Scripture: Authority & Inspiration¶
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.
1369 positions — 103 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
Salvation is achieved not by our own works, but by the works of Christ, specifically through His life and obedience.
It is through the works of the One who alone fulfilled the terms of the covenant of works. That is why I regularly labor the point that it is not just the death of Christ that redeems us, but it is the life of Christ that redeems us.
Corroborated across 9 sources: What Does It Mean to Be an “Unprofitable Servant”? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · R.C. Sproul @ 19:34 · Boasting Excluded (Ligonier) · The Doctrine of Imputation (Ligonier) · Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier) · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier) · The Return of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier) · From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
Salvation is entirely dependent on God's sovereign mercy, not on human will or effort.
The conclusion Paul drew from this sovereign expression of grace and mercy is this: “So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy” (Rom. 9:16).
Corroborated across 4 sources: Is Election Unfair? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 2:47 · R.C. Sproul @ 8:46 · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God sustains the universe by the power of His being, meaning that if God were to cease existing, everything would cease to exist.
If the being of God ceased for one second, the universe would disappear. It would pass out of existence, because nothing can exist apart from the sustaining power of God. If God dies, everything dies with Him.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 50:01 · Did God Die on the Cross? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
God is the ultimate source of all truth because He possesses comprehensive and perfect knowledge of all reality.
What is the Christian response to the question of the philosophers? Truth is that which corresponds to reality as it is perceived by God . Beloved, only God has a comprehensive knowledge of all reality.
Corroborated across 3 sources: God Is the Source (Ligonier article) · The Role of Art in the Christian Life (Ligonier article) · Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The Hebrew phrasing of 'God is love' means that God is actively loving, indicating that love is so integral to His character that it is synonymous with Him, similar to how He is synonymous with truth or life.
And it doesn’t really mean, as the grammar here says, “God is love,” to the Hebrew. What that means is God is loving. In fact, when the Hebrew talks in this manner, he is saying that God is so loving, love is so identified with His character, that we can say He is love. Just as we can say He is truth. He is life itself.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Holy Love of God (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 5:51 · R.C. Sproul @ 3:18
Acting on one's own authority against God's authority constitutes the essence of disobedience and sin.
To act on one’s own authority against the authority of God is the essence of disobedience and of sin.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Role of Experience (Ligonier article) · The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article) · What is the Role of Experience in the Christian Life? (Ligonier article)
Grace is a gift that cannot be earned, bought, or merited, and it is given by God's mercy.
Context: Quoting Paul's letter to the Ephesians
By definition, grace is not something you can earn. You can receive grace only if God in His mercy gives it to you. It’s a gift. You can’t buy, earn, or merit it.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Secret to a Happy Life (Ligonier article) · The Role of Hope in the Christian Life (Ligonier article) · The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
He prefers the term 'effectual grace' over 'irresistible grace' because it accurately describes the grace's ability to achieve God's intended purpose.
That’s why I prefer the term "effectual grace" rather than irresistible grace because this grace that is irresistible effects what God intends to effect by it.
Corroborated across 3 sources: TULIP and Reformed Theology: Irresistible Grace (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 2:42 · R.C. Sproul @ 3:55
The title Adonai is applied to Jesus Christ, indicating His supreme authority, which is to the glory of God the Father.
He has given to Jesus the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee would bow and every tongue confess that He is Adonai, He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 15:59 · R.C. Sproul @ 1:05 · The Resurrection & David's Son (Ligonier)
A person's only hope is the righteousness of Christ, because relying on one's own righteousness leads to condemnation.
My only hope in heaven and earth is the righteousness of Christ. If you take away His righteousness from me, and all you leave me with is my own, then you have left me in a position where not only can condemnation reach me, it most certainly will reach me.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 31:11 · Boasting Excluded (Ligonier) · Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The term 'Lord' (with small capitals) is the English translation of the sacred, ineffable name of God, which is translated as Yahweh, while 'Adonai' means 'the One who is absolutely sovereign.'
When the Scriptures refer to God as Lord —with small capital letters—that is the English translation of the sacred name of God, the memorial name, the ineffable name, the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses in the Midianite wilderness when He said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). That has been translated into the term Yahweh . Yahweh is God’s name. It is not His title. The supreme title given to God, translated in English by “Lord,” is the title Adonai , which means “the One who is absolutely sovereign.”
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 5:02 · Introduction (Ligonier) · David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
God's omnipotence does not mean He can do absolutely anything, as He cannot violate His own nature or essential attributes.
To be omnipotent does not mean that God can do anything. God can’t die. God can’t lie. God can’t be God and not be God at the same time and in the same relationship. God can’t stop being God.
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · The Annunciation (Ligonier) · The Lord's Supper (Ligonier)
Believers must teach and believe what the Bible teaches, regardless of personal preference.
When I was a seminary student, I had a little card on my desk upon which I had written these words: “It is your duty to believe and to teach what the Bible teaches, not what you would like it to teach.”
Corroborated across 3 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Israel's Rejection of Christ (Ligonier) · The Return of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
Scripture is divinely inspired and intended not to confuse, but to instruct and edify believers.
It has been given to us under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, who Himself is the Spirit of truth. It is given to us not to confound us, but for our edification, our instruction, and our training in righteousness.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Conclusion (Ligonier) · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier) · Why Should Christians Study the Bible? (Ligonier Q&A)
Unregenerate people do not genuinely seek God, but rather seek only the benefits that God can provide.
The natural man does not seek after God. Unregenerate people who look like they are seeking after God, as Thomas Aquinas said, are seeking the benefits only God can give, not God Himself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 20:40 · Loving God with Our Minds (Ligonier article)
True transformation and the love of God are achieved through the renewal of the mind and the diligent pursuit of knowledge about God.
The only way we can be transformed is with a renewed mind (Rom. 12:1–2). A renewed mind results from diligently pursuing the knowledge of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 28:05 · Loving God with Our Minds (Ligonier article)
Salvation depends entirely on God's mercy, not on human will or choice.
It does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but upon God who shows mercy.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 47:05 · R.C. Sproul @ 19:25
Because Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by the Father, his teachings, especially those prefaced by 'Amen, amen, I say unto you,' must be given utmost attention.
However, the authority of Jesus far transcends that of a captain of a seagoing vessel. Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by the Father. So when He gives a preface to a teaching and says, "Amen, amen, I say unto you," our listening ears should be fine-tuned to take note instantly of what our Lord is going to say following the preface, for it is of the utmost importance.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Amen (Ligonier article) · What “Amen” Means in the Bible (Ligonier article)
Chance is merely a word or symbol used to describe mathematical possibilities, but it possesses no inherent being, power, or ability to do work.
The word chance is a word that we use, a cipher, a symbol to describe mathematical possibilities. You're now giving to chance not just an empty word to describe possibilities, you're giving it being, power, ability to do work.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Christian and Science (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 34:09
The authority of the apostles was derived from Christ, who in turn derived his authority from God the Father.
The Apostles spoke with a transferred authority from Christ to deliver His teachings. The Apostles taught with the authority of Jesus, who taught with the authority of God. Therefore, as the church father Irenaeus argued long ago, to reject Apostolic authority is to reject the authority of Jesus. And in the final analysis, to reject the authority of Jesus is to reject the authority of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Church‘s One Foundation (Ligonier article) · The Sending of the Twelve (Ligonier)
Rejecting the authority of Paul is equivalent to rejecting the authority of God.
So that in the reasoning process that went on there, that I think is absolutely valid, a rejection of the authority of Paul is nothing less than a rejection of the authority of God himself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Church‘s One Foundation (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Pastors have a profound responsibility to accurately teach the truth of Scripture to God's people.
Pastors must feed God’s people the truth. They must be absolutely scrupulous in the time they spend preparing sermons. They must make sure that their understanding of the Scripture is accurate and that they are not distorting, bending, falsifying, or even worse, replacing the Word of God with something else.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article) · Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
The Reformation's influence reached England through various routes, including direct influence from Luther's Germany and indirect influence via Geneva, Switzerland.
In addition to those who influenced the English Reformation directly from Luther’s Germany, were those whose influence came by a more circuitous route, that is, via Geneva, Switzerland.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Crossing the Channel (Ligonier article) · How the Reformation Spread (Ligonier article)
The Bible's miracles do not prove God's existence; rather, God uses miracles to attest that the Bible itself is His word.
For example, the miracles of the Bible cannot and were never designed to prove the existence of God. The very possibility of a miracle requires that there first be a God who can empower it. In other words, it is not the Bible that proves the existence of God, it is God who through miracle attests that the Bible is His word.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article) · The Great Commission (Ligonier)
To say God is incomprehensible means that no one can comprehend Him exhaustively, but it does not mean He is utterly unknowable.
Theologically speaking, to say God is incomprehensible is not to say that God is utterly unknowable. It is to say that none of us can comprehend God exhaustively.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Divine Incomprehensibility (Ligonier article) · God Is Incomprehensible (Ligonier article)
Language about God is built upon analogy, which allows us to describe God without committing the error of equating the finite with the infinite.
We steer clear of these errors when we understand that our language about God is built upon analogy. We can say what God is like, but as soon as we equate whatever it is that we use to describe God with His essence, we have committed the error of thinking that the finite has contained the infinite.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Divine Incomprehensibility (Ligonier article) · God Is Incomprehensible (Ligonier article)
The speaker is persuaded that the Bible is the Word of God and that God does not speak with conflicting messages.
When I come to a text like this, I come as one already persuaded that this is nothing less than the Word of God, and I am also persuaded that God does not speak with a forked tongue.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Does James 2:24 Deny Justification by Faith Alone? (Ligonier article) · Abraham Justified by Faith (Ligonier)
Faith is defined biblically as the substance and evidence of things unseen.
The biblical answer, according to the author of Hebrews, is that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1).
Corroborated across 2 sources: Faith and Reason (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 15:48
Human labor, such as building, sowing, and reaping, must be performed under the authority and glory of God.
There's nothing wrong with building. There's nothing wrong with sowing and reaping. Those are the tasks that God gave to us in creation, but they're to be done under the authority of God. They're to be done coram Deo , before the face of God, under the authority of God, and unto the glory of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Glory of Man and the Glory of God (Ligonier article) · Our Story (Ligonier article)
Predestination is a biblical concept, not invented by theologians like Calvin or Luther, and is supported by Paul's writings.
Paul says in Ephesians 1:4–6 that in love, God “predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” So, predestination is a biblical word, and it’s a biblical concept.
Corroborated across 2 sources: God’s Good Pleasure in Election (Ligonier article) · The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
God is incapable of doing anything that is not right, as evidenced by the statement that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
Then the statement came out of that narrative, “Will not the Judge of all of the earth do what is right?” (see Gen. 18:25). To ask that question, dear friends, is to answer it, because the God of heaven and earth does not know how to do anything except that which is right.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is Hell? (Ligonier article) · The Atonement (Ligonier)
Perfect love for God, which includes the mind, would prevent ignorance and ensure correct understanding of Scripture.
But the perfect love with which we are called to love God is a perfect love of our minds as well as our hearts. If we perfectly loved God with all of our minds, from whence could this ignorance flow?
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Heresy of Perfectionism (Ligonier article) · Loving God with Our Minds (Ligonier article)
The Bible is the primary source of information about Jesus and all elements of the Christian faith, and the speaker believes it is the Word of God.
The Bible is our primary source of information about Jesus and about all of those things we embrace as elements of our faith. Of course, if the Bible isn’t true, then professing Christians are in serious trouble. I believe the Bible is true. I believe it is the Word of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: How Do We Know the Bible Is True? (Ligonier article) · The Benedictus (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The love of Christ is not our love for Him, but rather His love for us, and this love cannot be separated by any means.
The “love of Christ” of which Paul speaks is not our love for Him but His love for us. Paul points to the risen and ascended Lord, Who sits at the right hand of God and functions as our intercessor, our great High Priest. It is from His love and His care that we cannot be separated.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Inseparable Love of God (Ligonier article) · Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The inseparable love of God in Christ is specifically directed to and enjoyed by God's elect.
It is important to see that this inseparable love of which Paul speaks in Romans 8 is specifically directed to God’s elect. It is the elect who enjoy the guarantee of this inseparable love.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Inseparable Love of God (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 5:30
The title 'Christ' is not merely a name but a supreme title that means 'the anointed One.'
The word Christ in the New Testament comes simple right directly from the Greek word 'Christos,' which translates the Old Testament word 'Messiach' which is the -- comes over into English as what word? Messiah, the meaning of the term Messiah, the meaning of the term 'Christos' or 'Christ' is the 'anointed One.'
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus Christ, Anointed One (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 2:49
Interpreting the Bible literally means interpreting it in the sense in which it was written, applying standard literary rules to different genres.
What is meant by sensus literalis is not that every text in the Scriptures is given a “woodenly literal” interpretation, but rather that we must interpret the Bible in the sense in which it is written. Parables are interpreted as parables, symbols as symbols, poetry as poetry, didactic literature as didactic literature, historical narrative as historical narrative, occasional letters as occasional letters.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Knowing Scripture (Ligonier article) · Christ Coming in Glory (Ligonier)
Interpretation should prioritize the explicit teaching of Scripture over implications drawn from the text.
Closely related to this point is the principle that the implicit must be interpreted by the explicit, rather than the explicit interpreted by the implicit. This particular rule of interpretation is violated constantly.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Knowing Scripture (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 18:45
The Bible must be defended against those who question the inspiration and infallibility of its writings.
Back in the 80s, we were involved in the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, and we were calling the church and its scholars back to a firm defense of the inspiration and infallibility of sacred writ.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Mustard Seeds and The Greatness of God (Ligonier article) · Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Evil is not a substance or being, but rather a negation or privation of the good, which means its definition relies on the existence of good.
Evil cannot be defined as a thing or as a substance or as some kind of being. Rather, evil is always defined as an action, an action that fails to meet a standard of goodness. In this regard, evil has been defined in terms of its being either a negation ( negatio ) of the good, or a privation ( privatio ) of the good.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Mystery of Iniquity (Ligonier article) · Why Does God Allow Evil? (Ligonier article)
While God does not create or do evil, He does ordain that evil exists, and if God is sovereign, He must have been able to prevent its existence.
Though He does not do evil and does not create evil, He does ordain that evil exists. If it does exist, and if God is sovereign, then obviously He must have been able to prevent its existence.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Mystery of Iniquity (Ligonier article) · Why Does God Allow Evil? (Ligonier article)
God's intentions and purposes are always good, and His will is never arbitrary or wicked.
The Lord’s purposes and intentions are always altogether good. There is no hint of arbitrariness or wicked intent in the will of God. The pleasure of His will is always the good pleasure of His will.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Purposes of God (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 19:03
When personal experience conflicts with the Word of God, the Word of God must take precedence over the experience.
Too often, when our experience conflicts with the Word of God, we set aside the Scriptures.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Role of Experience (Ligonier article) · What is the Role of Experience in the Christian Life? (Ligonier article)
Satan possesses a demonic strength that is superior to human strength, though it is not comparable to Christ's power.
With both allusions to the lion we find a symbol of strength, though with Satan it is an evil, demonic strength. His strength is no match for Christ, but it is a strength that is certainly superior to ours.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Satan the Proud and Powerful (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 1:08
God is eternal and immutable, meaning God is exempt from the effects of time.
God and God alone is eternal and immutable. God and God alone escapes the relentless onslaught of time.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is Time? (Ligonier article) · Does the incarnation mean that God has changed in space and time from that point on? If not, why and how do we respond to the question? (Ligonier Q&A)
Joseph's ability to manage and administer was recognized even when he was in prison, leading to him taking on increasing responsibilities.
And so, in the prison, Joseph moves up the ranks from just a rank and file prisoner to a trustee, to a warden's assistant, and pretty soon the warden is letting the prison being run by Joseph.
Corroborated across 2 sources: True Success (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 5:38
The Holy Spirit possesses an immense power, described as the power of being itself, which is the power of creation.
It’s all the power of atomic energy, the power of electricity, the power of gravity, the power of the sea, the power of the wind, the power of the earthquake. All of that together doesn’t add up to a thumbnail’s worth of the power of God the Holy Spirit, because God the Holy Spirit has the very power of being, without which nothing exists at all.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Came Before God? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 2:53
The central goal of Christianity is to live one's life in the presence, authority, and glory of God.
the big idea of Christianity is to live “coram Deo” – to live all of one’s life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and to the honor and to the glory of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does “Coram Deo” Mean? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 5:17
God possesses the unique power to create things out of nothing and to bring life out of death.
The God of the Bible, the One whom Abraham believed, is the God who can create ex nihilo , who can bring something out of nothing, and who can bring life out of death.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article) · The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Human existence is utterly dependent on God's sustaining power, both for the original act of creation and moment by moment.
We do not exist on our own power but depend every second on the being of God for our existence. We are not God, and how we exist under the influence of His creative power is something that no one can explain.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 18:34
Baptism is essential for obedience because Christ commands it.
But I do believe that baptism is essential for obedience because Christ commands it.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is the Significance of Baptism? (Ligonier article) · What is the significance of baptism? (Ligonier Q&A)
The phrase 'son of God' in the Bible primarily refers to individuals who demonstrate a specific stripe of obedience.
However, we see that the phrase, "son of God," in the Bible is not used merely for angels, but its primary use has to do with those who have a particular stripe of obedience. The sonship is defined in terms of obedience,
Corroborated across 2 sources: Who Are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 11:56
While a person can possess knowledge without wisdom, it is impossible to have wisdom without knowledge.
A person can have unbounded knowledge and not have wisdom. But the reverse is not the case; no one can have wisdom if he does not have knowledge.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Wisdom and Knowledge (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:35
Luther asserted that he could not recant his writings unless he was convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther's response to the interrogators.
Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant. Don't you see that my conscience is held captive by the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Word of God in the Hands of Man (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 32:28
Reading the Bible existentially means engaging with the text personally, passionately, and intimately, rather than treating it as objective information to be analyzed.
but what I mean by it is simply this, that we ought to read the Bible as people who are personally, passionately, and intimately involved with what we are reading.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:40 · R.C. Sproul @ 29:12
Mercy is defined as a voluntary act of God, not something He is required to perform.
We're not thinking about mercy anymore because mercy by definition is not obligated. Mercy is something that God does voluntarily. He's not bound to do it. He doesn't have to do it. He's not required to do it.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 17:52 · R.C. Sproul @ 24:19
Luther was asked to recant his writings at the Diet of Worms, but he actually asked for twenty-four hours to think about it.
They said, "Martin Luther, will you recant of these writings?" And the Hollywood version is this: that Luther looked up into the gallery and he saw the representatives of the emperor, of the Holy Roman Empire, and he saw the princes of Germany, and he saw the bishops and the representatives from the Curia in Rome, and he said, "Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I will not recant! For my conscience is held captive by the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. God help me, I can do no other!" Boom! And on with the Reformation. That's not how it happened. At that moment in church history, when the question was put to Martin Luther, "Martin Luther, will you recant?" do you know what he said? He answered the question, and nobody in the hall could hear what he said. They said, "What did he say? What did he say? Speak up, Luther? What did you say? Will you recant of these writings?" And he looked at the authorities, and he said, "Could I have twenty-four hours to think it over?"
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 16:46 · R.C. Sproul @ 26:58
Jesus is referred to by multiple titles in the Gospel of John, including Word of God, Lamb of God, Son of God, Rabbi, Messiah, King of Israel, and Son of Man.
So, in this short literary span, we hear Jesus called the Word , the Lamb of God , the Son of God , Rabbi , Messiah , King of Israel , and the Son of Man .
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 10:23 · The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
The title 'Christ' is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament word for 'Messiah,' meaning Jesus the Anointed One.
Christ is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament word for “Messiah.” So, when the New Testament talks about Jesus Christ, it means Jesus Messiah, Jesus the Anointed One.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:48 · Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Faith is merely the instrument or tool by which a person connects with Christ, while Christ is the true source of justification.
No, faith is the instrumental cause of justification because it is that tool or instrument by which we grab hold of Christ. Christ is the efficient cause of our justification.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 18:19 · Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Paul came to understand that the Messiah of Israel was nothing less than God incarnate.
He had before seen Jesus as an enemy to the purity of the Jewish monotheistic religion, now he understood that the Messiah of Israel was nothing less than God incarnate.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 1:41 · A Basket Case (Ligonier)
The word 'can' refers to ability, meaning that 'no one can' asserts that no one possesses the ability to do something.
The word "can" has to do with ability. So what this verse is saying is that, to say that no man "can," is to say that no one has the ability to do something.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 3:55 · R.C. Sproul @ 22:53
The right to disobey an authority when commanded to sin is not a license to be disobedient merely because one disagrees with the authority or because the authority is exploiting or afflicting.
just because God gives us the right and the responsibility to disobey when an authority over us commands us to do something He forbids or forbids us from doing something God commands, that is not a license to be disobedient just when we disagree with the authority, or if the authority is exploiting us, or if the authority is afflicting us, bringing us discomfort or inconvenience.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
Human righteousness is insufficient before God, and the Christian is covered by Christ's righteousness.
Isaiah says that your righteousness, the righteousness that you have achieved, the goodness that you have accrued in your life is, if you add it all up in the presence of God, like filthy rags. That's how much good it does you. Yet the Bible says the Christian is clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 22:21 · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Human messengers, like Paul, are merely delegated to proclaim the message whose author is God.
Paul is simply being a messenger who has been delegated to proclaim the message whose author is God himself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:49 · The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Satan challenged Jesus by suggesting that if he was truly the Son of God, he should be able to perform miracles like turning stones into bread.
If You are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread. If You are the Son of God, what are You doing here starving to death? If You are the Son of God, You shouldn’t have to put up with this humiliation and self-denial. If You are the Son of God, You should be able to look at these stones and change them into bread and break the fast. Have breakfast from these stones if You really are the Son of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 15:04 · The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Scripture confirms that Christ is the only name through which salvation is possible and the source of eternal life.
It’s the New Testament that says, “There is no other name under heaven through which men may be saved, except that of Christ.” It’s the New Testament that says, “To whom shall we go? Thou alone hast the words of eternal life.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 5:48 · No Other Name (Ligonier)
The Jewish method of emphasizing important points was through the simple technique of verbal repetition.
Well the Jews did the same thing. They did all of that -- underline, boldface, italicize -- but they had another technique to call attention to something's particular importance, and it was the simple technique of verbal repetition.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 19:46 · R.C. Sproul @ 25:51
Resisting the authority that God has appointed means resisting the ordinance of God and incurring judgment.
Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God. Whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 18:40 · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The anti-Christ is understood biblically both as one who opposes Christ and as a substitute or counterfeit attempting to imitate the genuine.
But also anti-Christ, the word “anti” means “instead of” or “in place of” that the way in which the anti-Christ is manifested biblically is as a substitute for Christ.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 6:22 · R.C. Sproul @ 19:06
The term 'Lord' (L-O-R-D) often translates the sacred name Yahweh, which is the name God revealed to Moses.
Anytime you see L-O-R-D you can be fairly confident that the Hebrew term that is being translated is the name Yahweh, the name that God revealed to Moses in the Midianite wilderness when He said, "I Am who I Am."
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 9:21 · Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
Justification is based entirely on the righteousness of Christ, not on the individual's own merit.
It is not your righteousness that saves you; it is someone else’s. You get in on someone else’s coattails. That is grace.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
The repetition of a name in Scripture indicates an intensely personal form of address.
The fifteen or so times that we see this repetition of a name in Scripture indicates an intensely personal form of address, underscoring the warning Jesus gave to His hearers when He reached the climax of the Sermon on the Mount.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:13 · Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
Regeneration is a monergistic act, meaning the Spirit works directly without the use of any intermediary devices.
We mean by that “without the use of any means.” In other words, regeneration happens with no intermediary devices. The Spirit works directly, and He works monergistically. That is to say, He is the only One operating in this endeavor.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 18:03 · Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The sovereign, efficacious will is defined as that which necessarily comes to pass by the force of God exercising it, and this is also called the decretive will.
We define this will as that which comes to pass by necessity from the very force of God exercising it. We also refer to this as the decretive will because whatever God decrees necessarily, by the force of His sovereignty, comes to pass.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 11:09 · How many wills does God have? (Ligonier Q&A)
God's justice is absolute and cannot be compromised, requiring perfect righteousness from Christ.
God will not ever compromise His righteousness. And at the same time, God requires from Christ, in order to qualify for the cross in the first place, that He be the lamb without blemish, that He live a life of perfect obedience, perfect righteousness before the Father, without compromise.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 13:12 · Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Nero's authority was responsible for the persecution of Christians, which began after he allegedly started the great fire in Rome and blamed it on Christians.
It was under Nero's authority that the persecution of Christians began, and as tradition tells us Nero himself perhaps started the great fire that destroyed so many sections of Rome and turned around and blamed it on the Christians which caused the Christians to come in great popular disfavor at that time.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 11:37 · John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Sin is legally transferred to Christ, and God then imputes His righteousness and merit to the believer's account.
In the drama of the cross we see our sins transferred to Christ, who is our substitute. That is, our sins are imputed to Him legally, so that when God looks down from heaven at His son on the cross, He sees one who is covered with our guilt, covered with our iniquity by way of imputation. And then the other part of the gospel is the reverse transfer where God then imputes His righteousness, His merit to our account.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 5:58 · Abraham Justified by Faith (Ligonier)
Humanity is made righteous by God through the gift of Christ's righteousness, not by their own merits or achievements.
We thank You that You have made us just, not by our achievements, not by our merit, not by our righteousness, but clothed by the righteousness of Jesus. You have given the gift of His righteousness to us.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Abraham Justified Before Circumcision (Ligonier) · A Simple Way to Pray (Ligonier)
God's power is limitless and cannot be limited or diminished.
Has the arm of the Lord waxed short? In other words: “Moses, who do you think you’re talking to? Do you think I’m a God with a withered arm? Do you think I’m a ninety-seven-pound weakling and that bullies kick sand in My face? Has the arm of the Lord waxed short?
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Annunciation (Ligonier) · The Magnificat (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Human strength is perfected and utilized by God when a person is brought to a point where they have no strength of their own.
I am telling you this because it really does indicate that our strength is made perfect in weakness. When we are brought to the place where the only strength we have is that which is given to us by the Lord, that is when He uses us most.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier) · Peter's Second Speech (Ligonier)
The Gospel accounts are divine revelations given through the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit.
These are His words, given to us in sacred Scripture through the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit for our instruction, reproof, edification, and training in righteousness.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Asking & Knocking (Ligonier) · Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
The text read is considered God's Word because it was given through the superintendence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The record you have just heard is given to us not merely by Luke the physician but by the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit so that it is indeed God’s Word itself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier) · Song of Simeon (Ligonier)
True hearing of Jesus' words leads inevitably to obedience, and this obedience is demonstrated by doing what He says.
The Greek language distinguishes between the verb “to hear” ( akouō ) and the verb “to obey” ( hypakouō ), which we would call “hyper hearing” in English. The difference between hearing and obeying is hearing and really hearing.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Build on the Rock (Ligonier) · Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
The term 'therefore' in Scripture often signals a major conclusion or the end of a significant argument.
I have said many times that any time we see the word therefore in Scripture, our attention ought to perk up, because we are coming to the sum of the matter. We are coming to a very important conclusion.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
Paul taught that both Jews and Greeks are equally under the condemnation of sin.
He says: “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier) · The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
The Greek word gnōsis refers to two distinct types of knowledge: intellectual cognition and a deeper, personal/spiritual dimension.
The first aspect has to do with intellectual cognition or intellectual awareness. That is the fundamental reference point to the Greek word gnōsis or knowledge, a cognitive awareness of some reality. But in addition to that cognition aspect associated with gnōsis , there is also a deeper kind of knowledge, a deeper dimension of knowledge that we might talk about in terms of personal, spiritual, or redemptive knowledge.
Corroborated across 2 sources: God’s Wrath (Ligonier) · The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
An Apostle is distinct from a disciple, requiring specific commissioning and authority from Jesus.
No, a disciple is a learner, a student. Jesus was a rabbi, and enrolled in His school were many disciples. But of that group, He only chose twelve to be elevated to the rank of Apostle, and to be an Apostle means to be commissioned to speak for the Master.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Introduction (Ligonier) · The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The Greek words 'sōma' and 'sarx' both refer to the physical dimension of human life, though they are not always interchangeable.
The more common word for body or the physical character of people is the word sōma . You may have heard psychiatrists and psychologists talk about psychosomatic illnesses. They are saying that these illnesses that you feel in your body have their genesis in disturbing aspects to your psychology. It is not that they are not real; they are real, but they affect your sōma , your body. In addition to the term sōma is the word sarx , which also refers to the physical dimension of human life.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Introduction (Ligonier) · Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Humans should not question God's actions or challenge His power, as God is the ultimate authority.
But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
Corroborated across 2 sources: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The word 'Amen' signifies 'This is the truth' because it is based on a Semitic word for truth.
Finally, the gospel in the longer ending ends with one word: “Amen.” That word, which is based upon a Semitic word for truth, simply means, “This is the truth.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier) · The Great Commission (Ligonier)
Salvation rests ultimately on the grace of God alone, not on human works or actions.
our salvation rests ultimately on the grace of God and on the grace of God alone, not based on anything we have ever done or will do.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier) · The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Jesus asserted that he held authority over the Sabbath, claiming to be the Lord of the Sabbath.
And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier) · Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
When Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man, He is referring to a title with a rich Old Testament history, not merely an expression of humility.
When Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man, this is not simply an expression of humility by which He identifies with our fallen humanity. Rather, He is referring to a title that has a rich history in the Old Testament.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier) · The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ is not merely the son of David, but rather David's Sovereign and Lord, a title that requires even David to acknowledge Him as such.
Jesus is not simply the son of David; He is David’s Sovereign. He is David’s Adonai. He is David’s King, before whom even David must bow. Therefore, David himself calls Him “Lord.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier) · David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
The Sabbath was not established or instituted at Sinai, but rather was instituted by God at creation.
Some people think that the sanctity of the Sabbath was established with the covenant that God made with His people through Moses as the mediator on Sinai in the Ten Commandments, but this isn’t the case. Though the Sabbath is part of the Ten Commandments, it was not established or instituted at Sinai. It was instituted at creation.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier) · Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The Scripture is considered the unvarnished Word of God, delivered through the inspiration and supervision of the Holy Spirit.
This record comes to us through the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit and by His supervision. It is the unvarnished Word of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Jesus on Trial (Ligonier) · Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
Jesus countered Satan's temptations by citing Scripture and affirming that his authority came from God's Word.
Jesus said: “I’m sorry, Satan, I’m afraid you don’t understand the Word of God. The Bible says, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier) · The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Knowing Jesus' identity is not a problem of lacking knowledge, but rather a lack of affection for the Son of God.
For them, it was not a problem of lacking knowledge of Jesus’ identity. It was a lack of affection for the Son of God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Blind Man & Peter's Confession (Ligonier) · Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
The Greek word exousia refers to the power contained within the authority given to the Apostles.
The word here is one we have run into already on more than one occasion. It is the word exousia , which sometimes is translated “authority.” Other times it is translated “power.” The normal word for sheer power, force, or might is the Greek word dynamis , from which we get the word dynamite . But here, it is the power contained within this authority that Jesus gave to the Apostles in their trial mission.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier) · The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The same text that serves as a powerful defense for Christianity is also the most controversial text used by skeptics to challenge Christian truth claims.
On the one hand, it is the most powerful apologetic we have for our Christology and Scripture. On the other, it is the most controversial text that is utilized against the truth claims of Christianity.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Olivet Discourse (Part 1) (Ligonier) · Transfiguration (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that God is the only one who is good.
No one is good but One, that is, God.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier) · The Rich Young Ruler (Ligonier)
The ultimate authority and truth of God's Word is affirmed by Jesus' statement that 'His Word is truth.'
Jesus answered him: “Your quotation of Scripture is accurate, but your interpretation of it conflicts with everything else the Word of God says. If I jump from this pinnacle, I would be putting God to the test, and it is not allowable for Me to test God. He is testing Me, and I don’t have to jump off this temple to know that the angels will guard Me. Because My Father says it, I don’t need to test it, and I don’t need to test Him,” because as Jesus would say later, “His Word is truth.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Parable of the Revealed Light (Ligonier) · The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
The Bible is considered the Word of God, representing the full expression of God's self-disclosure.
The first assumption is that God has revealed Himself not only in nature but also through the writings of the prophets and the Apostles, and that the Bible is the Word of God. It is theology par excellence . It is the full logos of the theos .
Source: 3 Assumptions of Systematic Theology (Ligonier article)
External rules or traditions cannot be the ultimate test of genuine Christianity.
We can’t make these matters the external test of authentic Christianity. That would be a deadly violation of the gospel because it would substitute human tradition for the real fruits of the Spirit.
Source: 3 Types of Legalism (Ligonier article)
Sproul asserts that the God of Islam (Allah) is not the same God as the God of the Bible (Yahweh).
As Yahweh continues to reveal Himself through the ministry of Christ and the Apostles, it is clear Yahweh is very different from Allah. We cannot legitimately harmonize the theology of Christianity with the theology of Islam.
Source: A Rose Is a Rose (Ligonier article)
The phrase 'If it be thy will' is the model for genuine faith, demonstrating submission to the Father's will.
Jesus qualified His prayer: “If it is Your will….” Jesus did not “name it and claim it.” He knew His Father well enough to understand that it might not be His will to remove the cup.
Source: Accepting “No” as God’s Will (Ligonier article)
Relying on mere pious language or claims without acknowledging God's ultimate will is a distortion of biblical faith.
We are exhorted to claim God’s yes before He speaks it. Away with such distortions of biblical faith! They are conceived in the mind of the Tempter, who would seduce us into exchanging faith for magic.
Source: Accepting “No” as God’s Will (Ligonier article)
For the Sophists, the goal of communication was not truth, but successful persuasion, meaning the speech only needed to be convincing.
For the Sophists, it didn’t matter whether their speech was true. What mattered is whether it worked. Would the speech persuade? If it persuaded people, it did not matter whether it was true.
Source: Against the Sophists (Ligonier article)
The Sophists believed that truth itself is unknowable, leading them to prioritize persuasion over truth.
But remember, the Sophists believed that truth itself is unknowable, so they created a disjunction between proof and persuasion.
Source: Against the Sophists (Ligonier article)
Pragmatism, which suggests that ultimate truth is unknowable, merely instructs people to learn what is effective.
Pragmatism says that we cannot know anything of ultimate truth, and so our task is to learn what works.
Source: Against the Sophists (Ligonier article)
All truth originates with God, meaning all aspects of scientific inquiry fall within the scope of biblical and Christian learning.
Since all truth is God’s truth, all aspects of scientific inquiry are to be within the province of biblical and Christian learning.
Source: God Is the Source (Ligonier article)
The New Testament is best understood by seeing it as the fulfillment of things revealed in the Old Testament.
The key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest is to see in it the fulfillment of those things that were revealed in the background of the Old Testament.
Source: Ancient Promises (Ligonier article)
The speaker asserts that not everything set forth in Scripture applies universally to all people at all times.
I don’t know any biblical scholar who would argue that everything set forth in Scripture applies to all people at all times.
Source: The Applicability of God’s Word (Ligonier article)
The Nicene Creed established that the Son is equal to the Father in substance and essence.
With this word the church declared that the second person of the Trinity has the same substance or essence as the Father, thereby affirming that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equal in being and eternality.
Source: The Athanasian Creed (Ligonier article)
Augustine's view held that regenerating grace is a monergistic work of God, making the sinner willing to believe.
Context: Describing Augustine's view, not the speaker's own
The operative word in Augustine’s view is that regenerating grace is monergistic. It is the work of God alone.
Source: The Battle for Grace Alone (Ligonier article)
The speaker's initial exposure to B.B. Warfield's writings was somewhat accidental.
My first exposure to the writings of B.B. Warfield was somewhat serendipitous.
Source: B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith (Ligonier article)
The speaker quickly recognized the importance of the scholarship contained within the box of books.
While I initially had no idea of the wealth of scholarship that was contained in this single box of books, I quickly grasped their significance as I started to read through them to familiarize myself with the content of the products I would be selling on campus for the next couple of years.
Source: B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith (Ligonier article)
John Gerstner, despite being a student of Van Til, concluded that Warfield was correct in the debate with Kuyper.
The irony is that though Gerstner was a student directly of Van Til, he came to the conclusion that Warfield was correct in this intramural debate with Kuyper.
Source: B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith (Ligonier article)
The speaker believes B.B. Warfield is America's greatest theologian, second only to Jonathan Edwards.
I believe that Warfield is second only to Jonathan Edwards as America’s greatest theologian.
Source: B.B. Warfield: Defender of the Faith (Ligonier article)
It is unsound to point out similarities between different positions without also acknowledging the significant differences between them.
It’s just simply not good teaching to point out similarities between different positions without at the same time acknowledging the significant differences between them.
Source: Be Prepared (Ligonier article)
Wisdom requires recognizing the difference between simple accessibility and the lowest common denominator, and between challenging and foreign language.
Wisdom recognizes that there is a real difference between prudent accessibility and the lowest common denominator. Wisdom can tell the difference between a foreign language and a challenging language.
Source: Beauty and the Best (Ligonier article)
The Bible, being the Word of God, cannot err.
If it errs, then it is not (indeed, cannot be) the Word of God.
Source: Does the Bible Have Errors? (Ligonier article)
The Reformers, including Luther and Calvin, clearly articulated the concept of Scripture's absolute truthfulness even without using the term 'inerrancy'.
The Reformers, though, not using the term inerrancy , clearly articulated the concept. Irenaeus lived long before the seventeenth century, as did Augustine, Paul the apostle, and Jesus. These all, among others, clearly taught the absolute truthfulness of Scripture.
Source: Does the Bible Have Errors? (Ligonier article)
The quality of an educational institution's teaching and faithfulness to Scripture are ultimately determined by its instructors and the material they present.
I was insistent that we hire the best faculty possible because I knew the quality of our education and its faithfulness to Scripture would be determined finally by our instructors and the material they would present to our students.
Source: The Blessing of Great Teachers (Ligonier article)
Learning requires teachers, and great teachers produce great learners who, in turn, produce more great learners.
We need teachers if we are to learn, and great teachers raise up great learners who can then go on to produce other great learners.
Source: The Blessing of Great Teachers (Ligonier article)
When evaluating teaching, one must weigh the words of teachers against the Spirit-inspired teachings of the Apostles and prophets.
No matter how great our earthly teachers may be, they will err. We will have to weigh their words against the Spirit-inspired teachings of the Apostles and prophets.
Source: The Blessing of Great Teachers (Ligonier article)
Jesus' mission was eternal, originating before His incarnation, and He always acted under the authority of the Father.
He had it before His incarnation. In the great “Kenotic Hymn” of Philippians 2, we get a glimpse of this: This passage reveals many things. It speaks of the willingness of the Son to undertake a mission of redemption at the behest of the Father.
Source: The Blueprint of Redemption (Ligonier article)
The ultimate wisdom found in the book of Job comes from God Himself, not from Job's friends or Elihu.
the final wisdom to be found in this great book comes not from Job’s friends or from Elihu, but from God Himself.
Source: The Book of Job (Ligonier article)
The incarnation of Christ was necessary to fulfill His role as God's appointed Mediator.
When we look at the biblical answer to that question, we see that the purpose behind the incarnation of Christ is to fulfill His work as God’s appointed Mediator.
Source: Born of the Virgin Mary (Ligonier article)
The failure of Adam as a mediator was rectified by the perfect success of Christ, the God-man.
Adam functioned in the role of a mediator, and he failed miserably in his task. That failure was rectified by the perfect success of Christ, the God-man.
Source: Born of the Virgin Mary (Ligonier article)
Idolatry is dangerous because it distorts and suppresses the truth about God.
Idolatry is so pernicious because it distorts and smothers the truth of God.
Source: Building with Conviction (Ligonier article)
Idolatry is the sin of exchanging God's truth for a lie, which can manifest both physically and intellectually.
The Apostle explains: This is our most basic sin: an exchange is made. God reveals Himself, but we trade in the truth and walk out with the lie. We exchange the glory of God for the glory of the creature.
Source: Calvin’s Defining Passion in the Protestant Reformation (Ligonier article)
True affection for Christ is not something a person can generate in their own flesh, but rather it is a result of the Holy Spirit's work.
My answer is no; affection for Christ is a result of the Spirit’s work. That is what regeneration is all about; that is what the Spirit does in quickening.
Source: Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? (Ligonier article)
Christ's perfect merit and the ground of our justification come from his active obedience, while his passive obedience involved enduring the curse of God.
It is the fruit of Christ’s active obedience that is the ground of our justification and the righteousness that is imputed to us by faith. In His passive obedience, like the silent lamb at the slaughter, the Son acquiesces to the dreadful punishment of the curse of God.
Source: The Holy Spirit in Regeneration (Ligonier article)
Faith is necessary for the believer to receive Christ's benefits, and the Holy Spirit regenerates the unbelieving sinner into faith, making the unwilling willing.
Faith is required as the necessary instrument for us to receive the benefits of Christ’s accomplished work of redemption. The subjective appropriation of the work of the Son is accomplished by the application of that redemption by the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who regenerates us. In that regeneration, He generates the faith in us that is necessary for our appropriation of the work of Christ.
Source: The Holy Spirit in Regeneration (Ligonier article)
God calls people to suffer not to fulfill a deficiency in Christ's merit, but to fulfill their destiny as witnesses to Christ.
Again, this suffering is not to fulfill any deficiency in the merit of Christ, but to fulfill our destinies as witnesses to the perfect Suffering Servant of God.
Source: In Christ Our Suffering Is Not in Vain (Ligonier article)
The Bible is the ultimate authority, and science can correct the theologian's interpretation, but it cannot correct the Word of God.
Understand--it is impossible for science to correct the Word of God, but it is possible for science to correct the word of the theologian.
Source: The Christian and Science (Ligonier article)
The Christian faith maintains that the Bible alone is God's written word, rejecting the idea that other religious texts hold equal authority.
An advocate of sola Scriptura does not believe that God’s revealed Word is found in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon, the Bible and in the Koran, the Bible and in the Upanishads, the Bible and in the Bhagavad Gita; rather, the Christian faith stands on the singular and exclusive claim that the Bible and the Bible alone is God’s written word.
Source: The Christian’s Duty to Hold Firm (Ligonier article)
Rejecting exclusive claims to truth does not invalidate those claims, and Christians must affirm the uniqueness of God and Christ.
The fact that people reject exclusive claims to truth does not invalidate those claims. It is the Christian’s duty to hold firm to the uniqueness of God and of His Christ and not compromise with the advocates of pluralism.
Source: The Christian’s Duty to Hold Firm (Ligonier article)
Individuals are not experts on the existence of God simply because they are experts in a scientific field.
But he is no more an expert on the existence of God than you are. Why? Because that is a theological question, not a scientific one.
Source: Christians Need Not Fear Scientific Inquiry (Ligonier article)
Christ's disciples must only teach and understand what God has revealed through Christ, including both Old and New Testament Scriptures.
We are called to understand and teach only what God has revealed through Christ, including the Old Testament Scriptures, for they point to Christ; and the New Testament Scriptures, for they are the words of those whom Christ appointed to speak in His name.
Source: Christ’s Call to Make Disciples (Ligonier article)
Discipleship requires a complete commitment to follow Christ's authority, which governs all aspects of life.
That’s the essence of discipleship—submitting fully to the authority of Christ, the One whose lordship goes beyond just the classroom.
Source: Christ’s Call to Make Disciples (Ligonier article)
The authority of the Apostles ultimately derives from God the Father, passing through Jesus Christ.
The Apostles taught with the authority of Jesus, who taught with the authority of God.
Source: The Church‘s One Foundation (Ligonier article)
Christians are equipped with the wisdom of God and must ensure their thinking is guided by Christ's mind rather than secular influences.
As Christians, we have access to the very wisdom of God. We have the mind of Christ. Christians must be on guard to have their thinking and decision-making shaped not by the secular world but by the mind of Christ.
Source: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article)
Christian leaders must teach and advise according to the wisdom of God and the teachings of Jesus, rather than attempting to improve upon or replace them with human wisdom.
We are not free as Christian leaders to teach our own gospel. We are not free to throw away the teachings of Jesus and replace them with our wisdom. The world has plenty of human wisdom—too much of it—and it doesn’t need ours.
Source: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article)
Christian leaders are merely message bearers (ambassadors) of Christ and do not have the authority to create or improve upon the message of Jesus.
We are ambassadors of Christ, and an ambassador is a message bearer, not a message creator. I therefore urge and implore Christian leaders to strive to speak and teach and advise according to the wisdom of God, that people may reflect the mind of Christ and not the mind of the secular community in which we live.
Source: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article)
Christian leadership requires ministering by the power of the Spirit, the mind of Christ, and the wisdom of God, which God has equipped them for.
Christian leadership means ministering by the power of the Spirit, by the mind of Christ, and with the wisdom of God. This is a tall order, but with the order comes the equipment. God does not call us to do something that is beyond our capacity.
Source: The Commission of Christian Leaders (Ligonier article)
Sin is not only an external action but also an internal motive characterized by inherent hostility toward God.
Rather, it represents an internal motive, a motive that is driven by an inherent hostility toward the God of the universe.
Source: Cosmic Treason (Ligonier article)
The speaker cautions against confusing the actual text of Scripture with later additions or theories based on speculation.
I hasten to tell my students that we must be very careful to distinguish between the text of Scripture and additions to the text.
Source: The Creation Doctrine in Reformed Theology (Ligonier article)
When defending biblical authority, one must be careful to distinguish between the text of Scripture and additions based on past speculations.
I hasten to tell my students that we must be very careful to distinguish between the text of Scripture and additions to the text. In defending the biblical authority, we are not obligated to defend a theory based on the speculations of a bishop in times past.
Source: The Creation Doctrine in Reformed Theology (Ligonier article)
Macroevolution is not substantiated by observation or experiment, but rather relies on interpreting past evidence.
Macroevolution has never been substantiated by observation or experiment, and it places its faith in an endless string of extremely improbable, yet beneficial chance mutations.
Source: The Creation Doctrine in Reformed Theology (Ligonier article)
William Tyndale was crucial to the English Reformation because of his translation of the Bible into English.
Probably the most important person in the English Reformation was William Tyndale, whose translation of the Bible into English was of cataclysmic importance.
Source: Crossing the Channel (Ligonier article)
Modern technology, specifically the Internet, has rapidly increased the escalation of temptation and erotic stimulation.
The advent of the computer and the use of the Internet has rapidly increased this escalation.
Source: Cultural Revolution (Ligonier article)
Believers are exhorted to rekindle their spiritual gifts and look to Christ for strength.
Now it is time to gird up yourself like a man. Stir up the gift that is within you and look to the Author and finisher of your faith to rekindle a fire in your bones. It’s worth it.
Source: Dear Bob (Ligonier article)
Doubt, by logical necessity, requires a doubter, just as thought requires a thinker.
Doubt, by logicial necessity, requires a doubter, even as thought requires a thinker.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
Sproul asserts that an uncaused effect is an oxymoron and a contradiction in terms.
An uncaused effect is an oxymoron, a veritable contradiction in terms, a statement patently and analytically false, which Descartes could refute in his Dutch oven without the benefit of empirical testing.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
The content of Christianity cannot be reduced simply to Cartesian syllogisms.
The content of Christianity, in all its parts, cannot be reduced simplistically to Cartesian syllogisms.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
The existence of God must be established before affirming the trustworthiness of Scripture or the person of Christ.
Descartes and others like him understood that to prove the existence of God is prior to affirming the trustworthiness of Scripture and the birth and work of the person of Christ.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
The process of destroying doubt requires establishing the existence of God first, which then provides the foundation for trusting Scripture and Christ.
He moved from the certitude of self-consciousness to the certitude of the existence of God, no small matter for the doubt-ridden believer. Descartes and others like him understood that to prove the existence of God is prior to affirming the trustworthiness of Scripture and the birth and work of the person of Christ.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
Faith rests upon the promises of the unmade and unlimited Being, which is the foundational certainty of God's existence.
On this bedrock of certainty rests the promises of that unmade, unlimited Being. On these promises we rest our faith.
Source: Descartes and the Anatomy of Doubt (Ligonier article)
God does not merely create the universe and then step away; rather, He continuously sustains and maintains it.
God created all things and continues to sustain them. He didn't just bring the world into existence, but He continues to preserve it and maintain it.
Source: Did God Create the Universe and Then Step out of the Picture? (Ligonier article)
Jesus warned Simon not to rely on his own strength, as Satan could easily entice him to fall.
In using this metaphor, Jesus is cautioning Simon not to rely on his own strength, because it would be an easy thing for Satan to entice him to fall.
Source: The Difference Between Judas and Peter (Ligonier article)
Apparent contradictions in Scripture are often merely variations in perspective or reporting of the same event, not genuine conflicts.
Difference does not mean contradiction.
Source: Difference or Contradiction? (Ligonier article)
One must not merely seek or desire righteousness, but must intensely hunger and thirst for it.
We are not simply to seek righteousness or have righteousness as a goal; we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Source: Do You Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness? (Ligonier article)
Jesus' passion for his Father was so intense that it consumed him, defining his purpose.
That zeal for His Father's house consumed Him (John 2:17). This graphic language means that Jesus' passion for the affairs of His heavenly Father ate Him up.
Source: Do You Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness? (Ligonier article)
Prayer cannot change God's mind or His predetermined counsel.
If you were to pray individually or if you and I were to join forces in prayer or if all the Christians of the world were to pray collectively, it would not change what God, in His hidden counsel, has determined to do.
Source: Does Prayer Change God’s Mind? (Ligonier article)
A conscience must be captive to the Word of God, as demonstrated by Luther's refusal to recant at the Diet of Worms.
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)
Prayer should not be treated as a mere recitation or magical incantation, but rather a thoughtful expression that engages the mind and heart.
Jesus was saying in Matthew 6:7 that we must not regard prayer as some kind of magical incantation, for that is how pagans pray. They recite certain phrases over and over again, with no understanding of what the words mean.
Source: Don’t Pray like a Pagan (Ligonier article)
While the Lord's Prayer has a rich history and can be repeated, Christians must ensure that its use does not devolve into mindless repetition.
However, there is a danger that this use of the prayer may be nothing more than a recitation. The praying of the Lord’s Prayer can become as mindless and as vain a repetition as the magical incantations and mantras that pagans use.
Source: Don’t Pray like a Pagan (Ligonier article)
Repetition itself is valuable and is one of the most important ingredients of learning, especially for mastering concepts or principles.
Repetition in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s one of the most important ingredients of learning, because it’s the rare person who masters a concept or a principle by hearing it once.
Source: Don’t Pray like a Pagan (Ligonier article)
Integrity requires a kind of honesty, as demonstrated in the New Testament, that means a person's word is reliable and trustworthy.
What James is getting at is that integrity requires a kind of honesty that indicates that when we say we will do something, our word is our bond. We should not require sacred oaths and vows in order to be trusted.
Source: Duty and Honor (Ligonier article)
Prayer is a mandatory activity for believers because God commands it, regardless of whether it appears to have practical value.
We have to guard against taking a fatalistic view of prayer. We cannot allow ourselves to dismiss prayer from our lives simply because it might not seem to have pragmatic value. Whether or not prayer works, we must engage in it, simply because God Himself commands us to do it.
Source: The Efficacy of Prayer (Ligonier article)
Grace is inherently undeserved, meaning God is not obligated to grant it to anyone.
Grace, by definition, is something that God is not required to grant. He owes a fallen world no mercy. If we cried out for justice at His hands, we could all receive the just condemnation we deserve. Justice is what we deserve. Grace is always and ever undeserved.
Source: Is Election Unfair? (Ligonier article)
Only the Holy Spirit has the ability to convince people of God's truth.
Only the Spirit can finally convince people of His truth.
Source: Escaping the “Cage Stage” (Ligonier article)
A conscience that is guided by the Word of God is noble and powerful.
A conscience captured by the Word of God is both noble and powerful.
Source: Ethics and the Conscience (Ligonier article)
Individuals who attempt to influence the consciences of others bear a significant responsibility to protect the other person's personality as God created it.
One who seeks to influence the consciences of others carries a heavy responsibility to maintain the integrity of the other person’s own personality as crafted by God.
Source: Ethics and the Conscience (Ligonier article)
The Holy Spirit worked through the individual authors' personalities and styles to provide an inerrant record, even when authors focused on different details.
Variations in perspective are exactly what we should expect even in a divinely inspired text, for the Holy Spirit did not override the personalities and styles of the individual authors when they wrote. Instead, the Spirit worked through their concerns to give us an inerrant record of what happened even as each writer focuses on some details and not others.
Source: Explaining Anomalies (Ligonier article)
Faith is defined as believing the Lord who has spoken, which is a rational belief supported by historical testimony.
When we talk about faith as the evidence of things not seen, we’re talking about believing the Lord who has spoken. Not just believing in God but believing God.
Source: Faith Has Its Reasons (Ligonier article)
Faith is more than mere intellectual assent or knowledge, but it involves trusting the Person revealed by the facts.
We aren’t saved simply because we affirm the truth of certain facts but because we trust the Person whom those facts reveal. So, faith is definitely more than knowledge. But it is not less.
Source: Faith Has Its Reasons (Ligonier article)
Scripture teaches that children are gifts from God and are of inestimable value.
Biblically speaking, the two go hand in hand. We are called to align our values with what God values, and what God values is outlined in His revealed ethical norms in Scripture. This is as true of family values as it is of economic values, political values, and so forth. Biblical revelation tells us that family values are tied to how we should value people. When it comes to the family, Scripture is quite clear that children are gifts from God, and therefore they are of inestimable value.
Source: Family Values (Ligonier article)
Believers are understood as the Father's gift to the Son, a gift that is secure and cannot be lost or destroyed.
In this prayer it is clear that believers are the Father’s gift to the Son, a gift that is not to be lost or destroyed.
Source: The Father’s Gift to the Son (Ligonier article)
Believers must shape their worldview using the Bible rather than adopting the beliefs of the unbelieving culture.
Being consistent Christians means affirming the unflinching supernaturalism of the Bible, a supernaturalism that is anathema to the world today. We must have our worldview shaped by the Bible rather than by the unbelieving culture.
Source: Fear and Uncertainty (Ligonier article)
Jesus often uses repetition, such as prefacing words with 'Verily, verily,' to give emphasis to profound teachings.
To make a point emphatic, Jesus often prefaced His words by saying, “Verily, verily,” or “Truly, truly, I say unto you,” before a profound teaching.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
Pastors have a sacred responsibility to nurture God's people by ensuring that the truth of Scripture is accurately taught.
Pastors must feed God’s people the truth. They must be absolutely scrupulous in the time they spend preparing sermons. They must make sure that their understanding of the Scripture is accurate and that they are not distorting, bending, falsifying, or even worse, replacing the Word of God with something else.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
The only nourishment for God's people is the truth found in the Word of God.
And the only food that will nurture the people of God is the food of the truth of the Word of God.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
Pastors must preach the whole counsel of God, especially to those who are not yet regenerated.
Every Sunday, there are people in the congregation who are not regenerate, who have never heard the Word of God. And if the pastor loves them, he must feed them with the whole counsel of God.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
Pastors should avoid offering secular or self-help advice, as only the Word of God provides true nourishment.
A shepherd is not called to offer pop psychology. Self-help only heals the wound of the daughter of Zion lightly. The only thing under heaven that will nurture the sheep is the Word of God.
Source: Feed My Sheep (Ligonier article)
The central motivation for a Christian must always be giving glory to God alone (Soli Deo Gloria).
In all that we do, the driving passion of the Christian must always be Soli Deo Gloria , to God alone be the glory.
Source: For the Glory of God (Ligonier article)
The terms 'easy' and 'light' regarding Christ's yoke and burden are relative, meaning what is difficult alone becomes bearable with Christ's help.
The words easy and light are relative terms. Easy is relative to a standard of difficulty. Light is relative to a standard of heaviness. What is difficult to bear without Christ is made far more bearable with Christ. What is a heavy burden to carry alone becomes a far lighter burden to carry with His help.
Source: From Hard Pressed to Hope (Ligonier article)
Seeking God's comfort and help in times of trouble is not a vice, contrary to criticisms like Marx's.
To suffer without the comfort of God is no virtue. To lean upon His comfort is no vice, contrary to Marx.
Source: From Hard Pressed to Hope (Ligonier article)
Longsuffering and forbearing patience should be the Christian's reflection of God's character, which includes being slow to anger and quick to be merciful.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that love suffers long. This longsuffering, forbearing patience is to be the Christian’s reflection of the character of God. It is part of God’s character to be slow to anger and quick to be merciful.
Source: Waiting on God (Ligonier article)
All efforts to achieve spiritual goals by one's own power are futile without a strong connection to Christ.
Simply put, all of the efforts that we make to be joyful, to be productive, or to achieve anything worthwhile in the kingdom of God are exercises in futility if we try to do them by our own power.
Source: The Fullness of Joy (Ligonier article)
The company of other believers helps keep faith active, but this connection is secondary to the primary source of power, which is Christ.
The company of other believers keeps our faith lively and active. But if we cool off when we are removed from connection with other Christians, how much more will we wither if we remove ourselves from the real source of power, which is Christ Himself?
Source: The Fullness of Joy (Ligonier article)
To be productive or fruitful, Christians must maintain a strong connection to Christ, as relying on personal effort alone is futile.
Simply put, all of the efforts that we make to be joyful, to be productive, or to achieve anything worthwhile in the kingdom of God are exercises in futility if we try to do them by our own power.
Source: The Fullness of Joy (Ligonier article)
The joy available to Christians is derived from Christ, and this joy can grow to a fullness through continuous connection to Him.
It is first His joy that He gives to us, and as we are plugged into Him, this joy that comes from Him grows, increases, and becomes full.
Source: The Fullness of Joy (Ligonier article)
Many Christians struggle to read the entire Bible due to its sheer size and the difficulty of certain sections.
But the Bible is a pretty big letter, and its sheer bulk is somewhat daunting, even to the person with the best of intentions. Therefore, few Christians actually keep a resolution to read through the Bible.
Source: Get a Basic Overview of the Bible (Ligonier article)
He believes his book, Knowing Scripture, is a vital resource because it provides foundational principles to prevent misinterpretations of Scripture.
I frankly think this book is one of the most important helps that I've ever been able to provide for people in studying the Bible, because it provides basic, foundational principles of biblical interpretation to keep people from falling into errors that would lead to distortions of the teaching of Scripture.
Source: Get a Basic Overview of the Bible (Ligonier article)
Human accomplishments, even those that are legitimate, must ultimately be done under the authority and for the glory of God.
We’ve been called to have dominion over the earth to the glory of God, but we want dominion for the glory of man. That’s what was going on at Babel—a distortion, an evil twisting of the legitimate task that God had given mankind.
Source: The Glory of Man and the Glory of God (Ligonier article)
Satan tempted Adam and Eve to seek autonomy and freedom from accountability to God, which was a form of liberation.
Satan enticed Adam and Eve to reach for autonomy, to become like God, to do whatever they wanted with impunity. Satan was introducing a liberation movement in the garden to free human beings from culpability, from accountability to God.
Source: Since God Is Sovereign, How Are Humans Free? (Ligonier article)
Marriage is a perfectly acceptable and legitimate option even for those strongly motivated by sexual fulfillment.
Marriage is a perfectly honorable and legitimate option even for those who are most strongly motivated by sexual fulfillment and relief from sexual temptation and passion.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
The Cyrenaics practiced a crude form of hedonism characterized by radical indulgence in drunkenness and sex.
The Cyrenaics adopted this crass form of radical indulgence in drunkenness and sex.
Source: What Is Hedonism? (Ligonier article)
Unlike the Stoics, the Epicureans believed that one could actively change the state of affairs and events affecting life through the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
The Epicureans approached the search for peace of mind from the other direction. They believed that one could change the state of affairs as well as the events that affect our lives. That happens, primarily, through an active pursuit of pleasure and an active avoidance of pain.
Source: What Is Hedonism? (Ligonier article)
Perfect love necessarily results in perfect obedience, a standard exemplified by Christ.
A perfect love would yield perfect obedience. The only perfected love this world has ever seen was the love of Christ, who exhibited perfect obedience.
Source: The Heresy of Perfectionism (Ligonier article)
God is not composed of separate parts, but rather He embodies all of His attributes simultaneously.
God is not one part sovereign, one part just, one part immutable, one part omniscient, one part eternal, and one part loving. Rather, He is all of His attributes at all times.
Source: The Holy Love of God (Ligonier article)
Understanding any single attribute of God requires understanding it in relation to all of His other attributes.
To understand any single attribute, we must understand it in relation to all His other attributes.
Source: The Holy Love of God (Ligonier article)
Humans are real secondary causes with genuine power, but they do not possess any volition or power beyond what God has given them.
In terms of human relationships, we are secondary causes, and the powers we exert are real, not illusory. We are not puppets with no volition, freedom, or power, but we have no volition, freedom, or power beyond that given to us by God.
Source: How Can God Bring Good Out of Evil? (Ligonier article)
Prayer is a required duty for Christians, regardless of whether it produces tangible results.
Regardless of whether prayer does any good, if God commands us to pray, we must pray. It is reason enough that the Lord God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, commands it.
Source: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Ligonier article)
God's foreknowledge does not diminish the act of praise; rather, it provides a greater reason for expressing adoration.
God’s foreknowledge or determinate counsel does not negate the prayer of praise. The only thing it should do is give us greater reason for expressing our adoration for who God is.
Source: If God Is Sovereign, Why Pray? (Ligonier article)
God possesses aseity, meaning He eternally exists by Himself and is not dependent on any external source or cause.
When we affirm that God is eternal, we are also saying that He possesses the attribute of aseity , or self-existence. This means that God eternally has existed of Himself and in Himself. He is not a contingent being.
Source: In the Beginning God (Ligonier article)
Nothing can come from nothing, meaning that if there was ever absolute nothing, nothing could ever produce something.
An absolute law of science is ex nihilo nihil fit, which means “out of nothing, nothing comes.” If all we have is nothing, that is all we will ever have, because nothing cannot produce something.
Source: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article)
God is the only being capable of creating matter absolutely, meaning He calls worlds into existence rather than merely reshaping pre-existing material.
God can call worlds into existence. This is the power of creativity in its absolute sense, and only God has it. He alone has the ability to create matter, not merely reshape it from some preexisting material.
Source: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article)
The Christian view holds that God created the world out of nothing, which is a unique power only God possesses.
God is self-existent and eternal in His being, and He alone has the ability to create things out of nothing. God can call worlds into existence. This is the power of creativity in its absolute sense, and only God has it.
Source: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article)
God's command is absolute and cannot be resisted, as evidenced by the creation of the world.
God said, “Let there be…,” and there was. That is the divine imperative. Nothing can resist the command of God, who brought the world and everything in it into being.
Source: In the Beginning... (Ligonier article)
Humans have no merit before God, only demerit.
We have no merit before God, only demerit.
Source: An Inalienable Right to Grace? (Ligonier article)
The source of Christian comfort is not based on our standing with God, but rather on God's unwavering commitment to us.
The source of Christian comfort is not that we are for God or that we are on His side. Rather it is that God is for us and is on our side.
Source: The Inseparable Love of God (Ligonier article)
The love of Christ is so powerful that no created thing, whether present or future, can separate believers from it.
Paul then provides another list of things he is persuaded lack the power to separate us from the love of Christ. In this list are included death, life, angels, principalities, powers, things present, things to come, height, depth, and any other created thing.
Source: The Inseparable Love of God (Ligonier article)
The list of things Paul provides is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather illustrative.
Once again the list Paul provides is not exhaustive but illustrative. He uses hyperbole to communicate a truth.
Source: The Inseparable Love of God (Ligonier article)
Faith itself adds no merit to one's account; rather, it allows the imputation of Christ's merit.
The fact that a person possesses faith adds no merit to his account. It adds infinite merit to his account by imputation, but it is the merit of Christ that is imputed to him.
Source: The Instrumental Cause of Justification (Ligonier article)
Faith is the instrumental means by which Christ's merit is received, but it possesses no merit itself.
We can receive Christ’s merit only by faith, and there is no merit to that.
Source: The Instrumental Cause of Justification (Ligonier article)
Parables often follow the Rule of Three, delivering multiple important truths or points.
And is it any wonder that many parables deliver three important truths or that most sermons rest on three important points?
Source: 4 Interpretive Guidelines for Understanding Jesus' Parables (Ligonier article)
Unresolved anger is dangerous because it can be exploited by Satan to destroy a person's soul and turn anger into bitterness.
I would say, no, it’s unresolved anger that is the workshop of Satan. If he can take an otherwise healthy person and distort and twist his anger and make it bitterness, he can destroy that soul along with a lot of other people along the way.
Source: Is It OK to Be Angry? (Ligonier article)
Theopassianism and Patripassianism are heresies rejected by the church because they deny the immutable nature of God.
The first of these, theopassianism , teaches that God Himself suffered death on the cross. Patripassianism indicates that the Father suffered vicariously through the suffering of His Son. Both of these heresies were roundly rejected by the church for the very reason that they categorically deny the very character and nature of God, including His immutability.
Source: Did God Die on the Cross? (Ligonier article)
The title 'Lamb of God' is not an invention of John the Apostle, but is rooted in Old Testament history.
Given this imagery in Genesis 22, Exodus 12, and other passages throughout the Old Testament, it’s foolish to say that the title “Lamb of God” is an invention of the apostle John.
Source: Jesus Christ: The Lamb of God (Ligonier article)
Peter correctly identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).
Source: Jesus Christ: The Lamb of God (Ligonier article)
Jesus' choice of words when speaking to John demonstrated that He understood the theological difficulty of the situation.
First He said, “Permit it to be so now.” The fact that Jesus gave His command to John in these particular words shows that He understood there was some theological difficulty involved.
Source: Jesus, Our Substitute (Ligonier article)
True perseverance is not an inherent power of the saint, but rather the continuous action of God.
it is not because they have the power of perseverance within themselves. If it were left to me to persevere in my Christian walk, I would fall and stumble in a moment. The One who really perseveres is God.
Source: Jesus’ Prayers (Ligonier article)
Paul's declaration of Christ's uniqueness also affirms the uniqueness of God, which was established by the first commandment.
Notice that Paul, in declaring the uniqueness of Christ, also affirms the uniqueness of God: “There is one God.” This divine uniqueness was declared throughout the Old Testament; the very first commandment was a commandment of exclusivity: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).
Source: Jesus: The Only Savior (Ligonier article)
The speaker found it impossible to kill a dog, even when the dog was hopelessly ill, which led to a greater appreciation for the gravity of Abraham's situation.
I could not even bring myself to kill a dog who was hopelessly ill. How radically different this was from Abraham’s situation, yet my experience gave me a much greater appreciation of what Abraham was facing.
Source: The Journey to Mount Moriah (Ligonier article)
The speaker noted that God required Abraham to kill his son, which was a much greater demand than the speaker's own inability to kill a dog.
God did not ask Abraham to kill his dog; God required that he kill his son, his only son, the son whom he loved.
Source: The Journey to Mount Moriah (Ligonier article)
Paul instructs Christians to rejoice constantly, not just occasionally or periodically.
For example, he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4a). This is one of those biblical imperatives, and it leaves no room for not rejoicing, for Paul says Christians are to rejoice always—not sometimes, periodically, or occasionally.
Source: The Key to the Christian’s Joy (Ligonier article)
Because the Bible is the Word of God, it must be consistent, coherent, intelligible, and unified.
If it is the Word of God, one may justly expect the entire Bible to be coherent, intelligible, and unified. Our assumption is that God, because of His omniscience, would never be guilty of contradicting Himself.
Source: Knowing Scripture (Ligonier article)
Divine inspiration does not override the ordinary rules of language, meaning the Bible must be interpreted using standard linguistic principles.
Though the Bible is not like any other book in that it carries with it the authority of divine inspiration, nevertheless, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit over a written text does not turn verbs into nouns or nouns into verbs. No special, secret, arcane, esoteric meaning is poured into a text simply because it’s divinely inspired.
Source: Knowing Scripture (Ligonier article)
A Christian leader's strengths and gifts should be understood as deriving their power from Christ, not from themselves.
The thing that Paul kept before himself always was that the only strengths he had, the only gifts he had to offer, were those strengths, gifts, and talents that found their locus of power in Christ and not in himself.
Source: Leadership in the Church (Ligonier article)
God calls individuals to leadership based on who they are right now, using the gifts and talents they currently possess.
If God in His providence is behind that call in any sense, He’s calling you because of the gifts, talents, and abilities that you have right now. In that sense, you don’t have to pretend that you’re something you’re not. He’s calling you as you are.
Source: Leadership in the Church (Ligonier article)
Christ is described as the actual Savior who accomplished what the Father determined He should do.
Your salvation has been accomplished by a Savior Who is not merely a potential Savior but an actual Savior, One Who did for you what the Father determined He should do.
Source: Does the Doctrine of Limited Atonement Undermine Evangelism? (Ligonier article)
Christians are called to submit to all authorities because those authorities are instituted by God.
That’s why Christians are called to honor and pray for the king, pay their taxes, and submit as much as possible to the authorities in all things—because the authorities are instituted by God.
Source: Living under Authority (Ligonier article)
While Christians are free in Christ, this freedom does not grant a license for sin, and they are fundamentally bondservants to God.
Christians are free in Christ, but we aren’t to use our liberty as a license for sin, because even though on the one hand we’re free, on the other hand we remain indentured servants.
Source: Living under Authority (Ligonier article)
Love is the most important virtue, surpassing both gifts and mere performance.
It’s higher than the gifts and more important than performance.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
Love is considered an ordinary gift of the Spirit, available to all who are genuinely regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Love is a gift of the Spirit, and everyone who is genuinely regenerate and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is given the gift of love. In that sense, it is an ordinary gift, as distinguished from those special powers that not everybody is given.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
The ordinary influence of the Spirit working charity is considered a more excellent blessing than any extraordinary gift.
Context: Quoting Edwards
The ordinary influence of the Spirit of God working the grace of charity in the heart is a more excellent blessing than any of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit.
Source: Love Beyond Performance: Why Virtue Without Love Is Worthless (Ligonier article)
Love is inherently neither impatient nor unkind, and this quality reflects the love of God.
Simply put, love is neither impatient nor unkind. This is a picture of the love of God, the same love that the Holy Spirit cultivates in God’s people.
Source: Love That Is Patient and Kind (Ligonier article)
The ability to classify and distinguish between things, which is central to science, began when God gave Adam and Eve the task of naming the animals.
With the naming of the animals, the task of classification, which is at the heart of science, was begun.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
God's authority and dominion are demonstrated by the fact that God named Adam, rather than Adam naming himself.
Who named Adam? Adam did not name himself, but God named Adam, indicating God’s authority and dominion over His creature.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
Zechariah regaining his ability to speak was a direct result of him demonstrating his subordination and obedience to God by writing the baby's name.
The instant he did that, his tongue was loosed and he was able to speak again, because he had shown his subordination and obedience to God.
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
The angel changes Jacob's name to Israel because the struggle with God has permanently changed him, making his old name inappropriate.
He essentially says: “I’m going to give you a new name because God has the right to give a new name. In this combat, in this struggle that we’ve gone through here, I have touched you and I have changed you—permanently. Yes, there’s continuity with who you were before this meeting and who you will be ever after, but there’s also radical discontinuity now for the rest of your life, so your old name is no longer appropriate.”
Source: The Many Names of God (Ligonier article)
The presence of God, whether in a physical location or a moment in time, makes that space or time holy.
When God appears in history, the time is holy. There was never a more holy place than the city of Bethlehem, where the Word became flesh. There was never a more holy time than Christmas morning when Emmanuel was born.
Source: Marley and His Message to Scrooge (Ligonier article)
There is a significant difference between a simple answer, which is correct and comprehensive, and a simplistic answer, which is merely a counterfeit.
However, there is a profound difference between the simple answer and the simplistic answer. The simple answer is correct; it accounts for all the data found in the complex problem.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The biblical concept of the will of God is complex and cannot be approached simplistically.
I emphasize the point of data, complexity, and simplicity because the biblical meaning of the will of God is a very complicated matter. To approach it simplistically is to invite disaster.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
God's plan, when described by 'boule,' is resolute, impregnable, and cannot be set aside by human action.
Here the resolute decree of God is in view, which no human action can set aside. God’s plan is impregnable; His “will” is unalterable.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
Believers must avoid the mistake of thinking that spirituality alone fulfills the requirements of Christ.
We must beware of the subtle danger of thinking that spirituality completes the requirements of Christ.
Source: The Meaning of God’s Will (Ligonier article)
The Roman Catholic Church's teachings, such as the treasury of merit, purgatory, and indulgences, were reaffirmed in the updated Catechism of the Catholic Church.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
In the updated Catechism of the Catholic Church, released in the mid-1990s, the treasury of merit, purgatory, indulgences, justification through the sacraments, and other doctrines were reaffirmed.
Source: Misunderstanding Vatican II (Ligonier article)
The Council of Trent established strong theological affirmations that the Roman Catholic Church cannot repeal due to its weight and the church's desire to maintain its view of authority.
The indisputable fact is that Rome made a number of strong, clear theological affirmations at the Council of Trent. Because Trent was an ecumenical council, it had all the weight of the infallibility of the church behind it. So, there is a sense in which Rome, in order to maintain her triumphant view of the authority of the church and of tradition, cannot repeal the canons and decrees of the Council of Trent.
Source: Misunderstanding Vatican II (Ligonier article)
The most important session is the session of Jesus Christ in heaven, which signifies His exalted authority.
The most important session of all is the session of Jesus Christ in heaven. When Yahweh said to David's Lord, "Sit at My right hand," He was saying, "Be seated in the highest place of authority in the universe."
Source: The Most Important Session of All (Ligonier article)
Teaching God's commandments is a diligent, daily, and pervasive responsibility that must occur in all aspects of life, including the home.
No, it says, That is, these things are to be taught so diligently that they are going to be taught every single day, in every place, even in every room of our homes.
Source: The Most Solemn Mandate (Ligonier article)
Regeneration is a supernatural, monergistic, and immediate work of God that precedes and enables faith.
Regeneration is the divine work of God the Holy Spirit upon the minds and souls of fallen people, by which the Spirit quickens those who are spiritually dead and makes them spiritually alive.
Source: The New Birth (Ligonier article)
Sanctification is a synergistic process where God works in us, but human effort is also required.
Sanctification, however, includes our efforts. We say it is synergistic because both God and we are doing something. Yet, we aren’t equal partners. God wills and works in us according to His good pleasure so that we progress in holiness (Phil. 2:12–13). But as God works in us, we work as well, pursuing Him in prayer, relying on the means of grace—the preached Word and the sacraments—seeking to be reconciled to those we have offended.
Source: No Shortcuts to Growth (Ligonier article)
Sanctification requires diligent effort and adherence to God's means, as there are no shortcuts or secret formulas.
Sanctification requires diligently attending to the means God has given us. The growth may be slow, almost imperceptible at times, but it is sure. No technique of the devil’s can stop the process of Christ making us into His image.
Source: No Shortcuts to Growth (Ligonier article)
If God sets the standard for goodness, it requires both perfect outward actions and perfect internal motivation.
But if God establishes the standard, and His standard includes outward behavior (that our actions conform perfectly to His law) and internal motivation (that all our acts proceed from a heart that loves Him perfectly), then we quickly see that our pretended “goodness” is no goodness at all.
Source: None Righteous (Ligonier article)
Creeds are distinct from Scripture because Scripture is the ultimate rule, while creeds are rules that are themselves governed.
Such creeds are distinguished from Scripture in that Scripture is norma normans (“the rule that rules”), while the creeds are norma normata (“a rule that is ruled”).
Source: Norma Normata (Ligonier article)
The early Christians adopted the affirmation 'Jesus is Lord' as a substitute for the Roman loyalty oath 'Caesar is lord' because it was a more costly public affirmation.
As a substitute for the phrase, “Caesar is lord,” the early Christians made their affirmation by saying, “Jesus is Lord.” To do that was to provoke the wrath of the Roman government, and in many cases, it cost the Christian his life.
Source: Norma Normata (Ligonier article)
Art cannot be simply categorized as universally good or universally bad, but rather its value depends on its relationship to God's beauty.
One cannot come away from the pages of Scripture with a simplistic conclusion that all art is good art or that all art is bad art, that art is always lawful or that art is always unlawful.
Source: Our Beautiful God (Ligonier article)
The right to address God in the intimate, filial term 'Father' is not natural but is a privilege granted through God's gracious work of adoption.
We do not have the natural right to call God “Father.” That right is bestowed upon us only through God’s gracious work of adoption.
Source: Our Father (Ligonier article)
God's knowledge is perfect and absolute, meaning He knows everything that exists and cannot be surprised or influenced by human input.
I’m talking to one who has all knowledge, one who cannot possibly learn anything from me that He doesn’t already know. He knows everything there is to know, including what’s on my mind. He knows what I’m going to say to Him before I say it. He knows what He’s going to do before He does it. His knowledge is sovereign, as He is sovereign.
Source: God-Ordained Means (Ligonier article)
Prayer cannot change God's mind or provide Him with information He does not already possess.
What kind of God could be influenced by my prayers? What could my prayers do to induce Him to change His plans? Could I possibly give God any information about anything that He doesn’t already have? Or could I persuade Him toward a more excellent way by my superior wisdom? Of course not. I am completely unqualified to be God’s mentor or His guidance counselor.
Source: God-Ordained Means (Ligonier article)
Prayer is a means God uses to bring about His predetermined ends, and God empowers these prayers.
Prayer is one of the means God uses to bring about the ends He ordains. That is, God not only ordains ends, He ordains the means He uses to bring about those ends. God doesn’t need our preaching to save His people. Yet He has chosen to work through our preaching. He empowers our human preaching with His own power. In like manner, He has chosen to work through our prayers. He empowers our prayers so that after we pray we can step back and watch Him unleash His power in and through our prayers.
Source: God-Ordained Means (Ligonier article)
A church lacking Apostolic authority and the Word of God as its foundation is unstable, like building on sand.
To have a church without Apostolic authority, without the Word of God as its foundation, is to build a church on sand rather than the rock on which Christ said He would build His church.
Source: Peace Beyond Barriers: How Christ Builds His Church (Ligonier article)
Pelagius believed that God's command implies the ability to obey, and that grace merely facilitates obedience but is not necessary for it.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Pelagius reacted by saying that whatever God commands implies the ability of the one who receives the command to obey it. Man should not have to ask for grace in order to be obedient.
Source: The Pelagian Controversy (Ligonier article)
Relationships cannot substitute for embracing the truth of God.
Relationships can never be a substitute for embracing the truth of God. So the either/or fallacy of doctrine or relationship cannot be maintained under careful biblical scrutiny.
Source: The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church (Ligonier article)
Existentialism's rapid spread is due to its advocates being brilliant philosophers who could translate their ideas into popular media.
First, it is because the chief advocates of existentialism have not only been brilliant technical philosophers, but they have also included some extraordinarily gifted men who have been able to translate their ideas into a more popular medium.
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
The slogan 'Tell it like it is!' suggests the existence of objective reality, contrasting with the radical subjectivism of 'Do your own thing!'
On the one hand there was a massive revolt against traditional values and a call to radical subjectivism. The subject does his own thing. There are no objective norms to obey. On the other hand the summons to the older generation was to objective truth telling. “Tell it like it is!” The slogan suggests that there is such a thing as objective reality, what Francis Schaeffer called “true truth.”
Source: Pessimistic Existentialism (Ligonier article)
The function of figurative language in Scripture is to demonstrate a likeness to a reality, and a symbol points beyond itself to something else.
The function of figurative language or metaphorical language in Scripture is to demonstrate a likeness to a reality. A symbol is not the reality itself. The symbol points beyond itself to something else.
Source: The Place of God’s Disfavor (Ligonier article)
Hell is not merely the absence of God, but rather the presence of God in His judgment and punitive wrath.
But in hell, it is removed. Being in a place where the blessings and the grace of God are utterly absent would be far worse than anything that could possibly befall us in this world. So, I don’t take a lot of comfort in thinking that hell is the absence of God. When someone asks me, “Is hell the absence of God?” I answer by saying “Yes” in the sense that it is the absence of God’s benefits, the absence of His benevolence, His graciousness, and so on. But I think that if the people in hell could take a vote or have a referendum to deport one person from their midst, to expel one person from hell, I think that the universal vote would be given to God, because the person who is most unwelcome in hell is God Himself.
Source: The Place of God’s Disfavor (Ligonier article)
Preaching must include teaching, and teaching the things of God requires an exhortative approach.
Preaching must communicate content and include teaching, and teaching people the things of God cannot be done in a neutral manner but must exhort them to heed and obey the Word of Christ.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
Humans do not have the inherent right to enter God's presence on their own, regardless of how much preparation they undertake.
We also must remember that we have no right to come into God’s presence on our own. No amount of preparation that we can do is enough to make us fit.
Source: Preparing Your Heart for Worship (Ligonier article)
Love is not merely a feeling but an objective concept defined by God and Scripture.
Love is the linchpin of God’s law, the very fulfillment of the commandments (Rom. 13:10). But love isn’t a vacuous feeling; it’s something objective. Love is defined by God Himself, for Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Source: Principles and Situations (Ligonier article)
The immediate, or proximate, purpose must always be viewed in the context of the ultimate, or remote, purpose.
The Apostle insists that the proximate must always be seen in light of the remote.
Source: The Purposes of God (Ligonier article)
Prayer should not be treated as a magical means to coerce God into answering requests, but rather must be interpreted within the full context of God's teaching.
However, some carry this to an extreme and jump to the conclusion that prayer is something of a magic wand, that if we do prayer with the right sound, in the right manner, with the right phrases, and in the right posture, God is obligated to answer.
Source: R.C. Sproul's Warning Concerning Prayer (Ligonier article)
The book of Hosea is a prime source for understanding God's unfailing and effectual love for His people.
And for a vivid portrayal of God’s unfailing, effectual love for His people—His bride—you can hardly find a better place to go in Scripture than the book of Hosea.
Source: The Reformed Doctrine of God (Ligonier article)
God works regeneration monergistically for the elect, but He does not monergistically work sin, which falls under the category of providential concurrence.
God works regeneration monergistically, but never sin. Sin falls within the category of providential concurrence.
Source: The Reformed View of Predestination (Ligonier article)
Although Satan's power is formidable, believers have a champion in Christ who can and does defeat him.
Even so, Satan’s power over us is limited. He may be stronger than we are, but we have a champion who can and does defeat him. The Scripture declares, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4, NASB).
Source: Satan the Proud and Powerful (Ligonier article)
Arrogance is characterized by the belief that God owes us every pleasure, which is an unspeakable presumption against God's provision.
To think God owes us every pleasure we want manifests an unspeakable arrogance that presumes to critique God’s provision for us.
Source: The Secret to a Happy Life (Ligonier article)
Struggling or opposing God is foolish, and God opposes the proud.
Is anything more foolish than warring with God? Opposition from God is opposition with a capital O . He’s the last being I want to have opposing me. God opposes the proud, so we need to get this maxim from James into our souls: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Source: The Secret to a Happy Life (Ligonier article)
God is understood as being eternal and existing outside the limitations of space and time.
But before there was even a world, there is One who transcends the world, One who is outside of the restrictions of this space and time order that we call the world--namely God.
Source: Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (Ligonier article)
God is self-existent, meaning He has the power of being in and of Himself and depends on nothing for His existence.
namely, that He is self-existent; He has the power of being in and of Himself. He depends on nothing and no one for His existence.
Source: The Self-Existent God (Ligonier article)
Aseity is the unique quality of God, meaning He exists by His own power and owes His being to nothing outside of Himself.
What makes God different from people, from the stars, from earthquakes, and from any other creaturely thing is that God—and God alone—has aseity ; He alone exists by His own power. No one made Him or caused Him. He exists in and of Himself.
Source: The Self-Existent God (Ligonier article)
The pastor must ensure that the congregation is fed, nourished, and nurtured by the complete teaching of the Word of God.
It is the first responsibility of the pastor to make sure that the sheep under his care are fed, nourished, and nurtured by the whole counsel of the Word of God.
Source: Shepherding the Flock (Ligonier article)
Jesus' statement, “Not My will, but Yours, be done,” was not an expression of refusal or lack of obedience, but rather a profound submission to God's will.
Jesus was not saying, “I don’t want to be obedient” or “I refuse to submit.” Jesus was saying: “Father, if there’s any other way, all things being equal, I would rather not have to do it this way. What You have set before Me is more ghastly than I can contemplate. I’m entering into My grand passion and I’m terrified, but if this is what You want, this is what I’ll do. Not My will, but Your will, be done, because My will is to do Your will.
Source: Should We Qualify Our Prayers with "If It Be Your Will"? (Ligonier article)
The term archē refers to the ultimate reality or the chief principle that explains all subordinate truths.
The Greek philosophers were looking for not just true ideas but the archetypal truth—the arch-truths of ultimate reality, the truths that would explain every subordinate truth that we study in science.
Source: Socrates or Sophism? (Ligonier article)
God is the ultimate initiator and guarantor of salvation, ensuring that a portion of His Word falls upon good ground.
He harvests what He purposed to harvest when He initiated the whole process. God doesn’t leave the harvest up to the vagaries of thorns and stones in the pathway. It is God and God alone who makes certain that a portion of His Word falls upon good ground.
Source: What Does “Soli Deo Gloria” Mean? (Ligonier article)
The authority of God's Word rests on it being God's revelation, not on human evaluation of its truth claims.
Scripture’s authority depends on its being the revelation of God, above whom there is no higher authority.
Source: The Spirit’s Internal Witness (Ligonier article)
Objective indicators (indicia) for Scripture's divine origin include archaeological evidence, historical conformity, and internal consistency.
The indicia —indicators—are testable, analyzable, falsifiable, or verifiable aspects of proof. They include such things as archaeological evidence, Scripture's conformity to what we know about history from other sources, its internal consistency, its majesty and beauty, and so forth.
Source: The Spirit’s Internal Witness (Ligonier article)
The Holy Spirit confirms the truth of Scripture in the hearts of believers, rather than providing new arguments for its truth.
The Holy Spirit does not give us a new argument for the truth of the Bible, but He confirms in our hearts the truth of Scripture as it is displayed in both the internal marks of Scripture (harmony and majesty of its contents) and the external marks of Scripture (historical accuracy).
Source: The Spirit’s Internal Witness (Ligonier article)
Only those whom God the Holy Spirit has regenerated will accept Scripture as God's inerrant and infallible Word.
Only those whom God the Holy Spirit has regenerated will submit to Scripture as His inerrant and infallible Word.
Source: The Spirit’s Internal Witness (Ligonier article)
Sinners are persuaded to accept the Bible as God's Word only when the Holy Spirit changes their hearts and assures them of its reliability.
Sinners are only persuaded to receive the Bible as God's Word as the Holy Spirit changes their hearts and assures them that they can trust and rely on what Scripture says.
Source: The Spirit’s Internal Witness (Ligonier article)
The fire used by Nadab and Abihu was considered unauthorized because it had not been purified or consecrated.
So, in a literal sense, Moses, as the author of Leviticus, is saying that the fire that Nadab and Abihu introduced to the altar had not been purified or consecrated.
Source: Strange Fire (Ligonier article)
The speaker acknowledges that they are completely dependent on the grace of God.
I am utterly dependant on the grace of God.
Source: Striking a Chord in the Heart of the Believer: An Interview with R.C. Sproul (Ligonier article)
Christ is superior to Moses, who was the most exalted person of the Old Testament, in terms of authority and ability to lead people to eternal rest.
Surely Moses is the most exalted person of the Old Testament in his role of Mediator of the Law. We read: The contrasts here are among the servant of the house, the builder of the house, and the owner of the house. The builder and owner are supreme over the servant of the house.
Source: The Supremacy of Christ (Ligonier article)
Christ is superior to Moses, who was merely a servant, because Christ is the builder and owner of the house.
The contrasts here are among the servant of the house, the builder of the house, and the owner of the house. The builder and owner are supreme over the servant of the house.
Source: The Supremacy of Christ (Ligonier article)
Scripture teaches that suffering is not unusual and can be part of God's sovereign will.
In fact, Scripture admonishes us not to think that it is a strange or unusual thing that we should suffer. Peter wrote: These words echo Paul’s statement about “filling up what is lacking” in the sufferings of Christ (Col. 1:24), a curious affirmation that we will look at more closely in the next chapter. Peter adds these words: When the criminal suffers for his crime, he may be distressed, but he has no reason to be perplexed.
Source: Surprised by Suffering (Ligonier article)
The speaker believes that preparation for life-threatening scenarios, such as Y2K, is a necessary act of responsibility.
I believe I would be acutely irresponsible if I didn’t take steps to prepare for life-threatening scenarios such as those posited by Y2K.
Source: Taking Thought for Tomorrow (Ligonier article)
Teaching material to others is an effective way to learn and identify areas of personal weakness.
The best possible preparation I ever had for my own philosophy exams was to teach the material to someone else before I was tested on it. As I explained the content to others, I quickly became aware of those areas of weakness in my own understanding of the material.
Source: Teachable Teachers (Ligonier article)
Wise teachers learn not only from their preparation and other teachers but also from their students.
The point is that wise teachers learn not only from their preparation and not only from other teachers but also from their students.
Source: Teachable Teachers (Ligonier article)
The only teacher who requires no learning is God Himself, and a great teacher must be teachable.
The only teacher who has no need of learning is God Himself. A great teacher is teachable. If he is not, he will have precious little to teach.
Source: Teachable Teachers (Ligonier article)
God knows individuals better than they know themselves.
The Bishop of our souls knows us better than we know ourselves.
Source: The Bishop of Our Souls (Ligonier article)
The Christian desires to be known by the Bishop of their soul.
The Christian delights in being known by the Bishop of his soul.
Source: The Bishop of Our Souls (Ligonier article)
Christ is the ultimate craftsman who shapes and molds the believer, making them the workmanship of Christ.
The Christian is said to be the workmanship of Christ (Eph. 2:10). Christ is the ultimate craftsman who molds and shapes what He wants to form in you as a Christian.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
Artists, like Rembrandt, strive to capture the essence of a personality or life moment by identifying a single, impactful 'fruitful moment.'
He then got out his pad and began to sketch scenes. He sketched up to eighty scenes from the life of Jeremiah, all the while searching for that fruitful moment, that one moment in the life of the man that would, somehow, capture in freeze-frame the essence of his personality.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
The form of a painting can itself be a part of the message, and Christians must be aware of this.
I disagree with this. I think a Christian may use many different forms in his painting, but we need to be aware that sometimes the form of a painting itself is a part of the message.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
The desire for excellence in Christian art stems from the fact that God is the supreme example of excellence.
That desire stems from the fact that the God who has ordained this world is the supreme example of excellence in all that is good and true and beautiful.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
The motivation for creating Christian art is a desire to achieve excellence, reflecting the nature of God.
As Christians in the realm of art, our impetus for producing Christian art is a desire for excellence. That desire stems from the fact that the God who has ordained this world is the supreme example of excellence in all that is good and true and beautiful.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
Art is considered a form of communication, paralleling how God communicates both verbally and nonverbally.
Art is a form of communication. God Himself is a communicating God. He communicates to us both verbally and nonverbally.
Source: The Christian and Art (Ligonier article)
Our words and actions, even if they seem insignificant to us, can have eternal significance because God uses them for His glory.
This parable teaches me that the things I say and do, though they seem infinitely insignificant to me, may have eternal significance as God uses me in the building of His kingdom. Of His own good pleasure, He works through what we do and say not to exalt us but to glorify Himself.
Source: The Coming of the Kingdom (Ligonier article)
God can use seemingly weak or unremarkable human efforts and words to achieve His own glory.
God used what these preachers considered weak and unremarkable for great good.
Source: The Coming of the Kingdom (Ligonier article)
God is the ultimate foundation of all authority because He is the author and owner of creation.
Insofar as God is the foundation of all authority, He exercises that foundation because He is the author and the owner of His creation.
Source: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article)
God's authority is intrinsic, meaning it comes from within Himself, while all lesser authorities are only extrinsic and derived from Him.
His external authority comes from His internal righteousness. In this sense God’s authority is intrinsic. It is found within Himself. It is not borrowed, delegated, or assigned from any other source. In the same manner, all lesser authorities on heaven and on earth are only as valid as they are delegated by God’s authority.
Source: The Divine Foundation of Authority (Ligonier article)
The formal cause of the Reformation was the principle that the Bible alone has the authority to guide the conscience of the believer.
The “formal” cause was the issue of sola Scriptura , that the Bible and the Bible alone has the authority to bind the conscience of the believer.
Source: The History of the Reformation (Ligonier article)
Adam and Eve were fully responsible for their transgression and could not use ignorance or coercion as an excuse.
They could not plead ignorance of the command of God as an excuse for their transgression. There are times when ignorance is excusable, namely when such ignorance cannot possibly be helped or overcome.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
God is entirely good and cannot be responsible for human wickedness, as this would transfer the blame from man to God.
If we assume that Adam was created with a predisposition toward evil, we cast a horrible shadow over the character of God, for this would mean that God had created man with a predisposition toward evil and then had punished man for exercising that disposition that God himself had planted within his soul.
Source: The Meaning of Man’s Will (Ligonier article)
Darkness is not merely an absence of light, but rather a context preferred by the wicked.
There is no darkness in heaven because darkness is the context preferred by the wicked.
Source: The Midnight Trial (Ligonier article)
Sophism is a rhetorical style that prioritizes political persuasion and expediency over the pursuit of truth.
The cry of the sophist was, “Give us some news we can use.” Ultimate truth is not possible; what matters is the here and now in my political situation.
Source: The Politization of Truth: The New Sophism (Ligonier article)
Asking in Jesus' name means aligning one's request with what Christ himself would ask for.
To ask for something in Jesus’ name is not to tag on a phrase at the end of a prayer. Rather, it means that we believe that our request is what Jesus himself would ask for.
Source: The Power of Prayer (Ligonier article)
Prayers motivated by wicked desires or ignorance will not be answered by God.
We are told that we don’t have because we ask with improper motives, asking in prayer things in the pursuit of wicked pleasures.
Source: The Power of Prayer (Ligonier article)
Prayer requires structure and regulation, though it should not stifle individual self-expression.
Prayer requires structure, but not at the expense of spontaneity. I have tried to give direction to avoid harmful pitfalls in our pilgrimage. No band director tells his musicians to play whatever is on their hearts and then expects to hear “The Star-Spangled Banner.” There must be order, and the procedure must be somewhat regulated. However, room still exists for individual self-expression within the limits of reverence and order.
Source: The Power of Prayer (Ligonier article)
Hope, in the New Testament, is not merely a wish or desire, but a profound assurance regarding God's future actions.
When we use the word hope, typically we use it to describe a wish or a desire that something will take place, something that we are not sure will actually happen. That is not the way that the word functions in the New Testament.
Source: The Role of Hope in the Christian Life (Ligonier article)
The term 'the Theologian' is used by the heirs of the Reformation to refer to John Calvin.
On the other hand, if one mentions “the Theologian,” the heirs of the Reformation think exclusively of John Calvin.
Source: The Theologian (Ligonier article)
Calvin believed that the Word of God is coherent and that God does not speak in contradictions or illogical statements.
Calvin was convinced that the Word of God is coherent and that God does not speak in contradictions or in illogical statements.
Source: The Theologian (Ligonier article)
Christ's thinking was exemplary, characterized by crystal clarity and coherence, and believers are called to imitate this.
But I believe the world has never experienced such sound thinking as was manifested in the mind of Christ. I think that part of the perfect humanity of our Lord was that He never made an illegitimate inference. He never jumped to a conclusion that was unwarranted by the premises. His thinking was crystal clear and coherent.
Source: Thinking Like Jesus (Ligonier article)
Belief in God and belief in Christ are fundamentally connected because God is the one who verifies Christ's identity.
Belief in God and belief in Christ are inextricably tied together, for this reason: according to the testimony of the New Testament, it is God who certifies and verifies the identity of Jesus.
Source: Thinking of Home (Ligonier article)
God's audible testimony in the New Testament confirms Christ's identity as God's beloved Son.
Three times the New Testament records that God spoke audibly from heaven, and on all three occasions the announcement that came audibly from heaven was substantially the same thing: “This is my beloved Son.”
Source: Thinking of Home (Ligonier article)
The current challenge to Scripture is not about adding to it, but about reducing the scope of what is considered authoritative.
We face now an issue not of Scripture addition but of Scripture reduction.
Source: Tota Scriptura (Ligonier article)
The speaker questions Freud's theory by asking why the God described in the Bible was 'invented' if Freud's theory were true.
The major hole in his theory is this: If Freud’s theory is true, why, then, was the God of the Bible “invented”?
Source: The Trauma of Holiness (Ligonier article)
Humanity would not invent the God of the Bible because this being is fundamentally a threat to our sense of security.
Left to ourselves, none of us would invent the God of the Bible, the being who is a threat to our sense of security more primal and more fundamental than any act of nature.
Source: The Trauma of Holiness (Ligonier article)
The foundational biblical affirmation regarding God is that He is one.
The most basic affirmation the Scriptures make regarding the nature of God is that He is one.
Source: Triune Monarchy (Ligonier article)
God does not promise freedom from suffering, but rather promises His presence within difficult circumstances.
God does not promise us freedom from pain, persecution, tribulation, or suffering. On the contrary, He promises that these things will happen to us, but in the midst of these circumstances, He also promises His presence.
Source: True Success (Ligonier article)
The claim that Christians will never suffer is a lie that can be disproven by reading the Scriptures.
Even a cursory reading of the Scriptures reveals that this is a lie, and we should not be deceived by it.
Source: True Success (Ligonier article)
The atoning work of Christ is sufficient for all, meaning its merit covers the sins of all people, and anyone who trusts in Christ receives the full benefit.
It’s traditional to say that the atoning work of Christ is sufficient for all. That is, its meritorious value is sufficient to cover the sins of all people, and certainly anyone who puts his or her trust in Jesus Christ will receive the full measure of the benefits of that atonement.
Source: TULIP and Reformed Theology: Limited Atonement (Ligonier article)
Expiation is the act that causes the change in God's disposition, and the result of this work is propitiation.
Expiation is the act that results in the change of God‘s disposition toward us. It is what Christ did on the cross, and the result of Christ‘s work of expiation is propitiation—God‘s anger is turned away.
Source: What Do Expiation and Propitiation Mean? (Ligonier article)
Reconciliation is limited only to believers, while the impenitent remain estranged and subject to God's wrath.
But that reconciliation extends only to believers. Those who reject Christ remain at enmity with God, estranged from God, and objects both of His wrath and of His abhorrence.
Source: Is God’s Love Unconditional? (Ligonier article)
The primary point Paul made to Timothy was that the Bible originates from God, which gives it authority.
The whole point here is that the Bible comes from God. It is His Word and carries with it His authority.
Source: The Value of Scripture (Ligonier article)
The phrase 'given by inspiration' refers to the source of the Bible's content, meaning it was breathed out by God, not the way God oversaw the writing.
Paul assured Timothy here that the source of Scripture is God. That Scripture is "given by inspiration" refers not to the way God oversaw the writing of the Bible but to the source of the content of the Bible.
Source: The Value of Scripture (Ligonier article)
Because the Bible is the Word of God, any attempt by scholars to correct it is arrogant, as God is the one who corrects us.
If indeed the Bible is the Word of God, nothing could be more arrogant. It is God who corrects us; we don't correct Him. We do not stand over God but under Him.
Source: The Value of Scripture (Ligonier article)
Serious study of the Word of God is necessary and should not be avoided due to the existence of poor scholars.
Of course, there are scholars who are like this, who study a word in six different languages and still end up missing its meaning, but that does not mean we must not engage in any serious study of the Word of God lest we end up like these ungodly scholars.
Source: We Cannot Love God if We Do Not Love His Word (Ligonier article)
Loving God requires loving His truth.
We cannot love God at all if we do not love His truth.
Source: We Cannot Love God if We Do Not Love His Word (Ligonier article)
To fulfill the will of the Father, one must study the Word of the Father.
If we want to do the will of the Father, we need to study the Word of the Father—and leave the magic to the astrologers.
Source: We Cannot Love God if We Do Not Love His Word (Ligonier article)
The command given to Adam and Eve was to work and keep the garden, which is key to understanding human responsibility.
Immediately after giving this mandate, God created a lush and gorgeous garden and placed Adam and Eve in it (Gen. 2:15). He commanded them “to work it and keep it.” This command to work and keep is key to understanding the responsibility that is given to human beings, which goes with the privileged status of being made in God's image and being given dominion over the earth.
Source: What Is Biblical Stewardship? (Ligonier article)
God alone possesses the power of being within Himself, making Him distinct from all created things.
That which has the power of being in and of itself, and is not dependent on anything outside of itself, must have the power of being from all eternity. This is what distinguishes God from us.
Source: What Came Before God? (Ligonier article)
While inerrancy is crucial for understanding the Christian faith and increasing conformity to Christ's image, it is not necessary for a person to hold to it in order to be a Christian.
However, this statement also makes clear that belief in inerrancy is not necessary for salvation. While inerrancy is crucial for understanding the Christian faith and “increasing conformity to the image of Christ,” a person does not have to hold to it to be a Christian.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
The issue at stake is the integrity of the person and work of Jesus, not merely the sacredness of a book.
The issue is not the sacrosanctity of a book, a “paper pope,” or bibliolatry. The issue at stake is the integrity of the person and work of Jesus.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
If a person doubts Scripture's authority, they are effectively setting themselves above the recorded mandates of Christ, rendering His Lordship impotent.
You want to affirm the Lordship of Christ, but your Lord is impotent. He has no way of conveying any mandate to you whatsoever, because you stand above the recorded mandates of Christ in Scripture. You set yourself over them in critical judgment.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
Individuals cannot claim authority or mandates from sources other than the Bible, as they tend to set themselves above Scripture's recorded mandates.
You want to affirm the Lordship of Christ, but your Lord is impotent. He has no way of conveying any mandate to you whatsoever, because you stand above the recorded mandates of Christ in Scripture. You set yourself over them in critical judgment.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
It is inconsistent for someone to deny the doctrine of inerrancy while simultaneously confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Context: Referring to a hypothetical person named Charlie.
Charlie, like many contemporary biblical scholars who deny inerrancy, agreed that Jesus of Nazareth believed and taught what we would today call the doctrine of inerrancy. At the same time, like many contemporary biblical scholars who deny inerrancy, Charlie confessed Jesus as His Lord and Savior. But that is inconsistent, and I wanted to point that out to my friend.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
The integrity of Christ requires that all of His teaching, including what He teaches about Scripture, must be true.
He can save us only if He is sinless, and He is sinless only if all of His teaching—including what He teaches about Scripture—is true.
Source: What Difference Does an Inerrant Bible Make? (Ligonier article)
Creation ex nihilo lacked both material and instrumental causes, relying instead on God's word.
Creation had neither a material nor an instrumental cause. There was a formal cause, a final cause, an efficient cause, and a sufficient cause.
Source: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article)
God was both the efficient and sufficient cause of creation because He alone had the power to bring something out of nothing.
God was both the efficient cause and the sufficient cause because He alone had the power to bring something out of nothing.
Source: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article)
God accomplished creation ex nihilo through His speech, which was the power of His word.
By what means did God accomplish the feat of creation ex nihilo ? By His speech. Augustine called this the divine imperative or fiat. God spoke the words “Let there be” (Gen. 1:3, 6, 14)—meaning “There must be”—and things appeared.
Source: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Creation was accomplished by God's command (fiat) and His word, not from pre-existing matter.
In creation, there was no block of stone or mass of unstructured matter, but only the command of God, who alone had the power to make things happen simply by uttering a command. It was the power of His word that created.
Source: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Nothing can exist unless God's power of being is over and prior to it.
Of this we can be certain: unless that power of being is over us and prior to us, nothing could possibly be.
Source: What Does “Ex Nihilo” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Bread serves as a powerful and enduring symbol of God's provision for humanity's basic needs.
Bread remains, at least in our language, as a powerful symbol of the rudimentary basis of provision for our needs.
Source: What Does “Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Pastors should be given a level of authority that matches their responsibility for leading the congregation.
One of the great tragedies in the church of the twenty-first century, particularly in Protestantism, is that while pastors are given the responsibility for leading their congregations, rarely do they receive a level of authority that matches that responsibility.
Source: What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
Hyperbole is a form of intentional exaggeration used to bring emphasis, not to deceive or state falsehood.
Everybody understands that a statement like that is an exaggeration—an exaggeration born not out of deceitfulness or falsehood, but out of an intent to bring emphasis.
Source: What Does It Mean to Know ”Nothing except Christ and Him Crucified?” (Ligonier article)
If God permits a sin, He has chosen to permit it, implying that He deems it wise and that all things ultimately come to pass well.
If He permits me to commit a sin, He has chosen to permit me. If He chooses to permit it, He deems it wise that it should come to pass, or else He would not permit it because He does all things well, including the exercise of His sovereignty.
Source: What Does It Mean That God Is Sovereign? (Ligonier article)
David acknowledges that God has the right to judge him, recognizing that he deserves nothing more than God's judgment and wrath.
David is essentially saying, “O God, You have every right to judge me, and it is clear that I deserve nothing more than Your judgment and Your wrath.”
Source: What Does Repentance Look Like? (Ligonier article)
Understanding God's name reveals the unique, essential character of God, which is necessary for a deep relationship with Him.
When you want to focus on the crystalized essence of who He is, and what He means in terms of your relationship and personal history with Him, it all comes back to His name.
Source: What Is God’s Name? (Ligonier article)
The merit required to satisfy God's justice comes solely from Jesus Christ, and humans do not merit it.
He alone has the merit to satisfy the demands of God’s justice, and He gives it freely to us. We haven’t merited it. There’s nothing in us that elicits the Lord’s favor that leads to our justification. It’s pure grace.
Source: What Is Grace? (Ligonier article)
The language used to describe the Holy Spirit's work in the conception of Jesus was the same language used in the Bible to describe God's creative work.
When Gabriel told Mary that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her and overshadow her, it was the same language, the same imagery, that the Bible uses to speak of God’s work of creation.
Source: What Happened on Saturday? (Ligonier article)
God's verbal promise is reinforced by a non-verbal visible sign.
God’s verbal promise was upheld by the non-verbal visible sign that accompanies it.
Source: What Is a Sacrament? (Ligonier article)
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to God's anointed Son.
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to God’s anointed Son (Matt. 28:18).
Source: What Is the Kingdom of God? (Ligonier article)
Christian love is a profound virtue that must imitate the perfect love of God.
Whatever else we say about the Christian virtue of love, we must be clear that the love God commands is a love that imitates His own.
Source: What Is Love? (Ligonier article)
Love is the fundamental requirement for all other spiritual gifts and abilities to have true value.
If you don’t have love, the eloquence of your speech becomes noise. It becomes dissonance, an irritating and annoying racket.
Source: What Is Love? (Ligonier article)
Divine power and miraculous gifts must always be used within the context of love.
The Apostle says that you can have a miraculous endowment, you can receive power from God the Holy Spirit, but it is to be used in the context of the grace of love.
Source: What Is Love? (Ligonier article)
The view that the Father and Son are in tension, where the Son mediates to calm the Father's wrath, is incorrect because it posits a split within the Godhead.
This view posits a tension or split within the Godhead itself, as if the Father had one agenda and the Son persuaded Him to change His mind.
Source: What Is Sin? (Ligonier article)
God has invested the Scriptures with the power of the Holy Spirit, ensuring that His word is effective.
He has invested the Scriptures with the power of the Holy Spirit. He declared to Isaiah, “My word . . . shall not return to Me void” (Isa. 55:11).
Source: What Is the Protoeuangelion? (Ligonier article)
Theology should be derived from the Bible rather than from previous religious instruction.
I told him, “Let‘s get our theology from the Bible rather than from Sunday school lessons we heard years and years ago.”
Source: What Is the Rapture? (Ligonier article)
Works are necessary fruit of true faith, but they are not the grounds for God's declaration of righteousness.
In other words, works are the necessary fruit of true faith. Works are not factored into God’s declaration that we are just in His sight; they are not part of the grounds for God’s decision to declare us righteous.
Source: What Is Saving Faith? (Ligonier article)
Sinning in ignorance is possible when one neglects the diligent study of God's clearly accessible things.
Sometimes we sin in ignorance. We sin in ignorance because we have neglected a sober, diligent study of the things of God, things that God has made perfectly clear and readily accessible to us.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
Christians must be extremely careful with their speech regarding God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit because using God's name in vain is offensive.
Christians need to be exceedingly careful with their tongues—about how they speak of Christ, how they speak of God, and how they speak of the Holy Spirit. It is extremely offensive to God to have His name used in vain, and I doubt that anything is more offensive to the Father than to hear the name of His beloved Son used as a common, ordinary curse word.
Source: What Is the Unpardonable Sin? (Ligonier article)
The speaker's status as a Christian is solely due to being a gift from the Father to the Son, not due to personal actions.
The only reason I can give under heaven why I’m a Christian is because I’m a gift of the Father to the Son, not because of anything I’ve ever done or could do.
Source: What Is Limited Atonement? (Ligonier article)
God swore by His own being when making a promise to Abraham, demonstrating that He would keep His word.
In revealing Himself as a torch and a smoking fire pot that passed between the animal pieces, God was communicating to Abraham, “Here’s how you can know that I’m going to do what I say I’m going to do, Abraham. If I ever fail to keep my promise to you, may I be like these animals, cut in two. May the immutable God suffer a mutation and become temporal, the infinite become finite. I swear by My own being.”
Source: What Was the Burning Bush? (Ligonier article)
The Father and the Son are both identical and distinct from one another.
This verse indicates that the Father and the Word (the Son) are different and are one. In one sense, the Son and the Father are identical. In another sense, They are distinguished.
Source: What's the Difference between the Ontological and the Economic Trinity? (Ligonier article)
Scripture must be interpreted using Scripture itself.
It is a very important principle that Scripture is to be interpreted by Scripture.
Source: Who Are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6? (Ligonier article)
The language used in Scripture, such as 'sons of God' and 'daughters of man,' does not automatically allow the assumption of interaction between heavenly and earthly beings.
The descriptive terms “sons of God” and “daughters of man” do not give us license to make the assumption of interaction between heavenly beings and earthly beings.
Source: Who Are the “Sons of God” in Genesis 6? (Ligonier article)
Sabellius taught that Jesus was of the same essence as God but was less than God.
Sabellius argued that Jesus was of the “same essence” (Greek, homo-ousios ) as God but was less than God.
Source: Who Do You Say That I Am? (Ligonier article)
The letter X in Christmas is not the English letter X, but rather the first letter of the Greek name for Christ.
We see the English letter X there, but actually what it involves is the first letter of the Greek name for Christ. Christos is the New Testament Greek for Christ. The first letter of the Greek word Christos is transliterated into our alphabet as an X.
Source: What Does “Xmas” Mean? (Ligonier article)
The use of X as an abbreviation for Christ's name has a long and sacred history and has never meant disrespect.
There’s a long and sacred history of the use of X to symbolize the name of Christ, and from its origin, it has meant no disrespect.
Source: What Does “Xmas” Mean? (Ligonier article)
The symbol theta is used as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the Greek word Theos.
We don’t see people protesting the use of the Greek letter theta , which is an O with a line across the middle. We use that as a shorthand abbreviation for God because it is the first letter of the word Theos , the Greek word for God.
Source: What Does “Xmas” Mean? (Ligonier article)
The symbol of the fish was an acronym derived from the first letters of the Greek phrase 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.'
Fish in Greek ( ichthus ) involved the use of the first letters for the Greek phrase “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” So the early Christians would take the first letter of those words and put those letters together to spell the Greek word for fish.
Source: What Does “Xmas” Mean? (Ligonier article)
Ignoring doctrine means that the Bible is useless, because the Bible itself is composed entirely of divine doctrine.
Well, if you are not concerned about doctrine, then the best thing you can do with your Bible is throw it away, because that is what the Bible is—it is sixty-six divinely revealed books of doctrine.
Source: Why a Study Bible? (Ligonier article)
Robbing God is not physically possible, but the Bible teaches that it is possible through withholding required tithes and contributions.
The strongest robber in the world could never scale the heights of heaven and defile the possessions of an omnipotent God, and so the very idea of robbing God seems absurd. Yet God gives answer to this question immediately dispelling any absurdity connected with it. He explains pointedly how indeed it is possible for human creatures to be guilty of theft against God.
Source: Will Man Rob God? (Ligonier article)
Withholding the tithe from God is considered a form of stealing that must cease immediately.
If we have been guilty of stealing from God in the past by withholding our tithe from Him, that behavior must cease immediately and give way to a resolution to begin tithing at once, no matter what it costs.
Source: Will Man Rob God? (Ligonier article)
Gifts given to God must meet the minimum standard of ten percent to be considered tithes.
We also have to remind ourselves that if we give gifts to God, we cannot call them tithes if these gifts fall beneath the level of ten percent.
Source: Will Man Rob God? (Ligonier article)
The term 'philosophy' literally means 'love of wisdom,' derived from the Greek words phileō (to love) and sophia (wisdom).
The prefix philo comes from the Greek word phileō , which means “to love.” The root comes from the Greek word sophia , which means “wisdom.” So, the simple meaning of the term philosophy is “love of wisdom.”
Source: Wisdom and Knowledge (Ligonier article)
The acquisition of wisdom requires the study of God's things and the knowledge gained from the Word of God.
The purpose for learning the things of God is the acquisition of wisdom, and we cannot have wisdom without knowledge. Ignorance breeds foolishness, but true knowledge—the knowledge of God—leads to the wisdom that is more precious than rubies and pearls.
Source: Wisdom and Knowledge (Ligonier article)
The book of Proverbs is a practical and rich source of divine guidance for daily life.
So, the book of Proverbs is concerned to give us practical guidelines for daily experience. It is a neglected treasure of the Old Testament, with untold riches lying in wait in its pages to guide our lives.
Source: Wisely Handling the Bible’s Wise Sayings (Ligonier article)
The Q-source is a hypothetical source known to the authors of Matthew and Luke, but not known to the speaker.
The working hypothesis is that Matthew and Luke, in addition to having Mark as a source for their information, had a second independent source that Mark did not use. This second independent source is called simply the “Q-source.”
Source: The Witness of Matthew (Ligonier article)
The phrase 'hocus pocus' originated from people misunderstanding the Latin language used in the Roman Catholic Mass.
The origin of it is once again borrowed from people’s misunderstanding of the language used in the Roman Catholic Mass.
Source: The Word of God in the Hands of Man (Ligonier article)
Before the Reformation, the Bible was not freely available for the common person to interpret or read in their own language.
It was not given to the common person to interpret the Bible for himself or to have it read in the common language of the people.
Source: The Word of God in the Hands of Man (Ligonier article)
Erasmus of Rotterdam criticized Luther's attempt to translate the Bible into the vernacular, warning it would unleash sin.
He counseled Luther by saying that if the Bible were to be translated into the common tongue and given to the people for their own reading, it would “unloose a floodgate of iniquity.”
Source: The Word of God in the Hands of Man (Ligonier article)
Paul explicitly instructed that people should not forbid the use of tongues.
Indeed, he explicitly says, “do not forbid to speak with tongues” (1 Cor. 14:39b).
Source: Zeal without Knowledge (Ligonier article)
Intelligence is not necessarily perfect, and an intelligent cause can be flawed or wicked.
He’s intelligent as can be, but he’s also exceedingly wicked. That’s his major. And maybe what you’re doing here is giving a case for the creation of the world by my boss rather than yours, because we see intelligence, but we also see this intelligence making a lot of mistakes.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:39
The speaker suggests that God cannot be an object of scientific inquiry because He is beyond the physical things we can investigate.
We have no access to a metaphysical realm beyond the physical things that we can investigate through science, so God cannot be an object of scientific inquiry
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:11
The speaker asserts that the opponent's argument relies on the premise that the visible world bears witness to an antecedent cause, which is identified as God.
I’m saying that what I’m assuming, or what I think you’re assuming or arguing for is that because we can perceive this world here, this world somehow bears witness to an antecedent cause – GERSTNER: That’s true. – that is God. And, the reasoning used to get there is causal. Is that correct?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:03
The speaker questions the assumption that the Bible is divinely inspired or the supreme final authority, especially given modern scholarly criticism.
I think, are they not aware of two hundred years, yes, of vigorous, academic, scholarly analysis and criticism, what the scholars call ‘higher criticism’ of the Bible?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:59
The speaker argues that simply claiming a book is divinely inspired is insufficient proof, suggesting that other religious texts also make such claims.
from where I’m standing I see other religious books that are not teaching the same message that that book teaches who claim to be divinely inspired, books like the Qur’an, or the Book of Mormon, and so on. And just because a book claims to be inspired doesn’t prove to me that it’s inspired.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:58
The speaker acknowledges the opponent's point that the authority of the Bible rests upon the authority of Jesus.
your fundamental point is that, the authority of the Bible rests upon the authority of Jesus. Is that correct?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:18
The term 'comforter' derives from the Latin word 'cum,' meaning 'with,' suggesting that the Comforter is someone who comes with strength.
But rather, here, we have it coming from the Latin "cum", “with,” so a comforter is somebody who comes with, and for those of you that play the piano, "forte". It’s strength. If I say something is somebody’s forte, that’s their strong point. And so a Comforter is someone who comes with strengths.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:09
The Bible is a living book that requires the reader to step into its narrative as if the stories were written specifically for them.
We're not to come to the Bible and simply remain aloof from its message, trying to reduce it to an objective bit of information that we are to dissect and analyze and record in our memory banks, but this book is a book that is filled with life. It is addressing us in the midst of the stream of our own lives, and if it is going to speak to us, we need to step into its skin, to read these stories in a certain sense as if they were written especially for us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
The Bible is silent on certain matters, and it is dangerous to over-interpret or intrude too much into the text.
Now we don't know. As I said, the Bible doesn't tell us; it's silent. Of course, it could be a very dangerous and irresponsible thing for us to take too much license and intrude too much into the text, and we don't want to do that.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:02
The themes of Scripture are suitable for creating dramatic stories, as demonstrated by Hollywood's understanding.
Hollywood has understood without any great desire to communicate the truths of Christianity, that if you want to tell a story that has passion and drama, borrow from the themes of the Scriptures, because the themes of the Scriptures lend themselves to this kind of drama.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:02
The wise person seeks to recognize God's influence in all aspects of life, whether in times of mourning or celebration.
But the wise looks for the finger of God, in the house of mourning, in the house of mirth, in all things that take place.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:13
Love is the sum of Christianity and tempers the spirit of the Christian, even calling us to love our enemies.
And finally, in his summary, he said love calls us to love even the worst of our enemies as it tempers the spirit of the Christian and is the sum of Christianity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:07
Love is paramount, rendering all other spiritual gifts, knowledge, and talents worthless without it.
And so what he’s saying is if you were the most gifted, charismatic person that ever lived, but you don’t have the gift of love, you’re nothing more than a sounding brass and a clanging symbol, just clashing noise.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:48
The structure of the text suggests that the author intended to convey that God empowered a common jackass to speak on a specific day in history.
The rest of the structure suggests very strongly that the author is actually trying to convey to us that on a day in history, God empowered a beast of burden, a common jackass, to open his mouse -- mouth -- and speak.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:15
The speaker believes that the focus should remain on the content of the conversation, even though he disagrees with Barth's emphasis on it.
I would say, "Wait a minute, Dr. Barth. With all due respect, I agree that the real, you know, concern ought to be what was the conversation about -- that's vitally important -- but right now we have a crisis here in the church, a crisis of whether or not the Bible that we come to for our instruction"
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:21
He believes that the opening chapters of Genesis are unique because they combine elements of different literary styles, which complicates interpretation.
there's a very real sense in which the very opening chapters of Genesis is unique in terms of the combination of styles of literature that we find there, and it's caused no small amount of consternation for biblical interpreters.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:13
The reason for God's purpose is that it stands based on His own calling, not on human works.
the reason that the Apostle gives for having said it this way, is that the purpose of God might stand according to His choice, not because of works, but because of Him who calls.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:10
The ultimate purpose of God's actions is to demonstrate His own supremacy and purpose.
That is, the reason why God made this choice was to demonstrate the supremacy of Him and His purpose.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:43
The name Judah is derived from the root word meaning 'to praise,' which is also the word used for praise.
The Hebrew word for "praise" is yadah, which is the same basic root for the name "Judah." There is a play on words here. Judah' s name comes from the root word "to praise."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:29
The description of Issachar as a raw-boned donkey was a high compliment in the ancient world, signifying strength and effortless labor.
Actually, it was a very lofty compliment in the ancient world, because the donkey was very valued and a raw-boned donkey was one who was strong and could pull his load effortlessly and carry out the day.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:44
It is impossible for people to keep the Great Commandment for even a short period of time.
And if you’re honest about it, you realize that you haven’t kept the Great Commandment for five minutes in your life. That you’ve been breaking the Great Commandment steadily in the last five minutes.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:33
If restricted to only one book, Sproul would choose the book of Hebrews because it summarizes the entire Bible, including the Old Testament messages and their New Testament fulfillment.
But if my request were made even more narrow, and I were told that I that I could not have the whole Bible, but only one book of the Bible, I've always said that the one book in the Bible, I'd want would be the book of Hebrews, because in a sense it's a synopsis of the whole Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:31
True strength comes from maintaining a relationship with God that no mortal can steal.
Whether I live or whether I die—if I never walk out of here, if I never taste freedom again—I have a relationship with God that no mortal can steal from me.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 30:23
God is incapable of lying or breaking a promise because He has sworn by Himself.
It's impossible for God to lie, and it is impossible for God to break a promise, for He has taken an oath, and He has sworn by Himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 48:08
If the meaning of the Word of God is tied to individual interpretation, the Bible's authority collapses, its truth is relativized, and the Word of God is slain.
If we let that happen, dear friends, then the Bible's authority collapses, its truth has been relativized, and the Word of God is slain.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:56
The principle of perspicuity, or the clarity of the Bible, is a crucial legacy of the Protestant Reformation.
But you say, "Wait a minute, R.C.! You mentioned in the first lecture that a very important principle coming out of the protestant reformation was the principle of the perspicuity -- that is, the clarity of the Bible."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:13
The speaker agrees with the principle of private interpretation and translating the Bible into the vernacular, but acknowledges that it can indeed unleash a floodgate of iniquity.
I agree in the private -- principle of private interpretation and of translating the Bible into the vernacular, but I want to stress that Rome was not just being obstreperous when she cautioned against the dangers of private interpretation. It could indeed loose a floodgate of iniquity, and in many cases, it did unleash a floodgate of iniquity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:59
Despite the dangers of private interpretation, the need for the world to hear the Gospel of Christ is a desperate necessity.
But again, for the sake of that simple clear message that the whole world could hear the Gospel of Christ that is so desperately needed,
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:36
There is only one correct meaning for any biblical text, although there may be many possible applications and significances.
Here's the principle: There is only one correct meaning of any biblical text. Let me say it again, principle number one, there is only one correct meaning of any biblical text.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:03
The ultimate source of meaning and application is Scripture itself, which is compared to a treasury.
Well the ultimate thesaurus is Scripture and it is a treasure of meaning and application -- I mean a treasury of significance and application in every single verse.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:39
Truth is inherently consistent and cannot be contradictory.
Truth is not contradictory. The Word of God is consistent. It functions in harmony, and if I interpret a portion of Scripture in a way that contradicts how you interpret that portion of Scripture, we know something at the outset that's very important, and that is that one of us, at least, is wrong.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:11
God's word is absolute truth and cannot be relativized or contradicted.
God doesn't speak with a forked tongue. His word is truth; it is not contradiction. It may not be relativized.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:52
The speaker notes that psychoanalysts have suggested that Martin Luther was insane, leading to the question of what provoked this diagnosis.
That's what I'd like to consider in this session: the judgment from the perspective of twentieth century psychoanalysis is, or has been made, that Martin Luther was in fact, insane, and if you are a Protestant and that verdict is true, that means the roots of your own religions persuasion could be traced to that of a madman.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:07
Luther prayed to God, acknowledging his own weakness and dependence on God's power for the righteous cause.
Context: Reading a portion of Luther's prayer.
Oh, God, Almighty God everlasting, how dreadful is the world. Behold how its mouth opens to swallow me up, and how small is my faith in thee. Oh the weakness of the flesh and the power of Satan. If I am to depend upon any strength in this world, all is over. The knell is struck; sentence has gone forth. Oh, God, oh God, oh thou my God, help me against all the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beseech thee. Thou shouldest do this, by thine own mighty power. For the work is not mine but thine. I have not business here. I have nothing to contend for with these great men of the world. I would gladly pass my days in happiness and peace, but the cause is yours, and it is righteous and everlasting, oh Lord. Help, oh faithful and unchangeable God. I lean not upon man. It were vain. Whatever is of man is tottering. Whatever proceeds from him must fail. My God, my God, dost thou not hear? My God, art thou no longer living? Nay, thou canst not die; thou dost
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:52
God's power is not merely omnipotent strength, but specifically describes Him as a mighty warrior who fights for His people.
But the particular description that is used here is the description of God as a warrior who fights for His people. Who rescues them out of slavery in Egypt. Who crushes the entire Egyptian army and the power of Pharaoh.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:54
The title El Shaddai describes the One who is unconquerable and cannot lose.
And that title, El Shaddai, describes the One who overpowers; the One who can’t be conquered; the One who cannot lose.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Man was created for the purpose of being holy and sanctified, a concept reinforced by the Sabbath command.
Why has God made man? So that man might be holy, that he may be sanctified, and the perpetual remembrance of this is designated by the creation command of one day in seven to be set apart, to be consecrated.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Chance is powerless and meaningless because it lacks being.
And what is the ontological status of chance? Nothing. As I’ve argued many times, chance can do nothing because it is nothing. It has no power because it has no being.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:30
Jesus Christ fulfills the roles of the Prophet, the King, and the great High Priest.
And yet Jesus comes and He exercises the role of the Prophet. He exercises the role of the King; He exercises the role of the great High Priest; Prophet, Priest, and King.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:17
Jesus Christ's relationship with the Father is unique, a concept that the English language struggles to adequately capture.
Now, Jesus as the, what the Bible calls the 'monoganes' the only begotten Son of the Father, is what we call, 'sui generis.' That is, in a class by Himself. There is none like Him; there is no one who has repeated that.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:37
The term 'Wonderful' literally means 'One who is full of wonder,' referring to the awe inspired by the Son of God's power.
But here the word means literally, “He will be called One who is full of wonder.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:43
The Catholic Church asserts that the work of Christ is absolutely essential for salvation.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that the work of Christ is absolutely essential for our salvation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:26
The Kingdom of God requires a determined and forceful commitment, likened to men storming battlements.
but they are like men of violence who storm the battlements of the enemy until they break through.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:29
The Kingdom of God is compared to finding a precious pearl, which requires selling all possessions to acquire it.
The kingdom of God is like a man who finds an extraordinary pearl that is so precious and so valuable – singular in its magnificence – that that person has such a profound passion to posses that pearl – which is more costly than any other pearl – that he goes and sells all that he has that he might posses that one single pearl.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:03
The suffix '-ism' indicates that a whole body of ideas is attached to the root word, signifying a life or worldview.
Anytime we see that suffix attached to a word, we know that that suffix –ism, means that a whole cargo of ideas is attached to the root, that an -ism is a life and worldview, a foundational philosophy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:03
A Christian should be intellectually free to pursue truth but must not declare independence from the authority of God.
I think that our thinking should be under the authority of God and according to His categories. And I never want to be so liberal that I declare my independence from the authority of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:03
Making assertions is fundamental to being a Christian; without them, Christianity is lost.
The making of assertions is the very market of the Christian. Take away assertions and you take away Christianity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:08
Jesus' use of the term 'Father' for God was a radical innovation, unprecedented in Jewish liturgy.
Context: Referring to the research of Joachim Jeremias.
And what Jeremias demonstrates is that Jesus' use of the term "Father" for God was a radical innovation, completely unheard of in Jewish liturgy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:58
Humanity is not naturally the children of God, and the right to call God 'Father' is only gained through adoption.
The only way we ever have the right to call God "Father," to cry, "Abba" in His presence is because we have been adopted.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:12
Liberal Christianity is not genuine Christianity because it claims to be Christian while actually being its antithesis.
I say that liberal Christianity is not Christianity at all. That liberalism in its attempt to be Christian, I believe is the greatest threat to biblical Christianity in this world.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 42:45
When questioning the authority or truthfulness of the Bible, the best approach is to immerse oneself in reading the Scripture.
If you are struggling with the question of the authority of the Bible, the trustworthiness of the Bible, the truthfulness of the Bible, is the Bible the Word of God, I would give to you the same advice that Augustine heard centuries ago: take up and read. Take up and read.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:24
Deep study of the Word of God is not something to be feared.
You have nothing to fear from a deep, deep study of the Word of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:38
The Word of God is described as being living and abiding, and it abides forever.
And all Luther wanted to do and all Calvin wanted to do was direct people back to the word of God, because that's the word that is not only living but it is a abiding. How long does it abide? It abides forever because all flesh is his grass, all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:00
Marriage is not an arbitrary social convention or human invention, but rather something ordained and instituted by God.
We are told in that wedding ceremony that marriage is ordained and instituted by God -- that is to say that marriage is not something that just springs up arbitrarily out of social conventions or human taboos. Marriage is not invented by men. Marriage is ordained and instituted by God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:30
Vows must be made publicly before witnesses, including God, to ensure accountability.
to stand up in a church or in city hall, where in front of your parents, in front of your friends, in front of the civil authorities, and in front of the ecclesiastical authorities, in front of every authority structure in your life, you stand there and publicly, before God and these witnesses, make a promise.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:12
Benevolence, literally, means some kind of good will, and it relates to God's good will toward people.
The prefix 'bene' means good or well. We think of the benediction at the end of the service which is really a good saying where we're asking that God would treat people well in that final pronouncement. And the word 'volence' comes from the Latin 'volens', which means will, or willing, and so literally what we have when we speak about benevolence is some kind of good will. And its antonym or its direct opposite would be malevolence, which is an evil will or an evil disposition that we of course never attribute to God. And so the benevolence of God has to do with his good will toward people.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:12
The Holy Spirit, along with the Word of God, has the power to convict individuals of sin and righteousness.
it is the Spirit of God who along with the word of God that has the power to use the sword to slice into your soul and to divide between bone and marrow, and to convict you of righteousness and of sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:32
Jesus identified that the necessary condition for anyone to be able to come to him is that it must be given by the Father.
And so Jesus is saying that there is a necessary condition that must be met before anyone can come to Him. Now what does He identify in this verse as the necessary condition for anyone to be able to come to Him? "Unless the Father gives it to him."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:45
Man cannot come to Christ on his own ability; God must do something for it to happen.
So all that this verse is teaching is that in terms of man's natural ability, none of us has the ability, in and of ourselves, to come to Christ, unless God does something.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:08
The word 'draw' in the context of God's action can be interpreted by linguistic evidence as meaning 'to compel by irresistible superiority.'
In Kittel's "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament," the word that is being translated "draw" here in this text is defined by Kittel as meaning "to compel by irresistible superiority."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:55
The choice of translation for a word like 'draw' is often determined by the context and the theology of the translators.
Well, when you have a word like this, oftentimes how you choose to translate it will be determined by the context. It will also be determined somewhat by your theology.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:50
The force of the verb used in the scripture indicates that divine compulsion is necessary for man to choose Jesus Christ.
But this, I think, even that obscure reference in the Greek language, underlines the fact that this, the force of this verb is the force of divine compulsion.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:35
Jesus stated that no man can do it unless the Father compels him to do it, which he identifies as pure Augustinianism.
Because Jesus Himself says that no man can do it unless the Father compels him to do it. And that is pure Augustinianism, only stated much earlier than Saint Augustine.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:07
Regeneration is a necessary prerequisite for entering and seeing the Kingdom of God.
So regeneration is a prerequisite for entering and seeing the Kingdom of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:24
A mature Christian should be able to engage with and love the world's creative arts and labor as long as it is done in submission to Christ.
The Christian can love music. He can love art. He can love drama. He can love working with his hands. He can love all these things as part of the creative sphere when it is done in submission to the King.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:07
The power to change lives and purify the soul comes through the Holy Spirit working in and through the Word of God.
Because as Peter is spelling it out for us here, that power that changes lives, that power that purifies the soul is the power of God, the Holy Spirit, working in and through the Word of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:42
Church membership is a requirement for Christians, not an optional choice.
Church membership is not an option to the Christian.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
God effectually calls those whom He has predestined to life by His word and Spirit, leading them to grace and salvation.
All those whom God has predestined unto life, and those only, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call by His word and Spirit out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them a heart of flesh, renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:13
Genuine devotion to God is found in the diligent study of Scripture, not merely in completing daily reading quotas.
That’s, what's going to make the difference in your life, not how many times you can punch your time clock and say, “Well, I read my daily devotions today.” Devote yourself to the study of God. That’s what devotional reading is.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Sabellius used the analogy of the sun and its rays to teach that Christ is an emanation from the Father, sharing the Father's essence.
And so Sabellius in explaining this idea of the relationship between God the Father, and God the Son, said that Christ is like a sunbeam. He is an emanation from the Father. He is a lower level than the Father, but He is of the same essence as the Father.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:18
According to this view, Christ's Sonship was not inherent but was something he virtually earned through his obedience to the Father.
And because of His obedience, he is "adopted" by the Father as the Father's son, and so it is properly to call Christ the Son of God, but He becomes the Son of God dynamically. There is a change. He was not always the Son of God, but rather His Sonship is something He virtually earns.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:12
God's presence is inescapable, meaning one cannot hide from Him regardless of location or circumstance.
Where can I flee from it? If I go up to heaven, He's there. If I run down to Sheol, He's there. If I stand up, if I sit down, it doesn't matter. There's nowhere I can go to flee from God's presence.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:21
Speech, particularly the tongue, has the power to both praise God and bring curses upon others.
The New Testament tells us that the tongue is a small member that boasts of great things and has the capacity just by one spark to set whole forests ablaze, that the tongue is the most destructive member of the human body, with it we praise God, but with it we also bring curses down on each other.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:42
Sproul advises that most constructive criticism is actually destructive and should be avoided, suggesting a humorous, extreme reaction to it.
My best advice to you is if somebody comes up to you and says I want to tell you something in love, the best thing you can do ninety-five times out of a hundred is turn around and run -- run for your life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:26
The presence of the Kingdom of God is evident in the present, as demonstrated by Jesus' actions.
And He said, “If you see me casting out Satan by the finger of God, then you know that the kingdom of God is among you.” It’s here, in a very real sense.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:52
Marriage is a gift from God to all human beings, not restricted only to Jews or Christians, and its nature transcends temporary cultural considerations.
One of the reasons, for example, why the church recognizes civil ceremonies of marriage and does not restrict marriage to the church and grants that the State has the right to regulate marriage is the conviction that marriage is not just given to human beings as Jews or human beings as Christians, but it is given to human beings.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:23
Chance is not a substance or entity that can perform actions; it is merely a mathematical term.
Chance cannot do anything because chance is not anything.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:25
The renewal of the spirit requires God's creative activity, which is the same work used in creation itself.
And the word he uses is the Hebrew word that is used to describe the creative act of God in the very first chapter of Genesis, the work of creation itself where God brings something out of nothing and life out of death.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:46
Christians often struggle with inconsistency, lacking the steadfast, moment-by-moment pattern of obedience to God.
And isn't that our problem as Christians -- inconsistency? That we have periodicies of love and affection towards God, but we lack that steadfast, day by day, moment by moment consistent pattern of obedience to Him.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:40
The Bible understands the presence of God in different ways, depending on the context.
And so there are different ways in which the Bible understands the presence of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:59
The speaker asserts that if Christ is who he claimed to be, then the authority of God is given to Jesus, and subsequently to his apostles.
If Christ is who He said He was, and He was speaking the truth when He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" - that is if the authority of God is given to Jesus, and then Jesus gives that authority to His apostles, then what we’re struggling with in this text is not against some Jewish rabbi’s insights, but we’re struggling against the law of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:02
A wife must prioritize obeying God's commands over obeying her husband's commands, especially when the husband's command conflicts with God's requirements.
If that husband demands that she refrain from going to church, where God requires that every believer not neglect the assembling together of the saints, she must disobey her husband and be there.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:17
God tested Abraham by commanding him to take his son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah.
God said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." And God said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:06
The speaker asserts that the Bible's description of God's test was intentionally misquoted and that God's actual command was not to kill Isaac.
Is that what God said? I intentionally misquoted verse 2 to you just now. That's not what God said to Abraham.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:15
Abraham's actions of preparing for the journey were likely driven by the need to distract himself from overwhelming thoughts, rather than by spiritual readiness or obedience.
I think the reason why Abraham went out and got that saddle was because he couldn't stand to sit there and think about what was going on. He had to do something. He had to get his mind off. He went out and took the saddle. He saddled the donkey, and then he went and he picked up the axe and he took the wood.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:52
The common view of Abraham's unwavering obedience is questionable, and the speaker suggests a more psychological explanation for his actions.
You know how people say, "Look at how faithful Abraham is. What a hero." I mean, he went out there and he just couldn't wait to do the will of God. I don't believe that. I think Kierkegaard had more insight.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:18
Believing that one's will limits God's will constitutes a posture of rebellion against the Creator.
You are still in a posture of cosmic treason and rebellion against your Creator if you think for one second that your will controls or limits the will of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:50
The act of naming symbolizes the manifestation of authority, which is evident in both God naming people and man naming animals.
We see throughout biblical history that the process of naming is a symbol of the manifestation of authority. God's authority over us is seen in His naming us. We see God when He encounters people in biblical history.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:44
Woman was created by God through a special act of creation using a rib taken from Adam while he was asleep.
And then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man and brought her to the man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:01
The Protestant movement asserted that Scripture is the sole source of special or written revelation, while Rome maintained two sources: Scripture and tradition.
And the Protestant movement said there is only one source of what is called special or written revelation, and that is Scripture; where Rome confessed its confidence in two sources of special revelation--Scripture and tradition.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:12
The Council of Trent declared that God's truths are found in both Scripture and tradition.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
At the Council of Trent in the 16th Century, which was the Roman Catholic church's response to Luther and to Protestantism, the Council was held in different sessions at different times spread out over a few years, and at the fourth session of the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic church declared that the truths of God are found in the Scripture and in tradition.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:12
The Bible is the sole written source that possesses the absolute authority to bind human consciences.
namely, that the Bible alone is that written source that has the authority of God Himself, the authority to bind our consciences absolutely.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:50
The ultimate source of Scripture's truth and content is God, even though it was written by human authors.
Even though it is transmitted through human writers, the ultimate source of its truth and of its content comes from God, and God, of course, is infallible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:57
Luther asserted that the Holy Spirit and God the Creator are the authors of the Bible.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther
The Holy Spirit Himself and God, the Creator of all things is the author of this book.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:23
Luther stated that Scripture is not from men, but from God.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther
Scripture, although also written of men is not of men nor from men but from God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:22
The Bible never errs, which is the core concept of inerrancy.
The Scriptures never err.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:40
The reformers were not foreign to the concepts of inspiration, authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture.
So I think it's a fool's errand to try to argue that the reformers of the 16th Century were strangers and foreigners to the idea of the inspiration and the authority and infallibility and the inerrancy of sacred Scripture.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:42
While Christians have the right to interpret the Bible privately, they do not have the right to misinterpret or distort it according to their own whims.
They said every Christian has the right to interpret the Bible for themselves, but no Christian ever has the right to misinterpret it or to distort it according to their own whims or their own prejudices.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:16
God's truth is stable and unchanging, and it must be applied across all generations.
God doesn’t write retractions. He doesn’t change. His truth is stable. It abides. It’s to be applied in every generation.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
People tend to keep a safe distance from the character of God because they are simultaneously attracted to it and repelled by it.
See that's why we have a tendency to keep our distance, a safe distance, from the character of God because even though we're attracted to it on the one hand, on the other we are repelled by it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:51
Only God has the authority to pronounce the final verdict of a person's justification.
It is God, and God alone who can pronounce the final verdict of my justification or my lack of it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:49
The concept of God's loyal love in the Old Testament is encapsulated by the Hebrew word 'hesed,' which means steadfast love or lovingkindness.
But there is one word in Hebrew, a few words that I know, one that is so central and so important to the whole concept of the love of God that we find in the Old Testament it’s a word that occurs over and over and over again and it is the word hesed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:45
God's controversy with Israel stems from the absence of truth, mercy, or knowledge of God in the land.
The Lord has this controversy because “there’s no truth, or mercy, or knowledge of God in the land.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:19
Believers are not their own, but have been purchased by the blood of Christ.
You are not your own, but you have been bought with a price. You have been purchased by the blood of Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:58
Contradictions are inherently unintelligible and cannot be understood by anyone.
Nobody can understand a contradiction because contradictions cannot be understood.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:32
The concept of the Trinity is found in Scripture, even if the specific word 'trinity' is not used.
And so, it really is naive to object that the word itself isn't found in Scripture as long as we can demonstrate that the concept is found in the Scripture, and is taught by the Scripture.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:34
Heretics often use established language with different content to distort Scripture's teaching.
Arius didn't hesitate to use the language of previous councils, but he filled that language with a different content, and that is what heretics do all the time.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:15
The concept of inerrancy serves as a test word (Shibboleth) to quickly determine a person's view regarding the sacred Scripture.
J.I. Packer once said, "Yes, inerrancy is the Shibboleth." You want to find out real quick where a person stands with respect to their view of sacred Scripture, you don't ask them if they believe in the Scriptures' inspiration. You ask them, "Do you believe in the Scriptures' inerrancy?" because people will choke on that word before they'll affirm it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:02
Studying the Bible requires effort and developing skills to handle difficult passages.
This course is going to take work; we're going to try to stretch our knowledge; we're going to try to stretch our understanding and get better tools so that we will know how to handle difficult passages in the Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:08
Meditating on a small portion of Scripture is valuable, but it is not the same thing as studying the Scriptures to deepen understanding.
It's one thing, of course, to being involved in a daily devotional where we skip over a very small portion of Scripture and meditate on it -- that has its real value -- but that's not the same thing as studying the Scriptures to deepen our understanding of the things of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:24
The Bible remains relevant and applicable to modern life, contrary to the conclusion drawn by Melville's character.
I think he was wrong. I don't think that Melville, as brilliant as he was, was ever really able to understand how to interpret the Scriptures in an adult way, to be able to apply the truths that were written centuries before he lived to his generation, and that's one of the goals for this course, is to be able to see how the Scriptures are still very relevant to our lives in the twentieth century, and to give us the key tools to translate and transpose biblical principles and biblical content to
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:33
While some parts of Scripture are highly obscure and debated by scholars, the essential message of God's plan is clearly present.
Luther himself said not every part of the Scripture is equally clear; there are some parts of Scripture that are so obscure that even PhDs in New Testament studies or in Old Testament studies scratch their head and toss a coin trying to figure out exactly the precise nuance of meaning of that particular text, and the most erudite, the most brilliant, the most accomplished and skilled theologians wrestled for decades over thorny questions of theology in the Bible. We know that, and we're not suggesting that the Bible is so clear that anybody can understand all of its ramifications simply. No, but the essential message is there.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:56
God requires the diligent study of His Word because it is necessary for humanity to experience the fullness of life.
So God requires this study from us not just because He's a stern taskmaster like Pharaoh that won't give us any straw for our bricks, but He requires it so we can live, so we can experience the fullness of life that God has ordained and designed for each one of us.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:32
Jesus' statement, 'No man can come to Me unless it is given to him by the Father,' refers to a limitation on human ability, not permission.
Jesus, teaching and debating with the Pharisees on the extent of the fallenness of the human race, made this extraordinary comment: "No man can come to Me unless it is given to him by the Father."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:12
Humans are naturally incapable of turning themselves to Christ or having an inclination toward Him.
O God, we couldn't in our natural state have possibly turned ourselves to Christ. We had no inclination towards Christ. We were altogether indisposed towards Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 52:36
The Spirit of God actively descends upon the threat of chaos, filling the emptiness and initiating the process of formation.
The idea here is that as God shapes and calls into existence the substance of the universe, but before that substance passes from formlessness into structure and to order, into harmony and into beauty, the Spirit of God descends upon this threat of chaos, on the emptiness. And the Spirit of God fills the emptiness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:11
God's power and ability to create and transform things stem from the sheer authority of His sovereign voice.
He has the power of the Creator to command and by the sheer authority of His sovereign voice things happen. And so, the author of Genesis is calling to our attention not only the generating power of God, but the authority of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:24
Chance cannot create or do anything because it lacks being, power, or capacity for action.
Chance cannot create anything. In fact, not only can chance not create anything, chance cannot do anything. Why not? Why can't chance do anything? Because it has no power. It has no power because it has no being.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:19
Spiritualistic interpretation of Scripture is wrong because it turns the Bible into a book of magic.
spiritualistic interpretation is that kind of interpretation which turns the Bible into a book of magic.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:22
The plain sense of Scripture is sufficient to convict the sinner and bring about transformation, without needing mystical or distorted interpretations.
It didn't require some kind of mystical magical superstitious twisting and distortion of the text in order to do it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:50
Passages that are poetic expressions should not be misinterpreted as literal prophecies, such as the word of God passing through the air.
That text is talking about a poetic expression of the power of the word of God to compass the globe; it has nothing to do with television and radio.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 27:10
The New Testament teaches that the power behind the birth of Christ was God, not the natural potency of Joseph.
The New Testament’s saying is that that power that we have in normal categories of nature has been set in motion and injected into this planet by a superpower that we call God, whose power stands behind all of creation, all of life.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:03
The New Testament asserts that God's power is necessary for all life, including the existence of sperm and eggs.
Without the power of God, there can be no egg, there can be no sperm, there can be no life at all.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:19
Sproul asserts that it is impossible for a person to be bored when they are in the presence of God.
It's inconceivable to me, that somebody could know that they were in the presence of God and be bored.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
If contradictions were the hallmark of truth, then the serpent's contradictory statement would lead Eve to believe it was God's word.
Don't you see, that if contradictions are the hallmark of truth, then Eve not only would be excused for listening to the serpent, she would be guilty if she didn't listen to the serpent.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:57
Adam and Eve were tested in the lush, beautiful garden of Eden, while Jesus was tested in a desolate wilderness.
In the garden of Eden, in paradise. Right there, next…it's close by the immediate presence of God in this lush, beautiful, fertile garden where they have all the things at their disposal that they could ever want to eat. Where is Jesus tested? In a desolate wilderness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:28
Adam and Eve were tested while having the strength of mutual support, whereas Jesus was tested when he was utterly alone.
Adam and Eve are tested while they have the strength of mutual support and fellowship; Jesus is tested when He's utterly alone in the wilderness, in the darkness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:24
Jesus' identity as the Son of God is based on the declaration of God the Father, not on external circumstances.
I know that I'm the Son of God because God my Father has declared it. He said it. He announced it from heaven, "This is my beloved Son."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:59
The Bible is divinely inspired and should not be dismissed as merely an outdated compilation of historical texts.
I'm sorry if you think I'm narrow minded, but the book says I'm not allowed to do it, so I'm not going to do it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:44
Jesus demonstrated his confidence in God's Word by stating that he lives by every word.
And I remind you that this is our greatest point of vulnerability, that Christ, in spite of the misery and loneliness that He was subjected to, said, "I live by every word. I'm going to believe God. God has said it."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:44
The Greek word used for 'draw' in John 6 must be interpreted as 'compel,' suggesting a forceful action by the Father.
If you read the text and Jesus is saying, “No one can come to me unless the Father compel him,” that’s much stronger than to use the weaker word "draw", which could be left to be interpreted as this wooing-type of concept that is a mere external suasion.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:14
Humanity cannot draw out of the spiritual life by its own power, but requires external power to be drawn out.
We’re buried in the water and we need to be drawn out by somebody else’s power, not by our own.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:38
Jesus Christ, as the Incarnate Lord God and Creator, commanded the impersonal forces of nature to cease their activity.
the Lord God Incarnate, the Creator of heaven and earth issued a verbal command, not to men but to the impersonal forces of nature. He addressed the sea and the wind and commanded in a loud voice, “Peace! Be still!”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:54
Redemption is not achieved solely through the death of Jesus, but requires his life of perfect obedience.
It's not simple the death of Jesus that redeems, but His life of perfect obedience is a prerequisite for the sacrifice and offering that He makes as an atonement for us on the cross.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:19
The primary focus when considering God's will should be mastering His commandments, as this provides certainty.
It is God’s prescriptive will and it is God’s disposition towards you that you master His prescriptive will, and that the focal point of our concern about the will of God should be to master His commandments. Because there I know with certainty what the will of God is.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The speaker asserts that there is only one ultimately correct and objective meaning to Scripture, which is the meaning the author intended.
Now remember the framework that I'm working on here is the assertion that I've made that there is in fact only one ultimately correct meaning to Scripture, an objective meaning, and it's the meaning that the author of Scripture had in mind.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:03
The speaker believes that the Bible ultimately comes from God, and through the Holy Spirit, God is the ultimate author.
But in an ultimate sense, I'm coming from that school of thought that believes that the Bible comes ultimately from God and that through the agency of the Holy Spirit, God is the ultimate author, and so what we're looking for in interpreting the Bible is what does God have in mind here; what was God communicating to His people when through the agency of the prophets or the apostles, certain books of Scripture were set forth?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:00
The Gospel is inherently relevant in its original proclamation and does not need to be revised or reinterpreted to be meaningful to modern people.
We don't have to make the Gospel relevant. There's nothing more relevant than the Gospel. We have to show the relevancy, we have to manifest the relevancy, we have to explain the relevancy, but we don't have to make the relevancy happen. The Gospel is relevant.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:41
The curse of Adam relates to the difficulty of sustaining life and earning a living, rather than merely being physical labor.
It’s a matter of the facility of getting the needs of one’s existence that the curse involves here.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:20
Faith must have specific content, meaning it cannot be based on mere sincerity or belief in anything arbitrary.
When we say that you are justified by faith, the faith that justifies has to have a content. So, the immediate question is, if I say you have to be saved by faith, you should say to me, “Faith in what?”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:24
The Christian confession that Jesus was Lord, specifically 'Kyrios Kurion,' constitutes an explicit ascription of deity to Jesus.
And so when the Christian church confessed that Jesus was Lord—and not just Lord, not just "Kyrios," but "Kyrios Kurion," “the Lord of Lords,”—it was clearly an ascription of deity to Jesus.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:13
When God selects a representative, such as Adam and Eve, the representation is perfect and infallible.
When God selects a representative for you, you can be sure that your representative perfectively represented you.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:28
Love is defined by what it is not, specifically stating that it does not envy.
In this case we're getting the way of negation -- now what Paul is telling us is not so much what love is, but rather he's saying what it is not -- and love is not envious.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:24
Everyone, unless they are perfect, desperately needs Christ more than basic necessities like air, water, or food.
More than they need air, more than they need water, more than they need food, more than they needed shelter, more than they need companionship with other mortals in this world, they need Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The speaker observed that even in a depressing, rundown area, visible signs of Christ's presence were constantly encountered.
I discovered that on all that road, all the way back to Pittsburgh, I couldn’t go one block without seeing either a cross, or the name of Jesus, or some concrete visible evidence, as minute as it may be and as formalistic as it may be.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Idols are powerless substitutes for the living God, lacking the ability to see, do, or deliver.
And the calf was deaf; the calf was dumb. It couldn't see anything; it couldn't do anything. It was not omnipotent but impotent.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:10
The cursing of the fig tree was an object lesson used by Jesus to condemn hypocrisy, specifically those who have outward signs of righteousness but lack genuine fruit.
And that’s what Jesus does here, and it was an object lesson about hypocrisy, where one has the external outward signs of the fruit of righteousness, but upon careful scrutiny and close examination, one finds barrenness and emptiness, and so Jesus exploits the hypocrisy of the fig tree and pronounces His curse upon it and indicates thereby God’s response to hypocrisy, God’s response to those who have the outward trappings of religion, the external signs of godliness, but whose lives bear no fruit.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:58
The Bible is a transcendent book that originates from the mind of God, providing revelation that surpasses the mere opinions of historical people.
Now on the other hand, there are those who believe that the Bible is the word of God, as I do, that it is a transcendent book that comes ultimately from the mind of God, that is revelation, and it goes beyond the mere opinions and insights of primitive people, but that comes to us from the mind of God Himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:44
God uses human authors, and the Bible reflects the views and literary styles of the people and times in which it was written.
God uses human authors and that there is a human element there, and that there’s no such thing as Holy Ghost Greek where God gave a completely new language for Luke to use and Paul to use and Matthew to use?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:00
God speaks to us through the Holy Scriptures, and this is a fundamental truth that must be acknowledged.
I think that’s a weak statement, but it certainly means that much, that God does speak to us through the Holy Scriptures in our changing world and in every form of human culture.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:38
Even the smallest sin is a defiance of God's authority.
In the slightest sin, beloved, I am saying that my will has a right that is higher than the rights of God. It terrifies me in our culture that people do things like abortion and say they have the moral right to do it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:23
Humans must rely on God's mercy and grace, because if God dealt with humanity according to strict justice, they would perish.
if God were to deal with us according to justice, we would perish as swiftly as Nadab and Abihu and Uzzah and Ananias and Sapphira in the New Testament; but we live, beloved, by grace, by His mercy, and let's never forget it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 31:43
Substituting a reason for an exhortation that the text does not provide constitutes a violence to the text.
But what happens when we put into Paul's mouth a reason for an exhortation that he gives that in the first place is not spoken by him but is substituted for the reason that he does give? That, I think, does violence to the text.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:22
The Bible must be studied to identify Christian distinctives because the message of Jesus and Paul was radical and innovative, not merely a reflection of prevailing culture.
The whole point is is that the message of Jesus and the message of Paul was radical, it was innovative, and if we just restrict it to reflecting and echoing and mirroring what everybody else already believed in the culture, we will miss that innovative, radical new gospel that is being preached.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:34
The Bible is considered the word of God, written from a perspective of transcendent wisdom for the edification of believers.
which I believe is the word of God written from the perspective of transcendent wisdom for your edification that you may be equipped and furnished for every good work, which is pleasing to your God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:13
When discussing the love of God, one must be careful not to use ideas drawn from secular culture, but must instead glean the concept from Scripture.
Whereas what we want to do when we’re talking about the love of God is to glean from Scripture the Biblical concept of this magnificent attribute of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:14
The Greek language uses three distinct words to translate the English word 'with,' each conveying a different type of relationship.
The Greeks had three distinct words, each one of which is translated by the English word “with.” So, the Greek mind understood that there are different ways that you can be with people. And those three words are the words sun, the word meta, and the word pros.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:40
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are considered the sons of God because they receive the spirit of adoption.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:56
The Father gives gifts to the Son, which include the speaker and the listener, because of the Father's great love for the Son.
for his great love that the Father has for the Son; he gives gifts to his Son, which are you and me who are adopted into his family.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:47
The name Elohim is compatible with the doctrine of Trinity and may be hinting in that direction, but it does not require that we infer the doctrine of the Trinity from it.
And so I would say at the very minimum the name Elohim is compatible with the doctrine of Trinity and may in fact be hinting in that direction. But the word itself doesn't demand that we infer from it the doctrine of the Trinity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:02
Jesus claimed deity by using the formula 'I am' (ego eimi), which was used to translate the essential name of God Yahweh.
The formula, "ego eimi", "I am" is the formula by which the name of God is translated from the Hebrew to the Greek. And several times in John's gospel, He uses this construction for himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:59
The Logos must be understood as being both distinct from God and identified with God.
So you see in once sense the Word must be distinguished from God, and in the other sense the Word must be identified with God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:22
If Jesus claims to be the only way to God, then one has no alternative but to believe Him, or His claim is questionable.
But ma’am,” I said, “Can you understand? I’m not asking you to believe it, but can you understand that I could, in fact, be convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Is that conceivable to you that I could be persuaded by the testimony of Christendom that Jesus Christ is at least one way to God?”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:52
The title 'Son of Man' is connected to Old Testament literature, specifically Daniel, describing a heavenly being who descends from God's presence.
Because when Jesus uses the title “Son of Man,” He uses it obviously in light of its connection to Old Testament literature—particularly the book of Daniel, in which the Son of Man is a heavenly being who descends from the presence of the Ancient of Days, from the very presence of God Himself, for a season, to carry on His ministry to which He will later ascend to be restored to the glory that He had with the Father from the beginning.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:01
A believer must understand that God is holy, righteous, and sovereign, and that He knows what He is doing.
He also knew that God was holy. He also knew that God was righteous. He also knew that God was sovereign. And above all, he knew that God knew what God was doing.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:01
Holiness is defined as maintaining a close connection with God and actively living out that relationship daily.
Holiness I would say would kind of be as close to God as you possibly could and to follow, kind of to follow what…what His teachings were that were laid out in the Bible, but to have a connection with God and to live out that connection in your life, you know, so that your knowledge of God isn't just theoretical, but it's something that you practice every day and you have a one-on-one connection with God, and then it's obvious to everybody.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:56
Christian professors often exhibit a moral weakness by fearing academic rejection if they hold doctrines like the inspiration of the Bible or the exclusiveness of Christ.
I know that the greatest moral weakness of Christian professors is their intimidation by the world for fear that they will be thought of being less than academically acceptable if they hold such positions as the inspiration of the Bible or the exclusiveness of Christ—these ideas that the world abhors.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:29
Differences in the capitalization of the word 'Lord' in the Bible indicate that two different Hebrew words are being translated by the same English word.
And when you see the word "LORD" in capital letters -- capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D -- that usually indicates that the Hebrew
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:02
When Jesus says 'Truly, truly,' he is emphasizing the truth of his statement and commanding attention.
He says it twice. "Truly, truly" or in the old translation, "Verily, verily." In the text it's "amane, amane" from which we get the word "amen."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:04
Sproul states that if he could only choose one book of the Bible, it would be Hebrews because it synthesizes the Old and New Testaments around Christ.
But I've also said that if I were in solitary confinement in a prison and could have only one book of the Bible, the book that I would want to have would be the book of Hebrews, the reason being that Hebrews recapitulates the whole of the Old Testament and brings it home into the central focus of Christ that has such a magnificent Christology there.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:34
Because God is indivisible and indestructible, when He swears a promise, He stakes His very being and deity on it.
God is indivisible. God is immutable. God is eternal. The power of being resides within Himself, He is indestructible. And yet here God says, 'If I break My promise, let Me be destroyed.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:15
Human conversion is not dependent on the speaker's efforts, but requires the Holy Spirit to open the individual's heart.
I know that I can never lead a person to Jesus Christ by myself, by my clever rhetoric, or anything else, or even by my compassion, unless God, the Holy Spirit, opens that man’s heart.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:34
The historic formula for the Trinity is not contradictory, even though it is mysterious.
But as mysterious as the Trinity may be and as it may be above our capacity to understand in its fullness, the historic formula is not contradictory.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:11
Orthodox scholarship must demonstrate that the unity of God is rooted in the very beginning of biblical history.
And so, orthodox scholarship has had to fight that battle for the last hundred plus years, in trying to demonstrate that the idea of the unity of God, the singleness of God, is rooted in the very beginning of biblical history.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:36
A hapax legomenon is a technical term meaning a word or phrase that appears only once in the Bible.
The full phrase is hapax legomenon, which means a word or a phrase or a concept that occurs only once in the Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:27
The title 'Emmanuel' means 'God with us,' emphasizing God's presence among humanity.
How is He introduced in the New Testament but what? Emmanuel, "God with us."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:54
One should not treat the Bible as a precise scientific textbook that must conform to modern scientific terminology.
Now we get into trouble when we want the Bible to be a precise scientific textbook to describe things in terms of twentieth century terminology.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:41
Anthropomorphic language is the use of human forms to describe God, such as describing God's eyes, head, hands, or feet.
Anthropomorphic, which means man form -- that is, the Bible uses human forms to describe God; it talks about God's eyes, His head, His hands, His feet.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:14
Sproul asserts that for Christians, God is the ultimate authority, not man.
For us, God is ultimate, not man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:11
The Scripture states that Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah.
and he also loved Rachel more than Leah.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:02
Sproul questioned the friend about the source of his authority in Christ, especially since the friend had rejected the authority of Scripture.
Now that you’ve jettisoned the authority of Scripture, you stand in judgment and criticism over the Scripture, over the Apostolic testimony, but yet you still have Christ as your authority. I said, “Where do you find any content to that authority?”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:35
The friend claimed that the authority of Christ is found through the decisions of the church.
Context: Quoting the friend
He looked at me and he said, “Through the decisions of the church.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:51
The authority of Christ is empty and lacks real content.
There’s no content to that authority. There’s nothing real about it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:23
The speaker urges the other person to consider the implications of rejecting Apostolic authority.
I told him, I said, “I urge you to go home and really think through the implications of your rejection of Apostolic authority. Because I really don’t think you can have your cake and eat it too.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:46
The story of Dorothy and her companions illustrates that each character's journey is motivated by a distinct, specific desire.
The Tin Man wants a heart, the scarecrow wants a brain, the lion wants courage and all Dorothy wants is to go home.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:50
Individuals must identify the single defining thing that gives meaning and perseverance to their lives.
Men, you have to”—if you want to know what you want to do with your life—he said, "You have to do the one thing."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:11
The understanding of Christ requires walking a balance between confusion and separation to maintain a sound understanding of his person.
And so you have to walk that razor's edge between confusion and separation if you're going to have a sound understanding of the person of Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:20
God is characterized by patience and forbearance, rather than sudden or unprovoked fury.
Now the scriptures repeatedly declare that God himself is slow to anger. He's not a hothead. He doesn't come up with unprovoked fury. He is slow to reach the boiling point.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Anger is a real concept, and its ultimate source is God, whose anger is always just and justified.
And yet, if we are to understand this whole concept of anger, here's where we have to start, that anger is real. And the ultimate source of it is God himself, whose anger is always and everywhere just and justified.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:39
People should be allowed to be called by the name they prefer.
Context: Quoting the guest speaker.
Every human being should be called what they want to be called.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 32:51
Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life.
And Jesus said, "I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 36:33
Sproul asserts that a true teacher must be so closely connected with the truth that it would be true to say, 'I am the truth.'
In fact, I am so closely connected with the truth that it would be true to say, "I am the truth."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 33:28
Jesus claimed to be the embodiment of truth itself.
Because He claimed to be the incarnation of truth itself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 38:56
Humans often project their own experience with unreliable boasting onto God, treating Him as if He might be a liar or weak.
And we take that human dimension of idle boasting and project it on God Himself, as if God either were a liar or an impotent weakling.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Nothingness is a concept that is difficult to define because attributing any being to it means it is no longer nothing.
Because if I say nothing is something, I'm attributing something about nothing. I'm saying nothing has some content to it. Nothing has some being to it. And if it has some being to it, then it's not nothing -- it's something.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:45
The speaker asserts that God knows everything about a person, including their thoughts and actions, making escape from His vision impossible.
So there's a sense where I can't escape His vision. I can't escape His gaze. I am laid bare to God whether I want to be or not be.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:38
Scripture describes the creation of the universe as being accomplished by the power of God's word.
Augustine said the only description that Scripture gives as to the how of creation is that it speaks about the power of God’s word. In the beginning when the worth . . . when the world was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, the Scriptures say, that what changed all of that was a command from the mouth of God where God said, “Let there be . . . “ and instantly there was.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:43
The speaker recognized the power demonstrated by God's speech as a fundamental characteristic of God the Father.
And I said, “That’s . . . that’s the character of God the Father.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:11
The speaker was struck by the powerful and severe nature of the God of Israel, who demands serious adherence to faith.
The God who has the mountain at Sinai shaking with thunder and lightning and saying, “Don’t you come near this. If you touch this mountain, you will die.”?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:51
The different spellings of 'Lord' in English translations signal that two distinct Hebrew words are being translated, specifically distinguishing between Yahweh and Adon-adonai.
it's not a result of a typographical error, but rather the translators are trying to signal to us that something is going on here that is a bit unusual -- that even though the same English word "lord" is here in the text, the fact that there's -- that they are printed differently indicates that there are two distinctly different Hebrew words behind the text.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:54
The term 'Lord' (L-o-r-d) often translates the Hebrew term Adon-adonai, which is the most exalted title used for God in the Old Testament.
Earlier when we see this word "lord" -- L-o-r-d -- it translates now a different word, which is the Hebrew term Adon-adonai, and that is probably the most exalted title that the Old Testament uses for God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:47
The Apostle Paul and Jesus both used repetition as a rhetorical device to emphasize crucial points.
And he said, "I say unto you that if anybody preaches unto you any other gospel than that which you have received, even if it's an angel from heaven, let him be anathema, anathema -- let him be damned." That's a strong statement that comes from the pen of the apostle Paul, but he doesn't stop there. He immediately goes on to say, "Again I say to you if anyone preaches unto you any other gospel than that which you have received, let him be anathema."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:24
Holiness is the only attribute of God that is repeatedly emphasized in Scripture, specifically mentioned in the superlative degree.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is only one attribute of God that is ever raised to the third degree of repetition in Scripture. There is only one characteristic of Almighty God that is communicated in the superlative degree from the mouths of angels. Where the Bible doesn't simply say that God is holy, or even that He's holy, holy, but that He is holy, holy, holy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:21
The prominence of 'Father' in early creeds is loaded with Trinitarian significance.
So the allusion to the Father on the one hand is loaded with Trinitarian significance.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:39
The Bible can infer that God is the Creator of all men, based on the fact that God is the Creator of all people.
In the sense that God is the Creator of all people there is this oblique sense in which the Bible does inferentially say that God is the Creator of all men so that in a certain
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:11
The title 'El Shaddai' means 'the One who overpowers,' signifying that God possesses all strength and power.
And this title or name for God means, "the One who overpowers," the One who has all strength and power.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:25
For the Hebrew understanding, wisdom involves the proper and right application of knowledge to daily life.
Because primarily for the Jew, wisdom involves the proper and right application of knowledge to daily living.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
A person must adopt a posture of adoration towards God to achieve wisdom, even if they possess vast knowledge.
But unless he stands in a posture of adoration towards God, he still hasn’t arrived at wisdom.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:03
The name Ichabod literally means that the glory of God has departed.
This baby was named Ichabod. Of course, if you remember your Old Testament history, you know the circumstances of that situation. In Hebrew, the word for the glory of God, the weightiness, the significance, the heaviness of God is the Hebrew term kavod or kabod. And here is a child who is named "Ichabod," which means literally "the glory of God has departed," the glory of God has gone, it's left.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:16
For anything to perform an action, it must first possess being, and therefore, nothing can create itself.
For something to create itself, it would have to be, when? Before it was. To create itself, it would have to be before it created itself to be. What it is, it's giving me a headache. It would have to be and not be at the same time in the same relationship.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 36:11
Schweitzer's contribution was making it nearly impossible for scholars to treat the New Testament and Jesus' teaching without recognizing its constant use of eschatological language.
the value of Schweitzer is, of course, since Schweitzer's work it's been next to impossible for serious scholars to treat the teaching of the New Testament and the teaching of Jesus and not realize that it is couched constantly in eschatological language.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:11
God is fundamentally different from all created things because He is eternally perfect and never changes.
God never grows older or taller or heavier because He is eternally perfect in who He is and what He is.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:36
God is self-sufficient and does not require external elements like food or water for existence.
But God can’t die. He doesn’t need water. He doesn’t need food. He doesn’t need anything because He has the power to be in and of Himself.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:41
The speaker acknowledges that his own ability to save a fallen world is inferior to what God accomplished through Christ.
Because I couldn’t begin to do for a fallen world what God has done for us in Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:34
The Greek word 'dikaiosynē' means 'to regard as righteous' or 'to count as righteous,' rather than meaning 'to make righteous.'
The word "dikaiosynē", which didn’t mean “to make righteous” but rather “to regard as righteous, to count as righteous, to declare as righteous.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:46
The New Testament word for 'evil' (poneron) can be changed to a technical term (poneros) that specifically serves as a title for Satan.
The word “poneron” is neuter, and that’s the normal word that is used for evil. If this neuter ending is changed to the first person singular masculine ending “-os” then it becomes a – what we call a “terminus technicus” – a technical term that is a title for a specific person. The word “poneros” in the New Testament is a title that is reserved for Satan.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:21
Being a Christian requires following Christ's teachings, which emphasize the profound reality of Satan.
To be a Christian is to follow Christ, to follow the teaching of Christ, and what I’m trying to say to you is that at the heart of Jesus’ teaching was a profound concern about the stark reality of Satan.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:47
Satan is immensely powerful, clever, and deceptive, capable of overpowering even strong individuals like Peter.
Jesus said, “You’re a piece of cake – putty in his hand – sift you like wheat.” Don’t ever underestimate the power of Satan. He is stronger than you are. He is smarter than you are. He’s more deceptive than you’ll ever be,
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 16:27
Love is constructive and builds up, unlike slander which is destructive.
Love edifies. Love builds up. It is not destructive towards one’s neighbor.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:37
God's foreknowledge is not merely intellectual awareness, but signifies a deeper love of intimacy.
If we examine the word, the verb ‘to know’ in the Bible, we know that there is one sense in which the Bible uses the verb gnosis to refer to intellectual awareness, but there’s also a deeper meaning to that verb, or to the noun ‘knowledge’ that refers to the love of intimacy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:16
Intellectual knowledge of God is distinct from a deep, intimate knowledge of affection.
That is he knows God in one sense, he has an intellectual awareness, but he doesn’t by nature have this knowledge of affection, this knowledge of intimacy.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:50
God rebukes Satan directly, asserting His own authority over the accuser.
And the Lord said unto Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, O Satan, even the Lord that has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:02
The concept of truth requires an ultimate standard, which is God.
And so, from the philosophical consideration of the possibility of knowledge, if there are to be truths, there must be truth. There has to be some ultimate standard of truth, some unchanging truth, by which everything else is judged. And this, of course, is God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:22
R.C. Sproul warns against relying on the majority opinion or popular vote when determining truth, citing the 'Argumentum Ad Populum' fallacy.
One of which is called the 'Argumentum Ad Populum.' That is, an appeal to the masses, the argument fifty thousand Frenchmen can't be wrong so we settle an ethical issue by having a television poll or a Harris poll or a Gallup poll.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:43
The Greek word used by John to describe the Father's action is better rendered as 'compel,' suggesting a much stronger divine force than mere wooing.
And then I called attention to the lexicographical study of that Greek word in Kittle's "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament" where the preferred rendering of the word draw is the word compel. Now that changes everything if you read the text and Jesus is saying no one can come to Me unless the Father compel him.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:03
The Holy Spirit changes the heart's inclination and disposition, leading to a willing embrace of Christ.
what the Holy Spirit does do is change the inclination and disposition of our hearts so that when we were previously unwilling to embrace Christ, now we are willing, and more than willing.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:23
Luther was capable of using highly graphic language when criticizing the content of others' work.
And, he says, "Erasmus, reading your work reminds me of someone who goes out and uses their finest silver dishes to transport dung in the garden."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:07
The popular Hollywood version of Luther's refusal to recant his writings is inaccurate.
Now, the Hollywood version goes like this, that when Luther was called upon to recant that Luther stood with his chest out, defiant and he said to the assembly there, "Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture, or by evident reason, I will not recant, for my conscience is held captive by the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, God help me, I can do no other." And then, he throws his fists in the air like Rocky at the top of the stairs of the Philadelphia library, and then runs out the door, jumps on a horse and rides into the sunset to start the Reformation. That's Hollywood. That's not how it happened.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:06
When facing overwhelming worldly power, human strength is insufficient, and one must rely on God's mighty power.
Context: This is a quote from a prayer attributed to Luther.
O God! O God! O thou, my God! Help me against all the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beseech Thee; Thou shouldst do this, by Thy own mighty power for the work is not mine, but Thine. I have no business here. I have nothing to contend for
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:51
The speaker asserts that the ultimate cause and power behind the work being done belongs to God, not to man.
Do this, I beseech Thee; Thou shouldst do this, by Thy own mighty power for the work is not mine, but Thine. I have no business here. I have nothing to contend for with these great men of the world!
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 28:58
The speaker declares that human efforts are futile and that they must rely solely on God.
I lean not upon man. It were vain! Whatever is of man is tottering, whatever proceeds from him must fail.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 29:39
Sanctification is a lifelong process, which Sproul suggests is partly due to the tenderness of God.
I've been convinced that one of the reasons that sanctification is a lifelong process is because of the tenderness of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 41:39
Justification is achieved by faith alone, relying solely on the righteousness of Christ.
The just shall live by faith. Justification is by faith alone. That means justification is by the righteousness of Christ and by His righteousness alone. It's not by my righteousness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 47:40
The implicit meaning of Scripture must be interpreted using the explicit, clear teachings, and not the reverse.
the rule is this: that the implicit is to be interpreted in light of the explicit, not the other way around. We are not to interpret the explicit in light of the implicit.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The concept of the Trinity is derived by necessary inference from the Scripture, even though the word 'Trinity' does not appear.
The Bible teaches clearly and explicitly that God is one; there is the unity part of Trinity, which means tri-unity, but it also teaches us clearly that Jesus is somehow God incarnate, that the Holy Spirit is divine, and that the Father is divine. So the church had to develop a doctrine that would make sense out of these different nuances that God is one and yet at the same time there's diversity within God, and so the concept comes by necessary inference from the Scripture that there is a Trinity, but the word is nowhere to be found.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The grounds for justification for both the individual and the group are the perfect works of Jesus Christ.
I mean that the grounds of my justification and the grounds of your justification are the perfect works of Jesus Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:09
Salvation is understood as being by works, but those works must be those of Christ, not the believer's own works.
We're saved by works, but they are not our own. That's why we say we're saved by faith and we're saved by grace, because the works that save us aren't our works; they are somebody else's works, Who submitted Himself at every point to the covenant of works.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:14
Higher criticism primarily targets the Bible's inspiration and authority by focusing on matters of eschatology and future prophecy.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
far and away the number one central point of attack of higher criticism against the inspiration and authority of the Bible focuses on matters relating to eschatology.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:28
The plain meaning of Jesus' words suggests that He intended to manifest Himself in glory within a period of no longer than a generation, which is approximately 40 years in Hebrew terms.
the plain and obvious meaning of Jesus' words in these texts are that He intended to manifest Himself, to come again in glory, within the framework of no longer than a generation, and in Hebrew terms a generation is approximately 40 years.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:59
Effective communication requires actively endeavoring to meet the felt needs of one's partners.
We need to know what those felt needs are, and as much as is within us, we have to endeavor to meet the needs of our partners, and that's where communication is absolutely vital.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:28
God's love is not unconditionally applied, as the Bible warns of divine wrath and abhorrence for those who do not align with His will.
There is a border to the love of God. And we cannot understand the attitude of God towards His fallen creation as being exclusively one of love, because the Bible tempers its extolling of the transcendent majesty of the love of God with these warnings of the limit of His love beyond which there is divine wrath and there is divine abhorrence.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:15
The Pharisees were highly orthodox regarding the Bible, believing in its inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy.
I doubt if there was a Pharisee in all of Israel who didn’t believe in the inspiration of the Bible, the infallibility of the Bible, and the inerrancy of the Bible.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:30
The New Testament writers appealed to empirical testimony by stating they were writing about what they had personally seen and heard.
We are not writing here carefully devised fables or myths. We're not playing Alice in Wonderland. We're not speculating philosophically, but we are writing to you what we have seen with our eyes and what we have heard with our ears.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:00
Christ unequivocally stated that those who hear the Apostles are hearing him.
When He commissioned His Apostles, He made this statement unequivocally, "He who hears you hears me. And those who refuse to hear you, refuse to hear me."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:36
The Hebrew word 'bara' implies that God not only creates something once but also continuously sustains, maintains, and cares for it.
Now, in the Hebrew concept of creation, in the word bara is contained the idea not only of a once-for-all staccato-like work of creation, but that the idea of bara carries with it that God not only creates suddenly but that whatever He creates He continues to sustain, to hold, to maintain, and to care for.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:44
Sproul favors the consensus view that the terms 'image' and 'likeness' in Genesis are synonyms, linked by a literary device called a 'hendiadys,' meaning they refer to the same aspect.
I prefer to follow what I would consider the consensus virtually here of Old Testament interpretation, that these two words are used as synonyms, linked together by a literary form called a "hendiadys," which means simply you take two words to refer to one aspect.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:36
Man is given a unique role of authority, making him God's vicegerent on Earth.
That man in creation is given the responsibility of having dominion over the earth. That he's given not only a unique nature, where he's stamped with the image of God, but he is also given a unique role of authority in the universe, where divine authority is transferred to him not in the absolute sense, but in the secondary sense. That man becomes God's vicegerent, that is His vice-king on this planet.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:18
The tongue has a destructive capacity that can be used to violate others through lies, slander, and gossip.
James devotes almost an entire chapter in his epistle to talk about the power of the tongue to wreak havoc with its destructive capacity by the way we use our tongue to violate other people with our lies, with our slanders, with our gossiping and so on.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:06
The speaker recommends Kittel's Theological Dictionary as the best academic tool for gaining an in-depth understanding of word meanings in Scripture.
the best tool for word studies that we have in Biblical Greek is the massive undertaking under the editorship of Gerhard Kittel called 'Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:28
Agape is the supreme concept of love found in the New Testament, which originates in the character of God and is shed by the Holy Ghost.
But the supreme concept of love that we find in the New Testament is this word agape, which has its ground and foundation in the character of God himself. And it is this kind of love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:53
Christians possess a special kind of love (agape) by virtue of being reborn by the Holy Spirit, enabling them to imitate God's love.
By which we now have the capacity to imitate the love of God, which we are called to do. That God loves us with agape, and we are to manifest that agape by the love we have one for another, and the love that we manifest in our behavior throughout the world.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:52
When Jesus used the phrase 'You have heard it said,' he was referring to the halacha, the oral tradition of the rabbis, not challenging the Old Testament itself.
When Jesus uses the introductory phrase 'It is written' he is making specific and explicit reference to the Old Testament Scriptures. When he uses the phrase "You have heard it said" he is referring, he's using language, an idiomatic expression that his contemporaries understood that he was referring to the halacha, which was the oral tradition of the rabbis, the rabbis who developed their theology, which often departed from the teachings of the Old Testament.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:35
The phrase 'more than these' in Jesus' question to Peter is ambiguous and could refer to several things.
Was Jesus saying to them, to Peter, do you love me more than you love your friends here, the apostles, the other disciples? Or is he saying do you love me more than they love me? Or does the 'these' refer to his nets and his fishing apparatus? Do you love me more than you love your life as a fisherman?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:39
The writings of Josephus are an important source for understanding the significance of the events that occurred in AD 70.
And so that the writings that he has provided for us are of extreme importance to try to understand the significance of what took place in the year AD 70.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:04
There is scholarly controversy regarding the original wording of the warning, with some manuscripts suggesting 'The Son cometh' instead of 'The stone cometh.'
Now, one scholar uncovered that there is a variant in the translation of this record and that certain manuscripts read instead of the words "The stone cometh," that the words that were used were "The Son cometh."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:45
Josephus's account of the events is considered extraordinary and potentially unbelievable, yet he was compelled to report it due to the number of witnesses and the seriousness of the historical moment.
I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable were it not related by those who saw it and were not the events that followed it of so considerable in nature as to deserve such signals.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:43
God has the perfect right and is perfectly righteous and just to end the life of any person who rebels against Him.
God would have every right and would be perfectly righteous and just to snuff out the life of every person who rebels against Him...
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:14
Doubt regarding God's word is an assault on the integrity of God.
So, when I don’t believe what God says, I am assaulting the very integrity of the Almighty. And to not believe the Word of God is to sin.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:11
Prayer should be accompanied by intellectual intensity, requiring the mind to be alert.
See, this kind of thought, this kind of intensity that we see again in Rodin's The Thinker, I think should accompany the same kind of intensity in prayer, that we pray with our minds alert.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:33
The traditional view that Abraham woke up early because he was prepared to obey God's command is incorrect and nonsensical.
They say, "Well, obviously the reason why Abraham woke up early in the morning was it didn't matter whatever God called him to do, he was prepared to do, and he would do it without murmuring, without a moment's hesitation." If God said, "Kill your son." Abraham said, "Yes, sir." He sets the alarm for 5 o'clock, gets up so that he can be prompt and on the job to perform the act of obedience. That is utter nonsense.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:55
Superficiality is the greatest threat to Christianity, which requires a deep commitment to God's call.
I think if Christianity is threatened by anything in the twentieth century, it is threatened by the intrusion of superficiality. You know, faith means saying your prayers once or twice a day, putting a blessing over the food, throwing your dollar in the collection plate when God is playing for keeps.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:01
God provides at the last possible moment, demonstrating that His provision is immediate and timely.
And at the last possible second what happens? An angel screams, "Abraham, Abraham, lay not thy hand upon thy son, for now I know that you trust me." Alright?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:16
Interpreting II Peter 3:9 is difficult because the passage contains ambiguities related to the words 'willing' and 'any'.
And the problems have to do with understanding precisely two different words in this text. The first is the word "willing" and the second is the word "any. "
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:53
The Bible uses multiple Greek words for 'will,' and understanding God's will requires considering several nuances.
Unfortunately, each of these words is capable of several different nuances so when we're asking specifically what kind of willing is in view, you can't settle the question simply by looking up the Greek text and looking at your Greek lexicon to find out what is being used here.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 10:32
Jesus used the form of the oracle when giving the Sermon on the Mount to pronounce a divine blessing (oracle of weal) and when denouncing the Pharisees (oracle of woe).
Jesus obviously uses the form of the oracle, self-consciously, as a prophet when He gives the Sermon on the Mount. The people of His day would have recognized the significance of His beginning -- giving this list of sayings that He would say, "Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the pure in heart," and so on. "Blessed are the peacemakers." He was pronouncing the oracle of God's weal upon the people, the divine blessing, the divine benediction to those who did these certain things.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:29
The words that come out of a person's mouth are what defile them, not what goes into their mouth.
Jesus said, "It's not what goes into a man's mouth that defiles him. It's what comes out."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:22
The beast was given authority to continue for 42 months and was given power to blaspheme God.
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and was given authority to continue for 42 months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:53
The name Nero Caesar translates to the number 666 when analyzed using Hebrew numerology.
And if we looked at the name of Nero in Hebrew, we get the name transliterated 'Neron Kaiser,' that is Nero Caesar. And in the Hebrew alphabet and numerology this name Nero Kaiser when translated into numbers comes to the number 666 exactly.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:35
The Greek form of the name of Emperor Nero resulted in the number 616, which was a slight variation from the Hebrew calculation.
However, in the ancient world the Greek name of Caesar changed from Neron Kaiser to Nero Kaiser, a very slight variation in the writing and the Greek numerical equivalency of the Greek form of the name of the Emperor Nero came out to the number 616.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:23
Bruce Metzger suggested that the textual variant listing 616 was intentional, allowing Greek speakers to discern the number without knowing Hebrew.
Context: Reporting the opinion of Bruce Metzger.
Metzger once offered the opinion that in his judgment as the supreme textual critic in the world today that his judgment was that in all probability the textual variant in the Greek that was found in antiquity where the number is 616 rather than 666 was an intentional variation, so that Greek-speaking people would be able to discern the number on the basis of the Greek language rather than requiring them to know Hebrew in order to understand this encoded cipher.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:04
God's pardon is abundant for those who seek Him.
That was the grace of God before my conversion, that I was exposed frequently to the words of that anthem, which were taken directly from Scripture, because it is the fundamental truth of the Christian faith -- that not only does He have mercy, and not only does He pardon, but His pardon is abundant for those who seek Him.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:53
God instructs people to be attentive and receptive, rather than being stubborn like a mule or a horse.
Don't be like a mule. Don't be like a horse that requires a bit in their teeth attached to a bridle so that in order to get your attention I have to yank on these reins and pull you around to my side.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 18:36
Jesus used repetition, specifically the phrase 'Truly, truly, I say unto you' (or 'Verily, verily'), to emphasize points that were super important.
And whenever He would come to a point like that, that He wanted to make sure His disciples never missed, He would preface His teaching by saying two words. He would say, “Truly, truly, I say unto you.” Or the older translation, “Verily, verily.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:20
Faith requires content, and since content must be processed by the mind, Christianity is inherently intellectual.
And so, insofar as faith has content, and the only way content can be processed is by the mind, then Christianity at that point is profoundly intellectual.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:22
Trusting God is not an irrational leap, but rather an exercise in sanity, wisdom, and reasonableness.
To put one's trust in God is not a leap into irrationality, but rather, it is an exercise in sanity, wisdom, and reasonableness, because there is no one in all of reality more worthy of trust than God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:23
The Scriptures must be established as the final authority in a person's life.
One, that if it is not the Scriptures, my first plea with you is that you make that your final authority.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:29
Leaders who undermine the authority of Christ are detrimental to the Christian community and should leave their positions.
If you are walking around with your talents and your relational skills and subverting the authority of Christ, you’re a menace to His people. And I would plead with you for the sake of the people of God to get out before you do any more damage.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:20
The truth of God cannot be contradictory, and believing otherwise is blasphemy.
Do you believe, for example, that truth can be illogical? My seminary students, almost every one of them, comes in there their first year, I said, “Do you believe that the truth of God can be contradictory?” The vast majority of them say “yes, of course.” They don’t realize that they are blaspheming God!
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:09
Humans are uniquely created in God's image, giving them the capacity to reflect God's character and holiness.
The Bible says that man of all the creatures was uniquely created in God's image, that we alone have a profound capacity and ability to reflect and to mirror to the rest of creation the very character of God, that we are called to be mirrors of God's holiness.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:37
The earliest Christian creed was a simple affirmation that Jesus is Lord.
It was the simple affirmation Jesus is LORD. The ‘Jesus ho kurios,’ ‘Jesus is LORD.’
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:54
The Apostles' Creed was not written by the Apostles, but its roots lie in apostolic teaching and church tradition.
So that soon as we talk about the Apostles’ Creed we got to get that put right to bed right away that it wasn’t written by the Apostles and it’s a creed that took literally centrally – centuries to reach its final formulation, but the essence of which is already operating in the first century Christian community.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:10
Understanding God's knowledge requires the mind, as one cannot receive knowledge from God if it is not intelligible to the mind.
Context: Quoting Saint Augustine, but asserting the principle's importance to Christian understanding.
But as Saint Augustine said centuries ago, how can you, how can you receive any knowledge from God if it is not intelligible to the mind? I mean can you even say “Jesus is Lord” without having some understanding of what the concept ‘Lord’ means, what the verb ‘is’ indicates, and what the name ‘Jesus’ refers to?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:54
Believing in God is not irrational, especially since God has provided a historical record of activity and the incarnation of Christ.
There are all kinds of reasons that you’ve made it very rational for me to believe that You’re there, how can we have a universe if You’re not? You have broken into time and space. You have given us a whole historical record of Your activity in history.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:47
Faith is defined as something that involves embracing with the heart, willing the victory and triumph of Christ, and is more than mere intellectual assent or knowledge.
But the point we want to get at, is that when I say I believe, which means I embrace with my heart, I will the victory and the triumph of Christ. That’s what a statement of faith is. I don’t just say I’m just not reciting a creed here and say, yeah I think that’s true. The point I’m making is, is that faith is more than intellectual assent. And it’s more than knowledge.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:46
Humanity must accept the full scope of God's power, which includes both giving and taking away.
Job understood that when he said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." That's the God with whom we have to do.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:11
Sproul asserts that he has more respect for the wisdom of God than for contemporary psychological or sociological arguments.
But I’ll be honest with you at this point, I have far more respect for the wisdom of God. That God’s commandments ...
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:25
Human experts, regardless of their field, are severely limited in their knowledge compared to God's omniscience.
But no matter how much knowledge a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a sociologist, or theologian has about human behavior, it is at best severely limited. It’s the knowledge and the advice and the recommendation of someone or a group who lack one quality, omniscience.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:06
Moses asserts that God's holiness and glory are revealed through His own word, which should be remembered by those who serve Him.
Moses said to Aaron, 'This is what the Lord spoke, saying: By those who come near Me I will be regarded as holy; And before all of the people I will be glorified.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:43
The Christian life requires waiting for God's promises, even when it is difficult, as instructed by the Word of God.
But the Word of God says, “Though it tarries, wait for it.” That’s what men and women of faith do.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:29
Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit by the supreme title 'Paraclete' when speaking to his disciples in the upper room.
in the New Testament when Jesus talks to His disciples in the upper room and we have that lengthy discourse of the sending of the Spirit in John 14, 15, 16, 17, Jesus calls the Spirit by His supreme title in the New Testament, the 'Paraclete.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:49
The word Paraclete is derived from two Greek components: 'Para' (meaning alongside) and 'klatos' (from the verb 'kaleo,' meaning to call).
Paraclete, comes from two Greek words, a preface -- or prefix, 'Para,' and the 'clete,' comes from the Greek 'klatos,' which is the noun form of the verb 'kaleo.'
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:16
The New Testament places a significant emphasis on the necessity of encouragement within the Christian community.
I read at least in there an emphasis -- almost preoccupation at times -- on the importance of encouragement within the Christian community.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:22
The speaker interprets the phrase 'No one can come to Me unless it is given to him by the Father' to mean that God must initiate the process.
Now unless indicates a necessary condition that has to be met before a desired consequence can possibly follow. So that unless points to some sine-qua-non, some absolutely essential thing that has to take place before a person can come to Jesus. And what is it? Now here He simply says, "No one can come to Me unless it is given to him by the Father." Earlier in the text He talks about no one can come to Me unless the Father woos him, or lures him, although the word that is used there is the word that most dictionaries translate by the English word compel, not just an external enticement like trying to lure people to come to Him.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 13:15
Justification is based on the imputed righteousness of Christ, not on physical signs or works.
The ground was the imputed righteousness of Christ, so that when Abraham believed the promise of God, God counted him righteous.
Source: Abraham Justified Before Circumcision (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that resolving the apparent contradiction between James and Paul requires examining the context and the question the author is trying to answer.
How can we possibly resolve our text in Romans 4 with James 2? The first thing we do is examine the context in which these statements are made and ask, What question is the author trying to answer?
Source: Abraham Justified by Faith (Ligonier)
When Jesus says 'Wisdom is justified by her children,' he is speaking metaphorically about wisdom being demonstrated by its results or fruit.
He was saying to His hearers that if you want to know whether a plan is a wise plan, you have to wait until you see the consequences, the outcome.
Source: Abraham Justified by Faith (Ligonier)
James's discussion of Abraham's works is meant to show that his obedience proves his faith was genuine, not that the works themselves justify him.
Rather, he is describing Abraham’s obedience as testimony and proof that his profession of faith was real and valid.
Source: Abraham Justified by Faith (Ligonier)
John the Baptist is an underrated figure in the New Testament, but the biblical writers, including Jesus, affirmed his significance.
Above all, he was not underrated by the Lord Jesus Himself who said that none greater had ever appeared above John the Baptist (Luke 7:28) and that the law and the prophets ruled until John (Luke 16:16).
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The name Zacharias means 'God has remembered again,' which reflects God's pattern of remembering every promise He made.
I find it interesting to look at the meaning of some of the names of people that appear in Scripture, and the name Zacharias means “God has remembered again.”
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 1) (Ligonier)
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb.
Before John the Baptist was even born, while he was still in his mother’s womb, he was filled with the Holy Ghost.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When a person says 'I can't,' they are actually implying that God cannot do something.
When he says, “I can’t,” he means, “God can’t.”
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The speaker acknowledges that God's truth is superior to human doubts.
We thank Thee, O God, that Your truth is more powerful than our doubts, and that You always bring to pass those things that You say will come to pass.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The angel, Gabriel, asserted that the message he delivered was not his own, but rather the authoritative word of God.
I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Unbelief in the Word of God is a serious sin that carries eternal consequences.
We need to understand, however, that unbelief in the Word of God is sin. Not only is it sin, but it’s an egregious sin. Not only is it an egregious sin, but it is a sin that has eternal consequences.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Unbelief in God is not merely an error in judgment, but an assault on God's integrity.
When I don’t believe what God says, I am assaulting the very integrity of the Almighty. My unbelief is an accusation against God Himself. It’s saying, “God, I can’t trust what You say.”
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Believing in God, and specifically believing God, is fundamental to being a Christian.
To believe in God—and not just to believe in God, but to believe God—is at the very essence of what it means to be a Christian person.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The Word of God is so authoritative that denying it is impossible.
By every Word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father, there is no justification for denying the Word of God—not your age, not your culture, not your profession—nothing.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Human language is inadequate to meaningfully communicate the concepts related to God.
I was speaking on “God Talk,” on whether human language is adequate to communicate anything meaningful about God.
Source: The Annunciation (Ligonier)
Some pastors today have spent their time learning everything except the text of Scripture, which prevents them from effectively breaking down the Word of God.
They have spent their time learning everything but the text of Scripture.
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
The church cannot accomplish its mission through its own strength but must be empowered by the Holy Spirit.
If you try to do the mission in your own power, it is as if Jesus said: “You will fail. That’s why I’m not going to leave to you alone the earth-shattering task of bearing witness to Me throughout the whole world—not just in Jerusalem, not just in Israel, but to the Gentiles as well. I am not going to leave that to the flesh. I am going to empower you.”
Source: The Ascension (Ligonier)
Unbelievers are mistaken when they believe they are seeking God, as they are merely seeking the gifts God can provide.
Context: Quoting Aquinas's explanation of the problem with fallen humanity.
The problem with fallen humanity is that, in our fallen nature, we want the gifts of God without God.
Source: Asking & Knocking (Ligonier)
The church's assurance of pardon is based solely on the authority of Christ, who received it from the Father.
When the church gives the assurance of pardon or forgiveness, it is not doing it on its own authority but only on the authority of Christ, to whom all authority was given by the Father in heaven and on earth.
Source: The Authority to Forgive (Ligonier)
J. Gresham Machen's final message to his colleagues emphasized his gratitude for the perfect active obedience of Christ.
He said in the telegram, “Grateful for the perfect active obedience of Christ.”
Source: The Baptism of Jesus (Ligonier)
Believers must be grateful for Christ's perfect active obedience because without it, they will perish.
We ought to be deliriously grateful for the perfect active obedience of Christ, for without it, we perish.
Source: The Baptism of Jesus (Ligonier)
Paul's initial message in Damascus focused on declaring Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God.
From the moment he began preaching in the synagogues in Damascus, Paul’s message was about Jesus as the Christ, and he declared to the Jewish people that Jesus was the Son of God.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
The phrase 'Son of God' is unique in the book of Acts when referring to Jesus.
This is the only time in the book of Acts where “Son of God” is used in reference to Jesus.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
The term 'monogenēs' means uniquely begotten, referring to the only one who was ever begotten of the Father and the only one who ever will be begotten of the Father.
Rather, the prefix mono means the uniquely begotten One, the only One who ever had been begotten of the Father, and the only One who ever will be begotten of the Father.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
The Nicene Creed affirms that Christ is co-substantial and coeternal with the Father, using the phrase 'homoousios' to declare this truth.
The Nicene Creed responded with the famous phraseology that Christ was homoousios , of the same substance, the same essence, the same stuff as the Father, declaring to Christendom that Christ is co-substantial and coeternal with the Father.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
Christ is co-substantial and coeternal with the Father, sharing the same essence.
The Nicene Creed responded with the famous phraseology that Christ was homoousios , of the same substance, the same essence, the same stuff as the Father, declaring to Christendom that Christ is co-substantial and coeternal with the Father.
Source: A Basket Case (Ligonier)
Hearing the Word of God is a profound privilege and is, in many respects, sufficient for the soul.
To listen to the reading of the Word of God, in many respects, should be enough for the soul. It is such a privilege for us to hear what God says.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
It is significantly easier to destroy something than it is to build it, a principle applicable to both physical structures and the Christian community.
Look, it is a lot easier to destroy than it is to build. It is so much easier to destroy your brother than it is to edify your brother.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
The Messiah, like Jesus, is characterized by a singular zeal for God's house, leading Him to be consumed by the will of the Father.
In the broader context, the Messiah is known—as the Lord Jesus was later known—for His singular zeal for His Father’s house: “Zeal for My Father’s house has consumed Me. It has eaten Me up.”
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
The Word of God is the greatest comfort and remedy for the soul during times of sorrow or depression.
I know of nothing more comforting to the soul than the Word of God. When I am down, when my soul is cast down—and it is cast down from time to time, just as everyone’s is—in the midst of sorrows, in the midst of fear, or if I need to have my soul raised out of depression, there is no greater panacea for it than to immerse myself in the Word of God.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
Receiving one another in weakness and strength is not merely an act of kindness, but an act that glorifies God.
When I receive you, in your weakness and in your strength, and when you receive me in my weakness and in my strength, you do not just edify me. You do not just edify yourself. But when you do this, you do it to the glory of God.
Source: Bearing Others' Burdens (Ligonier)
The speaker views God's word as the ultimate source of truth, which sanctifies people and provides hope.
we look to You as the source and fountain of all truth, knowing that every word that proceeds from Your mouth is altogether perfect and true, and by those words, Your people are sanctified and given a hope that is never ashamed.
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
It is normal for Christ to repeat teachings in different places, and therefore, scholars should not be troubled by variations between different Gospel accounts.
It is common even for the Lord of Glory to repeat Himself at different times because we learn from repetition. So, I don’t think we should be troubled by any variance that occurs between Luke’s understanding and Matthew’s understanding.
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that scholars should not be troubled by variances between Luke's and Matthew's accounts of the Beatitudes.
So, I don’t think we should be troubled by any variance that occurs between Luke’s understanding and Matthew’s understanding.
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that the phrase 'poor in spirit' (Matthew) is not the same as simply being 'poor' (Luke).
In Matthew, we read, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit.” That qualification of being poor “in spirit,” which is a description of humility, of a humble person, is not the same as saying simply, “Blessed are you poor.”
Source: The Beatitudes (Ligonier)
Genuine love, as expected by God, must be sincere and authentic, not a pretense or hypocrisy.
He says that what God expects from us is authentic love—not a phony love, not a platitudinous pretense of love, but a love that is not mixed with hypocrisy.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Kindness is presented as a crucial virtue in the Bible and a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Kindness is one of the most important virtues in the Bible. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Individuals must think for themselves because no one else can do the thinking for them.
Nevertheless, no one else in this world can think for you. You have to think for yourself. Paul is not denying the reality of human thought and conviction. We have to think for ourselves because no one else can do the thinking for us.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When examining one's own beliefs, one must ask whether those opinions are consistent with the teaching of the Word of God.
The next question when you examine yourself is this: Are my opinions consistent with the teaching of the Word of God?
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
True understanding must come from the Word of God, not from personal views or intellect.
In the final analysis, dear friends, my opinions do not mean anything. What matters is truth as God defines it.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Preachers must diligently study Scripture and original languages, and should not rely solely on their own intellect.
The preacher who stands in the pulpit should study the text of Scripture diligently. He should examine the original languages as much as possible, trying to get an accurate understanding of what the text says.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The Messiah originates from the house of David, not from the house of Levi.
Zacharias’ own son, John, would be from the house of Levi, not from the tribe of Judah, from which we have the Messiah from the house of David.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God swore by Himself when making a promise to Abraham, demonstrating the immutability of His counsel.
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel…
Source: The Benedictus (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's promise is immutable and impossible to change or weaken.
God was determined to make clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the immutability, the impossibility of His promise changing or weakening.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The hymn of Zacharias was inspired by the Holy Ghost and its inclusion in Scripture resulted from the Spirit's superintendence and inspiration.
Again, I remind you that the Holy Ghost inspired this song of Zacharias, and its inclusion in sacred Scripture came by the same Spirit’s superintendence and inspiration.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The truth contained in the hymn of Zacharias is objectively, really, and eternally the very Word of God.
It is objectively, really, and eternally the very Word of God, whose truth you can rely on all your days.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies.
We see this prophecy fulfilled in the unfolding of the New Testament record and the teaching of our Lord Himself, as He says of John the Baptist, “This is Elijah, who was to come.”
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Belonging to Christ is the ultimate issue, and if one is not in Christ, they are not reconciled.
You can talk about God, but when you get to Jesus, you’re down to the ultimate issue. If you are not in Christ, you’re not reconciled. You’re still at war.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The record of the Gospel is authoritative because it was superintended and inspired by God the Holy Spirit.
This shameful record comes to us from Luke, who was superintended and inspired by God the Holy Spirit. The record carries the full weight and authority of God Himself.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
Sproul notes that Jesus was the Savior of the disciples and other followers, but not the Savior of Judas.
Jesus was John’s Savior. Jesus was Matthew’s Savior. Jesus was James’, John’s, Andrew’s, and Peter’s Savior. Jesus was Nathaniel’s Savior. Jesus was Thomas’ Savior. He was not Judas’ Savior, but He was Judas’ friend.
Source: Betrayed (Ligonier)
Blindness can intensify and strengthen the other senses, such as hearing and touch.
we hear from those who are blind that, amid blindness, the other senses become intensified and strengthened. Hearing becomes more sensitive. Touch becomes more tactile, and in some cases people develop an ability to read with their fingers and so on.
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
Bartimaeus's hope for receiving sight was entirely focused on Jesus of Nazareth.
The only hope he had to receive his sight was rested in Jesus of Nazareth.
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
Jesus possesses inherent power and ability to provide what is most needed, independent of external help.
one thing we know about Jesus is that He does not need any reindeer, any elves, or any help to give us anything we need. He has the power and ability to give us what we need the most.
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
After receiving what is most needed from Jesus, the sensible response is to follow Him and glorify God.
If Jesus has given to you what you need the most, then is it not the sensible thing to follow Him and glorify God?
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
Paul's teaching emphasizes that the only acceptable merit in the Christian life is the merit of Christ alone.
Paul is teaching us in this text that there is no place in the Christian life for any merit whatsoever except the merit of Christ, and the merit of Christ alone.
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
Faith is not sufficient on its own for salvation; rather, it is the means that connects the individual to Christ.
The answer is that faith is not enough in and of itself to save you. Faith is simply that which links you to Christ.
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
True, wholehearted love for God is impossible in this life and will only be achieved in heaven.
But I know this: there are no people in this room who have ever loved the Lord their God with their whole heart. We will not love God with our whole heart until we are totally purged of our corrupt nature in your glorification in heaven.
Source: Boasting Excluded (Ligonier)
Simply calling Jesus 'Lord, Lord' or professing faith is insufficient; one must do the will of the Father.
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Source: Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
A person who truly hears and obeys Jesus' words builds their life on a solid foundation, while one who hears but does nothing builds on unstable ground.
Jesus continued, “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like.”
Source: Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
Obedience to Jesus' words results in a strong foundation, while ignoring them leads to inevitable collapse.
But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.
Source: Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
Building one's life on the Word of God and Jesus Christ provides an unshakable foundation.
But if you build your house on the Word of God and Jesus Christ, the Everlasting Rock, even a tsunami cannot ruin your life.
Source: Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
The speaker encourages the audience to receive the biblical account with the full authority and sanctity of God's inspired Word.
I pray that you will receive it with the full authority and sanctity that comes with God’s inspired Word.
Source: The Calming of the Storm (Ligonier)
The Enlightenment was not a single, uniform movement, but rather contained diverse viewpoints, including those who affirmed belief in God.
The Enlightenment was not a uniform, monolithic movement where all the thinkers and philosophers agreed on every point. There were many intellectuals who were ardent atheists, but there were also many intellectuals of the Enlightenment period who remained steadfast in their affirmation of belief in God.
Source: The Calming of the Storm (Ligonier)
The disciples recognized that Jesus possessed a unique, unprecedented authority, noting that no human being could speak to the wind and calm the sea with mere words.
They said among themselves: “What manner of Man is this? Who is this Man? What kind of Man is this? We don’t have a category for Him. He is sui generis . He is in a class by Himself. No human being who has ever walked the face of the earth can speak to the wind and make it behave, calm a troubled sea with the mere force of His voice.”
Source: The Calming of the Storm (Ligonier)
The multitudes pressed around Jesus because they wanted to hear the Word of God.
On this occasion, however, they did so not to insist on healings and miracles, but rather that they might hear the Word of God.
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
Peter's response to Jesus' command was one of reluctant obedience, acknowledging the Master's authority despite his personal reservations.
He said, “Master”—that’s a good way to start—“we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.”
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
If the Lord God omnipotent commands something, one must do it without reluctance or smugness.
If the Lord God omnipotent commands you to do something, you do it. You don’t do it reluctantly, and you don’t do it smugly as if you’re ready to say, when you fail, “I told you so.”
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
People desperately need Jesus because nothing else on earth can satisfy their needs or fix their problems.
Don’t you realize that there is nothing on this earth that you need more desperately than Jesus? What else can satisfy your need except Jesus?
Source: The Catch of Fish (Ligonier)
The account of the centurion's healing is a remarkable incident recorded under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, carrying the full weight of God’s authority and truth.
This is a remarkable incident during the earthly ministry of Jesus, and Luke’s record of it comes to us under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, carrying the full weight of God’s authority and truth.
Source: The Centurion's Servant (Ligonier)
The centurion demonstrated great faith by acknowledging Jesus' authority and asking him to heal his servant simply by speaking the word.
But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.
Source: The Centurion's Servant (Ligonier)
Christ's power is demonstrated by His ability to act and heal from a distance using only His word.
He didn’t have to be there. He just had to say the word, and by His word, the man was healed.
Source: The Centurion's Servant (Ligonier)
The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem fulfilled the Scriptures they were reading by condemning the Son of God.
In essence, “Your friends in Jerusalem, the people who never miss coming into the temple on the Sabbath, who love the study of the Torah, who search the Scriptures week after week, fulfilled the very Scriptures they were reading by condemning the Son of God.”
Source: Christ and David (Ligonier)
Paul uses the writings of David and the Psalms to draw attention to prophetic fulfillment.
He takes them back one thousand years to the writings of David, and he quotes some of those writings.
Source: Christ and David (Ligonier)
Paul asserts that God promised to give the sure mercies of David.
Paul goes on to say: And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: “I will give you the sure mercies of David.”
Source: Christ and David (Ligonier)
God always fulfills His appointed timing, meaning that when He decrees something, it happens exactly when He says it will.
When we read the narratives of the gospels of the death of Christ, the gospel writers tell us about the political machinations that were going on behind the scenes. Caiaphas gave his advice, Pilate had his advice, Herod had his advice, the soldiers conspired, the Sanhedrin got involved, and they paid money to Judas to make sure that all of this took place. God knew from the foundation of the world that this was the day.
Source: Christ in Our Place (Ligonier)
The true, unfailing love of God is His love of complacency, which does not mean being smug or satisfied with one's current state.
When we talk about the unconditional love of God, that love of God that never fails, we are talking about His love of complacency.
Source: Christ in Our Place (Ligonier)
The text provides a hint that Jesus' actions were motivated by a zeal for God's house.
We are given a hint in this text as to why Jesus did what He did. That hint is found in verse 17, where John says, “Then His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.’”
Source: Cleansing of the Temple (Ligonier)
Worship is not optional or arbitrary; it requires zeal and reverence for God's house.
Worship is not something that He just gives to us and says, “Do whatever you want,” lest He should come to us with a whip made of cords and drive us from His sanctuary.
Source: Cleansing of the Temple (Ligonier)
Paul's description of Rufus as 'chosen in the Lord' likely refers to his particular role and influence within the Apostolic community in Rome, rather than simply meaning he was one of the elect.
Paul describes Rufus as “chosen in the Lord.” In this context, it is unlikely that Paul simply means he is one of the elect, because all of them were elect. Rather, it would indicate that Rufus had a particular role and influence with the Apostle and the Apostolic community in Rome.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
When Paul refers to Rufus' mother, he is not literally claiming a familial relationship, but rather stating that she served as a mother in the faith to Paul.
Not that Paul was literally saying that Rufus’ mother was his mother or that Rufus was his brother, but rather that she was a mother in the faith to Paul.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
Paul urges believers to avoid heretics and those who teach false doctrine, focusing instead on the truth delivered by Apostolic authority.
Paul does not say to avoid doctrine. What he is saying is, in essence: “Avoid heretics. Avoid those who come into the church teaching false doctrine, doctrine other than that which has been delivered by Apostolic authority. Note them and avoid them. Stay away from them.”
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
The book of Romans contains profound theological material, not simple or basic teachings.
What we have been examining in the book of Romans is not pabulum. We have been looking at the weightier things of the Word of God, that we may not be simple in our understanding of them.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
It is essential to proclaim that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Anointed One of God.
Immediately, Peter pointed out that Jesus was the One promised by the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 61, the Anointed One, the Christos , the Messiah, the One upon whom God placed His Holy Spirit and empowered to go about preaching, teaching, and delivering people from the power of Satan, healing them, and even raising them from the dead. He is the Anointed One of God. That is essential to the gospel. It is essential that we proclaim Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Source: Cornelius' Household (Ligonier)
Believers do not grant Jesus permission to be Lord; rather, Christ is the one who grants permission.
Beloved, you do not give Jesus permission to be the Lord of your life. He is the Lord of your life. He is the One who gives permission, not you.
Source: Cornelius' Household (Ligonier)
Salvation requires placing trust in Christ alone, which transforms Him from a mere Judge into an Advocate and Redeemer.
But until or unless you put your trust in Christ and in Christ alone, He is your Judge, and your sins are written large in front of Him. If you do not submit to Him, the gavel will come down, and there will be no mercy.
Source: Cornelius' Household (Ligonier)
The speaker's initial impression of God, based on reading the Old Testament, was that He is a God who demands total commitment.
I walked, thinking: “This God plays for keeps. If I’m going to be a Christian, I’ve got to be all in or get out of here.”
Source: The Cost of Discipleship (Ligonier)
Discipleship requires counting the cost, recognizing that the value of Christ is priceless and worth everything.
It is a heavy cost, a heavy price, but when you count the cost of anything, along with it you must count the value of what you are getting in return. In return, for the cost of your life, is the pearl of great price.
Source: The Cost of Discipleship (Ligonier)
The value of Christ is priceless, and having Him own you is worth everything.
No, it is not even a pearl of great price, because there is no price that you can attach to it. It is priceless to own Him, and to have Him own you is worth everything, because He said it Himself: “What do you profit if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?”
Source: The Cost of Discipleship (Ligonier)
The scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, who were experts on the Bible, should have known better than to conspire to put Jesus to death.
You could not possibly call it invincible ignorance with respect to the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. These were the experts on the Bible. These were the ones who searched the Scriptures, who knew all the teaching that the Word of God had set forth about the character of the Messiah.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The mockery directed at Jesus was based on the false premise that because He could not save Himself, He was incapable of saving others.
The point of the mockery was very simple: Jesus had been able to save other people, but He was not able to save Himself.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Jesus did not save Himself because He chose not to, rather than because He lacked the ability to do so.
Ladies and gentlemen, the reason Jesus did not save Himself was not because He could not do it. He did not save Himself because He would not do it.
Source: The Crucifixion (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Sin is not limited to physical acts or appetites but is deeply rooted in the soul and thoughts.
We think that sin is just contained in our physical extremities. But no, we have a mind of flesh. Sin is something that is in our thoughts.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Receiving Christ as Savior must necessarily include the act of submitting to Him as Lord.
Context: Quoting John MacArthur's correction.
No, you cannot receive Christ as Savior without at the same time bending your knee to Him as Lord.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The author of Hebrews uses the example of Melchizedek to argue that the greater person (Christ) receives tithes from the lesser and blesses them.
The author of Hebrews labors the point that the greater receives tithes from the lesser, and the greater then blesses the lesser.
Source: Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier)
Christ accomplished and achieved everything that Adam failed to accomplish and achieve.
and has accomplished and achieved everything that Adam failed to accomplish and achieve.
Source: Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier)
The word of God continues to grow and multiply.
But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Source: The Death of Herod (Ligonier)
Hearing the Word of God is presented as a condition for receiving its message.
He who has ears to hear the Word of God, let him hear.
Source: The Death of Herod (Ligonier)
Being a Christian is achieved through the same grace that called Manaen out of the household of Herod Antipas.
If you are a Christian, you are a Christian by the same grace that called Manaen out of the household of Herod Antipas.
Source: The Death of Herod (Ligonier)
The Reformation saw disputes among reformers, such as Luther and Zwingli, regarding the precise mode of Christ's presence in the Lord's Supper.
They tried to hammer out a position of unity so they could stand together for the Reformation, but they could not agree on some points of understanding the Lord’s Supper and how Christ was present in it.
Source: Discipleship (Ligonier)
Zwingli and others questioned the necessity of literalism when interpreting Christ's words, suggesting that 'is' could represent something non-literal.
Zwingli and the others responded: “Jesus said, ‘I am the vine, I am the door.’ Can’t the word ‘is’ be used in a way to represent something without an insistence on literalism?”
Source: Discipleship (Ligonier)
A true follower should commit to following Christ wherever He directs, acknowledging His absolute authority.
Context: Quoting the man who declared his willingness to follow Christ.
Lord, my Sovereign One, the One who has absolute authority over me, whatever You say for me to do, I’ll do it. Wherever You tell me to go, I’ll go.
Source: Discipleship (Ligonier)
The difficult sayings attributed to Jesus in this chapter are considered inspired records of Christ's actual words and teaching.
I remind you that this is not the imagination of Luke from antiquity, but the inspired record of the actual words and teaching of Christ Himself.
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
Jesus' words regarding sending fire on the earth are direct quotes from him, not something the speaker fabricated.
These are the words of Jesus. He said, “I came to send fire on the earth.”
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
Jesus' statement, 'I wish that fire were already kindled,' reveals his deepest longing.
Rather, He said, “How I wish it were already kindled!” Jesus was baring His soul, saying something about His deepest longing when He said, “I wish that fire were already kindled.”
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
The majority of New Testament texts concerning hell originate from Jesus, not the Apostles.
It is interesting to me that almost everything we know about hell in the New Testament comes to us from Jesus, not the Apostles.
Source: The Dividing Christ (Ligonier)
Paul's teaching is not based on academic research or personal opinion, but on a certainty derived directly from Christ.
He is speaking on a basis of certainty, which he grounds not in his own research. Rather, the teaching he enjoins upon the church is that which he received directly from Christ.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
The annulment of old dietary rules required a specific revelation, such as the one Jesus gave to Peter at Cornelius’ house.
Nothing less than a specific revelation, such as Jesus gave to Peter at Cornelius’ house, would be enough to give them liberty of conscience to depart from that ancient tradition.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
God's immutability is an attribute that cannot be negotiated.
We would say with the church of all ages that one attribute of God that can never be negotiated is His immutability. He does not change.
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
When faced with recanting teachings, one must rely on Scripture or evident reason, because conscience is held captive by the Word of God.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther's statement at the Diet of Worms.
Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant. Why? “Because my conscience is held captive by the Word of God.”
Source: Do Not Cause Another To Stumble (Ligonier)
Justification is achieved by Christ's obedience, which is described as the new Adam's obedience.
By one man’s disobedience, we are plunged into ruin, but by one Man obedience—the new Adam’s obedience—we are justified.
Source: The Doctrine of Imputation (Ligonier)
God's provision is demonstrated by the lilies, which grow beautifully without having to toil or spin.
Think about the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil. They don’t spin.
Source: The End of Anxiety (Ligonier)
The message of the Word of God is a divine command that Paul and Barnabas were obligated to deliver to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
When the Jews reject the word of God, the mission must turn to the Gentiles.
‘but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.’
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
Religion is merely external trappings and a way people use to hedge their bets, rather than genuine spiritual change.
Let us be done with religion. Religion is simply the external trappings. Religion is what people get involved with in order to hedge their bets.
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
Commentators should not change the word order or structure of the Greek text to fit a desired meaning.
What many commentators would like to do with this Greek text is change the word order and structure and say, “Have it read like this: ‘As many as believed, were appointed to eternal life.’” But beloved, that is just not what the text says.
Source: Eternal Appointment (Ligonier)
The speaker uses the example of Old Clairton Road and Old Gaza Road to illustrate that following an old, disused path can be divinely guided.
It reminds me of when I was growing up and I met a girl when I was in the second grade, and she was in the third grade, and she lived on a street in the town where I grew up. Her address was 241 Old Clairton Road.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
People commonly read manuscripts out loud because the manuscripts were difficult to follow and conserved space by placing words close together.
People like the eunuch were not reading books published by Gutenberg or modern publishers. They were reading manuscripts that were very difficult to follow, as they conserved space by placing the words close to each other. As a result, people would commonly read them out loud.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
The speaker emphasizes the importance of studying both the Old and New Testaments to see how they converge in proclaiming Jesus as the Christ.
We thank You for those opportunities we have to study not only the New Testament but the Old Testament and see how both converge in their proclamation that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
The sole ground for justification, both for J. Gresham Machen and the speaker, is the perfect active obedience of Jesus.
On his deathbed, Machen was thinking of the perfect active obedience of Jesus, which active obedience was the sole ground for the justification of J. Gresham Machen, and the sole ground for your justification and for mine.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Believers are now called to approach God's presence with boldness, though this must not be confused with arrogance.
Where once we were barred from admittance into the immediate presence of God, we are now called to enter into His presence boldly. There is a difference between boldness and arrogance. We are never called to enter into the presence of God arrogantly.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Christ is the source of our peace and access to God, having effected our reconciliation with the Father.
He has effected our reconciliation with the Father, and we receive the legacy, as we saw before, of His peace.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Tribulation is necessary for the Christian life because it produces perseverance, which in turn builds character.
Tribulation, Paul says, produces perseverance. It is tribulation that puts muscle on our souls. It is tribulation that makes it possible for the people of God to persevere, not to give up, not to collapse. Not only that, but perseverance produces character.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's love is not indiscriminate, but rather a special affection reserved for the justified and adopted.
There is a love of complacency, a love of affection that God only has for the redeemed. There is a special kind of love that God has for the justified.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's love is not a minor touch, but a profound outpouring lavished upon us.
No, it is an outpouring of divine love that is lavished upon us by God.
Source: Faith Triumphs in Trouble (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The master of the house who knew when the thief would come would have been vigilant and prevented his house from being broken into.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Source: The Faithful Steward (Ligonier)
Being ready involves maintaining a state of alertness and preparedness, symbolized by keeping lamps lit and being dressed for action.
Jesus said: “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. The darkness has come, the night has already fallen. It is the time to light the lamp.”
Source: The Faithful Steward (Ligonier)
The speaker believes the account of the feeding of the five thousand should be received as the unvarnished truth accompanying the Word of God.
I believe that we have heard this account as the very Word of God, with the unvarnished truth accompanying His Word. Please receive it as such.
Source: The Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
The account of Jesus' actions in the Gospels, particularly the one just heard, is considered God's account of what the Lord did.
This is not simply Luke’s account. This is God’s account of what our Lord did on this occasion.
Source: The Forgiven Woman (Ligonier)
God does not tolerate the impenitent or those who are carnal in their thinking.
Scripture is graphic when it describes God’s attitude towards the impenitent, carnally minded person. God abhors them.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The only necessary condition for being in the Spirit, and thus being in Christ, is that the Spirit of God dwells within the person.
No, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if one condition is met: if the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Source: Free from Indwelling Sin (Ligonier)
The genealogy presented in Luke is divinely inspired and serves as a profitable source of instruction and teaching.
However, this genealogy is there for a reason. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. It is His word, and it is profitable for our instruction, reproof, and teaching in righteousness.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
Critics of Scripture argue that discrepancies in the genealogies prove the Bible is not inspired.
Critics of the trustworthiness of sacred Scripture jump on these variations in the genealogies and argue that they are proof the Bible is not inspired.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
To accurately understand the Bible, one must consider the original setting, including who wrote the book, to whom it was written, and the occasion for its writing.
One of the most important things to study for a better and more accurate understanding of the Bible is the original setting in which the book was written. Who wrote it? To whom was it written? What was the occasion of its having been written? If I know who wrote it, to whom it was written, and why it was written, those three factors will go a long way to help us glean the exact meaning of the text.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
Luke is clearly writing to and for Gentiles, emphasizing the universality of Jesus' Lordship and the scope of the Kingdom of God.
When you pick up Luke and isolate everything unique to Luke, it jumps out at you that Luke is clearly writing to and for Gentiles because his great stress is on the universality of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not simply the Savior of the Jews, but the Savior of the Gentiles, and the kingdom of God is not limited to the geographical borders of Palestine, but it goes as far as the east is from the west, for every tongue and tribe and nation.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
Sproul suggests that Luke likely discussed the significance of Jesus as the new Adam with Paul.
it’s inconceivable to me that Paul wouldn’t have discussed with Luke on their missionary journeys the significance of Jesus as the new Adam to redeem us from the failure of the first Adam.
Source: The Genealogy of Jesus (Ligonier)
The Word of God, specifically Jesus' words, is eternal and will not pass away, even when everything in this world passes away.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Source: This Generation Will Not Pass Away (Ligonier)
The fulfillment of Jesus' predictions should eliminate intellectual excuses for rejecting the truth claims of Jesus and the Word of God.
In light of the tremendous precision and fulfillment of these predictions, you would think this would be all it would take to convince any rational person that Jesus spoke the truth in every prophetic utterance He made, including those statements about Himself being our Redeemer and the Son of God, so that there would be no intellectual excuse for rejecting the truth claims of Jesus and the Word of God.
Source: This Generation Will Not Pass Away (Ligonier)
Scholars use special pleading to try to absolve Jesus for short-term references by suggesting he meant the manifestation of his power or kingdom in specific events like the Transfiguration.
They say: “Jesus isn’t referring to His coming; Jesus is referring to the manifestation of His power and the coming of His kingdom in the transfiguration, or the resurrection, or the day of Pentecost, because on Pentecost they saw the kingdom of God coming in power.”
Source: This Generation Will Not Pass Away (Ligonier)
The words of Jesus are certain and cannot fail.
Rather than joining the swarms of skeptics that gather around this text, let us throw our corporate hats into the air, rejoicing in the full certainty of the words of Jesus that can never fail.
Source: This Generation Will Not Pass Away (Ligonier)
When Paul uses the phrase 'If God is for us,' he is speaking syllogistically, not with respect to uncertainty.
Paul is speaking in terms of the language of logic, the language of a syllogism that gives the first premise followed by the second premise, rushing toward the conclusion.
Source: God's Everlasting Love (Ligonier)
Being chosen by God means being set apart for a specific purpose: to resemble Christ and belong to Him forever.
To be chosen by God is to be chosen for a purpose: to be conformed to the image of Christ and to be Christ’s possession, not for a day, not for a week, but for eternity.
Source: God's Everlasting Love (Ligonier)
The most significant advantage of being a Jew was having access to the oracles (Word) of God.
The translator has it right when he renders this word “chiefly” because Paul is saying there are many advantages to being a Jew and to circumcision, but the main one, the chief one, is that they were given the oracles of God.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Having the Word of God available is the greatest advantage any person can possess in the world.
There is no greater advantage for any person in the world than to be within earshot of the Word of God.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
The greatest advantage for any person is having access to the Word of God, which is the primary power source for salvation.
There is no greater advantage for any person in the world than to be within earshot of the Word of God.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
The speaker's own conversion experience was facilitated by the Word of God.
Even though I was not a Christian, when I became a Christian, it was through the testimony of the Word of God.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Even non-believers benefit greatly from hearing the Word of God, as it will restrain sinful desires and tendencies.
If you are interested in an enlightened way in your own self-interest, the wisest thing you can do, even if you are not a believer, is listen to the Word of God every chance you can. If nothing else, it will exercise a restraint on your sinful desires and tendencies.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Salvation is defined by the Bible as being saved from the wrath of God.
The Bible says that salvation is being saved from the wrath that is to come.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
God can abandon individuals to a debased mind if they do not desire to retain the knowledge of God.
God gave them over to a debased mind," a reprobate mind, a mind that does not focus attention on whatsoever things are true, pure, lovely, true, or just.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
The desire to hear the Word of God is only possible if God the Holy Spirit has rescued the individual.
Do you realize that if you have any affection in your heart tonight to hear the things of God, that is only possible if God the Holy Spirit has already rescued you from this condition Paul is describing that is basic to all humanity?
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
Sin is a fundamental problem of humanity that cannot be avoided when reading Scripture.
You cannot read a page of sacred Scripture without dealing with the fundamental problem of our humanity.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
God's anger is not merely annoyance or irritation, but a passionate rage and fury.
Rather, His anger is an anger of passion, that there are paroxysms of rage and fury in God for the things Paul mentions in this text.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
The knowledge of God that He gives of Himself is not obscure, but is clearly and plainly manifest to everyone.
No, the truth that God gives of Himself is manifest. It is clear. It is plain, so plain that everybody gets it.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
Excluding the existence of God from the pursuit of knowledge is not scientific, but foolish.
If you know that God is the author of all things, then you know that the affirmation of the existence of God is the purest scientific thought there is. To deny it or exclude it is not to be scientific but to be foolish.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated divine power by calming a raging sea and blistering winds simply by speaking the word 'Peace, be still.'
He looked at the raging sea and the blistering winds, and He said, “Peace, be still,” and instantly the water was calm. There was not a zephyr in the air.
Source: God’s Wrath (Ligonier)
The five points of Calvinism are summarized by the acronym TULIP, representing Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.
As a result of that controversy, these five issues became known as the five points of Calvinism that were considered under the rubric of the acrostic TULIP, that flower which is the fairest flower in God’s garden. The T stands for total depravity, as we have seen, the U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, the I for irresistible grace, and the P for perseverance of the saints.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
God's will is always righteous, and everything He wills or pleases to do flows out of His character.
Whatever He pleases to do and whatever He wills to do is always flowing out of His character, which is altogether righteous.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
Only those who are called inwardly or effectually, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are justified.
But all who are called inwardly, all who are called effectually, come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit and are justified.
Source: The Golden Chain (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that every tree is known by its own fruit, illustrating that one cannot gather figs from a thorn bush.
Jesus went on with this metaphor in Luke 6:44: “For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.”
Source: Good & Bad Fruit (Ligonier)
Opening the scroll and its seals requires worthiness, not merely strength.
But required to open this book is not strength, but worth. Who is worthy to open this book?
Source: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The Lion of Judah, who is Christ, is worthy and able to open the scroll and reveal its contents.
‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’
Source: The Gospel of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The words of the Gospel of Luke are divine, having been superintended by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.
it seemed good to me also, having had the complete understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. These words come to us from Luke, the gospel writer, who wrote not alone or in his own power, but as he was moved and superintended by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost so that the words that you have just heard are indeed the very Word of God.
Source: The Gospel of Luke (Ligonier)
Luke wrote his Gospel to ensure that readers knew the certainty of the things they had been instructed.
That you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
Source: The Gospel of Luke (Ligonier)
God's grace cannot be purchased, earned, borrowed, achieved, or merited, only bought by the blood of the Son of God.
The grace of God cannot be earned. It cannot be borrowed. It cannot be achieved. It cannot be merited, and it certainly cannot be bought, save by the purchase of the blood of the Son of God.
Source: The Gospel to Samaria (Ligonier)
Simony is the sin of attempting to purchase the gift of God with money.
Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
Source: The Gospel to Samaria (Ligonier)
The author of Hebrews emphasizes the superiority of Christ over the angels and all created things.
The author is speaking about the marvelous comparison he has given about the superiority of Jesus over the angels and over all created things:
Source: A Great Salvation (Ligonier)
Salvation is unprecedented and requires diligent and energetic pursuit.
This salvation is unprecedented. It deserves our diligence and our energetic pursuit of it, certainly not neglect.
Source: A Great Salvation (Ligonier)
Sproul believes that Jesus's annoyance was primarily directed at his own disciples, whom he had commissioned and given authority.
I think the latter more than the former. I think His annoyance was with His own men whom He had commissioned and given power and authority.
Source: The Greatest (Ligonier)
Herod's actions were motivated by a desire to avoid public embarrassment and failure to keep his word.
Since he did not want to embarrass himself in front of his guests and fail to keep his word, he gave the word to the executioner to kill John the Baptist and present his head on a platter.
Source: Haunted By Guilt (Ligonier)
The speaker draws a parallel between the historical account of Peter and John in Acts and the modern experience of encountering a consistent fixture (the beggar) in Amsterdam.
It is a story like that which we read here in the New Testament about a man, a fixture by the Gate Beautiful, who encountered Peter and John.
Source: Healing at the Gate Beautiful (Ligonier)
The power demonstrated by the beggar's healing was the power of Christ invested in His Apostles.
But whatever the power the church had in the twelfth or thirteenth century and wherever it was invested, we see the power of Christ that was invested in His Apostles as we have read of it this morning.
Source: Healing at the Gate Beautiful (Ligonier)
The account being studied is a divine word that should be received as such.
I remind you that this account comes to us from God Himself. It is His Word, and I implore you to receive it as such.
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
The leper correctly distinguished between Jesus' power to heal and Jesus' willingness to exercise that power.
The leper made a distinction between Jesus’ power and His willingness to exercise that power on behalf of a poor wretch.
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
If Jesus needed time alone with the Father to recharge His strength, believers need to seek similar time with the Father to gain strength from the Spirit.
I close this morning by simply saying to you that if it was necessary for the Lord Jesus to find strengthening and intimate power from being alone with the Father, how much more important is it for us to be before the Father, gaining strength from His Spirit?
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
Miracles are signs that point beyond the immediate action to something else, specifically pointing to God's attestation of His agents.
The point of the work that we call a miracle and that John calls a sign is, as a signpost ordinarily does, pointing beyond itself to something else; that is, the miracles of Jesus and of the Apostles are signs that point beyond the immediate action to something else. What is this something else? What is it that the miracles point to? If they are not pointing to the existence of God, what are they pointing to? Miracles point to the attestation of God Himself to the person performing the miracle.
Source: Healing & Preaching (Ligonier)
The miracles recorded in the New Testament are crucial because they serve as God's attestation of Jesus and the Apostles, whose authority is accepted by believers.
It is these miracles of the New Testament that are so important to us because they are God’s attestation of Jesus and of the Apostles, to whose authority we submit.
Source: Healing & Preaching (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit is the source of the power that enables people to speak and magnify God.
And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Baptism is necessary for those who have received the Holy Spirit.
Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Learning requires repetition, meaning a point must be given to students more than once to be understood.
The only answer I can give, from someone who has been in a vocation of teaching for forty years, is that if you want to get a point across to the students, you cannot just give it to them once. Learning comes through repetition.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The repetition of material in Scripture is intentional, serving to emphasize key points for the students or readers.
The only answer I can give, from someone who has been in a vocation of teaching for forty years, is that if you want to get a point across to the students, you cannot just give it to them once. Learning comes through repetition.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the Word of God, never opposing it.
the Spirit of God works with the Word, through the Word, and never, ever against the Word.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The Word of God must be the primary authority used to test the leading of the Holy Ghost.
The litmus test for the leading of the Holy Ghost, who does indeed lead us at times, is the Word of God.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Christian power and spiritual life do not require specific charismatic displays like speaking in tongues.
We are to live as Christians without having to speak in tongues to be able to verify that the Spirit is with us.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that the Bible (the Word) is the ultimate and necessary standard for determining the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The litmus test for the leading of the Holy Ghost, who does indeed lead us at times, is the Word of God.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Believers receive all the necessary power for Christian witness at the point of conversion.
But you received at your conversion all the power you’ll ever need to be a witness to the world.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Believers must use the Word of God to test and ensure that spiritual guidance is genuinely from God.
We pray that You would cause us to stir up the gift that is already within us, and that we may not be deluded by false doctrine, but that we may test the spirits by Your Word to make sure that we are doing what You have called us to do.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The teaching derived from the Gospel of Luke is authoritative because it comes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and carries the full weight of God's authority.
The record of this event comes to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It carries the full weight of the authority of God Himself, and I trust that you will receive it as such.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
The signs and wonders performed by Satan are designed to persuade and deceive even the elect of God.
I think Paul says the latter, that Satan can perform signs so prodigious that they can persuade and deceive even the very elect of God.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
Salvation in Jesus Christ is not minor or insignificant, but rather a great work of God's benevolence.
The salvation that comes to us in Jesus Christ is not a mean salvation. It is not an insignificant salvation. It is not one way of salvation. It is a great salvation. This is the greatest work of benevolence that the providence of God has ever wrought.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
Miracles serve to authenticate the truth of Scripture, the gospel, and Christ, proving God's power.
The truth of sacred Scripture, the truth of the gospel, and the truth of Christ were authenticated by miracles. That was God’s way of certifying and confirming His truth.
Source: A House Divided (Ligonier)
Effective preaching should be rooted in the text of Scripture, as exemplified by the sermon of Jonathan Edwards.
Yet that sermon is filled with nothing but the text of Scripture over and over again. I thought to myself, “I wish every member of Saint Andrew’s and every Christian in America would get that CD and listen to that sermon.”
Source: If It Is of God (Ligonier)
True Christian teaching must be rooted in the text of Scripture.
Yet that sermon is filled with nothing but the text of Scripture over and over again.
Source: If It Is of God (Ligonier)
Humans mistakenly believe they can pass God's judgment based on their own good performance or works.
Yet it is our self-description of being righteous that leads us to suppose that we can pass the judgment of God on judgment day based on our own performance.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Scripture affirms that no person can be found righteous when judged by God's standard.
As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.’
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Jesus claimed to be the only way to the Father, making His way exclusive.
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Those who do not seek God or understand the things of God are ultimately unprofitable and futile.
If they have turned aside, if they have no understanding of the things of God, if they are not searching after God, if there is not any righteousness, what is the net result? “They have together become unprofitable”—futile.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Jesus corrected the rich young ruler by stating that only God is good and that no one is righteous or capable of doing good.
Excuse Me, why are you calling Me good? Don’t you know that only God is good? Don’t you know that there’s none righteous, no, not one? Don’t you know that there is no one who does good, not one? Why do you call Me good?
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
Human works are insufficient to justify a person in God's sight.
Do not for one second rest on your works as the ground for your justification, because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in His sight.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
True righteousness must come solely from the Savior, as human efforts are useless without it.
Context: This is part of a prayer, but it reflects his stated theological understanding of human sinfulness.
Turn our eyes to the Savior, who alone is good, who alone is righteous, whose righteousness alone can avail for our need. For without that righteousness, all that we have is unprofitable.
Source: The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Ligonier)
All apostles carry the authority of Jesus, meaning one cannot set one apostle against another.
You cannot do that because the Apostles all carried the authority of Jesus Himself.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
The supreme qualification for being an apostle is to be called directly and immediately by Jesus.
But the supreme qualification for Apostolic authority was to be called directly and immediately by Jesus.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
The ultimate source of confidence and certainty for the speaker is the Word of God, which surpasses rational arguments and empirical science.
But nothing moves my soul, my heart, and my mind to acquiesce to its certainty like the pages of sacred Scripture.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
The voice of God is the highest court of appeal, meaning that if God says something, it is settled regardless of human belief.
If God says it, ladies and gentlemen, it is settled, whether you believe it or not. There is no higher court of appeal than the voice of God.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
The call upon the Lord must be genuine and originate from the heart.
The call comes from the heart. The call is genuine. It is an authentic reaching of the heart for the Savior.
Source: Israel Needs the Gospel (Ligonier)
To believe in Jesus, people must first know about Him, which necessitates hearing the message.
People who have never heard the name of Jesus are not going to put their trust in Jesus. They are not going to call upon Jesus. They cannot possibly believe in Jesus, because they do not know anything about Jesus.
Source: Israel Needs the Gospel (Ligonier)
Faith is acquired through hearing, and hearing is accomplished by the word of God.
Context: Quoting Paul
God the Holy Spirit was bombarding me with His Word, because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
God uses the preaching of the Word as the primary means to awaken faith in the elect.
We have considered that the primary means God uses to awaken faith in the hearts of the elect is the preaching of the gospel. It is through the Word, especially through the preaching of the Word, that faith comes.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
The preaching of the Word is a necessary condition for faith, but it is not a sufficient condition.
What the Apostle is saying here is that the preaching of the Word is a necessary condition for faith, but it is not a sufficient condition. You cannot have faith without it, but you can have unbelief even with it.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
The Word of God is defined as the written Word of God.
The Bible is the written Word of God.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
Preaching the Word in season and out of season means preaching the Word all the time, without exception.
No, preach the Word in season and out of season means preach the Word all the time . There is no other season than in season or out of season for the minister who preaches the Word.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit guides and teaches through the Word and never contradicts it.
God the Holy Spirit leads and teaches in the Word, through the Word, and never against the Word.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
The power to change the country and bring revival resides in the preaching of the Word of God, not in church programs or buildings.
The power is not in our programs, not in our buildings, not in our parking lot, but in the Word.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
Believers must remain open to correction and reproof from the Word of God, even as they become more informed by it.
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)
The Greek word for glory in the text is doxa, which is the root of the word doxology.
The Greek word for glory in this text is doxa . We get the word doxology from it.
Source: Israel's Rejection of Christ (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ originated from the lineage of the Israelites.
Lastly, what pertains to the Israelites is Jesus, a Jew, from the seed of David.
Source: Israel's Rejection of Christ (Ligonier)
God is absolutely incapable of being unrighteous, unjust, or iniquitous.
I think the most accurate translation of the language he uses here is, “May it never be!” That is to say, the one thing that is absolutely indisputable is that there is not any unrighteousness, injustice, or iniquity in God, though indeed, at first glance, it may seem that way.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Paul's conversion was not a result of his own free will, but rather a direct intervention by Jesus Christ.
But he was walking down the street one afternoon and said: “Maybe I’d better think this over a little bit more clearly. Maybe I haven’t been right to these Christian people.” Then after he gave it further scrutiny, he changed his mind and decided to exercise his free will to become a disciple of Jesus. That’s not how it happened. Why did Paul became a disciple of Jesus? Because while he was breathing out fire, filled with animosity and hostility, Jesus knocked him off his horse, blinded him with the brilliance of His glory, and called him to be His Apostle.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 1) (Ligonier)
In the elect, God positively intervenes to rescue them, while in the reprobate, God works negatively by passing over them.
A positive-negative distinction in predestination is this: In the case of the elect, God positively intervenes in their lives to rescue them from their corrupt condition. The Holy Spirit changes their hearts from stone to hearts that are alive to the things of God. That is His positive intervention. In the case of the reprobate, God works negatively insofar as He passes over them. He leaves them to their own devices.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God actively raised Pharaoh up and placed him in a position of power for the purpose of demonstrating His own power.
The eternal God Almighty raised Pharaoh up, sat Pharaoh in the seat of power over the Egyptians, and gave him power to rule over his own people as well as over the Israelite slaves. God did that. God put him on the throne. God put him in that position of power. Why? For God’s purpose of showing His own power:
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God actively raises up individuals, like Pharaoh, not merely by permitting their sin, but for the specific purpose of demonstrating His own power.
God says to Pharaoh, “Not only have I allowed you to go unrestrained and unchecked in your willful disobedience of Me, but I have raised you up.” A better way to translate the text here is, “I have appointed you to this task.”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God uses the power of individuals, even those who are sinful, to demonstrate His own power and the power of His mercy.
For God’s purpose of showing His own power: “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God can use wicked people for His glorious plan without needing to explain His methods to them.
I do not need to give you an explanation, Pharaoh, because when I started working on you, your heart had no righteousness at all, and so I used you.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The potter has the power to shape the clay into different vessels, illustrating God's control over creation.
Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's power is demonstrated by His ability to prepare vessels for both honor and destruction.
What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The speaker previously discussed the view of election and reprobation that suggests God works in a similar manner on both sides of the issue.
I labored the distinction between a symmetrical view of election in which on both sides of the issue God was seen to work in a similar manner, working faith in the hearts of the elect and working unbelief in the hearts of the reprobate.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Justice (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The preacher asserts that the power and effect of the Word of God's exposition do not depend on him.
The efficacy of that preaching, the power of that exposition, thank God, never lies with me. That is not on my shoulders. I am not responsible for the effect that the Word of God has upon the hearer.
Source: Israel's Rejection & God's Purpose (Ligonier)
The phrase 'How much more' indicates a profound difference between two things, suggesting a greater degree in the second instance.
Rather, the difference between the two was so profound that the phrase our Lord used was, “How much more.”
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Sproul believes that the reference to Israel's conversion in Paul's text is not used as an eschatological sign, although he acknowledges that the conversion of Israel is discussed later in the chapter.
I certainly believe that the conversion of Israel is in view later in this chapter, but I do not think it is used here as an eschatological sign.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The speaker warns against boasting or becoming haughty, reminding the audience that they do not support the root, but the root supports them.
“. . . do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God may cut off unproductive gentile branches, just as He cut off the branches of Israel.
Just as God cuts off the branches of Israel, He will cut off the gentile branches that are unproductive.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier)
In Paul's vocabulary, a mystery refers to something that was once hidden from view but is now made manifest by God.
In Paul’s vocabulary, a mystery does not mean a problem that detectives seek to unravel, or the subject of a novel. Rather, he speaks about that language through which what was once hidden from view is now made manifest by God as He reveals these things to us.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When interpreting Scripture, simple, declarative statements must be treated as declarative, indicative statements, unlike highly imaginative language.
But when you have simple, declarative, indicative statements, you must treat them as declarative, indicative statements.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When Jesus gives timeframes, he uses straightforward, indicative words, not imaginative language.
The point is that when Jesus gives the timeframes, He does not use imaginative language. He uses straightforward, indicative words to His disciples: “You want to know when it is? Some of you are going to live to see it.”
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When the word 'all' is used in Scripture, it does not mean 'each and every' individual.
When the word all is used in Scripture, it does not function the same way we use it to mean “each and every.”
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 2) (Ligonier)
No Christian has the spiritual right to despise the Jews because Jesus was a Jew and salvation originates with the Jews.
I then send them to earlier writings of Luther, where he says that no Christian ever has the spiritual right to despise the Jews, because not only was Jesus a Jew, but salvation is of the Jews.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Believers do not have an intrinsic claim to God's promises to Israel because the Messiah originates from Zion.
We have no intrinsic claim to the promises of God to His people in the Old Testament. This is because the Deliverer—that is, the Messiah, the One who will redeem—does not come from the gentile lands. He comes out of Zion.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
When God gives a gift or exercises His calling, it is final and cannot be taken back.
When the Lord God gives a gift, that gift is irrevocable. When the Lord God exercises His redeeming calling on a person, it is final. He never takes it back.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God's mind is perfect, containing only wisdom and knowledge, and is incapable of ignorance or folly.
In the mind of God there is no ignorance. In the mind of God there is no folly. There is nothing but wisdom, nothing but knowledge.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
When Paul speaks of the Spirit searching the things of God, the Spirit's function is to illuminate God's truths for human understanding, not to search for information.
No, when Paul speaks of the Spirit searching the things of God, the Spirit is not searching for information. He is putting the searchlight on the things of God to illumine them for our understanding.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God gives gifts freely and does not require or expect repayment for what He gives.
When God gives you a gift, He is not paying you back for what you gave to Him. What can you give to Him that He does not already have?
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God is not only the means by which all things exist, but He is also the ultimate end or purpose of all things.
God is not only the means by which all things exist, but He is the end, or purpose, of all things.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The phrase 'of Him' means that everything is ultimately God's possession.
Everything is “of God” in the sense that it is ultimately His. It is His possession.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The Bible affirms that God is the source of the universe and everything within it.
The first affirmation about God in Genesis 1 is that He is the source of the universe: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). This preposition calls attention to God as the source of creation and everything in it.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
John and Colossians affirm Christ's role as the creative agent, cosmic substance, and author of all things.
These passages in John and Colossians, which amplify what the Apostle says briefly here in Romans 11, are staggering in their assertions about the function of Christ as the cosmic substance, Creator, and Author of all things, for whom all things were made, and in whom all things consist.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The supreme advantage God gave to Israel was His Word, which was spread out like a banquet feast.
The supreme advantage that God gave to Israel was His Word. He did not give it to the Assyrians, the Babylonians, or the Akkadians. He gave His Word to Israel.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier)
The Word of God should be used like a hammer against those who hate it, trapping them in their own hostility.
Let the table be a snare. Let it be a trap. Let the Word of God be a hammer on the heads of those who hate it.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier)
The woman who suffered from chronic hemorrhaging was as desperate in her condition as Jairus was in his.
She was as desperate in her condition as Jairus was in his.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Jesus understood that the expenditure of his power was not random, but occurred specifically when he was using that power in a saving manner.
He understood that this exit of strength from His body did not occur haphazardly, but only when redeeming power was used in a saving way.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
A person's ability to preach or teach Scripture must be understood as a matter of grace, not personal merit.
The only way he could become an Apostle, the only way he could become a spokesperson for Christ, was by grace and not by merit. That is not only true for the Apostle Paul; it is true for anyone who dares to open Scripture and presumes to preach or teach from it to anyone.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
The speaker believes that when Paul speaks of the offering of the Gentiles, he is referring to Paul's offering of the gentiles to Christ.
I think Paul is talking about his offering of the gentiles to Christ.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
Paul understood that the power for conversion came from the Holy Ghost, not from his own ability.
It’s not as if I had the power to convert them.” Paul knew where the power was. He knew it came through the Holy Ghost.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
Paul can only speak of things that Christ accomplished through him, both in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient.
Paul says, “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient.”
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that all effectiveness in ministry comes only from God's power.
We understand that anything that is effectual in our ministry is only by Your power. All that is lasting comes from You and from Your Spirit.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
The words spoken by Jesus are superintended for the edification of the hearers by God the Holy Spirit.
Sober and ominous words from the lips of our Savior, words given and superintended for our edification by God the Holy Spirit.
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
Jesus' authority is derived from the Holy Spirit in his messianic office, and he is the Messiah.
My credentials are that I am the Messiah, and it is by the authority of the Holy Spirit resting upon Me in that messianic office that I do and speak these things.
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
Jesus affirmed the fulfillment of prophecy by quoting Scripture regarding the rejected stone becoming the chief cornerstone.
He looked them in the eye—the scribes, Pharisees, priests, Sanhedrin, the ones who asked Him by what authority He did the things that He did—and He quoted Scripture and said: “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’?”
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
Rejecting Christ is likened to stumbling over Him, which will result in being crushed by the Father.
One of the consequences of that, Jesus said, is that the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and everyone who falls, trips, or stumbles from that stone will be broken in pieces. If it falls on anyone, it will crush him. If you trip over Jesus, He will crush you.
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated superior knowledge and authority over the Pharisees when he was a young boy in the temple.
What would you expect from someone who was sinless, who knew more theology in His little finger than the best scholars among the Pharisees and Sadducees knew in all their brains? I’m that boy you’ve rejected. You’re tripping on Me, and My Father will crush you.
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
God's power is demonstrated by His ability to create light and darkness through mere spoken command.
He uttered a commandment, a divine imperative, a divine fiat where He spoke into this darkness and said, “Let there be light.”
Source: Jesus Dies (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts his belief in the inerrancy of sacred Scripture, despite acknowledging scholarly disagreement.
I believe, beloved, in the inerrancy of sacred Scripture. I know there are many scholars and theologians who do not, but I do, categorically and unequivocally.
Source: Jesus Dies (Ligonier)
Sproul emphasizes that the Bible's accounts should be taken literally and not subject to modern critical analysis or doubt.
I do, categorically and unequivocally.
Source: Jesus Dies (Ligonier)
The account of the Gospel event is inspired by God and should be received as the Word of truth.
This account is the inspired record of the event, inspired by God, and it is His Word of truth.
Source: Jesus at Gethsemane (Ligonier)
Jesus was required to fully ingest the wrath of God, not merely touch it or sip it.
No, that was not what the Father was asking, but rather: “Jesus, take this cup. Don’t just sip it, swallow it to its bitter dregs. Ingest it. Let it fill Your stomach, and then Your soul.”
Source: Jesus at Gethsemane (Ligonier)
John the Baptist's role was to point to Jesus, emphasizing that Jesus is superior to him.
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
God does not give the Holy Spirit by measure, and belief in the Son leads to everlasting life.
For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The statement 'He must increase, but I must decrease' is not a strategy devised by John.
I want to point out one detail about this statement: John is not suggesting a strategy that he has devised.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The increase of Christ is not a matter of strategy or option, but a necessary divine requirement.
No, John says, “He must increase,” and the force of that statement is, “It is necessary”—that is, the increase of Christ is not an option; it must happen.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Christ's authority and teachings originate from heaven and the Father, not from Himself.
Jesus says, “I teach nothing on My own authority, but that which the Father has given to Me.”
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit is given to Christ in a complete, immeasurable outpouring, not in partial measures.
When God anoints His Son the Messiah with the Holy Spirit, the anointing given to Christ is not piecemeal or partial. It is not like God measures out a little dose to give to His Son.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit is poured out upon the Son in immeasurable dimensions, not in a partial or measured way.
When God anoints His Son the Messiah with the Holy Spirit, the anointing given to Christ is not piecemeal or partial. It is not like God measures out a little dose to give to His Son. Rather, in immeasurable dimensions, the Father pours out the Spirit upon the Son.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Only the Creator has the authority to institute and consecrate the Sabbath day.
Only the Creator had the authority to institute and consecrate the Sabbath day. Do you get the inference? Only the Creator can be Lord of the Sabbath day.
Source: Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The people were amazed by Jesus' teaching because He spoke with great authority.
We are told that the people were utterly amazed and astonished at His teaching because He spoke with such authority.
Source: Jesus Meets a Demon (Ligonier)
Christians must use the whole armor of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to withstand spiritual forces.
We are fighting against supernatural forces, and we are fighting that battle with supernatural power—the Holy Spirit and the armor of God.
Source: Jesus Meets a Demon (Ligonier)
The record of Jesus' ministry is divinely inspired and authoritative, and should be received as such.
This record comes to us through the inspiration and superintendence of God the Holy Spirit and bears the full weight of divine truth and authority. Please receive it as such, and not in the way the people received Jesus in Nazareth.
Source: Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
Jesus explicitly stated that the Scripture being read was fulfilled in his presence.
And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Source: Jesus Rejected (Ligonier)
Jesus' mission was the mission of the Messiah, and the Messiah's mission was the mission of Jesus.
We see it in the light of the Old Testament teaching of the coming Messiah, and obviously the mission of Jesus was the mission of the Messiah. Conversely, the mission of the Messiah was indeed the mission of Jesus because Jesus was the promised Messiah of Israel.
Source: Jesus in the Synagogue (Ligonier)
Miracles performed by men other than Jesus, such as Moses, Elijah, and the Apostles, were accomplished by the power of the Holy Ghost.
By what power did these men perform their miracles? The Bible makes it clear by what power these men were able to perform miracles. They did it by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the third person of the Trinity who, though distinguished from the Father and the Son, cannot be separated, as they are all one in being and in essence.
Source: Jesus in the Synagogue (Ligonier)
The Messiah's anointing was not merely about being set apart, but specifically about being endowed with power for the purpose of preaching.
When Isaiah speaks about the anointing of the Messiah, however, he is not simply speaking about the Messiah as being set apart and consecrated, but rather that He’s being charismatically endowed with power.
Source: Jesus in the Synagogue (Ligonier)
The truth that Jesus of Nazareth was the appointed Messiah is the most important truth in human history and changes everything.
If Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of God, that is the most important truth ever revealed in human history. It changes everything. Everything in your life is changed by the truth that Jesus of Nazareth was the appointed Messiah.
Source: Jesus on Trial (Ligonier)
Jesus was completely sinless, which is why Pilate could not find any fault in him.
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. This was the Lamb without blemish. This was the only sinless person ever to walk the earth.
Source: Jesus on Trial (Ligonier)
Christians should live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, rather than being limited to a single life verse.
Jesus said we are supposed to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Why do I have one verse to define my life? Over my many years of doing this, I have signed a host of different verses. I will not be tied down to one of them.
Source: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
A person cannot be genuinely converted to Christianity while simultaneously being a thief.
You cannot be converted and be a thief.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
People must be led by those who have deep knowledge of God's truth to avoid spiritual pitfalls.
We need to be led by those with keen sight into the truth of God if we want to stay out of the ditch.
Source: Judge Not… (Ligonier)
The message preached should be determined by God's Word, not by the perceived desires of the people.
I answered him: “No, I don’t, because what I preach and teach is not determined by what the people want to hear. I have a boss to whom I must answer, and God makes it a priority for people to understand His holy character.”
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
God's power is omnipotent and is best expressed through the foolishness of preaching.
Only One is omnipotent—the Lord God—and the Lord God has power to spare. God does not need Joseph’s pants. He does not even need the gospel, yet it has pleased the Lord God omnipotent to invest His power not in Joseph’s pants or in the preacher’s ability to slay someone in the Spirit. His power is invested in the gospel.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
The Bible is supremely valuable to the speaker's soul because it is the Word of God.
My life was saved by this Word. There is nothing more precious to my soul than every word that’s found on its pages. How can you be the dean of a theological seminary and ask me what difference it makes? It’s the Word of God.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
God is a reliable and promise-keeping deity whose words are certain to come to pass.
Yet the God that we worship is a promise-keeping God. This was the complaint of Habakkuk, and God said to him: “Habakkuk, I have set this for an appointed time. My words do not lie. I will do what I said I will do. Have patience. Wait. It may tarry, but if it tarries, wait for it.”
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
Human life is sustained not by physical sustenance alone, but by the words proceeding from God.
Don’t you understand, Satan, that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God?
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
Individuals should not abandon their possessions or positions during the day of the Son of Man's revelation.
In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.
Source: The Kingdom Come (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that the Greek word used for 'within' might be translated as 'among' instead of 'within'.
The other way that word is translated is “among.”
Source: The Kingdom Come (Ligonier)
The New Testament contains many titles that God the Father ascribed to Christ.
Context: Describing an academic event, not his own assertion.
For thirty minutes, he recited the titles found in Scripture that it pleased God the Father to ascribe to His Son.
Source: The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
The title 'Lamb of God' appears only in two books in the entire Bible, both written by the Apostle John.
But it might strike you as strange that there are only two books in all of the Bible wherein Christ is called the Lamb of God. Both of those books were written by the same man, the Apostle John.
Source: The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
The concept of Christ as the Lamb of God originates from God's own designations for His Son, not from the imagination of John or John the Baptist.
I would like to suggest that the origin of the concept of Christ as the Lamb of God is not in the vivid imagination of the Apostle John or in a lucky guess of John the Baptist, but it is one of God’s designations for His Son.
Source: The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
John the Baptist did not fully understand the identity of Jesus, even when proclaiming the title 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,' because he had his own expectations.
This indicates that even at the baptism, John did not fully understand the identity of Jesus because he had his own expectations. He believed that the Lamb of God would come and drive the Romans out, just like everyone else believed.
Source: The Lamb of God (Ligonier)
The speaker recommends reading B.B. Warfield's book, Perfectionism, as the most comprehensive refutation of all types of perfectionism.
In my estimation, the most acute and comprehensive refutation both theologically and biblically of all types of perfectionism ever written was penned by the late great Princeton theologian, Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield. B.B. Warfield wrote a single thick volume simply titled Perfectionism .
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Paul speaks in a concrete, relatable language that is practical and plain, rather than engaging in deep philosophical discussion.
Paul is speaking here in a manner of concrete language that I think every one of us can relate to when he says: “I don’t understand why I do the things that I do, because the very things I don’t want to do, I do. That which I want to do, I don’t do.”
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Sin is fundamentally a choice to follow immediate desires rather than obeying Christ, because those desires are still present.
There is no other explanation for sin than that in the moment, it is more desirable for us to sin than it is to obey Christ.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Humanity cannot be inclined to Christ or God on its own; this disposition must be changed by the Holy Spirit through regeneration.
Unless the Holy Ghost changes the disposition of our heart through regeneration, we will never be inclined to come to Jesus.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Despite ongoing struggles and failures, the Christian's identity is defined by being a new creation through God's work.
I still know that I am a new creature. I am a new creation, and behold, all things have become new.
Source: Law Cannot Save from Sin (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The 'weaker brother' is defined as someone who does not understand the full concept of Christian liberty, leading them to focus on elementary principles.
The first thing we have to understand is that Paul describes the people who had this particular scruple as the “weaker brother” because they did not understand the fullness of the biblical concept of Christian liberty.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The stronger Christian must be willing to forego their own freedom for the sake of the weaker brother.
The stronger brother has to be willing to forego his freedom for the sake of the weaker.
Source: The Law of Liberty (Ligonier)
The Gospel account read is not a myth but the true word of God.
but the record you have just heard is not a cleverly devised myth from antiquity. Rather, it comes to us as the veritable word of Almighty God, being sealed with His truth.
Source: Legion (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed that grows into a large tree, and also to leaven that spreads throughout a measure of meal.
It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
Source: A Little Leaven (Ligonier)
The speaker quotes Jesus' parables to illustrate that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that grows into a large, sheltering tree.
Jesus answered the question this way: “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
Source: A Little Leaven (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God, though starting small, has the power to overcome even large, opposing forces.
The society may be ten thousand times stronger than you are and totally opposed to everything that you hold holy, sacred, and precious. But that hand of God is like John Barros, by himself, standing in front of the abortion mill in Orlando, which has now gathered the attention of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States of America.
Source: A Little Leaven (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God is enduring and cannot be defeated by opposing forces.
The gates of hell cannot prevail against it because it is the kingdom of God, not the kingdom of men.
Source: A Little Leaven (Ligonier)
Nonconformity that is based merely on arbitrary rules or for its own sake is misguided and trivializes spiritual matters.
So, you see what happens when nonconformity degenerates to nonconformity for its own sake. There are many Christian groups in our culture that say the essence of Christian piety is that you do not go to movies, wear lipstick, or dance.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
One cannot discover God's will through methods like Ouija boards or seeking signs; rather, it is found by renewing the mind through the Word of God.
You do not find God’s will by using a Ouija board. It is not found by looking for signs. It is not found by putting out fleeces. It is found by the renewing of your mind through feeding on the Word of God so that you begin to think God’s thoughts after Him.
Source: Living Sacrifices to God (Ligonier)
True saving knowledge of Jesus Christ requires divine and supernatural light from God, which cannot be achieved through human intellect or study alone.
Nobody ever comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ without that divine and supernatural light. You may study theology and make A’s in the course. You may have a profoundly correct, theologically accurate understanding of the person and work of Jesus. But a saving knowledge that you not only know with your head but also fills your soul and burns your heart cannot happen unless God Himself visits and awakens you by that divine and supernatural light.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Scripture provides extensive provisions and guidelines for taking on debt, provided that the lending and borrowing are not exploitative or oppressive.
If you look at the scope of sacred Scripture, you will see that there are vast provisions for taking on debt and guidelines to protect people who are in debt. In the first instance, there are strong prohibitions against oppressive usury.
Source: Love Your Neighbor (Ligonier)
While the New Testament does not explicitly command the tithe, the principle of the tithe is not suggested to have been abrogated.
It is true that there is no explicit commandment in the New Testament that requires the tithe as it was set down by the law of God to the people of Israel in the Old Testament. On the other hand, there is nothing in the New Testament that suggests the principle of the tithe that God required of Israel was ever abrogated.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Tithing is merely the starting point of Christian charity and giving, not the ultimate goal or the highest standard.
Remember, the tithe is the low point. It is not the high hurdle. It is not the ideal. It is the starting point of Christian charity and giving.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Sproul advises that if adjustments are necessary for giving, they should be made cheerfully, remembering that God is gracious and patient.
But if you must make adjustments, do it, and do it cheerfully. Remember that God is gracious and patient with us, and He promises to bless us when we cheerfully bring our offerings to Him for the advancement of the kingdom.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Mary's song, the Magnificat, is a sober reality and truth because it reflects God's attention to a woman in her low estate.
This Cinderella story was not a fairy tale nor a myth but was sober reality and truth because God Himself looked at this woman in her low estate.
Source: The Magnificat (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God is not merely an impersonal force but possesses a holy power and identity.
He is not simply a power, though He has all power. He is “ He who is mighty, He has done great things for me, and holy is His name.”
Source: The Magnificat (Part 1) (Ligonier)
All power and provision ultimately come from God, who both gives and takes away.
It’s God who gives grace to the poor, and it’s God who will take away from the self-sufficient rich, because it is the Lord who gives, and it’s the Lord who takes away.
Source: The Magnificat (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God's judgment is inherently truthful and cannot be evaded or questioned.
The discussion is over when God renders verdict, for we know that His judgment will be according to truth.
Source: Man Is without Excuse (Ligonier)
A woman arrived at a meal in Simon's home carrying an alabaster flask containing a very costly oil of spikenard.
as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.
Source: The Anointing at Bethany (Ligonier)
Mary's act of devotion was viewed by Jesus' contemporaries as an act of extravagance.
But you see, in the eyes of Jesus’ contemporaries, Mary’s act of devotion was an act of extravagance.
Source: The Anointing at Bethany (Ligonier)
God the Father ensured that Jesus' body would not suffer corruption, which was a matter of great prophetic importance.
The Father would not allow the Son’s body to see corruption. Not a bone of His body would be broken.
Source: The Anointing at Bethany (Ligonier)
God is inherently right and has never done anything wrong.
To ask that question, dear friends, is to answer it, because the God of heaven and earth does not know how to do anything except that which is right. The God of heaven and earth has never done anything that is wrong.
Source: The Atonement (Ligonier)
Jesus' mission required Him to submit to every word proceeding from God and to fully obey every dimension of the law.
My task as Messiah is to submit Myself to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, to fully obey every dimension of the law. Every requirement that God gives to His people, I must obey.
Source: The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
The test Jesus faced in the wilderness was comparable to the temptation faced by Adam and Eve, focusing on the issue of belief and obedience to God's word.
The issue in the garden of Eden presented before God’s first humans was, “Are you going to believe and obey My word?” Fast forward to the Judean wilderness where Satan came to Jesus in His weakness and loneliness.
Source: The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Christianity must be historical in its foundational assertions to retain its value.
Christianity is married to history. If it is not historical in its foundational assertions, then it is worth less than any myth.
Source: Beginning of Jesus' Public Ministry (Ligonier)
The term plērōma signifies a state of bursting at the seams, where nothing is left unfilled.
When you fill something in the sense of plērōma , it is bursting at the seams. It is spilling out over the edge. There is no margin left that is not totally filled.
Source: Beginning of Jesus' Public Ministry (Ligonier)
The phrase 'follow Me' has a literal meaning, referring to the act of physically walking behind the teacher.
Jesus was a peripatetic rabbi. He would go from town to town and lecture on the way, and His disciples would literally follow Him.
Source: Beginning of Jesus' Public Ministry (Ligonier)
The axiom that power corrupts is flawed because only God possesses absolute power, and He is incapable of corruption.
Of course, there is something inherently wrong with that axiom, in that the only being who possesses absolute power is God Himself, and He is absolutely without corruption.
Source: The Beheading of John the Baptist (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The disciples reported that people thought Jesus was either John the Baptist or Elijah.
The disciples report to Jesus: “Well, we have our ear to the ground. We hear the gossip. We hear the back-fence communications. Some people think you’re John the Baptist.” This was because the fame of John the Baptist had gone throughout the land and most of the people in Galilee had never seen John the Baptist. They had heard about him. So the disciples said: “A lot of them think you’re John the Baptist because you are a prophet like he was. Others think you’re Elijah.”
Source: The Blind Man & Peter's Confession (Ligonier)
The ability to name something was a significant task given to Adam, and the demons attempted to control Jesus by naming Him.
One of the first tasks God gave to Adam in the garden was to name the animals, and by naming the animals the dominion of the human over the beast was manifested. So, the demons thought they could control Jesus by saying His name, but every time they did this, Jesus told them to be quiet.
Source: The Calling of the Disciples (Ligonier)
Faith is not merely believing facts about Jesus, but rather a movement or entrance into Christ, described by the Greek word 'eis'.
The word eis is the word “in,” in the sense of moving into something. You were once outside in the parking lot. You came into the church. That was “into.” That was eis . That is what faith does.
Source: The Calling of the Disciples (Ligonier)
Faith involves moving from a state of separation to a profound union with Christ, which is described using the Greek word 'eis'.
The word eis is the word “in,” in the sense of moving into something. You were once outside in the parking lot. You came into the church. That was “into.” That was eis . That is what faith does.
Source: The Calling of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The words of Jesus are authoritative and will endure, even when physical structures pass away.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Source: Christ Coming in Glory (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit inspired the writings of God's spokesmen throughout the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus.
Throughout the Old Testament and the teaching of Jesus, those who were God’s spokesmen spoke not by their own wisdom but under the supervision and influence of the Holy Ghost.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
Jesus affirmed that David's testimony was divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
I mention simply in passing that Jesus said that this affirmation by David was by the Holy Spirit.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
The New Testament writers frequently referenced Psalm 110, indicating its profound importance for understanding Jesus.
The New Testament writers refer to it thirty-three times, so they clearly understood the gravity of how important this text is to understand the person and work of Jesus.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
The New Testament writers considered a specific text to be profoundly important, referencing it thirty-three times.
The New Testament writers refer to it thirty-three times, so they clearly understood the gravity of how important this text is to understand the person and work of Jesus.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
Christ's authority is supreme, as evidenced by the fact that the name reserved for God in the Old Testament is now given to His Son.
The name reserved for God in the Old Testament is now given to His Son, who is now called Kyrios kyrion , the Lord of the lords, the Sovereign One whom God has seated at His right hand.
Source: David's Son and Lord (Ligonier)
When a Jew used the phrase 'it is written,' it was shorthand for stating that the Bible said something.
The phrase “it is written” was shorthand for the pious Jew to say, “The Bible says.”
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
While he has no authority to bind a conscience, God does, and believers should focus on the Apostolic tradition passed down from God.
Beloved, I have no right or authority to bind your conscience—or anybody’s conscience in this room—absolutely. But God has the power and the authority to bind your conscience absolutely.
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that human traditions cannot nullify or diminish the authority of God's Word.
And Jesus says, “You make the Word of God of no effect through your tradition.”
Source: Defilement from Within (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The comparison between a camel and a needle's eye illustrates that entering the Kingdom of God is difficult, but possible.
Jesus is going to make it clear that it’s possible, but it’s difficult.
Source: The Eye of the Needle (Ligonier)
When faced with limitations or perceived obstacles, one should use what resources they currently possess and allow God to work through them.
Jesus essentially responded: “Take what you have and let Me bless it, and we’ll see what God does when you give Him what you have. We’ll see what God does when you do what you can do. You do what you can do, you give what you can give, and then get out of the way and watch God work.”
Source: Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
When people complain or feel limited, they should give God what they have, and God will work through those resources.
Take what you have and let Me bless it, and we’ll see what God does when you give Him what you have. We’ll see what God does when you do what you can do. You do what you can do, you give what you can give, and then get out of the way and watch God work.
Source: Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
God's power is limitless, and human questioning of His ability to act is futile.
Has the arm of the Lord waxed short? Do you forget who you’re talking to, Moses? Step back and watch, and you will see if I will do what I said I would do.
Source: Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
God's patience is not infinite, and He has a limit, warning that He may eventually withdraw His forbearance.
That’s an extremely dangerous conclusion to come to, because again and again God warns His people, “My Spirit will not always strive with men.” There is a limit to God’s patience, beloved.
Source: The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Ligonier)
Jesus warned His disciples to be cautious of the corrupting influence, or 'leaven,' associated with the Pharisees and Herod.
Listen to what He says: “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
Source: The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Ligonier)
Sinful influence, like the leaven of the Pharisees, is a corrupting poison that can destroy a person's life.
You spend time with cynics; you start to be a cynic. You spend time around antagonistic skeptics; you become an antagonistic skeptic, because the leaven of the Pharisees is a poison that can kill us.
Source: The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Ligonier)
Humans cannot perceive the truth of God without the Holy Spirit opening their eyes and ears.
By nature, we don’t perceive the things of God. Until the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and opens our ears, we’re impervious to the truth of God.
Source: The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Ligonier)
The commentators who believe in the sinlessness of Jesus and the inspiration of the New Testament text have attempted to explain the incident using the dimensions of growing figs.
Those who believe in the sinlessness of Jesus and in the inspiration of the New Testament text have come to the defense of our Lord and tried to explain this somewhat bizarre incident in terms of the dimensions of growing figs.
Source: The Fig Tree and the Temple (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated profound distress and ultimately submitted to the Father's will, even while asking for the cup to be removed.
Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.
Source: The Garden of Gethsemane (Ligonier)
The Greek word used in the text for 'catch' is a rare word that means being involved in an attempt at violent pursuit.
The force of the verb, used only here in the New Testament, is “to be involved in an attempt to catch by way of violent pursuit.”
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
Humans must render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.
Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
True love for God must be an undiluted, unmixed affection that originates from the deepest parts of one's being.
It is not a superficial affection nor a casual or cavalier endearment, but an affection from the very root of our being. This affection is not surpassed by any other experience. It is an undiluted, unmixed love for God.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
Jesus expanded the Shema, requiring that love for God must encompass not only heart, soul, and strength, but also the mind and full understanding.
When Jesus summarizes the Shema , He says that not only are we to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength, but with all our mind , the fullness of our understanding.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The speaker acknowledges his own failure to perfectly keep the Great Commandment.
That scares me because I have not kept the Great Commandment for five minutes in my life. I have never loved God with my whole heart.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
Jesus perfectly kept the Great Commandment throughout his life.
The Lord Jesus kept the Great Commandment perfectly. Every second of His life, He loved the Father with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The Lord commanded the Israelites to constantly teach and remember the commandments in every aspect of daily life.
The Lord is saying: “Do not just recite it twice a day, but with the recitation comes exposition. I want you to talk about this when you are sitting down, when you are standing up, when you are on the highway, when you are on a trip. I want you to bind it to your forehead and on your hands and on your doors.”
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The Lord commanded that the Shema should not only be recited twice daily but also accompanied by exposition and be displayed in various places.
Do not just recite it twice a day, but with the recitation comes exposition. I want you to talk about this when you are sitting down, when you are standing up, when you are on the highway, when you are on a trip. I want you to bind it to your forehead and on your hands and on your doors.
Source: The Great Commandment (Ligonier)
The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God, and believers are called to obey it.
Week after week, I have declared to you when we read the Scriptures that this is nothing less than the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. Being the Word of God, we are called to give obedience to it.
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
The church has always maintained that the confidence in the Bible's inspiration applies only to the original manuscripts, not to translations or copyists.
Through the centuries when the church has confessed her confidence that the Bible is inspired, inerrant, and infallible, that confession has always been qualified by the statement that what we speak of is simply the autographa , or the body of original manuscripts. In other words, the church—at least Protestantism—has not advocated for the inspiration of translations or copyists.
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
Because original manuscripts are unavailable and all that remains are copies, these copies may contain variations and errors from transmission.
In many cases, even the monks whose sole task was to spend their lives carefully, assiduously, precisely copying the existing manuscripts they had word for word, line upon line, accent upon accent would have variations between the monks of one locale and the monks of another locale.
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
Based on textual evidence and internal analysis, the speaker believes the last few verses of the Gospel of Mark were not part of the original text.
all the best manuscript evidence, as well as internal analysis, would lead us to conclude that the last few verses from the gospel of Mark were not in the original version, and I am almost compellingly convinced to agree.
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
Jesus definitely gave the Great Commission, which mandates preaching the gospel to every creature.
There is no question in church history and in biblical analysis that our Lord gave the Great Commission. Whether it should appear here in the last portion of Mark is the question, but there is no question that Jesus gave this commission, where He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Source: The Great Commission (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that the inclusion of this specific healing narrative by Mark is significant, noting that the word for 'speech impediment' appears only twice in the Bible.
In all the New Testament record of Jesus’ life, why does Mark alone include this brief narrative of this particular healing? We find a clue in that the word mogilalos is the Greek word for what is translated “speech impediment” here. This word is only used twice in the Bible, and the other place is in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
Source: The Healing of the Deaf Mute (Ligonier)
God does not need to explain His purposes or actions to humanity, as He is the ultimate authority.
God doesn’t have to explain anything that He pleases to bring to pass in this world. He didn’t have to explain to Israel why jackals were inhabiting the land. He didn’t have to explain to Israel why their streams had become like rivers of tar, worthless for navigation, worthless for fishing.
Source: The Healing of the Deaf Mute (Ligonier)
Jesus' teaching possessed a unique and superior authority compared to the learned scribes.
Mark says that He spoke as one having authority, not like the scribes.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
Unlike the scribes who cited other scholars and traditions, Jesus taught with a direct, authoritative declaration.
Jesus did not do that; He used no footnotes, no citations, and no marshaling of otherworldly authorities.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
Jesus' teaching and authority were fundamentally rooted in God's own essence, making his words supremely substantive.
This was the utterance of the One who was of the same essence as the Father, so that Jesus’ authority was authority rooted and grounded in God Himself.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
Jesus demonstrated His authority over demons simply by speaking, which caused the demons to obey.
Jesus simply spoke, and the demons obeyed because they knew He had authority over them.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
Jesus's power was not derived from tricks or charlatanism, but from His inherent authority.
Jesus did not act like a magician or shaman. He did not shake and rattle a bunch of beads and play games of healing, saying: “Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now?” He did not use any of those tricks we see with the charlatans.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
Jesus did not choose the path of least resistance; rather, He deliberately chose the more difficult path to make a profound claim about His divine authority.
I do not think Jesus had in mind that it was easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven.” In that culture, in that context, in the presence of the scribes and the presence of His enemies, it would have been far easier for Jesus to say, “Get up and walk.”
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
The title Son of Man is used frequently by Jesus Himself in the New Testament, which is a significant point often overlooked when discussing Jesus' two natures.
The title Son of Man is used for Jesus eighty-three times in the New Testament, and in every single case except two of them, the title Son of Man is used by Jesus for Himself.
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
The title Son of Man is highly significant because it indicates Jesus' divine authority and heavenly origin, not merely human humility.
When Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, He is not practicing humility. He is not saying, “I’m just a poor country human being.” Rather, He is saying: “I have descended from heaven. I am heavenly, not from this earth.”
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
Jesus used the title Son of Man to demonstrate that he possessed divine authority to forgive sins.
That’s why I said, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ so you may know that the Son of Man has divine authority. I have the authority, the exousia , the power and authority to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’
Source: Healing the Paralytic (Ligonier)
Human wickedness is sufficient to account for vile acts without needing to appeal to Satan's assistance.
I remember listening to these verbal descriptions of the crime against the President of the United States, and I thought within myself: “Self,” I said, “it could well be that this act was inspired by Satan, but we don’t have to look to Satan to account for evil of this kind. There lurks quite sufficient wickedness in the heart of human beings to perform such vile acts without any assistance from Satan.”
Source: The Healing of the Possessed Boy (Ligonier)
The Day of Pentecost is crucial because Jesus' followers are powerless in His absence, but the Holy Ghost will provide power.
One of the reasons the Day of Pentecost is so important in redemptive history is because Jesus’ followers are powerless in His absence.
Source: The Healing of the Possessed Boy (Ligonier)
Faith cannot be created by a mere decision or declaration; it must come through hearing the Word of God.
You can’t make a decision with your mouth to believe something that in fact you don’t believe. You can decide to repent of your sins. You can decide to learn of Jesus, to study the Word. You can decide to do all kinds of things that will affect your future behavior, but what you can’t do is create faith by a decision. This is where I fault modern evangelistic techniques that suggest all you have to do is make a decision, and voila, faith will well up in your soul. It doesn’t work like that. Faith comes by hearing. Faith comes by the Word of God.
Source: The Healing of the Possessed Boy (Ligonier)
Faith is not constant, but rather waxes and wanes, requiring continuous effort and reliance on God's Word.
Everybody in this room who is a Christian has some level of authentic, saving faith in their hearts, but the level of our faith is not constant. It waxes and wanes. It increases. It diminishes.
Source: The Healing of the Possessed Boy (Ligonier)
Jesus required the woman to give Him the complete and unvarnished truth about her situation.
Jesus wanted the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and that is what the grateful woman gave to Jesus: “Jesus, I touched You. I’m unclean. I’ve just made You unclean according to the law because I touched You. I hope You’ll forgive me, but I was desperate because I’ve had this for twelve years. I went to every doctor I knew of, and they took my money, and they made me worse. I’m sorry, Jesus, but I just knew that if I could touch You, I would finally be healed.”
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
The efficient cause of the woman's healing was Jesus's power, not her faith.
Jesus was the efficient cause of her healing. How did the efficient cause get directed into the woman? What would we say is the instrumental cause of her cure? It was faith.
Source: Jairus' Daughter (Ligonier)
Humans require a righteousness that originates from God to stand in His presence.
You and I can never stand in the presence of a holy God unless we are clothed from on high with a righteousness that is not our own.
Source: Jesus' Arrest (Ligonier)
The Word of Faith movement and the New Age movement both promote the idea that focusing imagination and belief can change the external world.
The Word of Faith movement teaches what we call “name it and claim it” and includes some form of faith healing. The movement says, “All you have to do to change the external world around you is believe it and claim it, and it will be so.”
Source: Jesus’ Authority (Ligonier)
Christ exercises divine power through His word, similar to how God created the world.
Just as God brought the world into existence by the sound of the voice, by the divine imperative, so Christ exercises that same divine imperative on this disease.
Source: Jesus Heals Many (Ligonier)
Jesus' profound wisdom did not require formal academic credentials to be recognized.
He didn’t need a degree from Gamaliel to be an expert in theology.
Source: Jesus at Nazareth (Ligonier)
He warns that people often try to distance themselves from Christ or from anyone whose name is not highly regarded.
They want to distance themselves as far as they can from any identification with Christ, or from anybody whose name is not in high regard.
Source: Jesus at Nazareth (Ligonier)
Pilate was characterized by historians as being inflexible, stubborn, and cruel.
Both agree that Pilate was inflexible, stubborn, and cruel. He was finally banished because of those characteristics in his personal behavior.
Source: Jesus before Pilate (Ligonier)
Pilate accurately stated that Jesus was without any fault or blemish.
Never in his whole life had Pilate more accurately spoken the truth than when he, as the judge of Jesus in this public role, said: “I find no fault in Him. Ecce homo , behold the man, the man without a blemish, the man without a fault.”
Source: Jesus before Pilate (Ligonier)
Jesus chose to remain silent during the trial to prevent his words from being twisted and used against him.
Better to let the false witnesses give their testimony and Jesus stay quiet than for Him to say anything they could use against Him.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
Jesus' declaration of 'I am' was a clear assertion of his divine identity and future authority.
Jesus spoke, and He said, “I am.”
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
Jesus endured physical abuse, such as spitting, by accepting it, which fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah.
If somebody tries to spit in your face, you are going to cover yourself up. Jesus took it, following the prophetic utterance of the prophet Isaiah in describing what would happen centuries in the future with the Servant of the Lord. He was beaten, and He took it when they spit upon Him.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
People, including professed Christians, are free to take the name of God in vain, which is a serious matter that should be avoided.
You see, people are quite free in our culture—even professing Christians—to take the name of God in vain.
Source: Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Ligonier)
In Jewish and human understanding, only God possesses the power or ability to walk on water.
In the Jewish understanding, indeed in all human understanding, the only One who has the power or ability to walk on water is God Himself.
Source: Jesus Walking on Water (Ligonier)
The Greek phrase 'Ego eimi' is used by Jesus to translate the ineffable name of God, Yahweh.
When the Greek translates Yahweh , it is by that strange conjunction, ego eimi .
Source: Jesus Walking on Water (Ligonier)
The disciples failed to understand that Jesus was God incarnate, instead viewing him merely as a liberator from Roman oppression.
But instead of seeing the presence of God, they saw the presence of a liberator from the military oppression of Rome. They did not understand.
Source: Jesus Walking on Water (Ligonier)
Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go was due to his hardened heart.
But Pharaoh said, “No.” Why? Because his heart was hard.
Source: Jesus Walking on Water (Ligonier)
People's inability to understand Christ's identity or God's power is due to their hardened hearts, not a lack of intelligence.
Beloved, when people do not understand the identity of Christ, it is not because they are unintelligent; it is because their hearts are recalcitrant. Their hearts are made of stone.
Source: Jesus Walking on Water (Ligonier)
The Gospel of Mark is a 'witness document' that provides a summary of Jesus' significant work rather than a detailed biography or chronological account.
Rather, it was called a “witness document,” almost like a tract that somebody would hand out to give a summary of the significant work of Jesus.
Source: John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The Gospel of Mark's primary purpose is to demonstrate that Jesus is both the Messiah and the Son of God.
Rather, we get the skeletal outline, the major facts designed to demonstrate two things: Jesus is the Messiah, and Jesus is the Son of God.
Source: John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The tendency to demand from God what one wants is a dangerous theological error that is exemplified by the request of James and John.
This is the origin of that terrible theology that we call “name it and claim it,” where we look at God as a celestial bellhop who is there to fill our orders.
Source: Kingdom Climbers (Ligonier)
Judas Iscariot actively sought a convenient way to betray Jesus for monetary gain.
Mark does not simply say, “Judas sought how he might betray Him,” but rather, “He sought how he might conveniently betray Him.” It was not enough that he intended to deliver Jesus into the hands of those who would kill Him, but at the same time he undertook this deed for monetary gain, he wanted to carry it out in such a manner that he would not be inconvenienced.
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
Jesus knew that His betrayal was not a sudden invention of Judas but was ordained by God from the foundation of the world.
He knew His betrayal was not a sudden invention of Judas at the last minute in Jesus’ ministry; the betrayal of the Son of Man had been ordained by God from the foundation of the world.
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
The words spoken by Jesus at the institution of the Lord's Supper should be understood as a simple statement meaning 'Eat this, My body.'
If He spoke these words in Aramaic, which He probably did, basically what He would have been saying is, “Eat this, My body.”
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
Luther insisted that the presence of Jesus in the Lord's Supper is physical or corporeal, based on the words of institution.
Context: Describing Luther's position, not his own.
He insisted that the presence of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper is in some way, physical or corporeal, based on the words of institution.
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
The meaning of Jesus' words at the Lord's Supper is not merely a physical identification but refers to His person.
What Jesus was saying was not just, “This is My physical person,” but, “This is My person.”
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
The Lord's Supper is an invitation to intimacy, nourishment, and strength from Christ.
He invites us to feed on Him, to be nurtured by Him, to be strengthened by Him.
Source: The Last Supper (Ligonier)
The Sabbath was established for the benefit of man, not the reverse.
The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The speaker believes the Sabbath was instituted in creation, predating Moses and the Ten Commandments.
I am with the group that believes the Sabbath was instituted in creation, long before Moses ever trod the earth.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The Word of God is the only thing that has the power to bring us to health, even though it is difficult to hear.
Yet, nothing has the power to bring us to health like the Word of God.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
The Word of God is powerful, capable of bringing spiritual health and exposing sin.
Yet, nothing has the power to bring us to health like the Word of God.
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Christians should not merely hear the Word of God but must allow it to penetrate and affect their souls.
Did you hear it in your ears and then divert it from your soul?
Source: Lord of the Sabbath (Ligonier)
Tax offices in the Sea of Galilee area were typically small, temporary structures located along busy commercial routes.
The tax offices in this part of the world at that time would have been little booths or shanties, crudely erected along the busy byways of villages and cities, particularly where commerce was involved near the border.
Source: New Wine Skins (Ligonier)
Jesus' words are considered the unadulterated Word of God and are critical to the content of the Christian faith.
What you have just heard is the unadulterated Word of God involving Jesus’ teaching on matters critical to the content of the Christian faith.
Source: The Olivet Discourse (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The speaker is skeptical of scholarly attempts to find a single, definitive explanation for the difficulties presented in the Olivet Discourse.
I have yet to find an explanation for all these difficulties that totally resolves them, at least to my satisfaction.
Source: The Olivet Discourse (Part 1) (Ligonier)
When persecuted, believers should speak the words given to them by the Holy Spirit, recognizing that the Spirit, not they, is the speaker.
But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Source: The Olivet Discourse (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that the Christians were spared during the destruction of Jerusalem because Jesus had warned them and told them to flee to the mountains.
But strangely, the Christians were not among them. Why? Because Jesus had warned about this tribulation that was to come, and He told His people to flee to the mountains.
Source: The Olivet Discourse (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God distributes His Word indiscriminately into the world.
The point is that when God sows His seed, which is His Word, it is spread about indiscriminately, in a sense.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
When God sends His Word, He ultimately achieves what He intends to accomplish through the preaching of that Word.
So, one of the main points of this parable is that when God sends His Word, in the final analysis, what God wants to accomplish with the preaching of His Word is accomplished.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God operates imperceptibly, like a seed that comes to life while one is sleeping.
While he was sound asleep, the seed that was sown is at work. It’s energized. It’s already in the earth. The rain comes while he is asleep, and the earth brings forth first a blade, then a shoot, then the fruit.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
A simple word can have a profound and lasting impact on a person's life.
I thought, “I wonder how many other words I’ve spoken to people that I don’t remember at all but wounded them and created scars on their souls that they carry to this day.”
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Ministers should focus on proclaiming the truth and allowing God to determine the ultimate fruitfulness of their service, rather than seeking immediate results.
We do not know what God does with our service or efforts. We plant the seed, go to bed, and God takes that seed and germinates life, and the life grows and produces a full harvest.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Scriptural statements, such as those from Jesus, should be interpreted with consideration for hyperbole and context, rather than taking them as literal, scientific facts.
Is there no room for hyperbole in the teachings of Jesus? Do not the gospel writers tell us, “And all Capernaum came out to hear Him”? Do we understand that to mean that every man, woman, child, and disabled person came out that day? No.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The core message of the mustard seed analogy is that God can use even the smallest, seemingly insignificant actions or words to bring about the great work of the Kingdom.
The smallest word you speak, the smallest service you give—God can take that tiny, seemingly insignificant thing and bring a kingdom out of it.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The ultimate point of the analogy is not the size of the seed, but the greatness of God's providence, which actively works toward His eternal plan.
This points to the greatness of God, not to the greatness of the mustard seed, but to the greatness of God’s providence, which works every day to bring about His plan for the ages.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God is built not through spectacle or entertainment, but through obedience to God's Word, which is empowered by the Holy Spirit.
That is how God’s kingdom is built; not with entertainment, not with flash, not with all the pizzazz we try to conjure up, but by obedience to His Word, which is attended by His Spirit and grows until the day the Lord of the harvest comes for His fruit.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
The Gospel of Mark is characterized by its brevity and focus on key facts, requiring other Gospel records for detailed commentary.
When we first started studying this book, I mentioned that one of the key words in Mark’s gospel is the Greek word euthys , which is translated either “straightway” or “immediately.” He moves rapidly, sticks to the salient facts of the matter, and gives us very little lengthy commentary.
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
Every believer must strive diligently to gain a sound knowledge of the Word of God to avoid being rebuked.
Every believer should strive with all his might to have a sound knowledge of the Word of God, lest we hear that same rebuke from Jesus: “You’re mistaken because you don’t know the Word of God. You don’t know the Scriptures.”
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
Jesus used the Torah, specifically the burning bush passage, to correct the Sadducees regarding the nature of God's power.
He took them to the Torah, to the second book of the Old Testament. He said: “Have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”
Source: The Resurrection (Ligonier)
Jesus is the supreme Apostle of the Father, and His ministry carries the authority of the Father.
Our Lord Himself is the supreme Apostle of the Father, and He carries in His ministry nothing less than the authority of the Father.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
It is false to separate the authority and testimony of the Apostles from the authority of Christ.
So, it is a false dichotomy to separate Apostolic testimony and authority from the authority of Christ.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
Jesus sent the Apostles out in pairs to ensure that what one proclaims, the other verifies.
But two by two involves companionship and partnership, and it harkens back to the Old Testament principle where something was established as true if testimony was given by two witnesses. So, Jesus sent them out to testify about Him and the coming kingdom of God. He sent them by twos, so that what one proclaims, the other verifies.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
Christ imparts His power to those who represent His name and teach His truth.
Our Lord imparts His power to those who represent His name and teach His truth.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The disciples must rely entirely on God the Father for provision during their mission, meaning they cannot bring money, food, or extra clothing.
You have to depend on My Father at every point of this mission. No bag. No bread. You can’t even take anything to eat with you. No copper—that means not the slightest bit of change.
Source: The Sending of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The author of the Gospel of Mark used the name Bartimaeus followed by the description 'the son of Timaeus' as a literary device to ensure that gentile readers understood the man's Hebrew lineage.
To call this man Bartimaeus and follow that with the description “the son of Timaeus” is really an exercise in literary redundancy. Every Hebrew who would read this story would know the name Bar-Timaeus, just as Jesus was Jesus Bar-Joseph. To be bar means to be “son of.”
Source: Son of Man, A Servant (Ligonier)
The Gospel of Mark was written for people who were not always aware of Hebrew ancestry, customs, or names.
Mark writes for people who are not always aware of Hebrew ancestry, customs, or names.
Source: Son of Man, A Servant (Ligonier)
The repetition of a man's name and his father's name in the biblical text is likely a literary device intended for gentile readers who would not understand the Hebrew etymology.
To call this man Bartimaeus and follow that with the description “the son of Timaeus” is really an exercise in literary redundancy. Every Hebrew who would read this story would know the name Bar-Timaeus, just as Jesus was Jesus Bar-Joseph. To be bar means to be “son of.”
Source: Son of Man, A Servant (Ligonier)
The term 'dog' used by Jesus was rendered in the diminutive sense in the Greek, referring to small, domesticated household pets.
Notice that, in the translation I read to you, the word “dogs” was qualified by the adjective “little.” In the Greek here, the word for “dog” is rendered in the diminutive sense, so that what Jesus is talking about here are small dogs that are at the table in somebody’s house.
Source: The Syro-Phoenician Woman (Ligonier)
The disciples, even after Peter's confession, did not fully understand the identity of Jesus, specifically what the title 'Messiah' entailed.
Last week, I mentioned by way of foreshadowing and foreboding that even in this majestic and glorious confession of faith from the lips of Peter, the disciples still did not have a full understanding of the identity of Jesus.
Source: Taking Up the Cross (Ligonier)
When Jesus preaches the Word of God, it is not a casual comment but a profound message originating from God Himself.
When we speak of preaching the Word of God, we’re not talking about some casual comment that is communicated, but we’re talking about the depth of the content that comes from God Himself.
Source: Taking Up the Cross (Ligonier)
The Word of God is reliable, and if Jesus predicted something within a certain timeframe, it must have happened within that timeframe.
One thing I know for certain: the Word of God does not fail. Jesus was truth incarnate, and when He said that something was going to happen in a certain timeframe, then I know it happened within that timeframe.
Source: Transfiguration (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus Christ is not merely a reflector of God's glory, but is the source of that glory.
Jesus doesn’t just reflect the brightness of the glory of God, He is the brightness of the glory of God.
Source: Transfiguration (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus signifies that they understood Jesus's destiny and the role of the Messiah.
Jesus didn’t have to say to Elijah, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Jesus didn’t have to say to Moses, “Get behind me, Satan,” because both Elijah, who represents the Prophets, and Moses, who represents the Law, clearly understood the vocation of the Messiah.
Source: Transfiguration (Part 2) (Ligonier)
God is heard to speak audibly in the New Testament three times to acknowledge His only begotten Son.
Three times God is heard to speak audibly in the New Testament, and every time it’s to acknowledge His only begotten Son: “This is My beloved Son. Listen to what He says. Hear Him!”
Source: Transfiguration (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Participation in the Lord's Supper is designed only for those who put their trust in Christ.
If you are not a Christian, then for your own protection, let this pass, because this has been designed only for those who put their trust in Christ.
Source: Transfiguration (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Anyone who seriously takes the Word of God and speaks from it will eventually be accused of being out of their mind or a fanatic.
Any time somebody takes seriously the Word of God, stands on it, and speaks from it, they will sooner or later be considered out of their mind.
Source: The Unpardonable Sin (Ligonier)
Blasphemy is primarily verbal, sometimes involving the mouth or the pen.
Again, blasphemy is verbal, and most of the time it is with the mouth. Some of the time, it is with the pen.
Source: The Unpardonable Sin (Ligonier)
Believing in the Father necessarily includes believing in Jesus Christ.
If you don’t believe in Jesus, you don’t believe in God. That’s what He’s saying.
Source: Who Is the Greatest? (Ligonier)
Accepting Jesus's authority requires accepting those whom he sends in his name, because rejecting him means rejecting the Father.
If you don’t receive those whom I send in My name, you don’t receive Me. And if you don’t receive Me, you don’t receive the Father.
Source: Who Is the Greatest? (Ligonier)
The passage from Luke 10:38–42 is profoundly significant because it contains a direct word from Jesus to Martha.
This is a brief passage, but one filled with profound significance, as it gives us a word from Jesus Himself to His beloved friend, Martha, presumably at Bethany.
Source: Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
The speaker raises questions about the specific nature of Martha's distraction, suggesting it might relate to preparing or cleaning up a meal.
Was she distracted because she was left in the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus, her sister, herself, and perhaps her brother? Or was it that she had the even greater responsibility to prepare a meal to feed all the disciples, if they had come with Jesus into the home? Or was the serving not simply the preparation of the meal, but perhaps the clean-up afterwards?
Source: Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
Jesus addressing Martha by repeating her name, 'Martha, Martha,' was done in the most tender fashion possible.
He looked at her and said: “Martha, Martha. You’re worried. You’re so troubled about many things. I can see that, but you must understand something. One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part.”
Source: Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
The speaker argues that the maximalist interpretation of Mary's fiat is flawed because it rips the statement from its original context.
If ever a statement has been ripped of the context in which it is made, it is Mary’s fiat.
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
When analyzing Mary's response, the speaker emphasizes that her initial statement of humility precedes any suggestion of her exercising authority.
The first thing she says is, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord.” If there is any “let it be,” there is first, “I am just a lowly slave, a kitchen servant of the Lord.”
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
Mary's initial response emphasized her role as a humble servant of the Lord, not an authority figure.
The first thing she says is, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord.” If there is any “let it be,” there is first, “I am just a lowly slave, a kitchen servant of the Lord.”
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
Believers should learn from Mary's subjection to God but must avoid attributing to her veneration belonging to her Son.
We ask that we may be properly instructed by the example of Mary, but not cast superstition or idolatry about her. Forgive us when we attribute to her the veneration that belongs to her Son and to her Son alone.
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
The lines used in the rosary were borrowed from the biblical passage involving Elizabeth and Mary.
The rosary borrowed these lines from this passage.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
Music is a powerful medium that can communicate many ideas, both good and bad.
Songs communicate so much. So many bad ideas, so many arrogant ideas, and yet God also uses songs to elevate the human soul to the highest levels possible.
Source: Mary's Visit to Elizabeth (Ligonier)
The question posed by John the Baptist to Jesus should be interpreted literally based on the text, rather than assuming it was merely to confirm the disciples' faith.
I think that is a stretch of biblical interpretation. We must go with what the text itself says. It was John who asked the question, and the reply Jesus gave was not simply for the benefit of his disciples, but Jesus says, “Go and tell John.”
Source: Message from John the Baptist (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Word of God asserts that Jesus is the only way to God and the only mediator between God and man.
If there are many ways to God, then it’s likely that Jesus isn’t one of them, because Jesus said He was the only One, and the Word of God says He’s the only One. The Word of God says that there is only one mediator between God and man.
Source: Message from John the Baptist (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Belief in God necessitates belief in Christ as the Son of God, and belief in Christ necessitates belief in hell.
If you believe the first, you must also believe the second, and if you believe the second, you must also believe the third, as we realize that our Lord taught more about hell than He did about heaven.
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
While Christians are called to be laborers, they do not possess the power to bring the fruit of the harvest; only God can provide the increase.
We are not the Lord of the harvest, nor do we even have the power to bring the fruit of the harvest. We can plant and we can water, but only God can give the increase.
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
God does not require human effort to harvest His elect or proclaim His Word; He has the power to do so independently.
God does not need us to harvest His elect. He could do it without us. He does not need us to proclaim His Word to the rest of the world. He could speak from the heavens to the whole globe if He chose to do so, but...
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
The relationship between the Father, Son, and Apostles is mutually dependent, meaning receiving one implies receiving the others.
If you receive the Apostles, you receive Christ. If you receive Christ, you receive the Father who sent Him and vice versa.
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
A person's name being written in the Book of Life is an eternal act performed by God, not something a person can achieve or do.
Nothing you can do can possibly add your name to that register, because the names in that register are written by God and by God alone.
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
If a name is in the Book of Life, it is entirely independent of any actions the person performs or will perform.
I do know this: if my name is in the Book of Life, it has nothing to do with anything I have done or will do.
Source: The Mission of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
God cannot impose His will on an unwilling sinner or intervene to change that sinner's heart.
God is a gentleman; He cannot impose His will on an unwilling sinner and intervene to change the disposition of that sinner’s heart.
Source: The Narrow Way (Ligonier)
An apostle is an emissary commissioned by a ruler, giving their word the authority and weight of that ruler's word.
An apostle is an ambassador commissioned by a king or a ruler, who is given designated authority to speak in his name and with his power. In the ancient world, if a king sent an apostolos, one who was sent, as his emissary, the apostle’s word was the same as the word of the king.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The New Testament contains what was written about Jesus by His Apostles, not what Jesus wrote himself.
What we read in the New Testament is not what Jesus wrote. Rather, it contains what was written about Him by His Apostles.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David, indicating that David was not writing on his own impulse.
which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The third and most important criterion for Apostleship was that the individual had to be commissioned directly and immediately by Christ.
The third criterion, which was far and away the most important, was that to be an Apostle, one had to be commissioned directly and immediately by Christ Himself.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
Paul's call to be an Apostle is recorded three times in the book of Acts, indicating that Christ directly and immediately called him.
There is a reason why Paul’s call to be an Apostle is recited three times in the book of Acts, as we will look at when that occurs in the text, when Christ Himself directly and immediately called Paul to be an Apostle.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
A person who claims a call to be an Apostle today lacks the necessary confirmation from the original Apostles.
I can say I have a call to be an Apostle today, but there is nobody left to confirm me.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The Christian assertion that there is only one way to God through Christ is a principle that is often denied by professing Christians.
There is nothing people find more intolerable than exclusivity, than to meet with the Christian assertion that there is only one way to God. I would say that only a handful of professing Christians in our culture today will stand up publicly and say there is only one way to God through Christ.
Source: No Other Name (Ligonier)
If Jesus claims to be the only way to God, and this claim is true, then any challenge to that exclusivity would be unmitigated arrogance.
Don’t you see that if Jesus is one way, and He says He’s the only way, and He’s lying about that, He couldn’t even be one way? But if He does say He’s the only way, and I say, ‘I’m a Christian, but Jesus was wrong about this,’ then I would possess unmitigated arrogance.
Source: No Other Name (Ligonier)
Humanity cannot be saved by any figure other than Jesus of Nazareth.
Peter answered: “It wasn’t Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, or David”—and we could add to that list that it wasn’t Buddha, Muhammad, or Confucius. Rather, Peter said: “It was by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, and whom God has raised from the dead. That’s by whose authority, power, and name this man was made whole, that you and all Israel might know His is the only name under heaven through which men may be saved.”
Source: No Other Name (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that actual contradictions in Scripture are a serious charge that should not be overlooked.
But if there are actual contradictions, that’s a serious charge.
Source: The Nobleman's Son (Ligonier)
The speaker finds it highly unlikely that John contradicted himself in two consecutive statements.
But to do it one sentence after the next, to be involved in a blatant contradiction, how stupid would John have to be?
Source: The Nobleman's Son (Ligonier)
Christ's word has the power to bring life out of death, safety out of danger, healing out of disease, and salvation out of lostness.
This is just one more glimpse of the person of Christ, the One who, by His command, by His very Word, brings life out of death, safety out of danger, healing out of disease, and salvation out of lostness.
Source: The Nobleman's Son (Ligonier)
The Bible repeatedly teaches that Christians have a duty to submit to those in authority, whether in the roles of parents, teachers, employers, or government officials.
The Bible teaches again and again that it is the Christian’s duty to submit to those in authority over us—whether children to parents, students to teachers, employees to employer, or citizens to government.
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
The authorities were wicked because they conspired to suppress the manifest power of God after witnessing a notable miracle.
Can you believe how wicked the hearts of fallen people are when they know the manifest power of God has been given right before their very eyes, yet they still are in a conspiracy to squelch it?
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
If any authority tells a Christian they may not pray, preach, worship, tithe, or do any of the things God commands, that Christian must disobey.
If any authority under heaven comes to the Christian and tells him that he may not pray, preach, worship, tithe, or do any of those things that God commands, that Christian not only may disobey, but that Christian must disobey.
Source: Obeying God or Man? (Ligonier)
Believers should never presume upon the grace of God.
Do not ever presume on the grace of God.
Source: The Parable of the Barren Fig (Ligonier)
The Great Commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our strength, with all our mind, and with all our soul.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, will all your strength, and with all your mind.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
Parables are preserved for our edification by the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit.
This parable was given not only for the enlightenment and understanding of those who heard it in the first century but has been preserved by the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit for our edification.
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
Those who resist God's Word find that it only serves to obscure the truth.
Context: Addressing the congregation in prayer.
But for those who resist Your Word, these things only tend to obscure Your truth all the more.
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
The term 'Blessed' is an ancient formula used by Old Testament prophets, specifically referring to oracles of weal (good news).
Jesus was using an ancient formula also utilized Old Testament prophets called an oracle. There were two kinds of oracles: the oracles of weal, which were good news, and the oracles of woe, which were bad news.
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that when reading Scripture, one should view the actions of the characters as a reflection of oneself.
If you see somebody in the text doing something bad, instead of saying, “Tsk, tsk,” you should realize that it describes you.
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
The Bible is infallible in all areas because God is its author, covering not only faith and practice but also political activity and economics.
I submit to you that the Bible is infallible in every area since God is its author. He not only reveals to us His truth concerning faith and practice but included in that is our practice of political activity and economics.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
Hiding or failing to use entrusted resources due to fear or intimidation is considered unproductive and judged negatively.
Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You were not productive. Out of your fear, you didn't produce anything, and I trusted you to grow my kingdom.
Source: The Parable of the Minas (Ligonier)
Jesus defined his true mother and brothers as those who hear the word of God and actively practice it.
But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
Source: The Parable of the Revealed Light (Ligonier)
The light of the Word of God, once rooted in the soul, must be openly manifested and not hidden.
If the light that comes from the Word of God takes root in your soul, as Jesus explained in the parable of the sower, it is truth that must never be hidden. As we understand the Word of God and it takes root in our hearts, we are not to put it under a bushel or hide it under the bed. Rather, we are to put it in a place of prominence, where it can be made manifest and seen clearly by all.
Source: The Parable of the Revealed Light (Ligonier)
Humans cannot hide from God because He knows everything, including thoughts and actions in all places.
We could go into the darkest hole in the universe and still not escape the gaze of God. The psalmist says in Psalm 139: “O Lord, search me and know me. See if there be any wicked way within me.” He says: “O Lord, You know every word that I say, and before a word is even formed on my lips, You know it altogether. Where shall I flee from Your Spirit? If I ascend into heaven, Thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold Thou art there. Thou knowest me altogether.”
Source: The Parable of the Revealed Light (Ligonier)
Humans are incapable of understanding the mystery of God's Word through mere intellectual effort, requiring the Holy Spirit's illumination.
Again, our Father and our God, if we were to rest simply on our understanding alone, we would be utterly incapable of penetrating the mystery of this Word. But we rejoice that You have given to us the Holy Spirit, who searches all things and illumines for us the meaning of this Word.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
Regeneration is an instantaneous work of the Holy Spirit that changes a person's disposition from unbelief to faith.
Regeneration, the work by which the Holy Spirit changes the disposition of your soul and brings you from darkness into light, from unbelief into faith, is an instantaneous thing. It is not something that happens gradually, nor is anybody ever partially reborn.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
Individuals are accountable directly to God regarding their spiritual responsibilities, not to the speaker.
You are not accountable to me on this matter. I did not make the rule, but you are accountable to God. I am accountable to God to make sure that you know where your accountability lies.
Source: The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Ligonier)
Paul was empowered by the Holy Spirit to confront false prophets directly and forcefully.
We read, “Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him.” Boy, would I like to have a photograph of that. I would love to see the look in Paul’s eyes because I think his eyes were blazing as he turned his gaze on this man who was trying to prevent the proconsul from hearing and receiving the gospel.
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
Paul was capable of highly confrontational language when addressing those who opposed righteousness.
Paul looked at the man and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
Jesus was willing to use harsh, condemnatory language against religious leaders when they resisted God's truth.
When He talked to the Pharisees, He called them children of hell, just as Paul called this false prophet the son of the devil.
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
To be qualified as an Apostle, one must have been called directly by Christ, mirroring the requirement for prophets in the Old Testament.
Likewise, in the New Testament, to be qualified to be an Apostle, one must have been called directly by Christ.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
The account of Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus was crucial for establishing and validating his authority in the early church.
Since Paul was not of the Twelve and not an eyewitness of the resurrection in the same way as the others, this occurrence on the road to Damascus became of supreme importance to validating his authority in the early church.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
The book of Acts was written not only to describe the Holy Ghost's activity but also to defend the credentials of Paul.
It is said that one of the reasons Luke wrote Acts was not simply to tell us of the marvelous activity of the Holy Ghost, but also to provide an apologia , an apology for the credentials of this man Saul of Tarsus, who from now on we will refer to as Paul.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
The power of God the Holy Spirit can radically change a person's life.
Because his life was turned upside down by the power of God the Holy Spirit, so the world was turned upside down, and so we have been turned upside down through the testimony that God put on Paul’s lips and his pen that feeds the church even to this day.
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
Waiting for God to fulfill His promises is a significant challenge for Christians.
That is the hardest thing for the Christian: to wait for God to keep the promises He has made.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that a necessary condition for being a Christian is to be born of the Spirit.
Jesus said that a necessary condition to be a Christian is to be born of the Spirit.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
The breath of God is associated with His life-giving Spirit, the power of creation, and the energy of divine operation.
From the beginning of the Scriptures in the Old Testament, the breath of God is associated with His life-giving Spirit. God’s breath is associated with the power of creation. It is associated with the energy of divine operation.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
He suggests focusing on the visible elements of sound and sight at Pentecost, rather than solely on speaking in tongues.
For now, I want us to focus on the other two dimensions, the sound and the sight of what happened on Pentecost, because therein we see Pentecost’s great significance.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
Fire also symbolizes ardor, warmth, and affection, requiring Christians to be passionate rather than lukewarm.
Jesus rebukes the bad churches in the book of Revelation: “I know your works. They’re neither hot not cold. They’re tepid; they’re lukewarm.” He does not want lukewarm Christians. He wants Christians who are consumed with fire in their bones, burning with a passion for the things of God.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
The power given by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is applicable to Christians today, just as it was to those gathered in the upper room.
That wind and fire is as much for us today as it was for those gathered in the upper room.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
Jesus is the Son of God.
Context: Quoting a friend's answer.
I think He’s the Son of God that God sent into the world.
Source: Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
Understanding that Jesus is the Son of God is supremely important because it leads to the state of blessedness.
To understand that He is the Son of God is to enter into the supreme state of felicity and blessedness.
Source: Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
One cannot follow Christ and oneself simultaneously; a choice must be made between the two.
You cannot follow Christ and yourself.
Source: Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
Satan cannot possess Christians, but he can harass, tempt, and accuse them.
I don’t think for a moment that Satan has the power to possess Christians, but he can harass them, he can tempt them, he can accuse them, and in this case, he wanted to sift them.
Source: Peter's Denial (Ligonier)
Jesus used the image of sifting to convey that Satan's attack on Peter would be easy to execute.
Jesus was saying: “Simon, this task of separating the chaff from the wheat does not require a skill set of great power. This is unskilled labor.”
Source: Peter's Denial (Ligonier)
The ability to perform miracles is not due to the speaker's own strength or godliness, but rather to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
But none of you should be amazed at what you just witnessed had you noticed that when we raised this man, we did it in the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Source: Peter's Second Speech (Ligonier)
Peter's language was intended to point back to the Old Testament, identifying Christ with the promised Messiah, the Servant of the Lord.
This work was done by the One who glorified His Servant Jesus,” identifying Christ with the promised Messiah of the latter portion of Isaiah, the ebed Yahweh , the Servant of the Lord, the One whose exploits are set forth before us in Isaiah 53
Source: Peter's Second Speech (Ligonier)
Believers must cling to Christ, recognizing that He alone is the Holy One, the Righteous One, and the Prince of life.
We, by extension, are a part of that mob until we cling to Christ like the man healed clung to Peter and John, praying that He will never let us go and we will not lose our grip on Him, because He alone is the Holy One, the Righteous One, the Prince of life Himself.
Source: Peter's Second Speech (Ligonier)
Apostles like Peter preached fearlessly and boldly, even when facing opposition, rather than being cautious to avoid conflict.
When we come before you in a spirit of fear, then I, as well as every preacher, must come back to this text and look at the way the Apostles preached with boldness, without respect for their lives or their worldly good, like Luther would say, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.”
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
The Father sends the Spirit, the Son accomplishes the work, and the Spirit applies the work of Christ.
The Father sends, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies the work of Christ.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
It is impossible for anyone or anything to prevent the determinate will of almighty God.
But maybe what he had in mind was that from all eternity, as the Old Testament predicted again and again, the Messiah of Israel would not be conquered by death, and that it is impossible for anyone or anything to prevent the determinate will of almighty God.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 2 (Ligonier)
The ability to give and take life is a demonstration of God's power, as exemplified by Job's understanding.
Job understood that when he said: “The Lord gives; the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 2 (Ligonier)
Christians refused to proclaim 'Caesar is lord' because their confession was that 'Jesus is Lord.'
But we cannot say, ‘ Kaisar kyrios ,’ because our confession is, ‘ Jesus ho kyrios, Jesus is Lord.’
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
God has decreed Christ's lordship, and human attempts to supplant Him as Lord are what are impotent.
What is impotent are our attempts to supplant Him as Lord, because God has decreed His lordship.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
Christ's rule is objective and absolute, meaning that human opposition or attempts to supplant Him as Lord are ineffective.
He rules. He does not wait for you to invite Him. He rules you whether you want Him to rule you or not. You can be hostile to Christ’s reign, you can be a renegade in His dominion, and you may fight against His just empowerment as the King of the kings and Lord of the lords, but all of that does not reduce Him to impotency.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 3 (Ligonier)
The speaker believes that Acts chapter 10 is one of the most important chapters in the entire book of Acts, and perhaps the most important chapter in the New Testament.
I must say that I believe this chapter is one of the most important chapters of the entire book of Acts, if not the most important chapter.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
God's purpose in choosing Israel was not based on their inherent superiority, but to make them a blessing to all nations.
He created a tiny nation of Jews out of the world not because they were any better than anybody else, but because He said, “I’m going to make a holy people.”
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
The Bible is preserved through hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of copies made over generations, which inevitably contain scribal errors.
What the church possesses is hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of copies that were made in the earliest days and then copied carefully again in the next generations. Inevitably, when copying takes place, every now and then one of the scribes nods, and he turns an “i” into an “e,” or an “l” into a “t,” or skips a word.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
The existence of textual variants should not cause one to abandon confidence in the inspiration of Scripture.
There is no reason to abandon your confidence in the inspiration of Scripture, or anything like that based on this text and textual criticism.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
People who are accustomed to a state of confinement or dependency may be satisfied in that condition and resist the realities of freedom.
He was used to living in jail. He got a bed every night and three square meals a day. There are people like that who are satisfied in their paralyzed condition, who are threatened by life to such a degree that they do not want to deal with the vagaries of human existence.
Source: The Pool of Bethesda (Ligonier)
If one is truly in Christ, they have a duty to participate in the visible fellowship of the people of God.
If you are truly in Christ and in the Word of God, you know it is your duty to be a part of the visible fellowship of the people of God.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
Israel possesses a zealous devotion to God, but this zeal is based on ignorance rather than true knowledge.
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The Kingdom of God is not a fictional or imaginary concept, but a genuine reality.
The kingdom of God is not a place of fiction. It is not imaginary. It is real and it is true.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Jesus believed that Scripture was inspired down to the smallest detail, including every vowel point, comma, and period.
If you want to know Jesus’ view of Scripture, it was “jot and tittle” inspiration. Not just every word, not just every letter, but every vowel point, every comma, every period was inspired by the Holy Spirit so that not one word of Scripture can possibly fail.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts that Jesus' view of Scripture was not merely plenary or verbal inspiration, but a comprehensive 'jot and tittle' inspiration.
If you want to know Jesus’ view of Scripture, it was “jot and tittle” inspiration. Not just every word, not just every letter, but every vowel point, every comma, every period was inspired by the Holy Spirit so that not one word of Scripture can possibly fail.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
When Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, He is declaring His divine origin and authority, not merely expressing humility.
When Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man, He is describing Himself not only in terms of His activity, but also His origin. He is telling us where He comes from.
Source: The Prologue of John's Gospel (Ligonier)
John the Baptist's purpose was not to be the light, but merely to bear witness to the true light, which is Christ.
John came for a witness, to bear witness to the light. He wasn’t the light, but he was witness to the light, the true light that gives light to every man, that came into the world.
Source: The Prologue of John's Gospel (Ligonier)
Faith requires intellectual assent, meaning the believer must understand and agree that a proposition is true.
We must believe it in the sense of intellectual assent, or what the Reformers called assensus .
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Faith does not require sacrificing one's intellect, and it is not about believing absurd or foolish propositions.
He never asks you to crucify your intellect to become a Christian. Faith is not believing the absurd. Faith is not believing the foolish. Faith is ultimately trusting what is preeminently trustworthy.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
A Christian's only hope in life and death is trusting completely in the Word and power of God.
Your only hope in life and death is trusting in the Word of God. There is nothing else in which we can trust. Everything that this world offers passes away. Your eternal life rests in the hands, will, and power of God.
Source: The Promise Granted Through Faith (Ligonier)
Augustine was converted by reading a specific passage from the Bible that instructed him to put on Christ.
Here is what Augustine read: ". . . not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
Source: Put on Christ (Ligonier)
Jesus asserted that He and His followers speak only what they know and testify only what they have seen.
Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that God gave His Son so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
Nicodemus's initial statement correctly affirms that Jesus is a teacher sent from God.
Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
Truth must be objective and correspond to objective reality, which Sproul calls 'true truth.'
What he was getting at was that some people have a subjectivistic view of truth. When he talked about truth, he meant objective truth that corresponds to objective reality, what he called “true truth.”
Source: Rebirth (Ligonier)
The account of the authorities attempting to trap Jesus is divinely inspired and carries the authority of God.
This record of an attempt by the authorities to trap Jesus in a question they could use against Him is given to us through the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit and bears the stamp of the authority of God Himself.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
The spies chose a question about paying taxes to Caesar because they were insincere and did not truly believe that Jesus only taught what was right.
They chose that one because they were insincere, and because they did not believe that Jesus only told that which is right.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
If one finds poor behavior in the Bible, it is likely a reflection of oneself.
If you find somebody behaving poorly in the Bible, let a bell go off in your head, because it probably represents you.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
The speaker was tasked with giving an apologetic defense of sacred Scripture's inspiration, authority, and infallibility in an environment where these topics had been neglected for decades.
Then I was invited to come and lecture for six hours a day for five days on the inspiration, authority, and infallibility of the Bible. There had been nobody remotely close to that position in decades to appear as a professor in this environment.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
Humans do not deserve salvation or even the opportunity for salvation because they are inherently in rebellion against God's authority.
No sinner even deserves the opportunity for salvation. The only thing that we deserve from God, dear friends, is eternal damnation, because by nature we are in revolt and in rebellion against His authority and sovereignty.
Source: The Return of the Seventy-Two (Ligonier)
The Word of God is truth, and the speaker asks for the grace to receive that truth.
But this is Your Word, oh God, and Your Word is truth, so give us that truth in this hour.
Source: The Rich Man & Lazarus (Ligonier)
Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest authority on theological questions, and if he was wrong, there is no reason to believe him on anything.
There is no greater authority on these questions that has ever appeared in the flesh than Jesus of Nazareth. If Jesus was wrong about this, there is no intelligent reason to believe Him about anything.
Source: The Rich Man & Lazarus (Ligonier)
The righteousness of God is not inherent but is a gift made available to all who trust in Christ.
This is the righteousness of God that Paul introduced in the first chapter of Romans, that righteousness not by which God Himself is righteous, but the righteousness He makes available to all who put their trust in Christ.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
Humans must despair of relying on any righteousness that originates within themselves.
Context: This is a prayer, but it reflects the theological position he is teaching.
Help us, O Father, to despair of any hope of resting our case on any righteousness that inheres in us by grace or any other means.
Source: Righteousness Revealed (Ligonier)
The passage from Luke is a glorious and inspired account that should be received as the veritable truth of God.
Superintended and inspired by God the Holy Spirit, it is the veritable truth of God Himself, and I ask that this day you receive it as such.
Source: The Road to Emmaus (Ligonier)
The presence of the Spirit of Christ is necessary for belonging to Christ.
Paul once again speaks of the contrast: “Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
The Bible requires distinguishing between various concepts regarding the will of God, including the sovereign, efficacious will.
We must distinguish in the Bible among various ideas of the will of God. On the one hand, there is the sovereign, efficacious will of God, which we sometimes refer to as the hidden will of God. Here, God ultimately has in view His plan for your life and your destiny.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
Being a child of God is evidenced by one's life being directed by the Spirit of God, which inclines the heart toward obedience to Christ.
If your life is directed by the Spirit of God who dwells within you, then that is a sure and certain sign you are a child of God, because that is what the indwelling Spirit does. He inclines your heart.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
While the term 'Abba' signifies a close, intimate relationship, it does not grant the right to approach God presumptuously or arrogantly.
The fact that we can address God now as Father and say “Abba” to Him does not give us the right to enter into His presence presumptuously or arrogantly.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
Addressing God as 'Father' is a radical privilege that is only available to those who have been adopted into God's family.
The unique privilege that I alone in all of history have to address the God of heaven and earth as My Father, I’m giving it to you. When you pray, you can call God Father too, because He is now our Father, because I’m adopting you into this family.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit communicates to God's people exclusively through the Word of Scripture.
when the Spirit communicates to God’s people, He communicates to them by the Word, with the Word, through the Word, and never, ever against the Word.
Source: Sanctification (Ligonier)
The speaker nominates the Apostle Paul as the greatest evangelist.
Who was the greatest evangelist to ever grace the church of Jesus Christ? My nomination, of course, would be the Apostle Paul.
Source: Saul of Tarsus (Ligonier)
The speaker learned from an eccentric boy that one should be careful about assuming they are right before taking action.
Paul was sure he was right, but he could not have been more wrong than to be complicit in the murder of a saint.
Source: Saul of Tarsus (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that a more accurate title for Acts is 'The Acts of the Holy Spirit' because the book records the outpouring and ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Another alternate title that could be given to Acts is one that I favor: The Acts of the Holy Spirit . This book really is a history of the Holy Spirit’s acts.
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts that he believes Scripture is the infallible and inerrant Word of God, which does not require verification from secular archaeology.
Let me just say right up front where I am on Scripture. I believe this is the unvarnished Word of God, inspired by the Holy Ghost, infallible, and inerrant in everything it says. I do not need the verification of a secular archeologist to convince me that this is the Word of God.
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
Sproul notes that Luke has been highly regarded by secular scholars as the most accurate historian of the ancient world.
But I want to present to you the idea that from a secular perspective, Luke has been esteemed as the most accurate historian of the ancient world. He enjoys a higher reputation than Suetonius, Heroditus, Tacitus, Pliny, Josephus, or any of the rest because his work has been checked more carefully than anybody else’s.
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
The accounts in Luke and Acts are historically reliable because they have been corroborated by evidence and eyewitness testimony.
The portraits he gives of those locations have been verified time and time again. The reason I emphasize all of this is because in the prologue, he labors the point at the beginning of the gospel of Luke and Acts that he is not writing a religious tract; he is writing history that has been corroborated by eyewitness testimony and by what he calls in his prologue to Acts, “many infallible proofs.”
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
The true blessing is found in those who hear and keep the Word of God, rather than those who merely bore or nursed Jesus.
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!”
Source: Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
The words recorded from Jesus are preserved by the Holy Spirit and carry the full authority of God.
These words from our Lord are preserved for us by the superintendence and inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. They are written for our instruction, our edification, our training in righteousness, and carry the full weight of the authority of God Himself.
Source: Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
The blessing received by hearing and obeying the Word of God is greater than the blessing given to Mary.
More than that—more than the blessing that was received by My mother—greater than the blessedness visited upon Mary is the blessedness given for all those who hear the Word of God and keep it.
Source: Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
A sign is something that has significance beyond itself, which differs from a symbol because a sign points to something outside of itself.
A sign is something that has significance beyond itself that differs subtly from the word symbol . A symbol participates in that which it directs or points to, but a sign points to something outside of itself, something beyond itself.
Source: Seeking a Sign (Ligonier)
One cannot believe the Father without believing the Son, and similarly, one cannot believe the Son without accepting His Apostles.
You can’t have it both ways. If you believe the Father, you have to believe the One whom the Father sent. You cannot have the Father and not have the Son.” In like manner, you cannot have the Son and reject His Apostles.
Source: The Sending of the Twelve (Ligonier)
The idiom of 'shaking the dust off your feet' was not invented by Jesus but was an idea already familiar to His disciples.
On this occasion, Jesus used an idiom that He did not invent. This was an idea with which His disciples were already familiar.
Source: The Sending of the Twelve (Ligonier)
Paul's instruction is not about intellectual analysis but rather about controlling self-affection and self-estimation.
Paul is not talking about estimation so much as he is esteem. He is saying, simply: “Don’t esteem yourself too highly. Don’t esteem yourself above the level that you ought. Don’t get carried away with affection for yourself, but let your self-estimation be done cogently, soberly, and carefully.”
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
Every Christian possesses the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit also distributes gifts or abilities to all Christians.
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit, such that you cannot be a Christian unless God the Holy Spirit regenerates your soul and dwells within you. But apart from the Spirit’s work of regeneration in the life of the Christian, the Spirit also distributes gifts, or abilities, and every Christian has been gifted by the Holy Spirit.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
Those with the gift of preaching have the responsibility of preaching the Word of God.
So, if you have the gift of preaching, you have, with that gift, the awesome responsibility of preaching the Word of God.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
Paul instructs that every gift—prophecy, ministry, teaching, and exhortation—should be exercised within its proper function.
Paul continues, “If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation.”
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
Those gifted with leadership must perform due diligence and know their destination if others are to follow.
When God gives the gift of leadership, the one who leads must know where he is going if others are to follow. He has to do his due diligence.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts that using God's name flippantly is a sign of deep irreverence and should prompt self-examination regarding one's salvation.
My spirit sinks within me when I hear people use the name of God in a flippant manner and never give it a thought. I want to say to them, “Don’t you know that God will not hold you guiltless for using His name in a cavalier way?”
Source: A Simple Way to Pray (Ligonier)
All power and glory belong to God, and humanity recognizes that any power they possess is borrowed.
All power resides in You and in You alone. Any power that we have is borrowed and received. Forgive us when we boast of our own strengths as if we ourselves were the source of them.
Source: A Simple Way to Pray (Ligonier)
Sin takes opportunity by the commandment, producing all manner of evil desire.
It is the state of people’s minds that Paul is describing here: “For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire.”
Source: Sin's Advantage in the Law (Ligonier)
Christians are called to use every part of their being—mind, mouth, ears, eyes, hands—as instruments for God's righteousness.
Paul essentially says: “Present yourselves to God as resurrected people and your members as instruments of righteousness to God so that your whole person—your mind, your mouth, your ears, your eyes, your hands—all these things are to be used as tools in your toolkit for offering your whole person to God.”
Source: From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God (Ligonier)
Jesus' actions are not independent, but are done in accordance with what the Father shows him.
the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
God is not a distant force that merely starts things running but actively governs everything moment by moment.
Context: Quoting Jesus's teaching/statement.
Jesus is telling the people: “That is not our understanding of God. God is not some nebulous greater power or force that starts things rolling. He is the Lord God omnipotent, who governs everything He makes from moment to moment.”
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
Jesus' statement that He works on the Sabbath, alongside the Father, is an unambiguous claim to deity, suggesting equality with God.
So, when Christ says that He is Lord of the Sabbath, that is an unambiguous claim to deity. That is what He says right here in our text: “The Father works up until now, and I work too.”
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
Jesus' claim to be Lord of the Sabbath is an unambiguous claim to deity.
So, when Christ says that He is Lord of the Sabbath, that is an unambiguous claim to deity.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
Christ's actions are dependent on the Father, who is preeminent and the source of obedience.
The Father is preeminent. The Father is the One to whom I am obedient and subordinate.
Source: The Son of the Father (Ligonier)
The Son of Man must be lifted up, similar to the serpent in the wilderness, so that belief in Him leads to eternal life and prevents perishing.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Source: The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up (Ligonier)
Sproul argues that John 3:16 is likely an editorial comment by John, not a direct quote from Jesus.
I do not think that Jesus said to Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him”—I do not think He said that.
Source: The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up (Ligonier)
God provided a way to escape judgment by sending His Son, even when humanity revolted.
I’ll tell you what: I’m going to provide a way to escape that judgment.
Source: The Son of Man Must Be Lifted Up (Ligonier)
The Catholic Church distinguishes between vincible ignorance, which can be overcome, and invincible ignorance, which cannot be defeated.
In the Roman Catholic Church, in their historic moral theology, Rome makes a distinction between two kinds of ignorance. One is called vincible ignorance and the other invincible ignorance.
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
Ignorance that could have been avoided through diligence or available knowledge does not excuse one from accountability before God.
if I do something out of ignorance for which there was plenty of knowledge available, plenty of opportunity for me to learn it, but I was not diligent in my study—if I was slothful, negligent, and ignored that knowledge—at the end of the day, I cannot say: “I am sorry, I didn’t know. I had no way of knowing.”
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
The ultimate authority and message to be heard is that of Christ, as demonstrated by the heavenly voice.
The glory cloud surrounded them, and they heard a voice from heaven saying: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).
Source: Sons of Covenant (Ligonier)
When the Word of God is proclaimed faithfully, it has a penetrating power that cuts deeply into the listener's heart, regardless of their outward appearance.
This was not in the sense that their hearts were opened to the Word of God, but rather the Word of God faithfully proclaimed cut between bone and marrow, flesh and tissue.
Source: Stephen on Trial (Ligonier)
When God calls people, they typically respond with the phrase, 'Here I am.'
When the call came, the prophets immediately answered, “Here I am.” In other words: “I am all ears. I am at attention. I’m ready to hear whatever You have to say.”
Source: The Street Called Straight (Ligonier)
A believer must disobey a civil magistrate when that authority commands or forbids something that directly conflicts with God's commandments.
The principle is this: We are always to obey the authorities over us—our boss, our police, our governor, or whoever that authority may be—unless that authority commands us to do something that God forbids or forbids us from doing something that God commands.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
When we disobey lesser authorities, we are ultimately disobeying those whose authority is derived from and delegated through Christ.
When we disobey lesser authorities, we are disobeying those whose authority rests on Christ and is delegated from Him and through Him.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A government that lacks the right to exercise force cannot truly govern, only make suggestions.
A government that has no right to exercise force, to cause its constituents to conform to the laws of the land, is a government that can only make suggestions, not laws.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Believers must not render blind obedience to any authority, as such authorities can sometimes work against the Word of God.
But at the same time, we are not to render slavish obedience to any authority, because authorities can work against the Word of God.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When faced with contradicting authority, one must stand by their conscience, which is held captive by the Word of God.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther's response at the Diet of Worms.
Unless I am convinced by sacred Scripture or by evident reason, I cannot recant, because my conscience is held captive by the Word of God, and to act against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
The Council of Trent asserted that individuals cannot interpret the Bible contrary to the sense held by the Roman Catholic Church.
No one can presume to interpret them contrary to that sense in which holy mother Church, to whom it belongs to judge of their true sense and interpretation.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
God has the power to bring good out of evil, ensuring that all bad things suffered are ultimately used for His ultimate purpose.
Nevertheless, under the providence of God, under His sovereignty over human events, God has the power to bring good out of evil, which is a glorious thing that we can experience as Christians.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Those who love God are identified as the ones who are called according to God's purpose.
The assurance is given to those who love God, and those who love God are identified as the ones who are “the called according to His purpose.”
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When God makes a call, it is always and everywhere effectual, meaning what He purposes will happen.
When God in His omnipotent power says, “Let there be light,” and He makes that call, that call is always and everywhere effectual. What God purposes in whatever call He gives, that purpose is never and can never be frustrated.
Source: From Suffering to Glory (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The Bible is divinely guided, meaning no word in it is accidental or without significance.
nevertheless, we realize that not a single desultory word has ever escaped from Your lips, and all that You have revealed from Your whole counsel is for our edification.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
Antioch was a critical center for the expansion of the Christian faith, serving as the headquarters for Paul's missionary journeys.
In our text, we see that just as Jerusalem was where the Christian church was established initially and became the mother church of Christianity for all times, even though it was basically just a Jewish settlement, so Antioch became the headquarters for the gentile expansion of the Christian faith.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
Encouragement is the force that enables people to take action, as demonstrated by the speaker's personal story.
We sold everything we had and went out on that venture, not because I believed I could do it, but because somebody believed for me. That is what encouragement does.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
The Greek verb used to describe Barnabas's search for Paul indicates that it was a serious and arduous task.
The force of the Greek verb there is not, “Oh, I’m going to go look up Saul.” It means that Barnabas was carrying out the serious, arduous task of searching for a missing person. That is the force of the verb.
Source: The Team of Barnabas and Saul (Ligonier)
Temptations do not originate from God, but rather arise from within the individual.
God never entices us to disobey Him. As James tells us, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’” (James 1:13). Rather, our temptations arise from within.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Jesus' temptation in the Judean wilderness was a comprehensive, all-out war against Satan, unlike the temptation of Martin Luther.
The Anfechtung that besieged Martin Luther, however, was not worthy to be compared with the assault waged against Jesus. The devil tormented Martin Luther, assaulted him, and attacked him, but in the Judean wilderness it was all-out war. It was the blitzkrieg of hell against our Savior.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
The circumstances of the tests given to Adam and Jesus were radically different.
So, we see the radical differences between the circumstances of the tests that were given to the first Adam and to the second Adam.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Satan used the exact same point of attack when tempting both Adam and Jesus.
Specifically, Satan’s point of attack on Adam and Eve and on Jesus was exactly the same.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
God speaks the truth, while Satan utters a lie that contradicts God's veracity.
God speaks the truth; Satan utters the lie, the lie that boldly and clearly contradicts the veracity of what God said.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Satan frequently attempts to undermine God's Word by presenting temptations during times of suffering or need.
At what other time do you lodge that temptation than in a time of pain, in a time of suffering, in a time of want?
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Jesus taught that testing God is not allowable, and He does not need to test God's protection because His Father's word is sufficient.
If I jump from this pinnacle, I would be putting God to the test, and it is not allowable for Me to test God. He is testing Me, and I don’t have to jump off this temple to know that the angels will guard Me. Because My Father says it, I don’t need to test it, and I don’t need to test Him.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Christian people are commanded to live by every word that originates from God's mouth, even when the world attacks the Word of God.
The whole world attacks the Word of God. They are in the enemy’s pocket, but we as Christian people are to live by every word that comes from His mouth.
Source: The Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
Jesus instructed his disciples to secure a donkey for Him, emphasizing that the Lord needed it.
He said to His disciples: “Go over to this place where you will find the people who own a donkey, a colt which has never been ridden, and untie that colt and bring it to Me. If the owners balk and have reservations about losing possession of their personal property and want to know why you’re untying the donkey, just say to them, ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
Source: The Triumphal Entry (Ligonier)
Jesus selected twelve men and gave them the authority of an Apostle, which meant their teaching carried the full weight of His own authority.
When Jesus separated twelve men and gave them Apostolic authority, He was assigning to them His own authority, so that what they said and taught carried with it the full weight of Jesus’ own authority.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
An Apostle was a highly significant role, functioning as an emissary or representative of someone in a high position of authority.
In the ancient world, an apostolos —one who was sent— functioned as an emissary, ambassador, or representative of someone in a high position of authority.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The role of an Apostle was significantly more authoritative than that of a student or disciple.
The role of a student was considered a somewhat lowly position, like servanthood, but the role of an Apostle was bathed in authority.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus stated that his teaching was not based on his own authority, but on what the Father had called him to say.
Remember, Jesus said, “I speak nothing on My own authority, but I only speak that which the Father has called Me to say.”
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The Apostles carry the authority of the one who commissioned them during their ministry.
Context: The quote is slightly misleading as it mixes two points, but the context immediately following clarifies the authority point.
Luke goes on to tell us who in the group of disciples had been selected for this office of Apostle. Scripture tells us that the foundation of the church is not Jesus but rather the prophets and the Apostles.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Peter was considered a leader among the disciples and Apostles, serving as their spokesman.
In any case, Peter is first on every list, and it’s probably not because he was the first bishop of Rome, but rather because he obviously had a position of leadership among the group of disciples and Apostles. He became the spokesman for them, as it were.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus made a powerful statement that seeing Him is equivalent to seeing the Father.
Don’t you understand, Philip, that he who has seen Me has seen the Father?
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 2) (Ligonier)
When asked where the Messiah was, Philip told Nathaniel that He came from Nazareth.
Philip answered, “He came from Nazareth.”
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Both Philip and Nathaniel made a great confession of faith, proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel.
Then Nathaniel also proclaimed, “You are the Son of God and the King of Israel.”
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 2) (Ligonier)
The Scriptures confirm that Jesus was delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
Biblical history shows instances where people's wickedness was used by God to work out His counsel.
Let me begin by saying that this is certainly not the first time in biblical history where we see wickedness perpetrated by people where they are working out the counsel of Almighty God.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
The restraint of God's grace is necessary, otherwise, individuals would commit far greater sins.
If it weren’t for the restraint of God, I can’t imagine the degree of sin I would’ve committed on top of what I already have committed, nor can you imagine the degree of your sinfulness were it not for the restraining hand of God’s grace upon your life.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
God does not create evil when hardening a heart; rather, God removes restraints, allowing pre-existing wickedness to manifest.
Context: Quoting Martin Luther, but asserting the principle.
Martin Luther put it this way: when God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, He didn’t create fresh evil in Pharaoh’s heart. There was plenty of evil already there. The way God hardens the heart is by removing the restraints and giving one over to one’s own wickedness.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 3) (Ligonier)
A Christian is capable of committing virtually any sin, including blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, if left to their own desires.
I believe a Christian is capable of virtually any sin that you can name, even blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, if left to himself.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
When facing authorities, the Holy Spirit will teach the believer what they ought to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
Believers should boast only in the Lord, who provides the righteousness of Jesus.
Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord, we are told, who fills us hand and foot with the righteousness of Jesus.
Source: Unprofitable Servants (Ligonier)
The passage read is not the thought of an ancient philosopher, but the inspired Word of God, carrying God's full truth and authority.
What you have just heard is not the insight of an ancient thinker, but rather the veritable Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, carrying the full measure of God’s truth and authority.
Source: The Way of Humility (Ligonier)
The instruction given by Mary to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it,' is presented as a model for obedience.
No one, in all of history, ever received better instructions than these servants received from the mother of Christ when she said, “Whatever He says to do, do it.”
Source: The Wedding Feast (Ligonier)
Jesus possesses the power to raise people from the dead using only a word.
All it took from Jesus was a word out of His mouth: “Young man, I’m talking to you. I know you’re dead.”
Source: The Widow's Son (Ligonier)
Tithing is foundational to being a follower of God, but it should not be thought that tithing alone is what is pleasing to God.
He said, “These things you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” So, Jesus was not saying to the Pharisees, “Don’t tithe, just keep the weightier matters instead.” Rather, He was saying: “Yes, tithe, but don’t think that just because you tithe, you’ve done that which is pleasing to God. There is so much more. The heavy matters are justice, mercy, and manifesting the love of God.”
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
Legal experts place unnecessary burdens on people that God has not commanded, and they fail to follow these requirements themselves.
In other words, “You put all kinds of legal requirements on people that God does not command, but you will not obey them yourselves.”
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
People who are not Christians desperately seek things that only God can provide, even while they are fleeing from Him.
Context: Quoting or summarizing the view of Thomas Aquinas.
No, people desperately search for the things that only God can give them, while at the same time they are fleeing from Him.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The speaker asserts that in any large group, some people are thirsty and empty, and only Christ can fill that void.
In any group of people as large as what we have here, it is almost inevitable that some have not yet tasted the sweetness of the living water of Christ Himself. There are people whose souls are so thirsty and so empty.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Jesus's food and drink, zeal, and passion were all directed toward fulfilling the will of the Father.
He says, “My food is to do the will of My Father.” That is who Jesus was. His meat and His drink, His zeal and His passion, were to do everything the Father sent Him to do.
Source: The Woman at the Well (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Sproul is encouraged by the resurgence of powerful Christianity worldwide.
Worldwide, I see all kinds of resurgence of powerful Christianity, and I’m encouraged by it.
Source: Are you hopeful for another spiritual awakening in our day? (Ligonier Q&A)
The speaker doubts that Satan has the power to read human minds, stating there is no reason to believe he can.
But other than that, I dont see any reason to believe that he could read your mind or read mine. Again, that may not necessarily be a divine power. He may be able to do it, but I have no reason to believe that he can.
Source: Can the Devil Read My Mind? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Bible teaches that God abhors and detests the wicked who remain impenitent, and the wrath of God is real and constant for the unrepentant.
God, the Bible tells us, abhors the wicked. That is strong language. God abhors and detests the wicked who are impenitent. Then people say, “God loves the sinner; He just hates the sin.” But He doesn’t send the sin to hell; He sends the sinner to hell.
Source: Does God love us just the way we are? (Ligonier Q&A)
Modern heretics misuse the motto 'semper reformanda' as an excuse to depart from the truth of Scripture.
And like I said, every heretic in modern church claims semper reformanda as an excuse for departing from the truth of Scripture.
Source: Does “semper reformanda” mean that the church should always be changing? (Ligonier Q&A)
To enjoy God's love of complacency, one must be in Christ.
If you want to enjoy the love of complacency, you have to be in Christ.
Source: Is it biblical to say God "loves you" to believers and nonbelievers alike? (Ligonier Q&A)
Satan's authority and power are currently limited and subordinate to the authority vested in Christ.
Even at this moment, as I’m discussing this question, Satan’s authority and power are limited and subordinate to the authority that is vested in Christ.
Christ dealt a fatal blow to Satan's power and authority through the Cross, Incarnation, Resurrection, and Ascension.
What has happened briefly is this: The power and authority of Satan has been dealt a fatal blow by Christ. The Cross, the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and the Ascension tremendously weakened any power or authority that Satan enjoyed, but it didn’t annihilate him.
Arguing that the Bible is the Word of God because it claims to be the Word of God constitutes a vicious and invalid circular argument.
If you reason from Scripture this way and say, “The Bible claims to be the Word of God since it is the Word of God," then the claim that it is the Word of God must be an unassailable truth. That would be traveling in the worst of all possible circles. That would be vicious in its circularity. That would be an invalid argument.
Source: How can we defend the doctrine of sola Scriptura using Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
The initial step in defending Scripture's authority is to establish its general reliability as a historical document, rather than immediately proving its infallibility or inspiration.
We start with Scripture and ask the question, “Can we go to the New Testament and see it as a basically reliable historical source?” If we can demonstrate that it’s generally reliable, as reliable as Suetonius or Tacitus or any of the other ancient historians, then we don’t have to dive into radical skepticism or cynicism. We say that it’s a basically reliable historical document.
Source: How can we defend the doctrine of sola Scriptura using Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church's belief in the Bible's inspiration is ultimately based on accepting the teaching and testimony of Jesus Christ.
So, the reason why the church believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God is because we’re acquiescing to the teaching of our Lord.
Source: How can we defend the doctrine of sola Scriptura using Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
Sanctification is dependent upon and requires the truth of God's Word.
When Jesus prayed in the upper room for the sanctification of His disciples, He said, “Father, sanctify them.” How? “By Thy truth, Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). If you don’t care about truth, there’s no concern about sanctification.
Source: How concerned should we be for the lack of truth taught in the church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Bible's reliability must first be established by applying the same historical standards used for other ancient historical documents.
The same tests that we would apply to Herodotus or Suetonius or any other ancient historian would have to be applied to the biblical records.
Source: How does one convince a nonbeliever that the Bible is the Word of God? (Ligonier Q&A)
It was possible for God to empower people for a vocation in the Old Testament without simultaneously saving them, but this is not the case in the New Testament.
It was possible that God would endow or equip people like Samson and others with this divine empowerment for their vocation without at the same time saving them. Now, I don’t think that happens in the New Testament.
Source: How does the Holy Spirit work distinctly in the Old and New Testament? (Ligonier Q&A)
Creeds and historic confessions are summaries of doctrine found in Scripture and should not be viewed as having authority over Scripture.
They were never to be seen as a substitute for Scripture or as having authority over Scripture. Rather, they give a summary of what Christians believe as defined in terms of confessional orthodoxy.
Source: How important are creeds and confessions? (Ligonier Q&A)
The will of desire, or effective will, involves God's disposition, which is distinct from His decreeing or commanding actions.
Finally, we talk about the will of desire or God’s effective will, which involves His disposition. He takes no delight in the death of the wicked, in the sense of a gleeful enjoyment of their negative outcome.
Source: How many wills does God have? (Ligonier Q&A)
Interpreting a text about God's will requires considering its immediate context as well as the rest of Scripture.
So, it gets very complicated when you come to a text that speaks of God’s will because it has to be interpreted by its immediate context as well as the rest of Scripture before we can land definitively on which particular view of God’s will the text is referencing.
Source: How many wills does God have? (Ligonier Q&A)
Humans are naturally incapable of seeking God until the Holy Spirit changes their disposition and creates a desire for Him.
Context: Quoting Jonathan Edwards' view.
You have no desire for God. You have no inclination to come to Him. You are morally in and of yourselves incapable of coming to Him. You will never seek Him until the Holy Spirit first changes the disposition of your heart and puts a desire in your heart for Him.
Source: If “no one seeks for God,” why did Paul call his listeners to seek God? (Ligonier Q&A)
While all Scripture is inspired, not all parts of it are equally clear or equally important for application to our lives.
I would agree that all Scripture is equally inspired. I don’t believe that it’s all equally clear. There are some parts of Scripture that are much more difficult to understand than others.
Source: Is all Scripture equally applicable? (Ligonier Q&A)
The term 'applicable' refers to the fact that not every part of Scripture holds equal importance in its application to our lives.
I think what the question means by “applicable” is that not everything is equally important in its application to our lives.
Source: Is all Scripture equally applicable? (Ligonier Q&A)
The account of Genesis 1–3 must be accepted as a divine account of creation, and it cannot be dismissed as mere allegory or poetry.
If someone says, “It’s an allegory; it’s a poem,�” there’s plenty of evidence that’s not true. One of our professors at The Master’s College did a quantifiable study on a computer system comparing Hebrew poetry with Genesis 1–3, and there was no relationship between that literature in Hebrew and any form of Hebrew poetry.
Source: Is it acceptable to interpret Adam as an allegory, not a historical person? (Ligonier Q&A)
Belief in the Bible must be consistent, meaning that if one rejects Genesis 1 and 2, they are likely to reject other parts of Scripture as well.
If you don’t believe Genesis 1 and 2, do you believe Matthew 1 and 2? Exactly how much liberty are you going to take with this? I wrote a book called The Battle for the Beginning , and one of the things I said in that book is that whatever you observe in the world today, or whatever science observes, has nothing to do with origins.
Source: Is it acceptable to interpret Adam as an allegory, not a historical person? (Ligonier Q&A)
The only reliable source for the origin of everything is the divinely-accurate account provided in Genesis 1 and 2.
There was only one eyewitness to the origin of everything, and that eyewitness has given us a divinely-accurate account in Genesis 1 and 2. This is a huge issue.
Source: Is it acceptable to interpret Adam as an allegory, not a historical person? (Ligonier Q&A)
Rationality is a communicable attribute of God, meaning that God's creatures possess the capacity for reasonable thought.
The sense is that rationality has its foundation in the divine mind itself and that that rationality is a communicable attribute of God—that in His creatures, we also have the capacity for reasonable thinking.
Source: What does it mean when we confess that Jesus has a reasonable soul? (Ligonier Q&A)
Because God is omniscient and immutable, He never changes His mind.
He knows all things from the beginning, and He is immutable. He is unchanging. There’s no shadow of turning within Him.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit involves falsely attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan or equating the two.
He said that any sin against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but if you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit (to ascribe the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, or to equate them), you’ve had it.
All Christians are responsible for fulfilling the Great Commission, whether they are actively going as missionaries or contributing to the effort.
We all are responsible for the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). Whether one is actually going as a missionary or contributing to that endeavor, all of us are responsible to fulfill the Great Commission because Christ is Lord.
Source: Should all Christians pursue missions? (Ligonier Q&A)
The casting of lots or seeking direct revelation is not commanded by Scripture and is dangerous because it attempts to bypass the authority of the closed canon.
We do not have a principle set forth in Scripture that commands—or even suggests—that we do that sort of thing in making decisions. It’s in popular Christian living that people say, “I’m going to set out a fleece.” The danger here is that we’re tempting God.
Source: Should we cast lots today to help us make decisions? (Ligonier Q&A)
Christian life and decision-making must be based on the teaching of Scripture, as that is its intended purpose.
Along with that, I also have to say that we’re called to live our lives and make our decisions on the basis of the teaching of Scripture. That’s what Scripture is there for—to teach us.
Source: Should we cast lots today to help us make decisions? (Ligonier Q&A)
No amount of rational argument for the existence of God can lead to submission unless the Holy Spirit accompanies the argument and changes the heart of the person.
unless the Holy Spirit accompanies that argument and changes the heart of that person who hears the argument, that person will never submit or acquiesce to the argument.
The Old Testament records instances where the Spirit's empowering was distributed from one person to a group of others.
He was led by the Lord to instruct Moses, and he said, “Gather seventy of the people that you know are elders among the people, bring them to yourself, and I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and distribute it among the seventy” (Num. 11:16-17).
Source: Were the Old Testament saints indwelt by the Holy Spirit? (Ligonier Q&A)
Humans gain eternal significance and worth not from themselves, but because God assigns it to them.
I don’t have anything in me that would demand that God treat me with eternal significance. I have eternal significance and eternal worth because God gives it to me.
Source: What is the biblical basis for human dignity? (Ligonier Q&A)
Addressing God as Father was a radical departure from Jewish tradition, first accomplished by Jesus.
The first Jewish rabbi to call God “Father” directly was Jesus of Nazareth. It was a radical departure from tradition, and in fact, in every recorded prayer we have from the lips of Jesus save one, he calls God “Father.”
Source: What does it mean for us to call God our Father? (Ligonier Q&A)
Jesus granted Christians the right and privilege to address God as Father because he is indeed their Father.
What’s even more radical is that Jesus says to his people, “When you pray, you say, ‘Our Father.’” He has given to us the right and privilege to come into the presence of the majesty of God and address him as Father because indeed he is our Father.
Source: What does it mean for us to call God our Father? (Ligonier Q&A)
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is fundamentally a verbal act, specifically accusing Jesus of being the devil when the Holy Spirit reveals that Jesus is the Christ.
I think the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit happens when the Holy Spirit reveals to a person that Jesus is the Christ, and then they accuse Him of being a devil. If you do that, you’re toast. Now, I don’t know whether anybody ever does that, but I don’t think we ought to get away from what the very root meaning of blasphemy is—it’s a verbal thing.
Source: What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? (Ligonier Q&A)
He asserts that believing in the inerrancy of Scripture is a necessary component for the well-being of the Christian church.
They may retain the essence of the Christian faith, but they don’t have the bene esse , or the well-being, of the Christian church.
Source: What would you say to a Christian who rejects the inerrancy of Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
He argues that compromising on inerrancy is dangerous because it makes one susceptible to various doctrines.
When you negotiate inerrancy, you set yourself at sea and are subject to the winds of every doctrine, being blown to and fro.
Source: What would you say to a Christian who rejects the inerrancy of Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
He emphasizes that maintaining a high view of biblical authority is crucial, and that this view should align with Jesus' view.
We have to be very careful to study this matter and maintain a high view of biblical authority. I don’t want a view of the Bible that’s any higher than Jesus’ view, and I don’t want to have any view of the Bible that’s any lower than Jesus’ view.
Source: What would you say to a Christian who rejects the inerrancy of Scripture? (Ligonier Q&A)
The word 'perfect' can be legitimately used in English translation when referring to God's completeness, as exemplified by the command to be complete as the Father is complete.
However, in this statement, it’s certainly legitimate to translate it using the English word perfect. For example, “Be ye complete as your heavenly Father is complete.”
Theologizing is necessary for every Christian because it is the means by which they attempt to understand God's revealed truth.
Yet theology is unavoidable for every Christian. It is our attempt to understand the truth that God has revealed to us—something every Christian does.
Source: Why Should Christians Study the Bible? (Ligonier Q&A)