the Bible (Ligonier article)
Denying one's guilt is a form of self-deception, as all people sin and therefore all contract guilt.
John is saying that if we deny our guilt, we are simply fooling ourselves. We all sin. Therefore, we all contract guilt. If we refuse to accept that, we are engaged in perhaps the worst kind of deception, namely, self-deception.
Source: What If I Don’t Feel Forgiven? (Ligonier article)
The debt incurred through disobedience to God is impossible to repay through installment plans or any other means.
But the indebtedness that we have with respect to obedience to God is impossible for us to pay back by installment plan or any other means.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
Humanity's sinfulness is not merely a minor flaw, but a grave inadequacy in obedience to God that makes repayment impossible.
Our problem is not that we are almost impeccable moral creatures with one tiny blemish marring a perfect record. Rather, the Scriptures describe us as woefully inadequate in terms of our obedience to God. It is not that we are merely tainted by an occasional peccadillo. Our sins are many and grave, so grave that payback is impossible.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
God's forgiveness is a costly matter that required the sacrifice of His Son, proving that God takes His own integrity seriously.
No. For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead–so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification.
Source: Why Is the Gospel Called “Good News”? (Ligonier article)
The Bible provides provision for the forgiveness of all kinds of blasphemies, but there is one specific kind that is unforgivable.
The Bible seems to give us provision for forgiveness of all kinds of blasphemies, but there is one particular kind of blasphemy that is unforgivable.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
The central theological questions concern how a sinner can escape and be accepted in the judgment of God.
At the center are these questions: How can a sinner escape the judgment of God? How can a sinner possibly be accepted in God’s judgment?
Source: What Was the Cause of the Protestant Reformation? (Ligonier article)
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that a person who commits a mortal sin must be justified again through the sacrament of penance.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
The person who commits a mortal sin must then be justified again—but not through baptism. Justification is restored through the sacrament of penance.
Source: What Was the Cause of the Protestant Reformation? (Ligonier article)
The basis for a forgiving spirit is the experience of divine grace, which is the reason we should forgive others.
Thus, the foundation for a forgiving spirit is the experience of divine grace. It is by grace that we are saved. It is by grace that we live. It is by grace that we have been forgiven.
Source: Why Forgive? (Ligonier article)
The command to forgive is not unconditional, but rather becomes obligatory only when the offender shows genuine repentance.
But Jesus says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents . . . ,”—here is where the command becomes obligatory—if the offender repents, then it is mandatory for the Christian to forgive the one who has offended him.
Source: Why Forgive? (Ligonier article)
The initial response to sin is rebuke, which forms the basis for church discipline, not immediate forgiveness.
If we look at the commandment that Jesus gives in Luke 17:3, He says, “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Notice that the first response to the offense is not forgiveness but rather rebuke. The Christian has the right to rebuke those who commit wrong doing against him.
Source: Why Forgive? (Ligonier article)
Human behavior is prone to change, acting differently when unsupervised, which is attributed to sin.
It’s because of sin. It’s because we have a tendency to behave in one way when we are being watched and act differently when we’re free of supervision.
Source: Will He Find You Faithful? (Ligonier article)
Adults must make a profession of faith and give evidence of repentance before being baptized.
we will not baptize adults until or unless they first make a profession of faith and give evidence of repentance and of clinging in faith to Jesus Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:33
The term 'paraclete' originally referred to a defense attorney who was permanently retained by a family to assist them during crises.
In the ancient world, a "paraclete" was the title that was given to a defense attorney—and usually the kind of defense attorney that a family was involved with on a permanent retainer basis—so that anytime a person got in trouble, they could call upon their paraclete to stand with them in the midst of the crisis.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:26
Luther spent excessive amounts of time in confession, detailing minor sins (peccadilloes) over many hours.
And it would take him not five minutes or ten minutes, not a half an hour or an hour, but there were days after days where Luther would spend in the confessional reciting his sins of the past day, and it would take him two hours or three hours, and four hours, to the point that it was driving the superiors in the monastery crazy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:58
Humans are highly skilled at mechanisms of guilt-denial and guilt-justification.
We are very, very adept at guilt-denial and guilt-justification as human beings.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 27:16
The most profound betrayal is being forsaken by God, which is contrasted with being forsaken by people.
It’s one thing to be forsaken by Peter, it’s another thing to be forsaken by Demas, but to be forsaken by God!
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:27
The Greek New Testament word dikaiosyne relates to accounting for people or deeming people to be righteous before they actually become righteous.
Whereas according to the Reformers, the Greek New Testament word dikaiosyne had to do with this accounting of people or reckoning people or deeming people to be righteous before they actually become righteous.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:41
Synonymous parallelism occurs when two lines or verses say the same idea using slightly different words or forms of speech.
A synonymous parallelism is a case in the text where your two lines or your two verses or your two stanzas say the same idea but in slightly different ways or slightly different forms of speech.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
A person would be unable to account for all their sins and imperfections before God.
I don't think there's enough chalk in heaven that would enable me to give a perfect account of my imperfection. And all I would be doing would be writing down the demerits of R.C. Sproul.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
When feeling dirty due to sin, a person desires thorough cleansing, comparing their need to that of a leper.
He's feeling dirty and, "God," he said, "I want you to cleanse me to the same degree of thoroughness as You would a leper. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. If You wash me, I shall be whiter than snow."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:50
Satan's goal when accusing us of sin is to induce despair and a sense of inescapable guilt.
Satan's goal when he accuses us of sin is to drive us to despair, to give us a sense of hopelessness, that yes, we are guilty and there is no escape from our guilt.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:28
The difference between the Holy Spirit's conviction and Satan's accusation can be discerned by examining their method of operation and ultimate goal.
I believe that you understand it in the method of operation and the goal.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:37
A formal, sacred vow is necessary for relationships where deep emotions and expectations are involved.
That's why, if I am going to enter into a relationship where there's that much at stake, I need something more than a superficial, "Hey, yeah. I'm committed. Yeah, I'll love you. Stick with me, honey," you know?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:29
A godly response to confrontation involves immediate confession and acceptance of guilt, rather than making excuses.
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” I did it Nathan. You’re right Nathan. I am the man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:57
True repentance is demonstrated by a dramatic change in behavior, such as changing clothes, anointing oneself, and going to worship God.
He changes his clothes. He anoints his head with oil, and he goes to church to worship God. That’s repentance.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:16
True faith always involves repentance, and true repentance always involves faith.
Where in biblical categories even though these two ideas are distinguished, they remained so closely connected that they exist in an inseparable relationship to such a degree that true faith always involves repentance, and true repentance always involves faith.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:06
The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means to change one's mind.
The Greek word metanoia literally, etymologically means to change your mind.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:22
Some theologians interpret repentance solely as changing one's mind about Jesus, moving from viewing him as a mere teacher to recognizing him as the Son of God.
I have read theologians who have said that all that repentance means is that you change your mind about Jesus.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:06
Repentance is necessary to obtain forgiveness, and therefore, it is a crucial concept in the New Testament.
But before you can have forgiveness there must be repentance. And just as forgiveness is essential to get rid of guilt, so repentance is essential to gain that forgiveness. And so if there's any concept is New Testament we need to master, it is this concept of repentance because so much hangs upon it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:27
Insults and thoughtless words can cause deep emotional damage that physical injuries cannot reach.
But an insult, a thoughtless word can penetrate where no stone can ever reach or no stick can ever touch because it can get to the soul.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:20
The speaker emphasizes that spoken words are like arrows that, once released, cannot be recalled or undone, even if an apology is given.
The Bible says there are certain things that you cannon recall, the flying arrow, once you pull that bow back and you let loose of that string and the arrow starts to fly, you can't call it back. And included in that list of the Bible is the spoken word. Once I say it, I can apologize for it, I can pretend that I overstated it, but I said it, and she heard it and it's stored, and it may be doing its damage for another thirty years.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:01
Humans naturally try to conceal their sins and guilt from public view.
as the camera snaps their picture you'll see that they'll be covering their face with their hand or with their hat or with the newspaper; or you'll see on television, as the police lead them into the police station, they'll be concealing themselves from the camera because as human beings we do not want to have our sins exposed to public scrutiny.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:07
David's plea in Psalm 51, specifically the phrase 'Hide Your face from my sins,' relates to a desire for God to conceal his presence from sin.
This is what's involved in David's plea in verse nine of Psalm 51 when he cries out to God, "Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:59
When overcome with guilt, people instinctively seek to hide from God's gaze, similar to Adam and Eve.
And yet, when we are overcome with our own guilt, the last thing we want to see is the face of God. Just like Adam and Eve, we run for the trees. We look for a safe place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:15
True repentance is characterized by such deep shame that the individual wishes to avoid God's gaze.
Here's where Peter would be saying with David, "Hide your face from me. Don't look at me. I know that your eyes are too holy to even behold iniquity, and I am so ashamed of myself now that I don't want to be under your gaze."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:25
The phrase 'Lead us not into temptation' does not refer to God enticing a person into sin, but rather asking God to prevent them from being placed in a vulnerable testing situation.
When Jesus says that we should pray, "Lead us not into temptation," He doesn't mean temptation in the sense of enticement to sin, but really the language of the New Testament is Jesus is saying that we should get on our knees before God and say, "God, please don't lead us into the place of testing. Don't make us vulnerable. Don't expose us where we are put to the test like Jesus was put to the test in the wilderness."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:20
God's judgment can involve rejecting a people or covenant relationship when they forget Him.
And because you have rejected this knowledge, I also reject you from being priests for me, because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:45
Man sins by exchanging the truth of God for a lie, and the act of being religious while doing so compounds the sin.
He takes the truth of God and exchanges it for a lie. Do you see that the fact that men are religious at this point, and have religion and worship compounds the felony?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Satan's initial temptation method was not a direct assault, but a subtlety couched in a question.
Satan in his subtlety, in his craftiness, in his clever act of seduction comes to Adam and Eve not with a direct assault, but his subtlety is couched with a question.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:17
The church must exercise caution in dealing with sin, lest they mistakenly remove innocent members along with the guilty ones.
And we are warned not to try to go in there, and just clear out all the tares for fear that we pull out the wheat itself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:50
The five points of Calvinism are the doctrines that are popularly seen as distinctive to the Reformed confession.
But these are the five controversial points of Reformed theology, and they are the ones that are popularly seen as being distinctive to this particular confession.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:58
The initial step of expressing repentance involves appealing to God's mercy rather than appealing to God's justice.
I think it's significant that we note immediately that the first step of David's expression of repentance is an appeal not to the justice of God, but to the mercy of God -- that the penitent sinner throws himself upon the mercy of the court.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:06
God's forgiveness is characterized by a tenderness that is not harsh or severe.
In God's grace there is a tenderness that attaches itself to the exercise of God's grace. When God forgives us, when God does display His mercy upon us, it's not a harsh mercy; it's not a severe mercy; it's a tender mercy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:52
When asking for forgiveness, the goal is for God to blot out or erase the record of sin from His remembrance.
He says, "God, blot out my transgressions. Blot them out." Now remember, this is the David who says elsewhere, "If the Lord should mark iniquity, who can stand?"
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:59
The biblical metaphors of cleansing or washing illustrate that when God forgives sin, all traces of the sin are totally removed.
But again this is what the scripture is saying -- is that when God takes the stain out, the stain is totally removed. There's not the slightest trace; there's not the slightest hint.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:11
The worst possible experience for a Jew was having God turn His back, which represents a profound separation.
The worst thing that could ever happen to a Jew in the Old Testament was to have God turn His back. If Jesus was to be forsaken, truly forsaken by God on the cross, God had to turn His back.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The most significant dimension of the forgiveness of sins, biblically, relates to the future, not merely to alleviating the emotional paralysis caused by guilt in this life.
And biblically, the most significant dimension of forgiveness of sins is not nearly to assuage the paralysis that guilt feelings place upon our personalities in this world.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:23
Christ's work makes it possible for anyone who has violated God's standards to be restored to a righteous relationship with God through the forgiveness of sins.
But the point is, is that the bottom line for me is that what Christ has done has, He has made it possible for me and for anyone who has violated the standards of God’s righteousness, to be restored to a righteous relationship with God, to be reconciled, to be justified, and that comes about through the forgiveness of sins which is real.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:57
John links the concept of the Antichrist to apostasy, describing those who left the Christian community and repudiated their confession.
They went out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us they would have continued with us, but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:47
Sproul suggests that many people who seek psychiatric help actually need spiritual guidance from a priest to address their issues with guilt.
He said, “Most of the people I see don’t need a psychiatrist. They need a priest. They need to understand how to unlock this problem of guilt.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:51
Redemption and forgiveness of sins are found only in Christ, through the riches of God's grace.
we have redemption through his blood. We have the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known to us the mystery of his will,
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:21
Sinners sin because they desire to sin, meaning their sin is free.
The problem is in the root of the desires of the heart in fallen man, that because he has an evil inclination, a desire for sin, he sins. Sinners sin because they want to sin. Therefore, they sin freely.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:09
The biblical text suggests a connection between the awareness of nakedness and the subsequent experience of guilt, as evidenced by Adam and Eve's reaction to sin.
As soon as they sinned, behold, their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:41
God interpreted the initial confession of hiding due to nakedness as an admission of sin.
See their confession of their awareness of nakedness God understood as a confession of an awareness of sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:53
The speaker notes that the first impulse after sin was to hide and cover oneself, indicating a shift from unashamed to ashamed.
No longer could it be said that they were man and woman, naked and unashamed. Now they are naked and ashamed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:49
The primary work of the devil in a Christian's life is the accusation, which relates to the need for a clean conscience and assurance of forgiveness.
In fact, it is the accusation of Satan that I believe is the major work of the devil in the life of the Christian, and it’s that dimension that we’re going to take up in our next session where we consider how important it is to have a clean conscience, to have a sense of strong assurance of forgiveness as we carry on this struggle for personal growth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:42
The original root meaning of complacency is the opposite of smugness or indifference, deriving from the idea of finding great pleasure or delight.
In fact just to check up on this, I recently looked at a modern dictionary to see how that dictionary defined the word complacent or complacency, and they indicated that the Latin root from which the word derives comes from the idea of that in which someone finds great pleasure or delight.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:48
Joseph demonstrated his integrity by refusing the advances of Potiphar's wife because doing so would constitute a sin against God.
And so, she comes to him overtly, crassly, says right out, "Come to bed with me." And what does Joseph do? He says, "No, because to do so would be a sin against God."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:28
The Christian life involves a constant struggle with guilt due to daily sinning, making the announcement of forgiveness central to sanctification.
as I’m trying to be obedient, as I’m trying to please God, as I’m trying to grow in my Christian experience, I am being burdened and loaded down with all that baggage of guilt that I have brought into my experience, and every day there is a certain sense in which I add to that baggage because I don’t go through a day without sinning.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:13
Unresolved guilt has a powerful influence on the human mind and psyche, often manifesting as a form of paralysis.
Context: Quoting a conversation with a psychiatrist friend.
He said, "R.C., these people don't need a psychiatrist; they need a priest. They need forgiveness." And he went on to say what a powerful influence unresolved guilt has upon the human mind and on the human psyche.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:55
Upon encountering God, Job's response was one of deep self-abhorrence and repentance.
When God showed Himself to Job, Job said: “I abhor myself. I repent in dust and ashes. I have spoken once; I’ll speak no more. I will take my hand and put it upon my mouth.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:13
The most common human response to guilt is denial and rationalization.
In a word, ladies and gentlemen, the most common way that we handle our guilt is by denial.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:58
God does not despise a person who approaches Him with contrition and a broken heart, which stems from recognizing one's sinfulness.
God has never despised a person who comes before Him in contrition with a broken heart, whose heart is broken because of an awareness of one's sinfulness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:23
Even minor sins, such as stealing bread or saying an unkind word, involve a very serious degree of transgression.
If I steal a piece of bread, if I exceed the speed limit, if I say one unkind word towards my neighbor, all that’s involved in that act is very, very serious indeed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:04
Sproul recounts an instance where a friend was concerned about being held responsible for impure thoughts experienced while sleeping.
He said, "How can I learn to control the thoughts that go through my mind when I'm asleep? Surely God is going to hold me responsible for the cleanliness of my mind, not only when I'm awake but when I'm asleep."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:43
A woman's decreased sexual responsiveness in marriage might be due to her carrying unresolved guilt and resentment stemming from premarital sexual activity or manipulation.
it may be because she carried into the marriage all this baggage of guilt and resentment because the husband manipulated her and persuaded to do what she was trying not to do before she got married. And now she carries that resentment in, but worse, she carries unrelieved guilt.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:33
Secular counseling often minimizes guilt regarding premarital sex by normalizing the behavior and framing it as a normal part of maturation.
You have to understand that what you did before you got married was okay. Everybody does it. The Kinser Report, the Chapman Report indicates that the overwhelming majority of people do that, and since the overwhelming majority of people do that, that indicates that it's normal, and if it's normal, it's healthy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:29
God did not respond to Isaiah's remorse and repentance by dismissing his guilt or by condemning him.
God didn't say a word to Isaiah about cheap grace. God didn't say, "Look Isaiah, all I want you to do is sign your name on a membership card or raise your
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:24
The statement that sin was only against God can be a departure from authentic repentance, potentially minimizing the person's guilt.
But here's David eliminating all of these people that he's injured, and he says, "Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned." Now this could be construed as a departure from authentic repentance, an attempt of the person to minimize their guilt in repentance, which is something that we frequently do.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:12
The basis for pardon is found in the work of Christ, where God requires Him to pay the penalty for sin.
What Paul tells us in Romans is the ground of our pardon rests in the work of Christ where God requires two things from Jesus. He requires on the first side, that Jesus pay the penalty due our sins.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:19
True repentance involves acknowledging God's perfect right to judge and act upon one's sin.
If You want to send me to hell, I could have no complaints -- that what ever You say here, You are perfectly just to say it. And I acknowledge, O God, that You have every right to do with me what is pleasing to You.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:16
Humans are accountable not only for actual sins but also for their original sin or fallen condition.
So see what David is doing here is he's confessing his accountability not only for the actual sin but also for his original sin, or his fallen condition, out of which the actual sin emerged.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:52
Humans are sinners because of their inherent sin nature, and confession must cover both actions and this underlying nature.
we sin, but rather we sin because we're sinners, and we need to confess our guilt not only for our actions but for that sin nature that we all have out of which our sins flow.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:18
The ultimate goal of repentance is the restoration of the soul to fellowship with God and the experience of forgiveness's joy.
the goal of repentance, which is the restoration of the soul to fellowship with God and to the experience of that unspeakable joy of forgiveness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:05
The core concept of imputation involves a legal transfer of accounts, which occurs when our sins are transferred to Christ, who acts as our substitute.
At the heart of the gospel is this concept of imputation, which means a legal transfer of accounts, a reckoning, or a transfer on the one hand in the cross. In the drama of the cross we see our sins transferred to Christ, who is our substitute.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:38
A person's standing before God is defined by the Lord not imputing their iniquity, which means God does not count their sins against them.
he states it in the opposite way by saying, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity," because that's our standing before God, is that rather than imputing to us the real guilt that we bear and therefore receive the punishment that we deserve, instead the Lord does not count our sins against us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:50
Confessing sin to the Lord leads to the forgiveness of iniquity.
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden, and I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:48
When a person keeps silent about sin, they experience physical and spiritual decline, feeling heavy and old.
When I kept silent my bones grew old, through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me, and my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:31
The prayer of every Christian involves confessing sins and experiencing God's pardon.
And beloved, this is the prayer of every Christian -- every Christian who has stood at the foot of the cross and who has confessed their sins and who has experienced the pardon and the remission of their sins from the hand of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:26
The speaker uses an anecdote to illustrate that repeated offenses, even when granted temporary grace, eventually lead to accountability.
I said, "Okay, but this is the last time. If you don't get it in next month on time, it's an F for sure. Does everybody understand?"
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:08
Justification is the act by which God forgives sins and removes them from the believer.
In justification, God forgives our sins. He removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.
Source: Abraham Justified Before Circumcision (Ligonier)
The first experience of sin was an experience of guilt, which manifested itself in a profound sense of shame and embarrassment.
The first experience of sin was an experience of guilt, and it manifested itself in a profound sense of shame and embarrassment.
Source: Abraham Justified Before Circumcision (Ligonier)
All people, regardless of their religious status, share a universal condition of guilt that they cannot resolve on their own.
This is our universal condition, and everyone, Christian or non-Christian, knows that they carry a burden of guilt they cannot fix for themselves.
Source: Abraham Justified Before Circumcision (Ligonier)
The New Testament uses the word 'angelos' more frequently than it uses the words for love or sin.
In a numeric sense at least, the New Testament speaks more about angels than it does about love and sin.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The phrase 'turn the hearts of the fathers to the children' refers to a change in the hostility and breakdown of family relationships caused by sin.
Rather, I think it’s probably that the hostility, the breakdown of family relationships that sin engenders in nations when they depart from the Lord God, was going to change.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Jesus chose the more difficult path by publicly declaring the man's sins forgiven, rather than the easier one.
I personally think, given the circumstances, that Jesus did not take the easier tack but the far more difficult one when He publicly pronounced that this man’s sins had been forgiven.
Source: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier)
Jesus used the act of forgiving sins to prove that the Son of Man possesses the authority on earth to forgive sins, thereby identifying him as the Son of God.
In effect, Jesus was saying, “I did this so that you might know that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins,” which means that the Son of Man is also the Son of God.
Source: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier)
Unforgiven guilt is described as a paralyzing force that can spoil a Christian's liberty.
Nothing paralyzes people more than guilt that has not been forgiven.
Source: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier)
After sincerely repenting and asking for forgiveness, one should stop pursuing the issue when the other party refuses to forgive, as this pursuit is worse than the original offense.
But your biggest mistake was apologizing for it twice. Once you apologized to that woman, sincerely repented, and asked her forgiveness, the ball was in her court. Her refusal to forgive, in light of your repentance, was far worse than the offense you gave in the first place.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Unlike physical diseases, the remission of sins is permanent and never returns.
But with the remission of sins, beloved, it never comes back.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's mercy is sweet, gentle, and tender when forgiving sins.
When God forgave me of my sins, the mercy that He poured out on my soul that night was sweet, gentle, and tender.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The immediate, superficial explanation for Judas' betrayal is that he acted for money.
The immediate explanation we get was that Judas did it for the money.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
Judas willingly participated in the betrayal, suggesting he was a willing partner with Satan, not a victim of coercion.
Satan did not come and coerce Judas to perform the act. They were as much partners in crime as any partners ever had been. Judas acquiesced willingly out of the darkness of his own heart.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
God eternally predestined Judas to commit the betrayal, and this action was planned from eternity.
From the overarching, supernatural view, God Almighty eternally predestined Judas to carry out this act. If anything would seem to excuse him, it would be God’s sovereign activity in this entire drama. Beloved, the Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the action of Judas was not an accident. It was planned from eternity.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
Roman Catholic theology distinguishes between three types of merit: condign, congruous, and supererogatory.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
So, Roman Catholic theology has three different levels or three different kinds of merit. Let us start with condign merit, meritum de condigno . Condign merit is merit that is so righteous, so meritorious, that if God is going to be a just and righteous God, He is required to reward that work.
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
Sproul challenges people to consider what they do with their sin and guilt.
I ask people: “What do you do with your sin? What do you do with your guilt?”
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
All impenitent sinners, including sociopaths, inherently know that they have sin and guilt.
All impenitent sinners on this planet, even sociopaths, know that they have guilt, and they know that they have sin.
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
Humans often suppress the full admission of their guilt and hopelessness using psychological power.
All the power of our psychology is at work every minute to suppress the full admission of our guilt and hopelessness.
Source: Christ in Our Place (Ligonier)
The two most fundamental sins are the refusal to honor God as God and ingratitude toward God.
Those two sins are the refusal to honor God as God and ingratitude toward God.
Source: Cleansing of the Leper (Ligonier)
Believers should be careful of those who cause division and offense by using smooth and flattering speech to deceive the simple.
I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
Even the thief recognized that Christ was sinless, despite the injustice of his condemnation.
Even that thief recognized the sinlessness of Christ, the gross injustice, humanly speaking, taking place in this hour.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When confronted with a specific temptation, God provides the grace necessary to resist that sin.
However, if you consider each particular sin that you are confronted with, at the moment of that temptation, the God who has raised you from spiritual death has given you the grace then and there to resist that sin.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Paul uses the motif of imputation to contrast the transfer of sin from Adam with the transfer of Christ's righteousness to believers.
Paul focuses on this grand motif of imputation in its negative ramifications—the imputation or the reckoning and transfer of sin from Adam to his descendants—but more gloriously, he shows us the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to those who believe in His name.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Greek word for reconciliation, katallagē, signifies a substantive reality and an exchange, which is the gift God gives to His people.
It is not metallassō , but katallassō is the verb, and then the noun form is katallagē . That is the word Paul uses here when he says: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled ”—again, the form of katallassō —“we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation ”—the katallagē . As if it were a concrete noun, the reconciliation of which Paul speaks is a substantive reality.
Source: Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier)
The Greek word krisis, which gives us the English word crisis, means 'judgment' or 'division,' not 'crisis.'
When the New Testament talks about the appearance of Christ, it uses the Greek word, krisis . We get the English word crisis from it, but the translation of the word krisis is not “crisis” but “judgment” or “division.”
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
Primary separation involves withdrawing oneself from sin, while secondary separation involves avoiding association with sin.
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. Do you see the difference?
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
A conscience, even if misinformed, cannot be used as an excuse to sin or act against what is believed to be evil.
If my conscience tells me that something is evil, even if it is a misinformed conscience, nevertheless I may not act against it.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
People convicted of sin by the Holy Ghost understand that a war exists which can only be won by Jesus Christ.
People who have been convicted of their sin by the Holy Ghost know that there is a war that can only be won by the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ the Righteous.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Estrangement is the necessary prerequisite for reconciliation to occur.
Those things may be true, but the most important, necessary ingredient for reconciliation to take place is estrangement. Where there is no estrangement, there is no need for reconciliation.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
If sin and shame are not covered, a person cannot be comfortable in God's presence and must remain a fugitive.
If your sin is not covered, if your shame has not been removed, there is no way you can ever be anything but a fugitive. You can never be comfortable in God’s presence.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The woman's many sins are forgiven because she loved much, and conversely, those who are little forgiven love little.
Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
The forgiveness of sin is a free, unmerited cancellation of debt that requires no payment or earning.
He freely forgave the debt. There weren’t any strings attached to his mercy. He simply canceled the debt. There was no payment and nothing that could be done to earn it. This cancellation of debt was unmerited and freely given.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
The degree of love a person has for God is directly proportional to the degree of forgiveness they have received.
Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
People are categorized into those who repent and worship God, and those who remain in unrepentant sin.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those whose sins have been forgiven and those whose sins have not been forgiven; those who repent of their sins and those who remain steadfast in their impenitence; those who heap lavish praise and adoration upon Jesus and those who refuse to submit to Him.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
The greatest gift God can give is the forgiveness of sin, which cancels the debt and erases the record of sin.
there is no greater gift that the Lord can give any of us than to cancel our debt, erase the ledger, and forgive us for every sin we’ve ever committed.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
In justification, God removes our sin by taking it away and putting it in the sea of forgetfulness.
In justification, when God pronounces us just in Jesus Christ, with that pronouncement of being just, He removes our sin. There is expiation. He takes our sin way and puts it in the sea of forgetfulness.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
Human effort cannot cleanse sin, and only God can remove it.
There is no earthly power that can make you clean. I cannot make myself clean. I cannot make up for my sin. If I sin over here, I cannot balance the scales of justice by doing a good work over there. The blot, the sin is indelible to all human efforts. Only God can remove your sin.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that the guilt experienced by Christians today is significantly less profound than the guilt experienced by Luther.
I mean, how much trouble can you get into in a monastery? After five minutes of confession, the priestly absolution would come, “Say a few Hail Marys, a couple Our Fathers, and be on your way.” Not so with Luther. Luther would come into the confessional, spend an hour, two hours, or sometimes three hours confessing his sins from the last twenty-four hours, and he would get absolution.
Source: Freed from the Law (Ligonier)
True repentance requires the Holy Spirit to change the soul, as humans cannot initiate it on their own.
You cannot muster from your own heart true repentance unless God the Holy Spirit changes your soul.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Sin is often not a new transgression, but rather the working out of God's punishment for a basic sin.
Most of the time, when we sin, we are working out God’s punishment for our sin. It is not like every time we sin, we commit a new transgression.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
Humanity is inherently prone to negative behaviors and sins.
This is not a problem for pagans only. This is our humanity. We are given to this sort of behavior.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
Sin is not limited to common sins but includes the desire to invent new ways to transgress.
As if there were not enough temptations and sins to arouse our vile passions, we like to think up new ways to sin.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
The Bible's list of sins is only partial, but it is representative enough to convict every conscience.
It is only partial. It is merely representative of our corruption. If Paul were to enumerate all the sins the Bible spells out, he would have to take up the rest of the book of Romans and then some.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
People who sin often encourage one another, forming a community that validates their sinful behavior.
but also approve of those who practice them. There is honor among thieves. Misery loves company.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
When discussing guilt with people, the speaker asks them how they plan to deal with it, suggesting options like denying it or blaming others.
So, I ask them: “What do you do with your guilt? Deny it? Blame somebody else?”
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
The only way to find refuge from guilt is through forgiveness, which is identified as the gospel.
The only refuge from guilt is forgiveness. It is the gospel, which we will look at more later.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
True Christianity requires that one's internal state matches one's outward confession, as illustrated by the analogy of fruit.
Jesus warns again and again about those who are quick to confess Him with their lips, while at the same time their hearts are far from Him.
Source: Good & Bad Fruit (Ligonier)
The biblical concept of perversion refers to something twisted or distorted, encompassing a general state of faithlessness in a culture.
When the Bible speaks of perversion, however, it speaks of something far beyond the arena of sexual behavior. Jesus linked together faithlessness and perversion. What perversion means in this text is “that which is twisted,” “that which is crooked,” “that which is distorted.”
Source: The Greatest (Ligonier)
God does not initiate the process of repentance; rather, it is a divine command or imperative.
God never invites sinners to repent. It is a command. It is an imperative.
Source: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Ligonier)
People often try to minimize or rationalize their sins, which is a form of denial of guilt.
We give many reasons why a certain behavior is okay, saying that it’s not a sin. We deal with the guilt through denial.
Source: Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
The ultimate cure for guilt is the mercy, grace, and forgiveness provided by Jesus Christ.
I do not want to think of anybody walking around paralyzed and destroyed by a guilt for which there is a cure: the mercy, grace, and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Source: Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
Even after conversion, the speaker continued to struggle with patterns of sin.
My life changed in dramatic ways, yes, but there were still patterns of sin that I brought with me into the Christian life with which I struggled every day.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Satan's actions are always for evil (pro peccatum), not against sin.
I believe and agree that Satan never works against evil, against peccatum . He works pro peccatum , for evil.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
Sin is not a superficial issue but a heavy burden of guilt that exposes every person to God's judgment.
He means that sin is not something that just scratches us on the surface, something that is tangential to our lives. Rather, the weight of it is so heavy that it presses down upon us, and we are under a weighty burden of guilt as the result of our sin.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Human speech is often deceitful, poisonous, and used to advance self-interest rather than truth.
The Bible says that all men are liars. We are deceitful. By nature, we do not love truth. We use truth only when it advances our self-interest.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Believers should remain open to correction and reproof from the Word of God, even when they have formed long-held convictions.
But I trust that as we are more and more informed by the Word of God, as we immerse ourselves more fully in it, we should always be open to correction from the Word itself and to reproof from the Word.
Source: Israel's Rejection of Christ (Ligonier)
All people are guilty before God at the judgment seat, regardless of their personal feelings.
Remember that every image the New Testament speaks regarding the last judgment speaks about all of us standing before the judgment seat of God with our mouths shut. The whole world is found guilty before Him.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God can reject a people who were previously called His own due to their sinfulness.
God says these things to the nation of Israel, whom He called to be His own. He promised Abraham that His descendants would be as the grains of sand on the shore and as the stars in the sky, but because of their sinfulness, God finally stopped and said to them: “You who are My people are now Lo-Ammi. You’re not My people, and I will not be your God.”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The ultimate hope of excommunication is that the individual will come to their senses, repent, and be received back into the fellowship of the church.
The final hope of excommunication is that you will come to your senses, finally repent, come back to the fellowship of the church, and be received once more into the family of God.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
If a person persists in sin, they are cut off and exposed to the severity that the Apostle Paul describes.
As long as you persist in your sin, you are cut off and exposed to the very severity that the Apostle Paul is describing in this text.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
When a member commits serious sin, the church must first call them to account and plead with them to repent, escalating to suspension and finally excommunication if they persist.
If you become involved in gross and heinous sin or public scandal, it is the responsibility of the church to call you into account and to plead with you to repent. If you refuse to repent, then the church must suspend you from the sacraments, cutting you off from that means of grace in the hope that it will make you jealous to get back into the safety of the fold. But if you persist in your impenitence, then the final act of punishment is excommunication.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Both Jews and Gentiles are equally guilty of sin and fall short of God's glory.
There, Paul brings both the Jew and the gentile together before the judgment seat of God, saying that both the Jew and the Greek are guilty of sin: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). All express the same disobedience.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Apostasy is defined as repudiating the faith one once professed, and it can occur when churches or denominations denounce essential Christian truths.
Apostasy is not the same thing as paganism. For someone to be an apostate, he must have at some point renounced paganism and professed the only true God. The only place apostasy can happen is in the house of God. People become apostate when they repudiate the faith that they once professed.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier)
A church or denomination becomes apostate when it denies essential truths of the Christian faith, such as the deity of Christ or His atonement.
When churches denounce essential truths of the Christian faith, they are apostate churches. Denominations, even Protestant denominations, can become apostate. The church I grew up in, the church in which I was ordained, I believe today is an apostate denomination.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier)
Jesus instructed the disciples to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, starting in Jerusalem.
Jesus said that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, starting right there in Jerusalem: “You are My witnesses, and now I am sending the promise of the Father upon you,” speaking of the coming day of Pentecost.
Source: Jesus Appears (Ligonier)
Believers can receive forgiveness because Jesus has taken the sickle to the wrath of sin.
He has taken the sickle to that wrath for you, if you believe it.
Source: Jesus at Gethsemane (Ligonier)
A believer cannot attribute their sinful actions to the devil, as this suggests they are not truly a believer.
That is good news, but it is also bad news for those who want to find excuses for their sinful behavior by saying, “The devil made me do it.” If the devil made you do it, you are not a believer.
Source: Jesus Meets a Demon (Ligonier)
If one receives Christ, they must acknowledge their sin and repent by begging for God's forgiveness for violating His law.
If you receive Him, you must own up to your sin. You must fall on your face in repentance. You must beg for the forgiveness of God for the way you have violated His law.
Source: Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
Pilate found no fault or guilt in Jesus because Jesus was sinless.
The reason he could find no fault in Jesus is that he would need the lamp of Diogenes to find a fault in Jesus, because there were no faults in Jesus.
Source: Jesus on Trial (Ligonier)
True conversion necessarily results in the visible fruit of repentance.
true conversion always and necessarily brings forth the fruit of repentance.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
Claiming lineage or church membership is insufficient proof of genuine repentance or conversion.
Do not tell me that you are children of Abraham and that you are saved from the wrath to come.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
The need for repentance is immediate and critical, requiring action now rather than waiting.
The ax is at the root of the tree. The crisis is right now. Do not wait until tomorrow, because you may not have a tomorrow.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
While the conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit is powerful, it is also gentle and sweet, leading not to despair but to the Savior's forgiveness.
However, the conviction of sin laid upon us by the Spirit of truth is often powerful, yet gentle and sweet. Even when He convicts us of our guilt, He leads us not to despair, but to the Savior and His forgiveness that gives us freedom.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
When asking for forgiveness, we are asking for a judgment of charity, not a permanent condemnation.
When we ask for somebody’s forgiveness, we’re asking them to give us the judgment of charity, not to condemn us, not to write us off permanently as people with no redeeming qualities at all.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that receiving forgiveness requires the forgiver to be forgiving, establishing a principle of reciprocity.
Jesus was talking about reciprocity. He was saying that if I want to be forgiven, I must be forgiving. The more forgiving I am, the more forgiveness I will receive.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
Individuals should examine their own faults (the plank) before criticizing the faults (the speck) of others.
Finally, Jesus continued with this: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye and don’t perceive the plank in your own eye?”
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
People are quick to notice the flaws of others while remaining blind to their own faults.
We are quick to see the imperfections in everybody else but we’re blind to our own myopia. We’re blind to the plank that in our own eye:
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
Before attempting to correct others, one must first address their own significant faults.
How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
A confession of Jesus as the Messiah does not guarantee a full understanding of the suffering and death involved in that role.
One minute Peter is saying, “You’re the Messiah,” the next, he is revealing that he does not understand all that is involved for Jesus to be the Messiah.
Source: The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
He realized that his addiction was a struggle that he could not overcome by himself.
I knew the power of the flesh, and I knew that it was a power I had no ability in and of myself to overcome.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The speaker believes that the law reveals that there are abiding sins in a person's life, making it impossible to go a day or a week without sin.
When I look at myself through the lens of the law, I do not have to look far or long to find out that there is no “if” about the abiding sins that mar my life.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Sin is committed because of internal desire, meaning humans choose to sin because they want to sin.
The reason we choose to sin in a given moment is because that is what we want to do. We sin because we want to sin.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When a person sins, the action is attributed to the sin dwelling within them, not to the person themselves.
Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The current problem in the church is not excessive guilt, but rather the failure to acknowledge and hate the radical character of sin.
The problem we face in the church today is the self-denial of the radical character of sin. We do not hate sin the way we should hate it.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Jesus's declaration to the woman in adultery established that those who accuse others are themselves without sin, and that condemnation is not necessary.
He looked around and said, “Where are those who condemn you?” The woman looked. All of those who were part of this kangaroo court had disappeared. She looked at Jesus and said, “No man, Lord.” Remember, He said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
People sometimes misinterpret biblical texts by applying cultural biases, such as insisting on total abstinence.
They come to the text with a cultural bias, convinced that total abstinence is the only spiritual, Christian way.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The beginning of the Christian life involves repentance, which is defined as a change of mind.
The beginning of the Christian life is rooted in repentance. The word for repentance in the Greek is metanoeō , which refers to a changing of the mind.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that people should not assume that suffering is a punishment for being the worst sinners, but rather that the core issue is the need for repentance.
Do you think that those eighteen were the worst scoundrels in all of Jerusalem, and that’s why God exacted His vengeance upon them? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
Source: The Locus of Astonishment (Ligonier)
Jesus gave the three parables in chapter 15 to address the criticism that He associated with tax collectors and sinners.
The reason Jesus gave these three parables in chapter 15 was because He had just heard the criticism that He had associated with tax collectors and sinners.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The son's crisis moment is marked by his realization of his spiritual and physical destitution, prompting him to repent.
But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
A spiritual conviction of sin, which is necessary for salvation, is distinct from merely knowing one's shortcomings and is brought by the immediate power of the Holy Spirit.
There is a mighty difference between a natural awareness of your shortcomings and sin and a spiritual conviction in your soul, brought by the immediate power of God the Holy Spirit.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When confessing sin, the primary sin is against God, which must be acknowledged before addressing sin against others.
No, first and primarily, my sin is against God. So, I will say to my father: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Whatever it takes, Father, forgive me.'
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The prodigal son understands that his sin is not merely against his father, but primarily against God.
No, first and primarily, my sin is against God.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Ananias and Sapphira sinned by pretense, giving only a portion of the proceeds from their sale while lying to the church and the Holy Spirit.
They decided to sell a piece of their property and acted as if the total proceeds from this sale were going to be given to the Christian church for the work of Christ, but this was all a pretense. They gave a portion, acting as if they were giving it all, and kept the rest for themselves.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Judging others means that the judge condemns themselves, as they practice the same things they accuse others of.
Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
The act of judging others for sins is hypocritical because the judge condemns themselves by practicing the same things.
for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Condemning others for sins that one also practices results in self-condemnation.
If we are exposing people to condemnation for the sins they practice that we also practice, then we are announcing our own condemnation.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Hypocrisy is the danger of condemning others for sins that the preacher himself commits.
It is the particular threat of doom to anyone who dares to stand in a pulpit and correct sinners in the congregation, for every preacher is himself a sinner and runs that very liability of condemning others for doing the same things that he does.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
God's patience and forbearance are intended to lead people to repentance, not to a sense of security regarding sin.
Paul is saying that the whole point of God’s patience and forbearing is to lead you to repentance.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Every sin committed is likened to depositing an indictment against oneself, accumulating wrath for the day of judgment.
Every time we sin, we are adding an indictment against ourselves, treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
God judges every single sin committed, whether in thought, word, or deed, treating each one as a separate count.
God considers every single sin we commit in thought, word, and deed. Each one is exposed to His perfect judgment according to the truth.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
Through Christ's life, sins can be completely cleansed, transforming them from scarlet to white.
Therefore, dear friends, come, let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be as crimson, they shall be as wool, for He bought you with His life.
Source: The Atonement (Ligonier)
Although people can try to suppress their conscience, they cannot ultimately destroy it.
But as far as you go in your wickedness, and as much as you seek to quiet and stifle your conscience, you will not be able to destroy it.
Source: The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The confession of Peter regarding Jesus' identity should serve as a model for the faith of the congregation.
This majestic confession of faith that we’ve just heard that came from the lips of Peter should be the great confession of our lips and of our hearts.
Source: The Blind Man & Peter's Confession (Ligonier)
The word 'session' simply means 'being seated,' referring to the act of meeting and discussing while sitting down.
That is what session simply means: “being seated.”
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
The greatest transgression is failing to keep the Great Commandment.
It seems to me that if this is the Great Commandment, then the great transgression would be the failure to keep it.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
Jesus' statement, 'Your sins are forgiven,' was considered blasphemous by contemporary Jewish scribes because they believed only God had the authority to forgive sins.
Because every scribe knew the principle in Old Testament Judaism that no man, not even the Messiah, would have the authority to forgive the sins of human beings. They took and tenaciously held the position that God and God alone had the authority to forgive sins.
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
Jesus posed a question asking which was easier: saying 'Your sins are forgiven' or commanding the man to walk.
Jesus raised the question to them: “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?”
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
It is superficially easier to claim that sins are forgiven because there is no visible evidence to test or falsify the truth of that pronouncement.
There is no visible, evidentiary test that can verify or falsify the truth of what Jesus pronounces. But if Jesus says, “Arise, get up, take your bed, and go home,” then He is putting Himself to the test.
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
The declaration of absolution by a priest is understood as stating that Jesus Christ holds the authority to forgive sins.
When the priest says te absolvo , he is saying in shorthand, “In the name of Jesus Christ, who does have the authority to forgive your sins, I declare you absolved by your repentance.”
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
The scribes believed that Elijah would lead the people into repentance and would anoint the Messiah for His vocation.
The scribes also believed that Elijah would lead the people into a spirit of repentance, and finally, that Elijah himself would anoint the Messiah for His Messianic vocation.
Source: The Healing of the Possessed Boy (Ligonier)
The biblical motif of judgment involves exposing sin and stripping people of their clothes, symbolizing shame.
Throughout the pages of Scripture, when God speaks of bringing judgment against the guilty, He exposes their sin and strips them of their clothes.
Source: Jesus' Arrest (Ligonier)
When a person is guilty, denying that guilt will never relieve their soul, and the only cure is forgiveness.
When you are guilty, denying your guilt will never relieve your soul. The only cure is forgiveness.
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
The church needs people who understand forgiveness and guilt, as this is a weak grasp of grace.
They need a priest. You understand forgiveness. You understand guilt. That’s why I need somebody like you in my practice.
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
God does not forgive us unilaterally; He requires repentance, but when we repent, He does forgive.
God does not forgive us unilaterally. God requires repentance. But when we repent, as I have just explained, He does forgive.
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
Christians are expected to be ready to forgive any offense fully and finally, even if the offense is imagined, provided the person who violated them repents.
Jesus is making the point that every Christian is to be standing ready at any moment to forgive any offense fully and finally, whether that offense is real or imagined, if the person who violated us repents.
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
The chief priests and council were not seeking truth but were intentionally trying to find evidence to convict Jesus of a capital offense.
The Greek implies they were intentionally trying to find something of which to convict Jesus of a capital offense. This was a witch hunt.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
True guilt is experienced privately, when a person is alone and free from external distractions, allowing the truth to pierce the conscience.
Usually, the weight of guilt is experienced when people put their heads on their pillow at night, when all the defensive gestures are removed, and they are left alone before God.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
Judas' betrayal was a relatively cheap transaction compared to the value of the perfume Mary poured out.
In other words, Judas was prepared to betray Jesus for half the money the devoted woman spent to honor Him and give Him glory. In this sense, Jesus’ life was sold at a relatively cheap price.
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
The fact that God ordained the betrayal does not mean God can justly absolve Judas of responsibility for the evil deed.
Many read this text and leap to the conclusion, “If God predestined the betrayal of Judas, how could He possibly justly hold Judas responsible for this evil deed?”
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
Christians should avoid judging others' sin, as doing so makes them guilty of the same sin.
When we do that, we are just like them.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
According to Deuteronomy, if a man divorces his wife and she remarries, her former husband must not take her back.
when she has departed from his house, and goes and becomes another man’s wife, if the latter husband detests her and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her as his wife, then her former husband who divorced her must not take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD.
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
God allows for divorce only when the marriage has been violated by sexual immorality, not for reasons like no-fault or incompatibility.
That God allows us to end our marriages when they have been violated by sexual immorality is an amazing condescension to human sin, but that condescension does not go so far as no-fault divorce or divorce on the grounds of incompatibility.
Source: Marriage and Divorce (Ligonier)
Jesus came not to the righteous, but to sinners for the purpose of leading them to repentance.
And I’ve come not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.
Source: New Wine Skins (Ligonier)
Sins like illegitimate divorce or involvement with pornography are not unforgivable, and forgiveness is granted through faith in Christ's atoning work.
I should have said last Sunday that if you’re involved in an illegitimate divorce, or if you’re involved with pornography, these are not the unforgivable sins. These sins are what sent Christ to the cross, and if you put your trust in Him, and are justified by faith, your sins will be forgiven.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
Sin immediately puts a person into debt to the righteousness of God, and repeated sin increases this debt.
The minute we sin, we are now in debt to the righteousness of God. When we sin again, we’re going further into debt.
Source: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
The staff is a walking stick, while the rod is a weapon of defense, allowing for reconciliation between differing Gospel accounts.
The staff was the shepherd’s crook, which also served as a walking stick. If one of the sheep wandered off, he could hook it around the neck and bring it back onto the path. The rod was a weapon of defense against an animal like a bear or lion, or if a crook came—pardon the pun—if a thief came to rob the sheepfold, the shepherd would use the rod to defend the sheep against the robber.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
Bartimaeus's address to Jesus, using the title 'Rabboni,' signifies a deep, personal confession of faith that acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Master.
When Bartimaeus answers the question with, “That I might receive my sight,” he says, “Rabboni,” the same title Mary gave to Jesus in garden of resurrection. This slight alteration from the title rabbi means far more than the address “professor” or “teacher.” Being translated, it has an intense personal significance to it, and in reality, it is a confession of faith.
Source: Son of Man, A Servant (Ligonier)
If Jesus committed a sin, He could not have been necessary to atone for sin.
If Jesus committed a sin in His treatment of this woman, that’s the end of His sinlessness. And if Jesus had a single sin, then He didn’t have what was necessary to atone for His own sin, let alone to atone for ours.
Source: The Syro-Phoenician Woman (Ligonier)
The Bible does not define the unpardonable sin using examples like murder or adultery.
Even more important than the biblical examples is that when Jesus defined the unforgivable sin, He did not say anything about murder or adultery.
Source: The Unpardonable Sin (Ligonier)
The unpardonable sin is not a warning for Christians who struggle with doubt after conversion.
This was not a warning against people who come to faith in Christ and then go through the dark night of the soul and have doubts assail them.
Source: The Unpardonable Sin (Ligonier)
Abortion is a grave and heinous sin, though it is not unforgivable, and those who have committed it should seek God's forgiving grace.
If you have had one, it is a grave and heinous sin, but it is not unforgivable. If you’ve had an abortion and you’re a Christian, you know it’s a grave sin.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
People often pursue Jesus for personal benefits rather than for the purpose of repentance or accepting Him as Lord.
The people pursued Jesus for the benefit they could derive from Him without any purpose of repenting from their sins or receiving Him as Lord, Messiah, and Savior.
Source: The Nobleman's Son (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that the word 'unless' introduces a necessary condition, implying that failure to repent will result in perishing.
Jesus said, “Unless,” that is, “If you don’t do this, if you don’t repent, you will perish.”
Source: The Parable of the Barren Fig (Ligonier)
Jesus warned that those who profess faith but do not keep their commitments will be excluded from his supper.
He said, “None of these shall taste my supper.”
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
The conversion experience involves a profound realization of forgiveness and a willingness to submit to God's will.
The first time you were on your knees before Christ, and you knew by experience that you had been forgiven, what did you say? Like Isaiah: “Here am I. Send me. What do You want me to do?”
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
Jesus promises that if a person confesses Him publicly, He will confess that person to the Father, but if they are ashamed, Jesus will be ashamed of them.
If I confess Him before men, He will confess me before His Father. If I say to my friends: “I love Jesus. I believe Jesus is the Son of God, and I’m prepared to follow Him at whatever cost it is,” and I mean that, and do that, then Jesus will say to the Father: “I love R.C. He’s mine.”
Source: Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
Jesus warned that being ashamed of him before men would result in being ashamed of him before the Father.
Jesus warned us, “If you’re ashamed of me before men, I will be ashamed of you before my Father” (Luke 9:26).
Source: Peter's Denial (Ligonier)
Genuine repentance is provoked when rationalizations cease and one acknowledges their sin.
That is what provokes genuine repentance, when the excuses and rationalization go, the self-applause is silenced, and we say, “Oh God, my God, what have I done?”
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
Guilt is not measured by feelings of guilt, as demonstrated by the legal system.
Guilt is not measured by guilt feelings, and the worst thing that could happen to us is to have guilt and not feel it, because that is what happened to the people in Jerusalem.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
The tax collector approached God by acknowledging his sin and needing mercy, bringing nothing but his guilt.
He brought absolutely nothing to the table except his sin. He had nothing to offer to God except his guilt.
Source: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Ligonier)
A person is justified by confessing sin and relying on God's mercy and grace through Christ.
Do not leave here until you tell the Lord God omnipotent that you are a sinner and cannot stand apart from His mercy and grace. If you throw yourself and your soul on Him and His mercy, clinging to Christ, you will go home justified.
Source: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Ligonier)
A failure to confess Christ publicly is likened to a coward who is afraid to speak his name.
Christian, if you are embarrassed by Jesus, and you are afraid to confess Him before men, then change your behavior or change your name.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
Believers must desire genuine spiritual cleansing and freedom from sin, rather than remaining comfortable in their sinful state.
Context: This is part of a prayer, but reflects his teaching on spiritual desire.
Rather, Father, help us to desire to get out of the ditch and off the bed where we have been so comfortable.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
The speaker argues that the woman's actions in the concentration camp were not adultery but rather rape, highlighting a significant ethical difference.
No . Love never requires adultery. What happened to the woman in this example was not adultery; it was rape. There is a huge difference ethically.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The principle of 'not making provision' means actively preventing opportunities for sin and weakness in one's life.
Do not make provision for human sin and weakness.
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
The spies' pretense of sincerity was actually a mask for insincerity, dishonesty, and hatred.
We read that they pretended to be sincere, the very definition of hypocrisy. Their hypocrisy involved wearing a mask, cloaking insincerity, dishonesty, and an internal and invisible hatred.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
Our current understanding of repentance is shallow because we tend to sugarcoat our offenses, both against our neighbors and against God.
What repentance we have before God is shallow at best, as we sugarcoat our offenses, not only against our neighbors, but especially and ultimately against God Himself.
Source: The Rich Man & Lazarus (Ligonier)
God cannot negotiate His own righteousness and requires that sin be punished.
God will never lay aside His holiness to save you or anybody else. God demands and requires that sin be punished.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
God commands all men everywhere to repent and come to Christ, making it a mandatory requirement rather than an option.
God does not invite people to come to Jesus. He commands them. It is not an option. If you refuse that command, you will perish. You will not be excused.
Source: Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
God will eventually allow impenitent sinners to continue in their sin.
There is a point we see in Genesis and Revelation, not to mention the Old Testament prophets, that there comes a time when God gives impenitent sinners over to their sin.
Source: The Sending of the Twelve (Ligonier)
A lack of sober self-evaluation can lead to failure, frustration, and disappointment.
When that happens, people are doomed to failure, frustration, disappointment, discouragement, and sometimes lifelong depression.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit must convict us of sin before we can come to the gospel or repent.
Before we come to the gospel, before we go on our faces before Christ begging for the mercy of God, God the Holy Spirit must convict us of sin.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
People are often comfortable in their sin and do not feel the weight of their disobedience.
He may be willing to admit that he is not perfect—that nobody is perfect—but he does not feel the weight of that. He just takes it for granted and says: “I am doing what comes naturally. To err is human; to forgive is divine.”
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
The Roman Catholic view defined concupiscence as something that inclines to sin but is not sin itself.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Context: Describing the historical Roman Catholic view, not his own.
They defined it in this manner: Concupiscence is of sin, and it inclines to sin, but in and of itself, it is not sin.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Sin is not merely specific acts, but a root passion or sinful disposition that gives rise to actual sin.
Actual sin, or specific violations of the law of God, is rooted and grounded in a passion of sin—a sinful inclination, a sinful disposition.
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
When we sin, we tend to rationalize our actions rather than admitting that we have sinned or that we have offended God's holiness.
Every time we sin and know that we sin, we try to rationalize it till we put our sin in the best of all possible light. We do not say, “I sinned.” We say: “I made a mistake. I made a bad choice.” We don’t say, “I offended the holiness of God.”
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Being set free from sin means being free for righteousness and eternal life.
Freedom from sin means freedom of righteousness, freedom for righteousness, and freedom for eternal life.
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
Even when a person's ignorance is technically unavoidable, the only path to forgiveness is repentance.
Even though the ignorance Peter acknowledged of those who had cried out for the blood of Christ was vincible, he still saw that they had a chance to be forgiven, but the only chance they had was if they repented.
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
Certain sins, such as calling Jesus a devil, are unforgivable because the Holy Ghost convicts the person of the truth about Jesus' identity.
The point is that once the Holy Ghost convicts you of the truth of the identity of Jesus, if then you call Him a devil, that sin is not forgiven.
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
Sins can only be erased through the process of humbling oneself, acknowledging sins, turning from them, repenting, and coming before God with a broken heart.
But the only way those sins are ever erased is if we humble ourselves, acknowledge our sins, turn from our sins, repent of our sins, and come before God with a broken and contrite heart.
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
The opposition initially engaged Stephen in honest debate but later resorted to corrupt methods to silence him.
The group started by engaging Stephen in honest debate, but their honesty was short-lived. When they were unable to stop his arguments, they turned to corrupt manners to silence him by beginning a program of suborning witnesses against Stephen.
Source: Stephen on Trial (Ligonier)
Instead of repenting when confronted with the truth, the listeners reacted with extreme anger, physically gnashing their teeth at Stephen.
But instead of repenting, the listeners’ response was that they “gnashed at him with their teeth.”
Source: Stephen on Trial (Ligonier)
When the civil magistrate calls people to sin, believers must disobey the magistrate.
If the civil magistrate calls us to sin, we have to say no.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Adults should commit minor sins, while the New Testament warns against remaining in a state of childhood sin.
The New Testament rebukes us when we want to stay as children. We were told to be babes in evil, not grown-up, sophisticated, for-adults-only kind of sinners.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
Sproul defines three categories of action: 'bad-good' (good without pure motive), 'bad-bad' (pure transgression), and 'good-bad' (true badness).
That is bad-good. That is good that is not motivated from a pure heart. Then we look at bad-bad . Bad-bad is so bad that there is no admixture of virtue in it. It is pure transgression outwardly, motivated by a hostile heart to God inwardly.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Confessing Christ before others leads to Christ confessing the individual before the angels, while denying Him leads to being denied before the angels.
Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
Many who merely confess Christ with their mouths on the last day will be rejected by Jesus.
This is the scariest warning Jesus ever gave when He said that on the last day there will be many who will come confessing Him with their mouths, saying, “Lord, Lord,” but He will say: “Please leave. I don’t know who you are, you workers of lawlessness.”
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
A public confession of Christ before others is a sacred duty for Christians and comes with the promise of divine affirmation.
If you are a Christian, if you have confessed your sin before God and come to Christ, then it is your solemn, sacred duty to confess your Savior before men. With that duty comes the promise that Jesus gave: “If you confess Me before men, then I will confess you before my Father and before the angels in heaven.”
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
The speaker questions the theological distinction between blasphemy against the Father/Son (which can be forgiven) and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (which cannot be forgiven).
Jesus made a distinction between blasphemy against Him, blasphemy against the Father, and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He said that blasphemy against the Father or the Son can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
The speaker argues that murder cannot be the unforgivable sin because biblical examples show that those who commit murder have been forgiven.
The problem with identifying murder as the unforgivable sin is that even those who have committed murder in sacred Scripture have been forgiven by God. Exhibit A would be King David himself.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
The speaker rejects the idea that adultery is the unforgivable sin because the New Testament records show that those who commit adultery can be forgiven.
Since she was forgiven, that is proof positive that the particular sin of adultery is not unforgivable.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
Sins like murder, abortion, adultery, and stealing are serious but not unforgivable, and forgiveness is available through confession.
Sins like murder, abortion, adultery, and stealing are seen in the New Testament as egregious sins against God, carrying an awesome weight of guilt with them, but never so much guilt that they are unforgiven or unforgivable. If any of you have been guilty of these egregious sins against God, do not lose the hope of forgiveness.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
A Christian will never commit the unforgivable sin because the Father preserves those whom He has given His Son.
I do not believe any Christian ever does or ever will commit the unforgiven sin. That is not because we are incapable of committing it in and of ourselves, but because the Father preserves those whom He has given His Son and promised that He will not let any of them be snatched away.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
While Christ was perfectly innocent in Himself, He was treated as wicked when the imputation of sin was placed upon Him.
In and of Himself, He was perfectly innocent, but once He received the imputation of sin, He was the most wicked thing ever seen in the sight of God.
Source: The Unjust Judge (Ligonier)
Those who encourage others to commit egregious sins against God face severe judgment.
Woe to people who encourage others to commit such egregious sins against God. It would be better for that person if they had a millstone hung around their neck.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
When someone sins against us, we are first to rebuke them, and if they repent, we must forgive them.
If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
If an offender repents, we are obligated to forgive them, regardless of how difficult it may be.
If a person offends us, says they are sorry, and acknowledges their sin against us, it is not only that we may forgive them; we must forgive them, no matter how difficult it may be.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
Forgiving someone who sins does not require a great amount of faith.
You do not need a lot of faith to forgive. If you had the faith of the grain of a mustard seed, you could talk to a mulberry tree, pluck it up out of the ground, and plant it in the ocean.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
The only thing a person brings to God's table is their shame, guilt, and need.
The only thing I bring to the table is my shame, my guilt, and my need.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
The biblical word 'oinos' specifically refers to fermented grapes.
The word oinos means fermented grapes.
Source: The Wedding Feast (Ligonier)
Christ's blood is not merely a replacement for the blood of a lamb, but it is shed specifically for the forgiveness of sins.
It is not the blood of a lamb that was shed and posted on your door, but My blood, which is shed for the remission of your sin.
Source: The Wedding Feast (Ligonier)
The New Testament invites all who are repentant of their sins, place their faith and trust in Christ alone, and come to God's grace.
Then the New Testament, in the name of Christ, invites all who are His, all who are repentant of their sins, all who put their faith and trust in Christ alone for their salvation, and all who come boldly to the throne of grace to come to His table to be nurtured by the bread that is from heaven and the wine that is the new wine of the kingdom of God.
Source: The Wedding Feast (Ligonier)
Hypocrisy is defined as the sin of fraud where a person claims to be something they are not.
However, hypocrisy is a particular sin. It is the sin of fraud by which a person claims to be something that he is not.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
The primary sin that leads to judgment is the rejection of God's self-disclosure.
The specific point for which they are charged with evil is in the rejection of God’s self-disclosure.
Source: Are those who have never heard of Christ going to hell? (Ligonier Q&A)
True repentance requires confessing sin before God, accompanied by genuine remorse (contrition).
Ultimately, my sin is against God, and what repentance always requires is confession of our sin before God and confession accompanied by contrition—real remorse.
Source: Does repentance require confession? (Ligonier Q&A)
Confession of sin is not merely a resolve to change behavior in the future.
It is not simply a resolve to change and behave differently in the future from what I do today.
Source: Does repentance require confession? (Ligonier Q&A)
Simply having sins forgiven is insufficient; one also needs Christ's righteousness attributed to them.
No, it’s not enough to just have our sins forgiven. We need to have His righteousness attributed to us as well.
Source: How can I obtain eternal life? (Ligonier Q&A)
The principle of imputation, or covering of sin, established with Adam and Eve suggests that they were redeemed, which would have required their repentance.
Since God instituted that principle of imputation, or covering of sin, with Adam and Eve, that strongly suggests to me that they were redeemed. That would have presupposed their repentance.
Source: Is there evidence of Adam and Eve’s repentance and faith after the fall? (Ligonier Q&A)
The term 'repent' when applied to humans means changing one's mind or disposition regarding sin, but applying it to God is problematic.
When the Bible speaks of my repenting or your repenting, it means that we are called to change our minds or our dispositions with respect to sin—that we are to turn away from evil. Repent is loaded with these kinds of connotations, and when we talk about God’s repenting, it somehow suggests that God has to turn away from doing something wicked.
Baptism is a sign that signifies the forgiveness of sins, but it does not automatically carry that forgiveness with it.
Baptism is a sign, and it signifies the forgiveness of sins. I don’t think that it automatically carries forgiveness of sins with it, but it’s a central sign of what our salvation is.
Source: What does it mean that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)? (Ligonier Q&A)
The context of blasphemy involves what a person says or writes.
In the first instance, when you’re talking about blasphemy, it has to do with something you say or write.
Source: What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? (Ligonier Q&A)