The Church, Ministry & Sacraments¶
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.
344 positions — 38 corroborated across multiple sources.
Well-attested positions¶
Independently stated in two or more of his messages.
The foundation of the church is not solely Jesus Christ, but also includes the prophets and the apostles.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:20 that Jesus is actually “the cornerstone.” Jesus is called the foundation because He is the linchpin, as it were, for the entire foundation. But there are other stones in this foundation. What, then, is the rest of the foundation? The foundation, Paul tells us, consists of the prophets and the Apostles (Eph. 2:18-21).
Corroborated across 8 sources: The Church‘s One Foundation (Ligonier article) · Covenant Prosecutors (Ligonier article) · Peace Beyond Barriers: How Christ Builds His Church (Ligonier article) · What Is the Church? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 0:00 · Build on the Rock (Ligonier) · Jesus at Nazareth (Ligonier) · The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The modern concept of separation of church and state incorrectly implies the state is autonomous from God, whereas the original meaning was merely a division of labor between the church and government.
In Christian thinking, this originally meant a division of labor between the institutions of the church and human government. It has come to mean, in our culture, the separation of the state from God, in which the state declares its independence from God and its ultimate autonomy to rule apart from any consideration of the things of God.
Corroborated across 4 sources: A Call for Endurance (Ligonier article) · Principles for Voting (Ligonier article) · Statism (Ligonier article) · Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The original concept of church and state recognized that both institutions were created, ordained, and regulated by God, and were therefore accountable to His authority.
the idea was this, that the church is established by God, it's created by God, it's ordained by God, it's instituted by God, and its regulated by God. And yet at the same time, the state as an institution is ordained by God, created by God, instituted by God, regulated by God and is supremely and ultimately accountable to God.
Corroborated across 4 sources: Statism (Ligonier article) · The Voice of the Church (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 12:27 · God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The invisible church exists within the visible church, referring to the true people of God whom God can see but which the speaker cannot see.
But what Augustine says, is within the visible church there is the invisible church, who are the true people of God. Now, they are called invisible, not because they are invisible to God, but because I can't read another man's heart. That remains outside the scope of my sight. I can't see it. It's invisible to me, but it exists and God can see it.
Corroborated across 4 sources: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 24:17 · Eternal Appointment (Ligonier) · Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The term 'sacrament' can be used broadly to refer to any visible sign or ordinary symbol that takes on extraordinary meaning in God's communication to His people.
But theologians also use terms such as sacrament or sacramental in a broader sense. Such terms can be applied to many ways in which God has communicated to His people through object lessons, through signs or ordinary symbols that take on extraordinary meaning.
Corroborated across 3 sources: How Do the Sacraments Help Us? (Ligonier article) · Sacramental Assistance (Ligonier article) · What Is a Sacrament? (Ligonier article)
Christ is the cornerstone of the church, holding the entire structure together.
Paul continues the building metaphor in Ephesians 2:20b: “Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” Christ is the cornerstone, the point that holds the foundation together. Take out the cornerstone, and everything falls apart.
Corroborated across 3 sources: Peace Beyond Barriers: How Christ Builds His Church (Ligonier article) · What Is the Church? (Ligonier article) · Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
A church can fail to meet the standards of being a church by lapsing into apostasy, which involves abandoning historic confessional positions or sanctioning heinous sins.
The first is when they lapse into a state of apostasy. Apostasy occurs when a church leaves its historic moorings, abandons its historic confessional position, and degenerates into a state where either essential Christian truths are blatantly denied or the denial of such truths is widely tolerated.
Corroborated across 3 sources: A Snare in Your Midst (Ligonier article) · Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier) · What are the essential ingredients of a true church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church's function is to be the conscience of the state, while the state's duty is to protect human life.
Throughout the entire history of the church, it has been the church’s function not to be the state but to be the conscience of the state. God establishes government for the sustaining, protecting, and maintaining of the sanctity of human life.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Voice of the Church (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 31:51 · John Preaches (Ligonier)
The ministry of Christ is given to the whole church, meaning every person in Christ must participate in the outreach ministry.
The ministry of Christ is given to the whole church. Every person who is in Christ is to be a participant—not a spectator—in the outreach ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Corroborated across 3 sources: The Gospel to Samaria (Ligonier) · Peter's Sermon - Part 2 (Ligonier) · Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
The deepest connection and unity among people for a shared faith and Lord is found within the church of Jesus Christ.
But the deepest knitting together of human beings for a common cause, a common faith, and a common Lord exists in the church of Jesus Christ.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Bonds of Brotherhood (Ligonier article) · One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (Ligonier article)
He agrees that immersion is the preferred method of baptism, while disagreeing with the view that the Greek word 'baptize' can only mean 'immersed.'
I agree with Calvin that the preferred method of baptism is immersion. I disagree with Baptists who insist that the Greek word “baptize” can only mean "immersed" because it is clearly used in the Septuagint to translate a text in Leviticus 14 where two birds are used in a sacrificial way, and these two birds are killed, the one has its blood drained out of it and the other one has to be “baptize” -ed in the blood of the first one.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Buried with Christ (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 38:26
The care of widows was a significant responsibility entrusted to the church, both in the Old and New Testaments.
Thus, the care of the widows was given to the church both in the Old Testament and in the New.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Caring for Widows (Ligonier article) · Do You Care About the Widows? (Ligonier article)
When a government fails to act justly or protect life, the church has the responsibility to speak prophetically and call the state to repentance.
When the government is no longer acting justly and no longer protecting life—sanctioning abortions, for example—then it is the task of the church to be the prophetic voice, to call the state to task and tell the state to repent and do what God commands it to do.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is a Christian’s Responsibility to Government? (Ligonier article) · John Preaches (Ligonier)
The church is filled with sinners because it is the place where sinners confess their sins to find redemption.
The church is filled with sinners because the church is the place where sinners who confess their sins come to find redemption from their sins.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Is the Church Full of Hypocrites? (Ligonier article) · The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The church is the most corrupt institution when measured against the high standards and special calling given to it, compared to other groups like the Mafia.
If we consider somebody's performance in light of the sanctity of their task and the special way in which it is been blessed and graced, then I think judging by that kind of relative standard then the church is the most corrupt, because we fall so much more short of the standard to which we are called then the Mafia does.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Dear Bob (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 17:02
The true church is the invisible body of people whom God has called inwardly by the Holy Spirit and brought to Himself.
Rather, the church—the invisible church, the ultimate church—is that body of people whom God has called not only outwardly but inwardly by the Holy Spirit and has brought to Himself.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What “Ekklesia” Means in the Bible (Ligonier article) · The Calling of the Disciples (Ligonier)
God communicates with His people not only through His Word but also through other methods, most importantly the sacraments.
From the days of the Old Testament all the way through the New Testament, God has been concerned not only to speak to His people through His Word, but also to communicate in other ways and in other methods, one of the most important of which is through the sacraments.
Corroborated across 2 sources: How Do the Sacraments Help Us? (Ligonier article) · Sacramental Assistance (Ligonier article)
The term 'sacramental' can be applied broadly to any ordinary symbol or object that enhances and supports the communication of God's verbal promises.
Such terms can be applied to many ways in which God has communicated to His people through object lessons, through signs or ordinary symbols that take on extraordinary meaning.
Corroborated across 2 sources: How Do the Sacraments Help Us? (Ligonier article) · Sacramental Assistance (Ligonier article)
The sacraments serve to help believers remember what God has done for them, compensating for human forgetfulness.
The sacraments represent the Lord accommodating Himself to this weakness of ours in order to assist us in remembering what He has done for us.
Corroborated across 2 sources: How Do the Sacraments Help Us? (Ligonier article) · Sacramental Assistance (Ligonier article)
When properly understood and utilized, sacraments strengthen faith, promote sanctification, and confirm God's faithfulness.
When joined to the Word of God, the sacraments strengthen our faith, further our sanctification, and assure us of the Lord's unwavering faithfulness to us—His forgetful and often unfaithful people.
Corroborated across 2 sources: How Do the Sacraments Help Us? (Ligonier article) · Sacramental Assistance (Ligonier article)
The chief responsibility of the pastor, who is the shepherd, is to lead the sheep.
So it is with the flock of Christ. It is the chief responsibility of the pastor, who is the shepherd, to lead the sheep.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Shepherding the Flock (Ligonier article) · What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
The pastor's primary responsibility is to ensure that the congregation is nourished and equipped by the entire counsel of God's Word.
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.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Shepherding the Flock (Ligonier article) · What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
A good pastor must be attentive to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of every member of the congregation.
So it is that the good pastor is one who knows the aches, the pains, the joys, and the sorrows of each member of his congregation, so that he can tend to their needs and so that they aren’t overcome by physical maladies or by spiritual and psychological distress.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Shepherding the Flock (Ligonier article) · What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
The New Testament does not equate the local church with the Old Testament storehouse, making it unbiblical to require all tithes to go only to the local church.
But nothing in the New Testament equates the local church with the Old Testament storehouse. If we believe that the local church is the storehouse, we would then have to argue for a central location where the tithes of all Christians would go.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Does the Bible Say About Christian Tithing? (Ligonier article) · Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Jesus' priesthood is superior to the Levitical priesthood because it follows the order of Melchizedek.
The point the author of Hebrews makes is that the priesthood exercised by Melchizedek is a higher order of priesthood than the one found in Aaron and his descendents among the Levites. Therefore, though Jesus was not a Levite, His priesthood was of a higher order, because as the Scriptures say going back to Psalm 110, Christ is a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Supremacy of Christ (Ligonier article) · Death in Adam, Life in Christ (Ligonier)
The church must remember its identity as the ordained household of God.
But Paul says, first of all, let the church be the church. We must remember who we are, who the foundation is, who the cornerstone is, who the head of our building is, who the Lord of the church is.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article) · R.C. Sproul @ 21:49
Sproul does not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.
I personally do not believe that baptism is essential for salvation. If I believed that, I would think that the thief on the cross who was promised paradise with Jesus would have been disqualified because he obviously didn’t have an opportunity to get baptized.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What Is the Significance of Baptism? (Ligonier article) · What is the significance of baptism? (Ligonier Q&A)
When used in the context of Reformed theology, 'catholic' means universal, referring to the whole church rather than a specific denomination.
That is here the word catholic does not refer to the Roman Catholic church or to the Russian Catholic church or to some particular group, but rather the term is used in its original sense meaning universal--the whole church.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 11:42 · R.C. Sproul @ 21:01
The original understanding of separation of church and state requires recognizing the church and state as two distinct institutions, each with its own specific responsibilities.
we must distinguish between the church on the one hand and the state on the other as two distinct institutions and each institution has its particular identity, its particular agenda, its particular responsibility and its particular calling.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 6:51 · R.C. Sproul @ 1:59
The Holy Spirit works by guiding individuals into a community, which is the church.
individuals, when the Spirit works in the individual's life, He always puts him and guides him to a community, to a group.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 0:30 · R.C. Sproul @ 10:31
The communion of saints signifies a spiritual fellowship and binding together of all Christians worldwide, not merely a liturgical practice.
But the communion of the saints means that there is a fellowship, a brotherhood, a binding together by the Holy Spirit of all Christians in the world. All Christians who are part of the invisible church share a common bond and share a common spirit, and are linked together.
Corroborated across 2 sources: R.C. Sproul @ 25:25 · Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit's primary mission is to point to and empower the church to bear witness to Christ.
The Holy Spirit always, not just mostly, always points beyond Himself to Christ. If you are in a “Spirit-filled” church that is not focusing on the ministry of Christ, you are not in a Spirit-filled church.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Ascension (Ligonier) · Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
Jesus submitted to John's baptism because it was necessary to fulfill all righteousness.
Finally, Jesus cut him short. He cut the Gordian knot and said: “John, I don’t have all day to engage you in a theological discussion. We can cover these matters later on if you’d like, but suffer it now, John. Just do it. It has to be done. It’s necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Baptism of Jesus (Ligonier) · The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
The church is fundamentally an organization composed of sinners.
This is the problem, dear friends: the church is full of sinners. In fact, I don’t know of any other organization in the world that requires that you be a sinner to join it, but the church is an organization of sinners.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 1) (Ligonier) · The Fig Tree and the Temple (Ligonier)
The sacraments are only to be administered by duly authorized individuals, such as ordained clergy.
Church officials were unnerved by these practices and claimed that the sacraments are only to be administered by duly authorized individuals, such as ordained clergy.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Jews Are as Guilty as the Gentiles (Ligonier) · Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
The early church devoted itself to the Apostles' teaching, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, and prayer.
They came together first to devote themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, as well as for fellowship, for celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and for the offering of prayers and giving a sacrifice of praise in worship.
Corroborated across 2 sources: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier) · Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
The baptism of Jesus is a Trinitarian event involving the Father sending Him, the Son submitting, and the Holy Spirit descending.
The baptism of Jesus is a Trinitarian event. It is the Father who sends Him into the water. It is the Father who sends Him into the world. This is the Father’s Son who is being baptized, and it is the second person of the Trinity, who is united to the humanity of Jesus, that is now submitting to baptism. Then comes the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who descends upon Jesus at His baptism.
Corroborated across 2 sources: The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier) · Is there a difference between being baptized with the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit? (Ligonier Q&A)
The efficacy of the sacrament depends on it being accompanied by faith, rather than merely by the performance of the ritual.
There is a dispute about the efficacy of the sacrament; namely whether it happens ex opere operato , which is simply by the exercise of the sacrament, or whether it needs to be accompanied by faith for its efficacy. I would take the latter position.
Corroborated across 2 sources: What would you say in response to the doctrine of baptismal regeneration? (Ligonier Q&A) · What does it mean that baptism is for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)? (Ligonier Q&A)
Further positions¶
Drawn from a single high-trust (official transcript) source.
Christ's ascension was a necessary step before the Holy Spirit could be poured out upon the church for its global mission.
Not only this, but before Pentecost could come and the Holy Spirit could be poured out upon the church, empowering the church for its missionary enterprise to the whole world, it was necessary for Christ to ascend so that together with the Father He might dispatch from heaven the Holy Spirit in all of His power.
Source: The Ascension (Ligonier article)
The core disagreement regarding the Lord's Supper is not primarily about the sacrament itself, but about the mode of Christ's presence.
At the bottom, this debate is not so much sacramental as it is christological.
Source: The Battle for the Table (Ligonier article)
Paul VI insisted that the church is committed not only to the doctrine of transubstantiation but also to its specific formulation.
Paul VI responded to this in Mysterium Fide (1965) by insisting that not only is the church committed to the substance of the doctrine of transubstantiation, but it is committed to the formulation of it as well.
Source: The Battle for the Table (Ligonier article)
The Reformed church used the term consubstantiation to articulate Luther's view that Christ is substantively present with the substantive presence of bread and wine.
It was the Reformed church’s attempt to faithfully articulate Luther’s view by using the term consubstantiation , which means that Christ is substantively present with the substantive presence of bread and wine.
Source: The Battle for the Table (Ligonier article)
The church's view of Scripture must align with the view held and taught by Jesus.
The church's defense of inerrancy rests upon the church's confidence in the view of Scripture held and taught by Jesus himself.
Source: Does the Bible Have Errors? (Ligonier article)
The church's mission is fundamentally rooted in the authority and action of God, who mandates it.
But there's a sense in which the whole life of the church and the whole experience of the Christian are rooted ultimately in some kind of sending that is founded in the authority and the action of God Himself. It is God who institutes, sanctifies, and mandates the mission of the church.
Source: The Biblical Basis for Missions (Ligonier article)
The word 'apostle' means 'one who is sent,' and the church was sent to complete Christ's ministry globally.
The word apostle means "one who is sent." In the time of the New Testament, an apostle was one who would carry the authority to speak in the name of the one who had sent him. In the New Testament, the first Apostle is Christ Himself, the one sent by the Father. Then, the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit. Then, the Spirit was poured out on the church, and the church was sent to complete the ministry of Christ in all the world—to every tongue, to every nation, to every tribe.
Source: The Biblical Basis for Missions (Ligonier article)
The church is responsible for completing Christ's ministry by sending people out to the world.
Then, the Spirit was poured out on the church, and the church was sent to complete the ministry of Christ in all the world—to every tongue, to every nation, to every tribe.
Source: The Biblical Basis for Missions (Ligonier article)
The church is defined as a corporate body that requires a sense of solidarity and community, rejecting rugged individualism.
The church exists as a corporate body. There is a corporate solidarity that defines the identity of the New Testament church. There is no room for rugged individualism.
Source: The Bonds of Brotherhood (Ligonier article)
The prominence of the pulpit in Christian history, especially Reformation churches, highlights the central importance of the Word of God.
Contrarily, in the churches of Christian history, particularly in Reformation churches, the pulpit rose as the dominant feature of the interior of the building, indicating the central importance of the Word of God, the absolute significance of God’s truth.
Source: Building with Conviction (Ligonier article)
Some churches are compromising by remaining silent or abandoning God's teachings on matters of sexuality due to cultural pressure.
They are either silent on these matters of life and human sexuality, or they have bowed to cultural pressure to abandon what God says on these matters.
Source: A Call for Endurance (Ligonier article)
Worship services must be carefully constructed because they are not merely for the attendees, but are an act of entering the heavenly sanctuary.
Our worship services must be carefully constructed because we do not worship alone. When we come to worship on Sunday morning, we are entering the heavenly sanctuary; we’re involved in the communion of saints where God is present, Christ is present, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect are present.
Source: Calvin’s Defining Passion in the Protestant Reformation (Ligonier article)
The Great Commission mandates the church to make disciples of all nations, not simply to evangelize.
He gave a mandate to the church of all ages not simply to evangelize but to make disciples.
Source: Christ’s Call to Make Disciples (Ligonier article)
Hypocrisy is a sin that Christians must grapple with, even though the church is not filled with hypocrites.
Though the church is not filled with hypocrites, there is no denying that hypocrisy is a sin that is not limited or restricted to New Testament Pharisees. It is a sin with which Christians must grapple.
Source: Is the Church Full of Hypocrites? (Ligonier article)
The church receives the Apostolic tradition, which is a transfer of teaching from God through Christ and the Apostles.
The church received it from the Apostles, who received it from Christ, who received it from God.
Source: The Church‘s One Foundation (Ligonier article)
When the Old Testament uses the term 'knowing' in relation to sex, it signifies that knowing, in every sense, is central to the institution of marriage.
No, when the Old Testament speaks of sexual union in terms of knowing, it is because knowing, in every sense of the word, is at the heart of marriage.
Source: Communication in Marriage Is Important (Ligonier article)
In modern culture, the church's responsibility is to be the conscience of the nation and call the state to repentance, rather than ruling the nation.
But it is the responsibility of the church to be the conscience of the nation and to call the state to repentance when the state becomes demonized and fails to serve in the cause of righteousness.
Source: Covenant Prosecutors (Ligonier article)
Because the church is so important, it is the central target of hell, facing a struggle with principalities and powers.
Because the church is so important, it is the central target of hell. The devil doesn’t have to work up a sweat to induce the mafia to evil. Junior-grade demons can plunge a government into decadence. But the church—the bride of Jesus, the family of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit—that institution invites the unbridled assault of hell at every point.
Source: Dear Bob (Ligonier article)
Believers must love the church because they cannot love Christ while despising His body.
You gotta love the church. You can’t love Christ and despise His body. You can’t reject His bride.
Source: Dear Bob (Ligonier article)
The church has a primary responsibility to minister to all individuals who are experiencing brokenness, including those whose brokenness is caused by divorce.
Anyone who is involved in a broken family relationship needs the ministry and care of the church.
Source: Divorce (Ligonier article)
The Christian church must evaluate its status from a global perspective rather than focusing only on the West.
The discouragement that ensues from an evaluation of what’s happening in America and in Europe is unwarranted, however, when we evaluate the church from a global perspective.
Source: Ecclesiastical Myopia (Ligonier article)
Calvinism should not be exhaustively identified with the five points, but rather viewed as a pathway to the broader structure of Reformed theology.
Yet it would be wise to not identify Calvinism exhaustively with those five points. Rather, the five points function as a pathway or a bridge to the entire structure of Reformed theology.
Source: Fueling Reformation (Ligonier article)
Protestants have historically objected to the Roman Catholic Church for imposing mandates on its clergy that exceed the requirements of Scripture.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
Historically Protestants have objected that the Roman Catholic church, by imposing upon its clergy a mandate beyond the requirements of Scripture itself, has slipped into a form of legalism.
Source: God’s Will in Marriage (Ligonier article)
The Reformation is ongoing and must continue until all who claim to be Christian share the same Lord, faith, and baptism.
The Reformation is not over. It cannot be over and must not be over until all who call themselves Christians have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
Source: How Should Protestants Relate to Roman Catholics? (Ligonier article)
John the Baptist and the disciples did not fully understand the meaning of the messianic titles, despite their knowledge of the Old Testament.
Despite the abundant use of significant titles for Jesus in the first chapter of John—“Lamb of God,” “Son of God,” “Messiah,” “Son of Man,” and so forth—I don’t believe that John the Baptist, Andrew, Nathanael, or any of the disciples had a comprehensive understanding of the meaning of these titles.
Source: Jesus Christ: The Lamb of God (Ligonier article)
Jesus' baptism was not for personal cleansing, but for the purpose of obedience to his Father and fulfilling every detail of God's law.
He wasn’t asking John to baptize Him because He needed to be cleansed; He wanted to be baptized so that He could be obedient to His Father in every detail.
Source: Jesus, Our Substitute (Ligonier article)
Despite covering the whole scope of theology, Paul's central focus and priority in ministry was Christ and Him crucified.
But in terms of his priorities and central focus, that which conditioned everything else that he said was Christ and Him crucified.
Source: Leadership in the Church (Ligonier article)
The responsibility for ministry, including admonition and counsel, belongs to the entire church, not just ordained clergy.
The task of giving admonition, exhortation, edification, comfort, consolation, and strength is given to the whole church, and Paul called believers to exhort, admonish, instruct, advise, and counsel each other. Christianity assumes and commands that all laypeople be involved in ministry, but we’ve lost that for the most part in America.
Source: Leadership in the Church (Ligonier article)
The mission of the church is not temporary but spans from age to age and for the ages.
It is a mission from the ages and unto the ages and for the ages.
Source: The Mission of the Church Is Eternal (Ligonier article)
The primary responsibility for teaching children the truth of God's Word belongs to the parents and the family, not solely to the church.
The primary responsibility for the education of children according to Scripture is the family, the parents.
Source: The Most Solemn Mandate (Ligonier article)
The history of the church is marked by major heresies that forced the church to define the limits of orthodoxy.
It was Marcion’s heretical canon that made it necessary for the church to formalize the contents of the true canon of sacred Scripture. It was Arius’s adoptionism that necessitated the conciliar decrees of Nicaea. It was the heresies of Eutyches (monophysitism) and Nestorius that provoked the watershed ecumenical council of Chalcedon in 451.
Source: None Dare Call It Heresy (Ligonier article)
The true heretic is the one who divides the church and disrupts the unity of the body of Christ.
It is the heretic who divides the church and disrupts the unity of the body of Christ.
Source: None Dare Call It Heresy (Ligonier article)
Creeds are necessary for the church to clarify the Christian faith and distinguish true content from error.
Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to distinguish true content from error and false representations of the faith.
Source: Norma Normata (Ligonier article)
Without confessional statements, theological anarchy will prevail both within the church and in the world.
Without such confessions, theological anarchy reigns in the church and in the world.
Source: Norma Normata (Ligonier article)
Attacks against Scripture are attacks on the very foundation of the church.
Attacks against the integrity, authority, sufficiency, and trustworthiness of sacred Scripture are assaults not on one of the alcoves of this church or aimed at putting a dent in the roof but on the very foundation of the church.
Source: Peace Beyond Barriers: How Christ Builds His Church (Ligonier article)
The church is composed of individual believers, who are the building stones added to the edifice.
Rather, we are the building stones. Each Christian is part of this edifice, just as each stone is part of a building. Every day new stones are added to the church of Christ.
Source: Peace Beyond Barriers: How Christ Builds His Church (Ligonier article)
Evangelical churches are not necessarily uniform, but they can share unity.
An evangelical church is not necessarily a monolithic community. There may be unity among evangelical churches but not necessarily uniformity.
Source: The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church (Ligonier article)
The Christian church is considered a pilgrim people, following the pattern of the ancient Israelites.
The Christian church is a pilgrim people. The Apostle Peter is clear: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11; KJV).
Source: A Pilgrim People (Ligonier article)
The acceptance of pluralism in the church is problematic because it suggests a welcoming of all viewpoints, which is not merely a matter of diversity within unity.
The tragedy of our day is that pluralism has not only been accepted as a working ideology in secular culture, but it has also been widely embraced in the church. You may have heard a congregation or a denomination proudly claim, “We are a pluralistic church.” This means that church welcomes all different kinds of theology and viewpoints. It is not merely a matter of diversity within unity.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
Pluralism in the church is dangerous because it suggests that essential truths of Christianity can be negotiated.
Pluralism suggests more than just diverse opinions in the church. It allows contradictory views of Christ, of God, and of the very essence of the Christian faith. It considers them all to be right.
Source: Pluralism and Relativism (Ligonier article)
The primary task of the minister is to teach, and this function is essential for the church.
The concept that the primary task of the minister is to teach is all but lost in the church today.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
The church should prioritize equipping ministers to teach the congregation the things of God rather than focusing solely on administrative skills.
Sure, we want them to know some theology and the Bible, but we don’t make it a priority that these people be equipped to teach the congregation the things of God. Administrative tasks are seen as more important.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
Ministers are entrusted by God with the care of the congregation, which is likened to shepherding Christ's sheep.
And every minister who is ordained is consecrated and entrusted by God with the care of those sheep. We call it the “pastorate” because ministers are called to care for the sheep of Christ.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
The church needs to restore a regular teaching ministry, providing opportunities for both preaching and instruction for the laity.
I’m convinced that the church needs to recapture something of the regular teaching ministry evident in the work of our forefathers in the faith. As they are able, churches should be creating many opportunities to hear God’s Word preached and taught.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
The church needs to provide frequent and consistent instruction and exhortation to its members.
God’s people need both preaching and teaching, and they need more than twenty minutes of instruction and exhortation a week.
Source: Preaching and Teaching (Ligonier article)
The apostolic church initially used kerygma for outreach, focusing on the proclamation of the gospel, and then followed up with didache through systematic teaching.
The first has been called kerygma ; the second, didache . This distinction refers to the difference between proclamation ( kerygma ) and teaching or instruction ( didache )
Source: Preaching Christ (Ligonier article)
The absence of principle leads to the decay of both the church and the culture, making the church merely an echo of secular pragmatism.
Without principle, the church as well as the culture will decay, and the church will become a mere echo of the unprincipled pragmatism of secularism.
Source: Principle vs. Pragmatism (Ligonier article)
The concept of the separation of church and state, even as understood in the 18th century, was merely a division of labor, meaning the state was not responsible for the church's ministry.
What was meant in the 18th century even in the informal way in which Jefferson spoke of it was the division of labor between the church and the state. In other words, it is not the state's responsibility to do the ministry of the church and it is not the state's responsibility to preach the gospel or to administer the sacrament.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
The church has a duty to call the state to account, reminding it that the state is accountable to God.
It is one thing to say the state is not accountable to the church , it's another thing to say the state is not accountable to God. And when the state assumes its autonomy and declares its independence from Almighty God it is not just the right but the duty of the church to call the state to task: Not to ask the state to be the church, but to tell the state to be the state under God.
Source: Principles for Voting (Ligonier article)
The word 'secular' originally referred to a different sphere of operation, distinct from the sacred realm of the church.
Often, in the minds of many Christians, the distinction between sacred and secular is the distinction between the good and the bad, but that is not the way it has been used in church history. Secular was simply a different sphere of operation.
Source: Secularism: Ignoring the Eternal (Ligonier article)
Gregory the Great consolidated the power in the sacraments and established a vast sacerdotal system for future Catholicism.
In his activities he consolidated the power vested in the sacraments of the church and spawned the vast sacerdotal system (priests through ordination receiving the ability to act as mediators of God’s grace to man through the sacraments) with which all future Catholicism would be associated.
Source: Setting the Stage: The First Millennium (Ligonier article)
The physical environment of a church can significantly influence or hinder a person's sense of God's presence and ability to worship.
We need to understand that our church architecture communicates something to our visual senses, and, therefore, that architecture can promote or hinder our sense of the presence of God.
Source: Sight, Place, and the Presence of God (Ligonier article)
The terms 'cult' and 'sect' lack a universal definition, and both can have multiple meanings.
Here again we find no universal monolithic definition for what it is that constitutes a cult or a sect. Both terms are capable of more than one meaning or denotation.
Source: A Snare in Your Midst (Ligonier article)
The church itself is the primary base for mission, and its readiness is crucial for the mission to the world to be effective.
Nehemiah understood that the home base of our mission is still the church. The staging zone for the divine operation must be sound if the mission to the world is to be effective.
Source: Songs from Exile (Ligonier article)
If the church becomes paganized, its mission is lost, and the divine walls and gates of the city of God are no longer necessary.
And if the church becomes an echo of the world, the mission of the world is accomplished. When the church is paganized there is no need for walls or gates in the city of God.
Source: Songs from Exile (Ligonier article)
The church is currently tolerated in America only when it remains outside of the public sphere.
Though the church is still somewhat tolerated in America (in a way it was not tolerated in Mao’s Red China and under Stalin), it is tolerated only when it remains outside of the public square.
Source: Statism (Ligonier article)
The principle of giving should allow for donations to various worthy ministries, including seminaries and Christian colleges, not just the local church.
I do believe that the lion’s share of it should go to the local church, but I also think that the principle of letting your donation “sweat in your hand before you give it” implies not only discernment but also liberty in giving so that your giving may include a seminary, a Christian college, and other worthy ministries.
Source: What Does the Bible Say About Christian Tithing? (Ligonier article)
Augustine taught that the church is a 'mixed body' because true believers co-exist with unbelievers.
Because of the presence of wheat and tares simultaneously in the church, we know that believers co-exist with unbelievers, the regenerate alongside the unregenerate. It was this situation that prompted Augustine to describe the church as a “mixed body” ( corpus permixtum ).
Source: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church (Ligonier article)
The title 'bishop' (episkopos) originally referred to a high-ranking military officer who inspected troops, which evolved to mean someone given oversight in the church.
The episkopos was a high-ranking military officer who inspected the troops to be sure they were ready for battle. With that background, we can see that a bishop is one who is given oversight in the church, with the responsibility to look closely into all matters under his supervision.
Source: The Bishop of Our Souls (Ligonier article)
The church's unity must be based on the truth of God's Word, not merely on accommodating differing views.
This must not be allowed to happen, for the Bible calls us to “the unity of the faith” (Eph. 4:13), a unity based on the truth of God’s Word.
Source: The Church Is One (Ligonier article)
The church must distinguish between minor errors and major heresies that threaten the core essentials of the Christian faith.
So, we make a distinction between those errors that impact the being of the church—major heresies—and lesser errors that impact the well-being of the church.
Source: The Church Is One (Ligonier article)
The church distinguishes between heresy and error based on the severity of the mistake, specifically when an error threatens the core life of the church.
But when an error becomes so serious that it threatens the very life of the church, when it begins to approach a doctrinal mistake that affects the essentials of the Christian faith, the church has had to stand up and say: “This is not what we believe. This false belief is heresy and cannot be tolerated within this church.”
Source: The Church Is One (Ligonier article)
The church is currently in danger because it is increasingly negotiating central doctrines, such as the deity of Christ and the substitutionary atonement, in the pursuit of unity.
Today, however, the church, in order to achieve unity, increasingly negotiates central truths, such as the deity of Christ and the substitutionary atonement.
Source: The Church Is One (Ligonier article)
Every Christian is inherently a missionary, and the calling to witness belongs to all believers, not just paid professionals.
Every Christian is a missionary. If we carefully read the book of Acts, we will see that when persecution arose in Jerusalem, all the Christians were scattered except the apostles. Those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the gospel (Acts 8).
Source: The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article)
Christian witness is required everywhere, meaning every neighborhood or office building constitutes a mission field.
We all have a mission field, if only our own neighborhood or office building. Every corner of the world is a mission field.
Source: The Importance of Cultural Awareness (Ligonier article)
Some people who are officially members of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox churches can still be true Christians despite their church's official doctrines.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
I believe there are true and sincere Christians within the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches. But these people are Christians in spite of their church’s official doctrinal positions.
Source: The Manhattan Declaration: Why didn’t you sign it, R.C.? (Ligonier article)
The church is compared to the bride of Christ, who purchased her and assumed covenantal responsibility for her provision and protection.
The church is the bride of Christ. He has redeemed her. He has purchased her. The bride-price Jesus paid was the most expensive price ever paid for a bride. With that price He assumed covenantal responsibility for her provision, nurture, and protection.
Source: The Marriage Feast (Ligonier article)
Christ not only purchases the church but also sanctifies her to prepare her for the wedding feast.
Yet what He purchased He also sanctifies to purify her: Christ prepares His bride for His wedding feast.
Source: The Marriage Feast (Ligonier article)
New musical styles that are popular in the secular world will inevitably be adopted by the church.
It is an undeniable truth that when musical forms and styles change in the secular world, the new styles inevitably find their way into the church.
Source: The Nadir of Arrogance (Ligonier article)
The church must address temporal issues while remaining connected to the eternal and holy.
What is demanded by times such as ours is a church that addresses the temporal while at the same time remaining tethered to the eternal—a church that speaks, comforts, and heals all things mortal and secular without itself abandoning the eternal and the holy.
Source: What Is Time? (Ligonier article)
The church should prioritize pleasing God and Christ over seeking the approval of people.
We need churches filled with Christians who are not enslaved by the culture, churches that seek more than anything to please God and His only begotten Son, rather than to attract the applause of dying men and women.
Source: What Is Time? (Ligonier article)
The canon of Scripture establishes the standard used by the church to receive the Word of God.
The word canon comes from a Greek word that means “standard or measuring rod.” So the canon of sacred Scripture delineates the standard that the church used in receiving the Word of God.
Source: Tota Scriptura (Ligonier article)
The church often defines its doctrines with greater precision in response to heretical activity.
As is often the case, it is the work of heretics that forces the church to define her doctrines with greater and greater precision.
Source: Tota Scriptura (Ligonier article)
The church must reject departures from orthodox Christianity and reaffirm its commitment to the whole counsel of God.
The church must say an emphatic “no” to these departures from orthodox Christianity, and she must reaffirm her faith not only in sola Scriptura , but in tota Scriptura as well.
Source: Tota Scriptura (Ligonier article)
The church must honor both the unity of God and the distinctions among the persons of the Godhead.
So in the formula of the Trinity, the church bows to sacred Scripture, honoring both the unity of God and the distinctions among the persons of the Godhead.
Source: Triune Monarchy (Ligonier article)
The speaker prefers the term 'preservation of the saints' because the process of being kept in grace is accomplished by God.
So I prefer the term the preservation of the saints , because the process by which we are kept in a state of grace is something that is accomplished by God.
Source: TULIP and Reformed Theology: Perseverance of the Saints (Ligonier article)
The primary purpose of government is to maintain, sustain, and protect the sanctity of human life, and the church must challenge the state when it fails in this duty.
The principal reason for the existence of any government is to maintain, sustain, and protect the sanctity of human life. When the state fails to do that, it has become demonized. And it is the sacred duty of the church and of every Christian to voice opposition to it.
Source: The Voice of the Church (Ligonier article)
The church has a duty to protest other churches that support abortion or remain silent on the issue.
It is time for Christians to give prophetic criticism to the church, specifically to those churches that support abortion on demand or remain silent on this major issue.
Source: The Voice of the Church (Ligonier article)
The church's primary focus for renewal and influence should be internal, as the church is the light of the world.
if we want to be concerned for our nation and culture, our priority must be the renewal of the church. We are the light of the world. Government merely reflects and echoes the customs embraced by the people in a given generation.
Source: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article)
Cultural change often originates from within the church community rather than from governmental or top-down sources.
Change in culture doesn’t always come from the top down. It often comes from the bottom up. The change we need to work for, chiefly, is renewal within the church.
Source: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article)
The church must remember its foundational identity, recognizing Christ as its head and cornerstone.
We must remember who we are, who the foundation is, who the cornerstone is, who the head of our building is, who the Lord of the church is.
Source: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article)
If the church fails, it is because its members have failed in their calling.
But if the church has failed, that means we have failed.
Source: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article)
The church is called to serve by bowing down to the Lord, rather than by rising up in opposition.
Yet, we are called not so much to rise up but to bow down. And if we bow down to our Lord, as Paul says in Ephesians 3:14, the church will be the church, and our light will pierce the darkness.
Source: What Is the Church? (Ligonier article)
Jesus' mission was not given to Him at His baptism or in the manger, but rather He had it before His incarnation.
His mission was not given to Him at His baptism or in the manger. He had it before His incarnation.
Source: What Is the Covenant of Redemption? (Ligonier article)
The early church leaders had the function of equipping the laity so that the ministry of the gospel could be carried out through their efforts.
It is obvious from this text in Acts that one of the functions of the leaders of the early church was to equip the laity so that the ministry of the gospel could be effected through their labors.
Source: What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
The pastor's role involves both teaching (imparting information) and training (hands-on skill development) the congregation.
It is the responsibility of the pastor to equip the sheep by teaching them and training them. There is a difference between teaching and training.
Source: What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
The pastor must view the congregation as a flock entrusted to him by God and Christ.
So the pastor must see his congregation as a flock of sheep that is entrusted to him by the Father and by the Lord Jesus Christ, that he may help the saints become all that they can become in the ministry of the gospel.
Source: What Does It Mean to Be a Shepherd Over the Flock? (Ligonier article)
Jesus transformed the Old Testament Passover sacrament by giving it new meaning and content, symbolizing the body of Christ.
Jesus took the Old Testament sacrament of Passover and filled it with new meaning and new content, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).
Source: What Is a Sacrament? (Ligonier article)
The church should not minimize doctrinal issues, as the New Testament emphasizes the importance of correct doctrine.
That notion is propounded even though the New Testament is replete with Apostolic concern about correct doctrine.
Source: What Was the Cause of the Protestant Reformation? (Ligonier article)
The Roman Catholic Church views baptism as the instrumental cause of justification, resulting in the infusion of justifying grace into the soul.
▷ A view Sproul explains or critiques — not his own position.
According to the Roman Catholic Church, the tool or instrument that God uses to bring justification to sinners is baptism. The person who is baptized receives an infusion of justifying grace , or the grace of the righteousness of Christ. That is, in baptism, something happens inwardly—the soul is infused with divine grace.
Source: What Was the Cause of the Protestant Reformation? (Ligonier article)
The church historically kept the words of God restricted to Latin, which was understood by the clergy but not the laity.
In the Middle Ages, the church was committed to performing the Mass in the ancient tongue of Latin. That tongue was understood by educated people, and particularly by the clergy, but it was not intelligible to the laity.
Source: The Word of God in the Hands of Man (Ligonier article)
The church should not adopt the doctrine of 'salvation by separation,' as Christ's holiness did not require withdrawing from the world.
But if Christ’s holiness did not require withdrawing from the world, then neither does ours. He came to seek and to save the lost, and the lost are gathered in the world—in our Father’s world.
Source: Into the World (Ligonier article)
The church is not meant to be isolated, but rather must actively engage with the world and its challenges.
The church is not a ghetto or a reservation. True, the world wants to put us there, to force us out of the world into the four walls of the church building, outside of which we are never to speak of sin or the salvation that comes only in Christ.
Source: Into the World (Ligonier article)
Paul did not teach that tongues were the indispensable sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, nor did he place them at the apex of spiritual gifts.
It was clear that Paul did not put tongues, or glossolalia , at the apex of gifts and did not teach tongues as an indispensable sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Source: Zeal without Knowledge (Ligonier article)
The speaker agrees with the point that there is no explicit command or explicit prohibition of infant baptism found in the New Testament.
One of the things that John has made absolutely clear in his excellent presentation today is that there's nowhere in the New Testament that explicitly commands the baptism of infants or explicitly mentions the baptism of infants. And so, he concludes it's simply not in the New Testament. And from an explicit perspective, I agree with him completely. We also have stipulated and agreed that there's no explicit prohibition against infant baptism to be found anywhere in the New Testament either.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:33
The issue concerning circumcision and baptism is not one of identity, but rather one of relationship.
Now the issue, however, is not one of identity but one of relationship.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:13
There is continuity between circumcision in the Old Testament and baptism in the New Testament, but there are also serious and significant points of discontinuity.
I think we would all agree, that there is some continuity, at least, between circumcision in the Old Testament and baptism in the New Testament. And yet at the same time, there are serious and significant points of discontinuity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:06
Neither circumcision in the Old Testament nor baptism in the New Testament can justify a person.
So again, we don't want to ever get to the conclusion that a person is justified by circumcision in the Old Testament or by baptism in the New Testament.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:23
The requirement for adults to profess faith before baptism is supported by both the Old and New Testaments.
And before they can be circumcised as adults, they must make a profession of faith. And likewise, we have abundant records in the New Testament of adults being baptized, which adults are called upon to profess faith and so on.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:19
Historically, there are three basic types of theology: Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Augustinianism.
And theologians speak of them in these general categories: One is what we call Pelagianism. The second is what we call Semi-Pelagianism, and the third is what we call Augustinianism.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:55
The Christian church is the fulfillment of the covenant people of God known as Israel in the Old Testament, and he does not view these two as separate.
I do believe that the church in the New Testament is the fulfillment of the covenant people of God known as Israel in the Old Testament. And so I don't divide those two.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:35
The Apostle Paul intended the discussion of spiritual gifts to correct the Corinthian church's rivalries over those gifts.
As he writes to the Corinthian church, he is aware that the church is being torn apart by rivalries over the gifts of the Spirit.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:31
The Roman Catholic Church was concerned that allowing unskilled laymen to interpret the Bible without the guidance of the church's magisterium would lead to doctrinal chaos and fragmentation.
If we put the Bible in the hands of unskilled laymen, without the magisterium of the church, without the teaching office of the church to govern and guide and protect people from erroneous understandings of the Scripture, we're going to open a floodgate of iniquity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:53
The distinctives of Reformed theology are not the entirety of Christian doctrine, but are established upon the foundation of catholic and evangelical Christianity.
The distinctives set on the platform; they're established on the foundation of catholic and evangelical Christianity.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:21
Paul's final instructions show that even those previously deemed unsuitable could still be useful to the apostolic ministry.
Paul says, “Get Mark. Bring Mark here.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:50
The speaker intends to address the difficult question of whether all New Testament writings retain obligatory application to the modern church.
Are there things in the Bible that don't apply to the church today, or does everything that was written in the first century still have obligatory application to the church today?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 25:48
True conservatism in the church involves a passion to conserve the truth delivered through God's word, not merely adhering to human conventions.
The only kind of conservatism that God wants is the passion to conserve the truth that He has delivered through His word, and that it is our obligation to conserve, and not to negotiate
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 38:28
Covenants are not private matters, and they involve many people and institutions.
But she wanted it to be a private matter; but covenants aren't private, and we need to understand that
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 24:13
God communicates physically and concretely, culminating in the Incarnation, which is the zenith of all sacraments.
I’m not going to exist to you simply in an abstract, spiritual, mystical, intuitive plane. I’m not even going to simply just verbalize with you, but I’m going to communicate with you in physical terms, in concrete ways. See, He’s the God of the embrace, who so demonstrates the physical dimension of His communication that He becomes incarnate. Don’t you see that the incarnation is the culmination, the zenith of every sacrament?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:47
The church must not compromise the fundamental biblical methods of worship, preaching, evangelism, or spiritual growth.
Whatever else we try to do to make the message attractive to a fallen world, we must never, ever, ever negotiate those fundamental biblical methods of worship, and of preaching, of evangelism, and of spiritual growth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
Christ established His church and commanded His people to participate in it as part of His body.
Christ establishes His church and commands His people to be a part of His body and to participate in that body.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
All members of the community are called to participate in the holy priesthood by offering spiritual sacrifices.
we all do that because we are all called as a community of living stones to be involved in this holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:15
The concept of the divine Logos in John's Gospel preoccupied the intellectual investigation of the early Christian church for the first three centuries.
I mentioned to you that his concept of the divine Logos that from all eternity was with God, and yet is God, preoccupied the intellectual investigation and inquiry of the thinking of the Christian church in the first three centuries.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:12
The church rejected the term homoousios (same being) because it risked pantheism, opting instead for homoiousios (similar being).
And so the church says, "No we don't want to say that they are the same essence, because that'll get us into this pantheism that we want to avoid, and rather," they said, "we have to say that there is a likeness or similarity in the being of Christ and the being of the Father."
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:24
Dispensationalism views the redemptive plan for the Jews as distinct from the redemptive plan of the church, and the church is not considered the new Israel.
But there will be a redemptive plan for the Jews that is distinct from the redemptive plan of the church, and the church is not the new Israel.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 15:02
The speaker believes that being a pastor is the highest calling in the world.
I have nothing but profound respect and admiration for the pastor because I believe that's the highest calling that there is in this world. It's a privilege; it's not just a duty. It's a privilege to be able to spend one's life in the service of Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 20:41
The church may simply mean that the truth of God is found first in Scripture and then re-presented in the historic councils or decrees of the church.
And so the church may have meant simply to say that we find the truth of God first of all in Scripture and then as it is re-presented to us in the historic councils or the decrees of the church; that's the other place you can look, which would ... which somebody could say and still hold to Sola Scriptura.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:50
The distinction between the profane and the holy is the difference between the common and the uncommon, or between the earthly and the heavenly.
and so the difference between the profane and the holy is the difference between the common and the uncommon, between the earthly and the heavenly.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 8:03
Christ's ministry is compared to the purchase of a bride out of slavery, paying the necessary price.
And that esoteric principle in Old Testament Israel is elevated in the New Testament as a way of describing the magnificent ministry of Christ himself, who comes and purchases his bride out of slavery to Satan. Christ pays the bride price.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:29
The church historically used specific doctrines, like the concept of a Shibboleth, to guard against heresy and maintain doctrinal purity.
Therefore we see the church coming down on a concept that in a very real sense, functions as a Shibboleth.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:16
The church is driven to theological precision by the assault on the truth of God from heretics.
and again the reason why the church has come back to words like "trinity" is to set the standard as precisely as we possibly can, and what drives the church to precision in every generation, has been the assault on the truth of God from the heretics.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 22:11
The New Testament establishes that the church has the authority to remove members who commit gross and heinous sin and remain impenitent.
We see the principle in the New Testament of excommunication, where if a person within the church is guilty of gross and heinous sin, and remains impenitent, it is the law of the new covenant that that person be removed from fellowship in church (1 Cor. 5).
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The Reformers identified three essential characteristics that define a true church: preaching the gospel, administering sacraments, and exercising discipline.
The three marks of a true church are the gospel is truly preached, the sacraments are duly administered, and the church exercises discipline.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 1:22
Paul set down specific restrictions regarding the functions of women within the church.
and the liberals and the conservatives do agree that the apostle Paul, for example, did set down certain restrictions about the functions of women in the church.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:42
The Bible requires that the church approach its texts with literary and historical understanding.
The church therefore has an obligation to approach the Scriptures with literary and historical understanding.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:13
The practice of women covering their heads was a long-standing apostolic injunction that was once the custom of the church for nearly two thousand years.
And that particular apostolic injunction was the practice of the church for nearly two thousand years before it was set aside.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 2:48
The covering of the head with a veil is merely a custom, and the principle of female subordination is also a matter of local custom.
the covering of the head with a veil is a matter of custom; doesn't matter whether you cover your head with a veil or with a hat or with a babushka or with a handkerchief, the veil is customary. But not only is the veil customary, but the whole act of covering the head simply is a first century means or method of displaying or symbolizing a woman's subordination to her husband in church. Now that subordination could be shown a multitude of ways. It could be shown through all kinds of different rituals. It doesn't have to be shown by covering the head, so that the very act of covering the head is merely customary.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 4:28
Since the church lives in a different culture from when 1 Corinthians 11 was written, it is no longer necessary for a woman to cover her head with a veil.
So that we conclude that since we live in a different culture from which 1 Corinthians 11 was written, it is no longer necessary for a woman to cover her head with a veil. It is no longer necessary to -- for a woman to cover her head with anything, and it is no longer necessary for a woman to be subordinate to a man.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 5:46
The primary task of the church is to preach the Gospel and administer sacraments, not to perform functions like maintaining armies or delivering mail.
It is not the task of the church to create a standing army. It is not the task of the church to deliver the mail. It is not the task of the church to wage war, to bear the sword. It is the task of the church to preach the Gospel of Christ. It is the task of the church to administer the sacraments, to pray, to worship, to do all of these things that we associate with particular religious endeavors.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 7:18
The state is responsible for certain governmental roles, and the church is commanded by God to submit to civil magistrates.
And as far as the role of government, that belongs to the state, not to the church, and the church by its own theology, by Scripture itself, is commanded by God to bend over backward to be submissive to the civil magistrates.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 9:55
The church understands its responsibility to obey civil magistrates by allowing its standard to fly in a subordinate position to the state flag.
Symbolically saying that the church by allowing its standard and its flag to fly at a subordinate position to the state flag, the church is saying that in civil matters the church is to obey and submit to the government.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 11:25
The distinctions within the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) are not essential in the sense of being unimportant, but they do not refer to a fragmentation or compartmentalization of God's being.
The distinctions in the Godhead are not essential -- that is -- I don't mean not essential in the sense of not important but that is they are not of the essence. They do not refer to a fragmentation or compartmentalization of the very being of God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:27
The visible church is described as the living Jerusalem in our lives, where the people of God gather.
And today, the living Jerusalem in our lives is to be the visible church, where the people of God are gathered in community.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:36
The church's decisions are insufficient to establish Christ's authority.
Context: Describing a conversation with another person.
I said, “Where do you find any content to that authority?” He looked at me and he said, “Through the decisions of the church.”
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:46
The church is currently in a state of confusion because it attempts to elevate Christ's authority while simultaneously judging its historical commissions.
We try to, on the one hand, elevate the authority of Christ, and then on the other hand, stand in judgment over the content of that which He has presumably historically endorsed as His commission were.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:46
The church established boundaries for Christology by stating that the divine and human natures are united without mixture, confusion, division, or separation.
When the council confessed that there is a perfect unity between two natures in Christ -- the divine nature and the human nature -- that they are to be understood in this union between the divine and the human as being in united -- united in such a way as to be without mixture, confusion, division, or separation
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 17:30
If people feel the church is boring or irrelevant, it suggests they are not having an encounter with the living God.
That tells me one thing. It tells me that when they come to church, they are not having any kind of encounter with the living God. They are coming to a human gathering that is focused on humans and not on Him.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 3:43
An individual Christian does not have the authority to act in the church in the same way that Jesus did.
Do I have any right as an individual Christian to pick up a whip and walk into the church and drive the money changers out in a fit of anger and righteous indignation? No. Jesus did, but see, Jesus is the Lord of the church. I'm not the lord of the church and so I cannot practice everything that Jesus did.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:45
The didactic portions of Scripture teach that all Christians are gifted by the Spirit, suggesting a universal participation in the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
All Christians are gifted by the Spirit," is the teaching of the didactic portions of Scripture, so how do we square that with the narratives?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:37
Paul's discussion of the call in Romans is not about the external invitation of the gospel, but rather the internal operation of the Holy Ghost.
Now I’m submitting to you that what Paul is talking about here is not the external call of the gospel, but the internal call that indicates the supernatural operation of the Holy Ghost.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 12:26
The early Christian church, specifically through 'The Didache,' clearly prohibited abortion, indicating that at least the early church viewed it as murder.
The Didache sets forth as a clear emphatic prohibition "Thou shalt not commit murder by abortion." I mean, clearly, in The Didache, abortion is considered murder, which indicates that at least the early church believed that abortion was murder.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 14:22
The Diet of Worms was a formal ecclesiastical and civil tribunal.
Context: Defining the nature of the Diet of Worms.
A Diet was an ecclesiastical and civil tribunal.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 23:05
Much of the criticism leveled against the Bible's authority originates from within the church, not just from outside it.
And that attack has not come simply from outside the church, but for the most part in the last century or so the guns of criticism have been leveled against the authority of the Bible from inside the church.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:05
The church is considered holy because the people of God are called the hagioi, which means 'holy,' and the word 'saint' means 'holy one,' not 'perfect one.'
In fact, the people of God in the New Testament are called the hagioi, which means not “the bunch of old hags,” but it comes from the Greek word hagios, which means “holy.” And the church of the hagioi _were the saints. And the word _saint means “holy one.” Not “perfect one” but one who has been set apart by God.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 6:05
No church on earth can be perfect because it is composed of sinners, and attempting to find a perfect church is futile.
It’s the only institution I know of in this world that absolutely requires that you be a sinner to join it. And if you ever find a perfect church, don’t you join that one. Why? You’ll ruin it. Because it won’t be a perfect church anymore—as soon as you join it, as soon as I join it.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The contemporary church is wrongly separating the act of preaching the Word from the act of worship.
What is it that is going on in the contemporary church that divorces preaching from worship?
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 0:00
The church is holy not because of the purity of its members, but because of its institution and its Head, Christ.
But the reason why the church is holy is because of its institution and because of its Head, Who is Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:03
The holiness of the church is derived from the same powers—the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ—that established and sustain the church.
In other words, whatever holiness we get, we get because of the same powers that are pulling the church together in the first place, by the Holy Spirit and by Jesus Christ.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 19:44
The church is understood as a universal body of Christ that is larger and more encompassing than any specific denomination.
But Protestants still retain a confession of the Apostles' Creed because they say we may not embrace the Roman Catholic Church but we certainly believe that there is such a thing as a universal body of Christ that is bigger and wider, deeper and broader then the denominations that we are members of.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 21:51
The church's fellowship transcends physical, temporal, and denominational boundaries, encompassing all Christians who have ever lived.
But it also transcends temporal boundaries. That we say, there's a mystical element here of the mystical body of Christ, that not only am I in fellowship with you as a Christian, but right now this moment I am in fellowship with Martin Luther, and with John Calvin, and with Saint Augustine and with every Christian who has ever lived, because every Christian in who has ever lived and has been brought into the unity of Christ, that unity that he enjoys with Christ cannot be destroyed.
Source: R.C. Sproul @ 26:18
God alone has the authority to select a priest for a sacred service, doing so through the casting of lots.
No, the only One who could choose a priest for this sacred service was God Himself, which He did through the casting of lots.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 1) (Ligonier)
A priest's selection for a sacred task is solely determined by God, not by election or contest among priests.
No, the only One who could choose a priest for this sacred service was God Himself, which He did through the casting of lots.
Source: The Angel & Zacharias (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Many modern ministers are expected to be generalists who handle administration, development, and counseling, rather than focusing on preaching and teaching the Word of God.
Rather, a minister is often expected to be the CEO of a corporation. He is expected to do the administration, the development work, and to be an expert in counseling and pastoral care.
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
The institution of deacons was established in the early church when the Apostles chose seven men of great faith and ability to serve the needs of the people.
The Apostles summoned the people together and said, “We need to choose seven men from among the congregation who are clearly men of great faith, great ability, and great commitment, that they may be set aside and consecrated by the laying on of hands to give themselves to diakonia , to service, to minister to the needs of people in the church.”
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
Historically, theologians who were influential in church history, such as Augustine and Calvin, maintained a regular preaching schedule with a congregation.
Every one of my heroes in church history who was a theologian, people like Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and Edwards, in addition to their teaching of theology day after day, each one of those men had a pulpit where they preached every Sunday, and they had a congregation.
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
The church's operation involves both ministry (preaching/teaching) and practical service, such as caring for the poor and vulnerable.
As we have grown, there are more and more tables to be served, more and more widows to be visited, and more and more orphans to be taken care of. That is why we are about to double the size of the diaconate at Saint Andrew’s and why we have just added more session members, because our session members take very seriously their task of pastoral care at Saint Andrew’s.
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
The primary function of the minister is to study the text and deliver the Word of God to the congregation.
They make it possible for me to study the text and bring to you what you need more than anything else, the Word of God.
Source: Apostles and Deacons (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit is given to the church not for emotional experience, but to enable it to fulfill its assigned mission.
Jesus said: “The reason for the outpouring of the Spirit is not to make you feel spiritual. It’s not to give you a spiritual high. I’m going to give you My Spirit so you can do the job I’ve given the church to do.”
Source: The Ascension (Ligonier)
The church's responsibility extends beyond local areas and Israel to encompass the entire world.
It is our responsibility not just to minister to Sanford locally, but to make sure that Christ’s kingdom is being witnessed to throughout the world. We are called to be a missionary church.
Source: The Ascension (Ligonier)
The church in the United States should dedicate significant resources to emerging churches in the Third World, especially in Africa.
I think it is absolutely critical that the church in the United States pour as many resources as we possibly can into the emerging churches of the Third World, particularly in Africa.
Source: The Ascension (Ligonier)
Christ does not need to knock to enter His own church, as the church belongs to Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ, whose church it is, should not have to knock to come into His church.
Source: Asking & Knocking (Ligonier)
Jesus' baptism marked the start of his public ministry, the moment he was anointed and became the Messiah.
Jesus went into the water and was baptized by John. This marked the beginning of His earthly public ministry, the moment He was anointed and became the Christos , Messiah.
Source: The Baptism of Jesus (Ligonier)
When ministering to others, the most important action is simply being present and sharing their emotions, rather than delivering a prepared speech.
Do you want a speech? There is no speech. It doesn’t matter what you say. Just be there. If they cry, you cry. You don’t have to have a magic word to dissolve their tears.
Source: Behave Like a Christian (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The word 'bishop' derives from the Greek word 'episkopos,' which combines the prefix 'epi' (intensifying) and the root 'skopos' (meaning vision or looking).
The Greek word episkopos is made up of two parts: a prefix and a root. The root is the word skopos. That word comes right over into English. It’s the word that we translate in English as the word scope.
Source: The Benedictus (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The speaker criticizes modern ministry trends that prioritize making the church entertaining and accommodating people's desires over faithful teaching.
That commitment flies in the face of the current popular philosophy of ministry, which says that if you want to have a church that grows, you must give the people what they want. You must entertain them. You must “de-churchify” church.
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
The ministry philosophy at Saint Andrew's is characterized by a commitment to expository preaching and the ordinary means of grace.
We are totally committed to expository preaching from whole books of the Bible. We have been following through the gospel of Luke. Before that, we went through Matthew, Mark, John, Acts, Romans, and so on, verse by verse, the whole counsel of God. We depend upon the ordinary means of grace: the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, prayer, fellowship, witness, and mercy.
Source: The Blind Man (Ligonier)
True knowledge of Jesus is not merely a public profession of faith or church membership, but rather a deep, personal, and intimate relationship.
Jesus was saying that the people who will come and call Him “Lord, Lord” are not claiming a passing acquaintance with Jesus. It will be as though they are saying: “I have a deep, personal affection for You, Jesus. I know You intimately, and I have taken You as my Savior.”
Source: Build on the Rock (Ligonier)
Phoebe is described as a servant of the church in Corinth, and this descriptive term comes from the Greek word diakonia.
More important here is Phoebe. She is identified as “our sister”—that is, our sister in the faith, who is a servant of the church in Corinth. This descriptive term “servant of the church” comes from the Greek work diakonia and is rendered by some translations as deaconess.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
The New Testament does not contain a specific description of a 'church office,' suggesting that the concept of a church office is extrapolated from biblical examples of service.
I pointed out that there is no connotative description of the term church office found anywhere in the New Testament. Rather, the concept of a church office is extrapolated from the biblical examples given to us.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
Despite restrictions Paul placed on women in certain letters, the biblical narrative shows that women were profoundly involved in the life of the church.
But at the same time, in the biblical narrative, women were profoundly involved in the life of the church. It has been said that the women were the last ones to remain at the cross when the men fled, and the first ones to greet the risen Savior at the tomb in the garden.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
In the first century, home churches (ecclesiolae) were simply the only available places for people to gather for worship and instruction, unlike modern home church movements.
The reason for home churches in the first century was that there were no other places to meet. Those who had larger homes would open their homes as places where the people could assemble together for worship and instruction in the Apostle’s word.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
The early church had two types of gatherings: the ekklēsia (churches) and the ecclesiolae (little churches) which met in homes.
In the first-century community, there were not only the ekklēsia , the churches, but the ecclesiolae , which were little churches that met in homes.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
The custom of greeting with a holy kiss was a customary practice in the Middle East at that time, but it is not a binding principle for the church in every location or age.
It is not binding upon the church in every location and in every age, but that was the customary practice in the Middle East in that day.
Source: Conclusion (Ligonier)
Believers are spiritually joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit, forming the invisible church.
By the Holy Spirit, every person who believes in Christ is then joined to Christ spiritually. If I am a believer, I am now in Christ, Christ is in me, and the invisible church is made up of all of those who are in Christ Jesus, all who participate in this mystical union between us and Christ.
Source: Dead to Sin, Alive to God (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Luther insisted that Christ's presence in the sacrament must be understood in a physical, corporeal sense.
Luther insisted on the physical corporeal presence of Christ in the sacrament. Like Nikita Khrushchev years ago at the United Nations when he slammed his shoe on the table, Luther pounded the table saying: “‘ Hoc est corpus meum !’ ‘This is my body!’ The only way we can take Jesus’ words is in the fullest corporeal sense.”
Source: Discipleship (Ligonier)
In the early church, when gentiles were converted, they first made a profession of faith, then were baptized, and finally were welcomed into the church fellowship.
In the early church, when the gospel was preached to foreigners, people who were strangers to the old covenant, who had never been circumcised as infants, who came for the first time to the covenant community as adults, before they could receive the sign of that new covenant, had to make a profession of faith. That is still true in the church today.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
In the early church, converts did not have to pass a theological examination on the Old Testament, but rather they were taught the Old Testament after being baptized and welcomed into the community.
Converts did not have to pass a test on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on Moses, David, or Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, the Psalms; all they had to do was embrace Jesus, be baptized, brought into the church, and then they were taught all the Old Testament that led up to these things.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
For membership in the early church, what was required was minimal, provided there was no clear barrier and the person made a profession of faith in Christ.
If there was no clear hindrance or barrier to joining the church, and if they made a profession of faith in Christ, they were given baptism, welcomed into the community, even as gentiles, and then received their fuller instruction.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
The text does not specify the exact method of baptism, only that the eunuch was baptized in and with water.
There is not one word in this text about the mode of baptism. They may have walked down to the water, and we have seen paintings in the early church where people would go into the water and take a handful of water and pour it onto the convert’s head. That was one way of baptism. Others talk about immersing. We do not know whether the eunuch was sprinkled, sprayed, or dunked. All we know was that he was baptized in and with water.
Source: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Ligonier)
Mere participation in church rituals, such as baptism or membership, does not guarantee entry into the kingdom of God.
Paul, if he were here today, would say, “Just because you’ve been baptized and are a church member is no guarantee that you will enter into the kingdom of God.”
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
The Word of God is the primary source of power and advantage in the church, and moving away from it is detrimental.
The Word of God is where the power is. That is where the advantage is. The church that moves away from the Word disadvantages its own people.
Source: God's Judgment Defended (Ligonier)
Excommunication is understood as the church delivering a person to Satan and abandoning them to their sin.
If you get excommunicated, the church is delivering you to Satan, handing you over, in the name of Christ abandoning you to your sin.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
The church is responsible for administering discipline, and this includes requiring new members to submit to its authority.
One of the vows they made was to submit themselves to the discipline of the church because that is one of the responsibilities God gives to the church, as Paul makes clear in his first epistle to the Corinthians.
Source: God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness (Ligonier)
Biblical deacons were not limited to serving tables but also functioned as evangelists and preachers.
No, the biblical deacon not only took care of handling the needs of the church but also was an evangelist and preacher.
Source: The Gospel to Samaria (Ligonier)
The Greek verbs used for baptism do not always mean immersion, and they can refer to an activity less than full immersion.
No, that is not the case. Τhe verbs bapto and baptizō do not always mean immerse. It may mean immerse, but it is used in certain places to refer to an activity that is less than immersion.
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
The apostolic command prohibits a Christian from marrying a non-Christian, but allows marriage between two pagans or two Christians.
The Apostolic command is that a Christian is not allowed to marry a non-Christian, and that still applies. If you are a professing Christian and you fall in love with somebody who is not, I will not marry you. If you are two pagans who come and ask me to marry you, I will marry you. If you are two Christians, I will marry you.
Source: Healing of the Leper (Ligonier)
The early church was characterized by unparalleled boldness, which contrasts with modern cowardice.
Boldness , boldness , boldness . Can you see that the character of the first-century Christian church was marked repeatedly with unparalleled boldness? Yet, just a matter of weeks before this moment, when the lanterns were appearing in the garden of Gethsemane as the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, His disciples fled in panic.
Source: Holy Boldness (Ligonier)
John's baptism was by water, but believers are baptized by the Holy Spirit.
Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Neo-Pentecostal theology views the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a second work of grace intended to empower the believer for ministry and effective witnessing, rather than to achieve perfection.
In neo-Pentecostal theology, it is a second work of grace wherein the point of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not to make you perfect but rather to empower you for ministry and make you a more effective witness for Jesus Christ.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The charismatic movement expanded from its initial confines within Holiness churches to manifest in mainline denominations such as the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Episcopalian churches.
But in the middle of the century, it burst out of the small confines of the Holiness churches and began to manifest itself in the mainline churches. Tongues speaking and other so-called charicmatic gifts broke out at the University of Notre Dame in the Roman Catholic community and at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. It broke out in the Lutheran church, the Methodist church, the Episcopalian church, and even among the frozen chosen Presbyterians.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Neo-Pentecostal theology suggests that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not possessed by all Christians, and that speaking in tongues is the indispensable sign of having received it.
The majority of neo-Pentecostals hold that, first, not all Christians have the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to all but not possessed by all. Second, the majority believe that the indispensable sign for having received the baptism of the Spirit is speaking in tongues, or glossolalia .
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Scripture does not support the teaching of a separate, second event called the baptism of the Holy Spirit that is received only by some Christians.
Biblically, there is absolutely no warrant for teaching an event called the baptism of the Holy Spirit that only some Christians receive but not all.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
Water baptism is necessary for full church membership, especially for gentiles who have received the Spirit, because water baptism signifies the baptism of the Spirit.
How can water baptism be withheld when that which water baptism signifies, in part, is the baptism of the Spirit? If the gentiles have received the baptism of the Spirit, then certainly they are eligible for full membership in the church, and so we must baptize them with water.
Source: The Holy Spirit to the Gentiles (Ligonier)
The true invisible church of Jesus Christ is permanent and cannot be overthrown by worldly forces.
It is true that individual churches, denominations, and institutions will come and go, but the true invisible church of Jesus Christ is here to stay, and nothing will overthrow it.
Source: If It Is of God (Ligonier)
Every Christian is already a saint because they are set apart by the Holy Spirit and are part of the invisible church.
If you put your trust in Christ, you are right now, as I speak, a saint. You are set apart. You are part of the invisible church, the church that is beloved of God.
Source: Introduction (Ligonier)
Evangelism is a great privilege given by God to the church.
He said, “Do you not understand that evangelism is one of the greatest privileges God gives to the church?”
Source: Israel Needs the Gospel (Ligonier)
Biblical preaching is the most essential element for any Christian church, surpassing other programs or resources.
You can have the best young people’s program, the best singles program, and the best counseling program, but if you do not have biblical preaching, you have nothing.
Source: Israel Rejects the Gospel (Ligonier)
Worshiping God requires a response of awe, humility, and submission, and contemporary church casualness is problematic.
Do you realize that the only appropriate response when we enter His presence, when we come into worship before Him, is reverence? It is a response of awe, humility, and submission. One thing that frustrates me about the contemporary church is the cavalier casualness that professing Christians display in worship.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Final (Part 4) (Ligonier)
The church of Jesus Christ is secure and will never be erased from the face of the earth because God will preserve His elect.
Individual parishes may fall. Whole denominations may crumble. But God will preserve His elect. He will preserve His remnant in every generation. You will never be asked to stand alone in a dying world, because God has a people who cannot fail.
Source: Israel's Rejection Not Total (Ligonier)
The pulpit's function is to proclaim the Word of God and ensure the whole counsel of God is given, not just the preacher's personal preferences.
The pulpit is not a place for someone to orate or opine on his personal preferences or insights. The pulpit is a place where the Word of God is to be proclaimed, and the burden of everyone who stands in it is to make sure the whole counsel of God is given to the people of God—not just the favorite topics of the preacher.
Source: From Jerusalem to Illyricum (Ligonier)
Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church, and those who reject Him will suffer consequences.
But the stone that the builders rejected, God shaped as the chief cornerstone for the church that He would build. In so many images of the church in the New Testament, the church is a body, but the church is not just made up of individual stones. The foundation would be the prophets and the Apostles, but the chief cornerstone would be Christ.
Source: Jesus’ Authority & the Parable of the Tenants (Ligonier)
The ministry of Jesus is superior to that of John the Baptist, as evidenced by the comparison of their ministries.
We are told in verse 22 that after the discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea. You may notice that if this passage follows what came immediately before it, they already were in Judea.
Source: Jesus & John the Baptist (Ligonier)
The term 'episcopal' derives from the Greek word 'episkopos,' which relates to the idea of super-looking or supervising.
The word episkopos can be broken down into a prefix and the root. The root skopos is likely familiar to you. It has to do with an instrument that you use to look at things.
Source: Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (Ligonier)
The church building is inherently a sacred place, distinct from common buildings, and should not be disguised as commonplace.
When you walk through the door of the church, you are crossing a threshold. You are entering a building that is a sacred place. It is holy ground. It is different from other buildings.
Source: Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (Ligonier)
Secularizing the church means taking what is holy and making it profane, which is likened to making it a den of robbers.
Jesus was saying: “You’ve taken the holy and made it profane. You’ve made it a den of robbers. You’ve secularized My house.”
Source: Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (Ligonier)
When addressing the state regarding abortion, the church is asking the state to fulfill its God-given duty to protect human life.
When we speak to the state about abortion, we are not asking the state to be the church; we are asking the state to do what it is held accountable by God to do—protect human life.
Source: John Preaches (Ligonier)
The Westminster Confession of Faith recognizes that there are legitimate and delightful times for taking solemn oaths and vows, such as when contracting marriages or joining the church.
The confessional basis of Saint Andrew’s is the Westminster Confession of Faith, and it has an entire chapter titled “Of Lawful Oaths and Vows.” There it rehearses situations in which it is legitimate and indeed something delightful to God when people enter covenant relationships and swear solemn oaths and vows, such as when we contract marriages or join the church.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
The work of the pastorate is often characterized by discouragement and criticism.
So often, the work of the pastorate in our day is an exercise in discouragement.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
Pastors and ministers must be present for their ministry, even when they do not feel like it.
We have to be there, and we do not always feel like being there. But for the pastor, it should be like Paul, that as much as is in us, we cannot wait to carry on this ministry and preach this gospel.
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
God's Word, including baptism, the sacrament, and the pulpit, is superior to worldly goods and indulgences.
There sits the decoy duck in Rome with his bag of tricks, luring to himself the whole world with its money and goods, and all the while anybody can go to baptism, the sacrament, and the pulpit . . . What, baptism, sacrament, God’s Word?—Joseph’s pants, that’s what does it!
Source: The Just Shall Live by Faith (Ligonier)
The study of theology requires addressing demonology because the New Testament treats the matter of invisible, wicked spirits very seriously.
This is because the New Testament looks at the matter of invisible, wicked spirits and takes it very seriously.
Source: Legion (Ligonier)
Apostolic doctrine is found in Scripture, and the early church was characterized by its devotion to studying the Word of God.
Where is Apostolic doctrine today? It is in Scripture. The early church was a Bible-studying church, steadfastly, continually devoting themselves to devouring the Word of God that came from the Apostles.
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
A truly Spirit-filled Christian or church will not neglect the study of the Word of God, but will instead be driven to Scripture.
There is no such thing as a Spirit-filled Christian who neglects the study of the Word of God. There is no such thing as a Spirit-filled church that does not give itself continually and steadfastly to the study of sacred Scripture.
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
The early church model included studying the Word, enjoying fellowship, and participating in the sacraments and prayer.
They came to hear and study the Word of God, but they also came to enjoy the friendship and camaraderie in the fellowship of believers in the church.
Source: Life in the Early Church (Ligonier)
The Christian church was founded when Jesus initiated and instituted the new covenant in the upper room.
I believe that was the birthday of the Christian church in the upper room when Jesus initiated and instituted a new covenant.
Source: The Lord's Supper (Ligonier)
The church's focus is on the lost sheep, emphasizing that the Lord actively searches for those who stray from the fellowship.
That one who strays from the fellowship of the church, the means of grace, and the community of Jesus is sought by the Lord until he is found and brought home.
Source: The Lost Son (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Tithes and gifts should not be restricted solely to a local church or a central denominational headquarters.
Not only would that not be preferable for most churches and Christians, but we recognize that not all the ministry of the kingdom of God today is done within the walls of the church.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
Seminaries and Christian colleges cannot remain open solely by relying on gifts from local churches.
I have been on the boards of colleges and seminaries, and there is not a seminary or Christian college in America that could stay open another month if they depended 100 percent on the gifts from churches alone.
Source: Lying Donors (Ligonier)
After his baptism, Jesus was urgently compelled by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for a period of testing.
The force of this passage is that Christ was compelled by the Holy Spirit, driven urgently into this desolate, God-forsaken place filled with wild beasts.
Source: The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (Ligonier)
The church is built not physically on Peter, but on the truth that Peter confesses.
Jesus, on the road to Caesarea Philippi, said that He was going to build a church, not physically on Peter as some have supposed, but on this truth that Peter confesses.
Source: The Blind Man & Peter's Confession (Ligonier)
When the church loses confidence in the identity of Jesus, it damages the church at its core foundation.
When the church loses her confidence of the identity of Jesus, it doesn’t hurt merely the external trappings of the church, but it disrupts the church at its very foundation.
Source: The Blind Man & Peter's Confession (Ligonier)
The Greek word 'ekklēsia' means 'the called-out ones,' signifying that the church is composed of those called by God.
Ekklēsia has the prefix ex at the beginning, and the root word is the verb kaleō . It is an easy Greek word to remember because it is almost the same as our English word “call.” Kaleō means “to call.” So, put them together, the prefix and the root, ek-klēsia means the “called-out ones,” those who are called by God.
Source: The Calling of the Disciples (Ligonier)
The primary mission of the pastor is to teach and preach, not to act as a counselor, administrator, or town leader.
The primary office of the pastor in the New Testament church is to feed the sheep. We live in a time when churches have become weak because people demand the pastor do everything but preach and teach. But 95 percent of the pastor’s labor in the church is supposed to be preaching and teaching. The pastor is not called to be a counselor. The pastor is not called to be an administrator or to be a town leader.
Source: Feeding of the Five Thousand (Ligonier)
While the church should discipline when serious sin or public scandal occurs, it should remember that the members are fundamentally a fellowship of sinners.
Yes, the church must discipline when gross and heinous sin manifests itself in our midst, when public scandal besmirches the dignity of the church; but in the meantime, we’re a fellowship of sinners.
Source: The Fig Tree and the Temple (Ligonier)
The Bible teaches a separation of function between church and state, but it does not teach a separation of the state from God.
The Bible knows something of a separation of church and state in so far as there are two different missions assigned to these institutions, but the Bible knows nothing of the separation of state from God.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The church is increasingly struggling to exercise its role as the conscience of the nation due to state restrictions on its public expression.
Where the church is called to be the conscience of a nation, we have been prohibited from speaking in the public square.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The state is increasingly interfering with the church's ability to display its central symbols and themes.
In many places, the church is not allowed to display the central theme or the central symbol of Christianity because the state will not permit it.
Source: God and Caesar (Ligonier)
The church defined Christ as being of the same essence or substance as the Father.
In the great fourth-century church controversy at Nicaea about how we ought to understand the person of Christ, the church formulated that Christ was homoousios , of the same being, essence, or substance as the Father.
Source: Healing of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Ligonier)
The fact that the first pope was married raises questions for those who maintain a view of imposed celibacy for clergy.
The irony is that the first pope was married, and this raises some embarrassing questions for those who hold a view of imposed celibacy for clergy.
Source: Jesus Heals Many (Ligonier)
The Christian church must remain interested in truth, as it is essential for understanding doctrine and theology.
I do not know any time in the history of the Christian church where the church was less interested in truth than it is today.
Source: Jesus before Pilate (Ligonier)
The Messiah will baptize people with the Holy Spirit of power, which is superior to water baptism.
I baptize, yes, and I’m baptizing you with water, but the One who comes after me, who is before me, will baptize you with the Holy Spirit of power.
Source: John the Baptist (Ligonier)
God's judgment, as prophesied, is directed not at the vineyard itself, but at the corrupt clergy (vinedressers).
When Jesus borrows from the very language of Isaiah 5 in the parable in our text, the judgment is not directed at the vineyard. It is not the vineyard that is going to be destroyed. It is the wicked vinedressers, the clergy.
Source: The Parable of the Vinedressers (Ligonier)
The church has a duty to ensure that the truth of God and His Son are prominently displayed, rather than being obscured by entertainment or private opinions.
it is the duty of the church in every generation—it is the duty of every pastor and the duty of every Christian—to take that lamp, remove the basket, and put the lamp in a prominent place where people can behold the truth of God and His Son.
Source: Parables of the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Paul instructed the church that Christ's body was given for the believers to eat.
He took bread and when He had blessed it, He broke it, and He gave it to His disciples, and He said, ‘This is now My body which is given for you, eat all of it.’
Source: Transfiguration (Part 2) (Ligonier)
Exclusionary actions, such as stopping a ministry because a person is not part of the group, are problematic.
Context: Quoting John's interruption/the disciples' actions.
He wasn’t part of us, so we stopped him. We forbade him from continuing his ministry in Your name, because he didn’t belong to our group.
Source: Who Is the Greatest? (Ligonier)
While issues like baptism are important, they are not essential to the Christian faith, meaning disagreement on them does not prevent salvation.
But I don’t believe for a moment that, as important as it is, it’s of the essence of Christianity. That is, we can come down on different sides of that issue and both still be redeemed, both still be in the kingdom of God, both be justified and adopted in the family of God.
Source: Who Is the Greatest? (Ligonier)
The church should appreciate and embrace authentic ministry even when the practitioners do not follow the same worship methods or confession of faith.
There are lots of people who don’t do worship the way we do, who don’t share the same confession of faith that we have, yet who are ministering in the name of Jesus. We have to appreciate and embrace authentic ministry wherever we find it.
Source: Who Is the Greatest? (Ligonier)
Attendance at church should be treated as a matter of principle, not merely dependent on feeling.
The point is that our attendance in church on Sunday morning should not have anything to do with whether we feel like attending. God calls us to solemn assembly as His people, as His congregation, and we are to be in attendance if we are able. So, I challenge you to make it a matter of principle.
Source: Martha & Mary (Ligonier)
Many doctrines concerning Mary, such as the bodily assumption and coronation, are relatively recent developments compared to the sixteenth century.
Most of the Mariological decrees from Rome have come forth in the last 150 years, much later than the sixteenth century.
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
The primary focus of Vatican II was on ecclesiology, or matters concerning the church, not major theological disputes.
Rather, the focus of Vatican II was on ecclesiology, on matters of the church. The one great doctrinal issue that emerged at Vatican II had to do with the role of Mary in the church.
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
The church is the queen of the universe, and Christ's only queen is His bride, not His mother.
The church is the queen of the universe. The church is the bride of Christ, and Christ is the King, and His only queen is His bride, not His mother.
Source: Mary's Fiat (Ligonier)
John's baptism was preparatory and distinct from the covenant sign instituted by Jesus, though both involved the remission of sins.
This was not New Testament baptism. This was not the baptism that is the covenant sign, which Jesus instituted. This was preparatory baptism. There are many points of contact between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus, but they’re not identical.
Source: The Ministry of John the Baptist (Ligonier)
Mary was a member of the first church and was praying with the disciples.
We are told in passing that the Apostles were there along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. This is the last reference to Mary we have in the New Testament, but we see Mary as a member of the first church.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The early church followed an ancient Old Testament tradition, using the casting of lots (Urim and Thummim) to determine God's choice.
They were following an ancient tradition from the Old Testament, which involved the use of the Urim and Thummim by the priests when they were not able to discern the will of God. They would prayerfully cast lots in this manner to allow the casting of the lot to be determined by the providence of God.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
After the last Apostle died, the church continued to have various roles like teachers, ministers, preachers, and evangelists, but no more Apostles.
After the last Apostle died, there were still teachers, ministers, preachers, and evangelists, but no more Apostles.
Source: A New Apostle (Ligonier)
The New Testament church is compared to the bride of Christ, and Christ is the bridegroom.
Just as Israel was the bride of God in the Old Testament, so the New Testament church is the bride of Christ, and He is the bridegroom who had been promised for centuries before.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
The Bible demonstrates that wine, when mentioned, refers to fermented grape wine, not grape juice.
Here is a clear example: when poor Noah made a vineyard, made wine, and drank too much of it, he got drunk. He didn’t get drunk on grape juice. We see that throughout the history of the Bible.
Source: New Wineskins (Ligonier)
Old Testament Israel was a theocracy, meaning there was no distinction or division between church and state.
Old Testament Israel was a theocracy, meaning there was no distinction or division between church and state.
Source: The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Ligonier)
The speaker notes that church members, married individuals, and employees all make pledges, vows, or agreements that require participation.
The first way is this: every one of us who is a church member has made a pledge, a vow, a commitment to participate in the life of the church. Everybody who is married made a vow to a spouse to maintain honor in the marriage.
Source: The Parable of the Great Supper (Ligonier)
Although women were not Apostles, they played a significant role in Jesus' ministry, demonstrating nobility, sacrifice, and fidelity.
No, the women were not numbered among the Apostles, but they did have a significant role in Jesus’ entourage during His earthly ministry. Their nobility, sacrifice, and fidelity were noted by this gospel writer.
Source: The Parable of the Sower (Ligonier)
The early church used the laying on of hands for various purposes, including ordination, benediction, and commissioning leaders.
It was used in ordination. It was used in the benediction at the end of the service. It was used to commission church leaders and workers, again indicating a sense of spiritual consecration, a setting aside and anointing for a sacred task.
Source: Paul at Cyprus (Ligonier)
When people persecute the church, they are effectively persecuting Jesus Christ.
Jesus was saying, “If you persecute My people, you persecute Me.”
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
Believers should make attending church a matter of principle and discipline, rather than waiting for the Spirit's leading.
The application is this: do not wait for the Spirit to lead you to church on Sunday morning. Make it a matter of principle. Say, from now on, “I’m going to stand with my Lord, and I’m going to be present for His sake and honor Him whenever I possibly can be there for that occasion.”
Source: Paul's Conversion (Ligonier)
Paul began his sermon by emphasizing the doctrine of election, stating that God chose the fathers of Israel.
Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: The God of this people Israel chose our fathers.
Source: Paul's Sermon at Antioch (Ligonier)
The Word, prayer, and the sacraments are the necessary elements that fuel the spiritual fire.
The fuel for that fire is the Word, prayer, and the sacraments.
Source: Pentecost (Ligonier)
The church contains both the converted and the unconverted, much like wheat and tares.
Context: Referencing Augustine's definition and Jesus' teaching.
When Augustine said that the church was a corpus permixtum , he was simply reflecting on the teaching of Jesus Himself, who said, “Among the assembly, there will always be tares among the wheat.”
Source: Peter's Confession and Our Cross (Ligonier)
The apostles were not drunk because the event occurred early in the day.
For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
God intends to distribute the Holy Spirit to the entire congregation, not just a select few.
Joshua, I ask that God would take the same Spirit with which He has anointed me and not just give it to seventy but to the whole congregation.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
The Holy Spirit's outpouring is meant for all members of the church, not just a select few.
The Holy Ghost has been poured out, not on seventy, not on 140, not just on men, but on women, servants, the rank and file, upon everybody in the flock of God.
Source: Peter's Sermon - Part 1 (Ligonier)
Paul's mystery was that the Gentiles, who were previously strangers and unclean, are now part of Christ's body, the church.
Context: Summarizing Paul's teaching/Paul's words.
It is Christ in You, the hope of gentiles.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
The mystery Paul spoke of was the inclusion of the gentiles into the church through the ministry of Christ.
You who had been strangers to the covenant of the things of God, who were foreigners and pilgrims kept outside of the inner sanctuary of Israel, you who formerly were unclean, defiled, and had no access into the presence of God, now I am declaring to you that through the ministry of Christ, you are a part of His body, the church.
Source: Peter's Vision (Ligonier)
True Christianity requires an internal transformation of the heart, not merely external rituals or membership in the visible church.
As Paul said of the Jews, a Jew is a Jew not outwardly but inwardly. It is not enough to be circumcised as an ecclesiastical ritual to get you in the kingdom of God. You must have a circumcision of the heart.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
The distinction between the visible and invisible church is not about two separate physical locations, but rather because not everyone who is physically present in the visible church is actually in the kingdom of God.
No, Augustine said the distinction is made for this reason: Not everyone who is in the visible church is in the kingdom of God.
Source: Present Condition of Israel (Ligonier)
Living together without being married is a serious sin that the church must discipline.
If you are living together, are members of this church, and we find out about it, you will be brought into discipline immediately. It is a gross and heinous sin that no church dare tolerate.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
A church that fails to exercise discipline for gross sin is not a true church, as discipline is a necessary condition for true church life.
A church that will not exercise discipline for gross sin is not a church. Discipline is one of the necessary conditions for a true church.
Source: Pressing into the Kingdom (Ligonier)
Jesus did not grade on a curve, and His ministry was characterized by breaking the curve for humanity.
No, the bad news is Jesus doesn’t grade on a curve. A lot of people think He will, but there is no curve. The good news is that He broke the curve, but He broke it for us.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
During the Soviet occupation of Hungary, the local clergy compromised their faith and expelled those who remained faithful to biblical theology.
By way of collaboration, virtually every one of the bishops bowed down before the communist rulers and surrendered their faith. Not only did they surrender their faith, but they also expelled anybody in their midst who was faithful to biblical theology.
Source: Render Unto Caesar (Ligonier)
The early church was not perfect, as evidenced by the fact that most Apostolic letters were written to correct errors, heresies, and disobedient behavior.
Most of the Apostolic letters are written to correct errors, heresies, abuses, and disobedient behavior among the people of the early church. So, the early church was by no means perfect.
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
The book of Acts primarily details the church's obedience to Christ's commission and commandment to be His witnesses.
We could, therefore, summarize the theme of the book of Acts this way: it is about the church’s obedience to Christ’s commission and commandment to be His witnesses, as the ascended King, as the King of kings, and as the Lord of lords.
Source: A Second Account (Ligonier)
The church is compared to a body composed of many parts, where every member needs the help of the others.
He sees the church as a body—a body that is made up of many functions and many parts, where each part needs the help of the others.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The church's goal is to help members discover their gifts so that they can work together for the common task of Jesus' church.
One of the most important things the church can do is to help you find what your gifts may be, so that we may all work together for the common task of Jesus’ church, “for as we have many members in one body”—diversity and unity—“but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The church should model the expectation that the pastor spends time preaching and teaching because the congregation needs nurturing in the Word of God.
I am not trying to take the model that I have at Saint Andrew’s and impose it on everyone else, but what I once thought was an aberration I soon discovered is the model that the church should have. The pastor should be free to spend his time preaching and teaching because what we need more than anything else is to be nurtured in the Word of God.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The ministry of deacons involves serving, caring for the poor, and dealing with the needs of the community.
What is principally in view in the text is the ministry of the deacons, the ones who serve, take care of the poor, and deal with orphans and widows.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The church must not neglect teaching and grounding people in the Word of God, even when focusing on evangelism or service.
What good is it if we evangelize people but don’t teach them anything so they remain spiritual infants forever? Don’t they realize that there are a thousand evangelistic groups but no one doing the follow up of grounding people in the Word of God?
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
God saves individuals, but simultaneously places them into a corporate body, which is the church.
Context: From the prayer offered, reflecting the theological point.
Father, we thank You that, though You have saved each one of us as an individual, the moment You saved us, You put us into a corporation, into a body, which is Your church.
Source: Serve God with Spiritual Gifts (Ligonier)
The church handles special grace related to salvation, while civil government ministers to the common wellbeing of all people.
The church is involved with the dispensing of the elements of special grace, the grace that has to do with our salvation, whereas civil government ministers to the common wellbeing of the human race—not only to Christians, but to all people.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
Civil magistrates are ordained by God and are considered God's ministers.
They are God’s ministers, and they are called upon to serve God’s good pleasure.
Source: Submit to Government (Part 1) (Ligonier)
God invites people to approach Him, and entering the church signifies leaving the profane world for the holy presence.
God says repeatedly in the Bible, “Draw nigh unto Me.” We are to come close to Him. We are to approach Him, just like the little children who came to Jesus. At the same time, we are told who it is to whom we come near.
Source: Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me (Ligonier)
Rejecting the Apostles means rejecting the very foundation of the church.
The point is this: if the church rejects Apostolic authority, it rejects the very foundation of the church itself.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The church's foundations were established by the Apostles, and its growth was sustained by their sacrifice.
We thank You for the church, whose foundations were established by them and whose growth was sown by their blood.
Source: The Twelve Apostles (Part 1) (Ligonier)
The church is always a mixed body, and true separation between the faithful and the unfaithful will only occur at the last day.
He tells us that the church is always a mixed body, what Augustine called a corpus permixtum . There will always be tares growing along with the wheat. The separation between the wheat and the tares will not occur until the last day, when those who have made a false profession of faith will be exposed.
Source: The Unforgivable Sin (Ligonier)
The New Testament emphasizes the church's care for widows and orphans because society generally fails to provide help to these vulnerable groups.
There is a reason the New Testament singles out the church’s care of widows and orphans to be a priority, because society would not reach out to help them.
Source: The Unjust Judge (Ligonier)
The speaker suggests that a church that claims to be perfect should be avoided.
If you find a church that is perfect, whatever you do, don’t join it. You’ll ruin it.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
Sproul asserts that the charge that the church is full of hypocrites is slander and not true, although he admits that hypocrites may exist within the church.
Bottom line, the charge that the church is full of hypocrites is, I believe, slander against the church. I simply do not think it is true that the church is full of hypocrites.
Source: Woes to Hypocrites (Ligonier)
The primary purpose of the church is for the gathering of saints for worship, study, prayer, and fellowship, not for evangelism.
Because the reason why churches exist in the first place is not for evangelism. They are for worship, for the gathering together of the saints to apply themselves to the study of the Word of God, to prayer, and to fellowship, and the Lord’s Supper.
While the whole church is responsible for evangelism, the gathering on the Lord's Day should focus on worship, not evangelism.
The whole church is responsible to do evangelism; but the purpose of the church itself, in terms of worship and the gathering together on the Lord’s Day, is not to do evangelism.
True Christians who trust in Christ have a moral obligation to leave the communion of Rome and join a valid church.
With that in mind, I believe that every true Christian who really is trusting in Christ has a moral obligation to leave the communion of Rome and to identify themselves with a church.
Source: Can praying to Mary or the saints keep a professing Christian out of heaven? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church's primary function is to be founded upon and committed to the proclamation of truth.
The church is to be the house of truth. The church is to be founded on truth. The church is committed to the distribution and proclamation of the truth.
Source: How concerned should we be for the lack of truth taught in the church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church has historically dealt with distortions and departures from biblical truth through the appearance of heresies.
From the very earliest time in the history of the church, the church has not only proclaimed the truth of sacred Scripture, but also dealt with distortions and radical departures from biblical truth in the appearance of multiple heresies that have threatened the church.
Source: How important are creeds and confessions? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church's role was not to make something authoritative, but rather to recognize and submit to what it already considered sacred Scripture.
Those human decisions did not make something that was not authoritative suddenly authoritative, but rather the church was bowing, acquiescing to that which they recognized to be sacred Scripture.
The validity of baptism is determined by God's promises, not by the person who administers the sacrament.
So, the integrity of the sacrament rests with the integrity of God, not with the one who administers it.
Source: Is Roman Catholic baptism valid? (Ligonier Q&A)
He usually performs a baptism for an infant who was baptized in a Roman Catholic environment if that person doubts the validity of the original baptism.
If a person who was baptized in a Roman Catholic environment as an infant doesn’t believe in the validity of that baptism and asks me to baptize him, I usually will.
Source: Is Roman Catholic baptism valid? (Ligonier Q&A)
A valid church must ensure that the gospel is truly preached, the sacraments are rightly administered, and that true discipline and government are maintained.
The essential ingredients were a place where the gospel is truly preached, the sacraments are rightly administered, and where there is true discipline and government within the church.
Source: What are the essential ingredients of a true church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Apostles' Creed was not written by the apostles, but rather was an early Christian community's attempt to summarize apostolic teaching.
We know that the Apostles’ Creed was not written by the apostles, but it’s called the Apostles’ Creed because it was the early Christian community’s attempt to give a summary of apostolic teaching.
Source: What does the Apostles' Creed mean when it says that Jesus descended into hell? (Ligonier Q&A)
The Reformation expanded the understanding of vocation to include all professions, not just the clergy.
But in the Reformation it was said, “No, the farmer has a vocation, the banker has a vocation,” and so on.
Source: What is the doctrine of vocation? (Ligonier Q&A)
One must leave a church if it is so derelict in truth that the Word of God is not preached or that heresy is preached.
If a church is so derelict in the truth that the Word of God is not preached or that heresy is preached, you must leave the church.
Source: When should I leave a church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church is the primary institution God has established to nurture the souls of believers and their children.
The church is the principal organ that God has given to nurture your soul and that of your children.
Source: When should I leave a church? (Ligonier Q&A)
Remaining in a church that twists the truth and fails to nurture believers with the Word of God harms the sanctification of both the individual and their children.
To keep yourselves in a church where the truth is twisted beyond recognition and where you’re not being nurtured by the truth of the Word of God is to rob your children and your own soul of sanctification.
Source: When should I leave a church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The ministry they are associated with is not a church, but merely a support system for the church.
We’re not a church. We’re not the church. We’re just a support system for the church.
Source: When should I leave a church? (Ligonier Q&A)
The elders and deacons became the regular officers of the church, and the ordinary ministers were given the responsibility to care for the spiritual needs of the flock.
The elders and deacons became the regular officers of the church, and the ordinary ministers were given the responsibility to care for the spiritual needs of the flock.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
While acknowledging the priesthood of all believers, Luther also understood that the New Testament established regular church offices for ministry.
Context: Describing Luther's view, not his own.; Discussing Luther's view and the NT establishment of offices.
But Luther also understood that the New Testament established regular church offices for the ministry of the Word and sacrament and for the spiritual care of the people.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
The confession states that sacraments must be administered by lawfully ordained ministers.
The confession, following the church practice through the ages, says that the sacraments are to be administered by those who are in positions of ordained authority, the lawfully ordained ministers of the Word.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
It is best to conclude that only ordained people possess the authority to administer the sacraments.
Though the biblical evidence is not overwhelming, it seems best to conclude that only ordained people have the authority to administer the sacraments.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
The church developed the conclusion that the sacraments are so holy that they must be protected from careless use.
In addition to biblical references and the biblical concept of what it means to be a bishop, and the responsibilities of eldership as set forth in the New Testament, the church, in her own development, rightly came to the conclusion that the sacraments are so holy that they must be guarded from frivolous or cavalier usage.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
The responsibility to guard the sacraments belongs to the clergy.
Therefore, the sacraments must be administered by those who have been set apart for the task of ministry in the church. Not just anyone can administer the sacraments. The responsibility to guard the sacraments is put into the hands of the clergy.
Source: Who can administer the sacraments? (Ligonier Q&A)
Modern heresies are often repetitions of heresies that the church has already faced in the past.
Virtually every heresy we face today is a rehash of some heresy that the church has already had to deal with in history.
Source: Why should Christians study history? (Ligonier Q&A)