Study Tonight- Sexual Morality and the Church

Posted on April 21, 2025 by RC

We continue exploring issues dividing the church. Tonight we consider sexual morality. All are welcome at 6:15 for dinner, and for the study at 7:00. We live-stream on Facebook Live, RC-Lisa Sproul. We hope you’ll join us.

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Should we vote in church? Church Government

Posted on April 21, 2025 by RC

There are, at base, three forms of government. The first is rule by one. The second is rule by a few, the third rule by all. In civil government this would essentially be monarchy, republic and democracy, broadly speaking. In church government it would be episcopacy, presbyterianism, and congregationalism, broadly speaking. Rightly understood then the church, whatever denomination, if it is indeed a part of the church, is an episcopacy. Just as Jesus reigns over the nations, so He reigns over the church. His vicar, however, is not the bishop of Rome, but the Holy Spirit.

Men of Good Will Differ

The Holy Spirit has given us the Word of God. That Word, true in all that it teaches, does not come equipped with a Book of Church Order. Good men, good Reformed men, over the course of church history have argued that under Christ’s reign the church should function as an episcopacy. Other good Reformed men argue for presbyterianism, and finally good Reformed men have spoken in defense of congregationalism.

A Plurality of Elders

This Reformed man, while acknowledging that this isn’t the clearest thing in the Bible, sides with the presbyterians. The church should be ruled by a plurality of elders. Even if I am right, however, this doesn’t settle fully the question of whether or not we should vote in church. It does, however, set some boundaries.

“Voting” Allowed

First, if the church is to be ruled by elders it cannot simultaneously be ruled by the congregation. Congregational votes at the very least cannot overrule the will of the session, the body of elders, at least without devolving down to congregationalism. This still, however, doesn’t outlaw all votes by the congregation. One might, for instance, take a poll of the congregation. Insofar as such a poll would be non-binding, it is no denial of presbyterian church government.

Suppose the elders are curious to know how many of its member families would be interested in a mid-week Bible study, or even if Tuesday or Wednesday would be a better evening for such a study. By all means take a poll. The elders, however, would have to decide.

Approving Elders

Second, there is value in having the congregation “vote” on who should be their elders. Here again I would argue we have to be careful not to let the congregation wrest rule from the session. That is, I don’t believe the congregation can impose an elder on the session. I argue that the approval of elders should be two-fold.

Certainly the session needs to approve potential session members. But when the congregation votes on potential elders they are doing something other than ruling in the church. They are acknowledging the rule over them. That is, they are agreeing to have the elders be in authority over them.

No Stockholders

Typically these issues do not become difficult in themselves. That is, it is rare for a church to find itself in trouble, or in battle mode, over competing classes of members. That said, there are often subtle dangers in not thinking through these issues well. To say, for instance, that the elders rule in the church is not to suggest that the members are just spectators, that they are not full members of the body. Much less should it communicate differing levels of spiritual standing.

Elders are sinners saved by grace. Laymen are sinners saved by grace. We are all called to do the work of the ministry. On the other side of the coin, when congregations do vote, or even meet together in discussion, it is important to not import the wrong categories into the meeting. The church is not a business, and the members are not stockholders. And it most certainly is not a democracy.

No Perfect Earthly Government

There is no church government that will eliminate sin. Things go wrong in all kinds of churches. It is tempting in the midst of dealing with sin to think the grass must be greener on the other side. It is especially tempting to believe, “Things would be so much better if only I had more power to bring it to pass.” But we all bring sin with us wherever we go. One man ruling is dangerous. All men ruling is dangerous. A few men ruling is dangerous, but, I would argue, less dangerous than the first two. Which is why God gives us elders and gives elders the authority to rule in the church.

This is the forty-first installment of an ongoing series of pieces here on the nature and calling of the church. Stay tuned for more. Remember also that we at Sovereign Grace Fellowship meet this Sunday April 27 at 10:30 AM at our new location, our beautiful farm at 11281 Garman Road, Spencerville, IN. Please come join us. Also note that tonight we continue our Bible study on issues dividing the church, tonight considering sexual morality.

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The Principle of the Pragmatism of Principle

Posted on April 18, 2025 by RC

It goes against my own principles to argue from the perspective of the pragmatic. Pragmatism, after all, is a worldly thing. God calls us to faithfulness. He tells us what to do, and we are to do it. The results we wisely leave in His hands. Strangely, however, from time to time, the two approaches intersect. That is, sometimes doing the principled thing is the same thing as the pragmatic thing.

Consider, for a moment, this command from God: “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Prov. 26:5). Now I grant that the verse immediately preceding this verse is puzzling: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” How can we do both things? The key is this. We ought not ever to adopt the standards of fools. But we ought not to be afraid to use the standards of fools against fools.

If, for instance, the promoter of the church-growth mentality holds out the size and budget of Seeker Church A as evidence of the wisdom of this approach, we would be foolish were we to respond by holding up the size and budget of Non-Seeker Church B as evidence of the folly of this approach. Everyone, no matter where they stand on this issue, if they agree that the standard is size and budget, is already a fool.

On the other hand, if God commands us to answer the pragmatist according to his pragmatism, lest he be wise in his own eyes, we, if we are principled, obey. And so I shall.

I trust that no one would really use the size and budget of a given church as a measure of effectiveness. If we did so, the largest denomination in America would not be the UMC or the SBC, but the NFL. We might, however, be tempted to measure a church’s success by the number of unbelievers it attracts. We would do this only if we were confused over the relationship between evangelism and worship.

Sadly, such confusion is alive and well in the church. We do not jettison worship for the sake of evangelism, but evangelize for the sake of the worship. Nevertheless, if we agree with the fool that what we want on the Lord’s Day morning is a packed house of “seekers” what approach ought we to take? Counter-programming.

The world around us is awash in vacuity. We live in a virtual Inanity Fair. We are empty, suffering the unbearable lightness of being. The world, cutting itself off from the transcendent realm, has nothing of substance, nothing lasting to offer. If there were such a thing as a seeker, what would he be seeking?

The church growth movement seems to believe he would be seeking more of the same. In a world consumed with lighthearted entertainment, we offer up less professional, less entertaining, lighthearted entertainment? Why, I keep wondering, would a “seeker” get up on a Sunday morning, and travel to some giant box to hear a third rate rock band preceding a third rate comic giving a third rate “message” that leaves him in the same state that he arrived in?

If we were to design a worship service for the sake of the seeker (and remembering Proverbs 26:4, we wouldn’t want to), wouldn’t we design one that at least delivered something of what the market lacks? Shouldn’t we be filling gaps, rather than going head to head with the professionals? Wouldn’t it make sense, if you were ABC, to air Love Story while CBS is airing the Super Bowl, rather than airing a John Wayne marathon? Shouldn’t we be zigging while the whole world is zagging?

A service that might attract the lost would be one that does not hide the transcendent, but reveals it. A service that might attract the lost would be one that does not deliver more of the same, but that shows forth the One. A service that might attract the lost would be one heaven bent on giving the map, rather than celebrating being lost. A service that might attract the lost would be one that panders to those who are sick of being pandered to, by refusing to pander. A service that might attract the lost would be one that offers discomfort to those who are sick and tired of being comfortable.

Of course the more we try to be pragmatic, the closer we get to the principle. If anyone is seeking, he is seeking what he has not found in the world. If anyone is seeking, he will never find, unless he seeks first the kingdom of God. We can only help them by being the kingdom of God. Which brings us back to why we must not answer a fool according to his folly.

We do not make decisions based on meeting numbers. We make decisions based on meeting God. Worship isn’t a means to an end, but the end of all means. We do not design it for the lost, nor for the found. We listen to the Seeker of the lost, and do as He commands. We come to worship Him in spirit and in truth. We come to worship Him in the beauty of His holiness. We come to worship Him, for His is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. We come to worship Him, to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. And then, and only then, will all these things be added to us.

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The World’s Shortest Epic Poem: He Came Down

Posted on April 17, 2025 by RC

He Came Down

The King without a shadow
The prince that wars for peace
The Love that binds Them both
Revealer revealed the least.

The Mother of all unions
Bucket spilling singing stars
Limping, laughing Lord of the dance
Slaying dragons through His scars.

Tragedy in Eden, hubris’ naked shame
A curse, a curse upon the land
Waiting in age’s darkness
Lightning flashing, now comes the Man.

Death’s grip loosed by innocence
Come see the roaring Lamb
As hell swallows its bitter self
The damned given a damn.

Villainy, rebellion, my ignoble role
Snatched up in His victory won
He stooped to rescue my rotting corpse
Made a son by His beloved Son.

He reigns over and beyond
Every raging sea
And now and forever
By name, loves me.

Posted in assurance, beauty, Biblical Doctrines, creation, eschatology, grace, Heroes, Holy Spirit, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, poetry, RC Sproul JR, resurrection, sovereignty, special edition, theology, wonder, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prayer Partners; Fighting Fair; Command Performance

Posted on April 16, 2025 by RC

Join us as Lisa and I continue to talk about praying for one another. Plus, I encourage us to fight fair in the culture wars. And to worship the risen Lord in Spirt and in truth.

This week’s Jesus Changes Everything Podcast

Posted in abortion, appeal, church, ethics, Jesus Changes Everything, Lisa Sproul, Month of Sundays, persecution, politics, prayer, RC Sproul JR, Sacred Marriage, theology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Storming Heaven: Women and Children First

Posted on April 15, 2025 by RC

There is no calling more fraught with danger and import than leading a family. Certainly bad things can happen if we fall down on our 9-5 jobs. Failures at the local church have deep impact. Every member of every family, however, is a person who will last into eternity. There are only two destinations where that eternity will be spent. No father, no parent, is fully responsible for all those under their care. We are, as husbands and fathers, given the tasks of raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6). We are called to wash our wives with the water of the Word (Ephesians 5). Scared yet? If not, you clearly don’t understand.

The purpose of the fear, however, isn’t to make us freeze up, to futilely seek to flee our responsibility. Rather, the fear is there to drive us to our Father. The church is chalk full of tools and helps to carry out these callings. We have seminars and podcasts, conferences and books, whole para-church ministries devoted to equipping us. Many of these, of course, can be quite helpful. None of them, nor all of them put together, however, can hold a candle to the power of prayer.

While it may seem a pedantic distinction, the power isn’t in the prayer, but in the One prayed to. We often rightly chasten ourselves for looking to prayer as the strategy of last resort. “Tried everything else and still stuck? Try prayer!” We’re fools to forget where the power lies. We’re fools as well when we forget the promises of Him to whom we pray. Our Father indeed hears us when we pray, “Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz?” And He more often than not answers, “No.” When, however, we pray in line with His actual promises, we can be confident in positive responses.

Who, for instance, is more interested in your children being raised in His nurture and admonition, you or Him? Who is more committed to the washing of your wife, you, or Him? Who is more zealous for the growth in grace and wisdom of you and your whole family, you or Him? So let’s pray. Daily storm the throne room of God Himself for those under our care, for those whom we love most of all. Ask for direction, wisdom, power, strength, perseverance, faith from His Spirit. Invest our time in time with our Father.

Let’s in fact, remember that husbands, wives, children, that we are all together both part of the bride of Christ, having the perfect Husband, and are all children of our heavenly Father. We are being washed by our Husband, and nurtured by our Father, all while being led by the Spirit. Reformation comes as we are re-formed into all that He calls us to be, as we are re-committed to doing all that He calls us to do. Pray for yourself. Pray for your wife. Pray for your children. Pray for His grace, and give thanks.

Posted in 10 Commandments, Biblical Doctrines, grace, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, prayer, RC Sproul JR, Reformation, seasons | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Study Tonight- Cessationism and Continuationism

Posted on April 14, 2025 by RC

We continue exploring issues dividing the church. Tonight, cessationism and continuationism. All are welcome at 6:15 for dinner, and for the study at 7:00. We live-stream on Facebook Live, RC-Lisa Sproul. We hope you’ll join us.

Posted in announcements, Bible Study, Biblical Doctrines, church, Holy Spirit, ism, prayer, RC Sproul JR, theology, worship | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Should the Church Prepare for Persecution?

Posted on April 14, 2025 by RC

Apologists for the world inside the church love to downplay the power plays of the powerful. They argue that since, so far, no Christians in the west are being fed to the lions we are not persecuted. Persecution, however, is here. At Gracelife Church in Alberta, Canada it looked like the government would eat humble pie after Pastor James Coates politely refused their demand he cease preaching. He served 35 days and they let him go. Humble pie, however, left them an appetite for revenge. The government encircled Gracelife with not one, not two, but three layers of fencing. They sent 200 police officers that Sunday to stand guard to ensure no worship took place.

Apparently no one in Alberta government is aware that Jesus doesn’t demand that we worship on this mount or that, but is looking for those who will worship in Spirit and in truth. The saints of Gracelife met and worshipped beyond the reach of Alberta’s Royal Mounties.

Three Options

Nobody killed, beat, or, this time, imprisoned believers. But persecution is here. What do we do? Peter’s first epistle was written to believers who were facing the early stages of persecution- social ostracism, ecclesiastical rejection, families cutting ties, loss of position and wealth. Christians in such circumstances have three options.

Capitulate

The first is to surrender, to capitulate. Consider the cause of most of the cultural angst against the church. They hate us for our refusal to approve their sexual confusion. Great swaths of the evangelical church have responded by boldly, missionally, grace-filledly approving sexual confusion. What, after all, does who we’re sleeping with, have to do with Jesus? This approach has this advantage- it blunts the wrath of the world. It has this disadvantage- it welcomes the wrath of God, on both the sell-outs and the sexually confused. See CRU’s happily former curriculum and Andy Stanley’s latest surrender.

Conflagrate

The second option is to prepare for war, to meet assaults on our liberties with all the ferocity of the founding fathers. We become culture warriors, marching against social justice warriors. We rattle our swords, wave our American flags and refuse not just the second mile, but the first. We fancy ourselves as heroic as Luther, as immovable as Knox, as bold as John the Baptist. We ask the Lord if He’d like us to call down fire on His enemies, demonstrating we know not what spirit we are of.

Confess

While the second option has much more going for it than the first, it too falls short of the biblical model. Peter’s call to his audience is neither to capitulate nor to conflagrate, but to confess, to believe. Peter calls them, and us, to believe the promises of God. We were dead, but by His grace we have been made alive. We have suffered, but Jesus is glorified because of it. We have been impoverished, but our inheritance is in heaven. We have sorrows, but we are to count it all joy. Joy, remember, is the settled conviction that God is able, and that God is for us.

While last fall’s election has in some ways given us a brief reprieve, the true dynamics have not changed. Had the election gone the other way things likely would have gotten worse. But they wouldn’t have been beyond Jesus’ control. We hold on to the faith once delivered, whatever our circumstance.

We look forward to this- a deeper joy in what He has done for us, a deeper confidence in what He has secured for us, a deeper satisfaction in how He is glorified through us. Give thanks. Do not fear.


This is the fortieth installment of an ongoing series of pieces here on the nature and calling of the church. Stay tuned for more. Remember also that we at Sovereign Grace Fellowship meet this Resurrection Sunday April 20 at 10:30 AM at our new location, our beautiful farm at 11281 Garman Road, Spencerville, IN. Please come join us. Also note that tonight we continue our Bible study on issues dividing the church, tonight considering cessationism and continuationism.

Posted in abortion, Biblical Doctrines, Big Eva, church, covid-19, Devil's Arsenal, ethics, kingdom, persecution, politics, post-modernism, RC Sproul JR, scandal, sexual confusion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kiss the Son, Lest He Be Angry And You Perish

Posted on April 11, 2025 by RC

It was a true reflection of my own convictions, and my calling as a teacher. I was about 17; my niece was 3. We were sitting together at our local church, listening to the sermon. I know she was listening because when the pastor said in passing something about “the government,” my niece tugged on my jacket for my attention, and whispered in my ear, “We hate the government, don’t we?” Nor does it surprise me that whether I am reading a book, or watching a movie, I always see the bad guy as a metaphor for the state. Saruman, he’s the government. Longshanks is too, and Apollo Creed, Mr. T., and Ivan Drago.

I’m not suggesting that when Bunyan told the story of Pilgrim and Apollyian that it was his intention to present Apollyian as anything other than the, broadly speaking, forces of evil. Though, given all that he suffered at the hands of the English state, I can’t be sure. This, however, I am sure of- any state that does not kiss the Son is an enemy of the Son. And any enemy of the Son is and is to be an enemy of mine.

The state that does not recognize and honor the Lordship of Christ will always, in one way or another, be at war with the Bride of Christ. Refusal to surrender is rebellion. When the Roman empire fell, this principle abided. And it crosses borders as well. It is as true in the west as it is in the Sudan or China. The only difference is the nature of the warfare. Whether the state is using us as entertainment down at the coliseum, or whether it is assaulting the souls of our children at their places of education/worship, the war is on.

The scene with Apollyian, however, sticks with me not because this demon is the state, but because of the response of Pilgrim. I love the sheer practicality of Pilgrim. Facing this monster that makes Goliath look like a schoolgirl, Pilgrim takes stock of his situation. As I would be, he is tempted to run. The trouble is, while he is equipped for battle, he is not equipped for retreat. His front is in armor, his back exposed. There is, therefore, only way to go, forward.

As Paul enjoins the Ephesians to put on the full armor of God, and then goes on to describe that armor, you will notice that for us too there is no reverse in our tank. We can only move forward. But surely Paul isn’t talking about the state is he? I know we do not war against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” With talk like this, Paul could lose his 501C-3 status.

The point of spiritual weaponry is not that it cannot work against “real” weapons, but rather that “real” weapons can’t work against it. Because I am equipped with the truth buckled about my waist, I am able to gird up my loins like a man, prepared for battle. A vague, fuzzy view that the unsubmissive state is only in a vague and fuzzy way the enemy of the King will keep me unprepared for battle. In like manner I cannot have a brave heart, nor can I protect my heart, unless I am dressed in the righteousness of Christ. The state cannot condemn me, and thereby destroy me, because I have been already plucked from the fire.

My calling is not merely to not retreat. I am called to move forward, to go through Apollyian. For this I need “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Isn’t that odd, that the gospel of peace should equip us for war? We wage the war because we’re confident of the promise of peace. The shield of faith extinguishes the fiery darts of the enemy. Because I know the day will indeed come when every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, because I know the Son will “break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9), I move forward in battle.

With the helmet of salvation, with the sword of the Spirit we will vanquish all the forces of evil, wherever they might be. His very Word is sufficient to cut down Goliath, to smite Apollyian, to topple Leviathan. There is the power because His Word is power. By His Word He made the light. By His Word He stretched forth the firmament. If we are equipped with His Word, then we are indeed strong in the Lord, and in His mighty power.

The bumper sticker is only half-right. It tells us, “I love my country; I fear my government.” It is a good thing to love one’s country. And it is a great thing to distinguish between one’s government and one’s country. But there is a problem. We can and should recognize them as an enemy. We can revile them for their failure to bow before the King. We can prophecy against them for their rebellion, warning them of the wrath to come. But what we must never do is to fear them. Fear is reserved for our King.

The truth is that Apollyian is a kitten before the Lion of Judah. The truth is, because we are in union with Him, that Apollyian is a kitten before us. All the might and power of the world’s only superpower is, we must remember, dependent and derived. What Jesus told Pilate is still true today, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” Do not fear the beast; let the beast fear you.

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Trading Deficits- Free Trade Math & Deficit Myth

Posted on April 10, 2025 by RC

Much has been made as sundry populists have rushed to the President’s side in defense of tariffs about the trade deficits the US is purportedly running with other nations. I have good news. There are no trade deficits. Never have been. Never will be. I’m here to help you understand why.

First, imagine your neighbor is having a garage sale. He has a leaf blower marked at $15. You give him $15, and he gives you the leaf blower. Is there a trade deficit created here? Your garage has become glutted with cheap, used leaf blowing goods. Your neighbor has purchased nothing from you. Nope, no trade deficit here. The trade was in one sense perfectly equal, and in another sense was net gain for you and your neighbor.

It’s equal because before the trade you had fifteen dollars and your neighbor had a used leaf blower. After it’s over, you had a used leaf blower and your neighbor has fifteen dollars. There was no deficit before the trade; there is none after. That said, when you had $15 on your ledger and no used leaf blower, and your neighbor had a used leaf blower. You valued the leaf blower more than the $15, or else you wouldn’t have made the trade. He valued the $15 more than the leaf blower, or he wouldn’t have made the trade. Both sides profit.

Second, now imagine the same scenario, but with the border between the United States and Canada running between your house and your neighbor’s house. Has anything changed? Does that line create a deficit? Of course not.

Ah, but what if the Canadian government imposed a tariff? Suppose your neighbor says, “Sorry, neighbor, but my government insists that you pay them $5 before you can buy my leaf blower for $15.” Now if you want the leaf blower it will cost you $20. The question is, would you rather have the leaf blower, or your $20? If you’d rather have the leaf blower, you’ll give the $20. If not, no trade happens.

Suppose you make the purchase. Has this created a deficit? No. The same principles apply. You traded your $20 for the leaf blower. You profited from the deal. You valued the leaf blower more than the $20. On the other side your neighbor has the $15 he valued more than the leaf blower, and the protection racket known as the Canadian government has its $5. But still no trade deficit.

Hang with me now. Suppose you have a used fondue set in your garage. Your neighbor spies it, and says, “Hey, would you take $15 for your fondue set?” You’d rather have $15 than the fondue set, so you say yes. But, before the deal can happen, sirens start ringing and US Customs screeches on to the scene. “Stop right there. We can’t have trade deficits with Canada. We’ve imposed reciprocal tariffs. We’re taking $5 out of this deal.”

You now have a choice. Do you take $10 for the fondue set and give the other $5 to Uncle Sam, or do you demand $20 for the fondue set so you get your $15 and Uncle Sam gets his vig? Suppose your neighbor says, “Yeah, $20 is too much for me for a used fondue set. Never mind.”

You have either lost the deal or, you have lost $5 on the deal. All because, supposedly, there was this mythical trade deficit. The glory of economics is you can take the same principle and multiply by a trillion and nothing changes. Neighbor to neighbor or nation to nation, it’s all the same.

Note too that while everyone is better off if neither side has to pay tariffs, the citizens of the nation that doesn’t impose the tariff is better off either way than the one in the nation that does impose the tariff. Tariffs, used by 170 countries are not used because it’s good for the citizens of those countries. They are used for the same reason taxes are used by every country, to enrich those in political power.

If you want to defend tariffs, you’ll need something other than “trade deficits” to do it. But I wouldn’t spend too long looking for another defense. Because there isn’t one.

Posted in 10 Commandments, Biblical Doctrines, Economics in This Lesson, ethics, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, politics, RC Sproul JR, work | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments