Where are we evangelicals “wrong” on the Bible?

Posted on November 10, 2025 by RC

The evangelical position on the Bible, that it is inspired, inerrant, and infallible, true in all that it teaches is true, from top to bottom. Our orthodoxy (right doctrine) on the Bible is orthodox. It is our orthopraxy (right practice) where we fail. Here then are several ways we in this camp tend to practice wrongly what we rightly confess.

First, we tend to believe the whole Bible is not for us. The great bulk of evangelicals are haunted by the spirit of Marcion. Marcion was an ancient heretic who wanted to excise from the Bible the mean and nasty God of the Old Testament. We, thankfully, do not go that far. We simply ignore the Old Testament, seeing it as a helpful collection of religious stories that, when it embarrasses us, can be safely swept away.

Second, we tend to see the Bible as a religious book from which we should glean our religious convictions. We miss that the Bible gives us true history. We might stand firm on Adam and Eve, on the flood (or we might not) but we miss that Adam and Eve were real human beings, just like you and me. That Abraham woke up grumpy some mornings, and might have had bad breath. We look at the people in the Bible as characters in a story that matters to us, rather than our ancestors, our actual family.

Third, we tend to see the law of God as simply sage counsel on how to be more nice to people. “Be nice” is the cardinal law to the evangelical. Our sermons thus reduce down to- “Here’s a story from the Bible. Here’s a story I found in a sermon illustration book. Here’s your application- don’t be the mean person, be the nice person.” Now I’m all in favor of being nice, when we’re supposed to be nice. But God’s law is so much broader, richer, even so much more nuanced than “Be nice.”

Fourth, we tend to see the Bible as a map to heaven. The Bible most assuredly tells us how to have peace with God. We are to repent of our sins and trust in the finished work of Christ on our behalf. It’s a good thing, a vital thing to grasp that He died for us, our sins imputed to Him on Calvary, and that He lived for us, His righteousness imputed to us. But we are not the center of the story. He is.

The Bible is the story of Jesus Christ, the second Adam, bringing all things under subjection, and must be understood that way. The Bible is not just a mine from which we pull out proof texts for our systematic theologies. It is the true story of the victory of our King.

Finally, we tend to see the Bible as an aid to our piety. It is that, to be certain. But it is not a devotional. It is that by which we, His bride, are washed and purified. It is the message from the Maker of heaven and earth. It is not just to be affirmed but cherished, fed upon, breathed in, and lived out. May He give us the grace to do so.

Posted in Ask RC, Biblical Doctrines, Big Eva, church, hermeneutics, inerrancy, justification, kingdom, RC Sproul JR | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Last Things First- Knowing the End from the Beginning

Posted on November 7, 2025 by RC

Last things last, that’s what I used to say. There’s plenty of difficult theological issues for us to wade through without having to worry about the end times. We all agree, after all, that in the end our side wins. Whether Jesus comes to find His world a horrible cesspool that needs to be cleaned up, or to find a glorious reflection of His successful bride, or somewhere in the middle, He does come back and make all things right. I was indifferent about how He would return.

But two things kept nagging at me. The Bible talks about the return of Christ. It talks about the full consummation of history. And one thing I didn’t want to happen when Jesus comes back was this — to have Him be displeased with me because I tossed aside a portion of His Word cavalierly.

The second problem was this, a fundamental principle of progress. One cannot know which way to go unless one knows where one is supposed to go. If you’re going nowhere, any direction will do. But if you want to get somewhere, you have to know where.

A good friend once explained that years ago he had joined an association of local evangelical pastors that had as its goal educating their congregations about various political candidates. He explained that in the providence of God, this little group of pastors came to be rather influential in local politics. Candidates would actually seek them out to curry their favor. As a result, the elections began to swing strongly in favor of more conservative candidates.

Everything was going well. And that, according to the organization’s founder, was a problem. He announced that he was shutting the organization down immediately, as an act of repentance. What was he repenting of? Seeking to delay the return of Jesus. To labor for justice was, in the mind of this pastor, to go in the wrong direction. His understanding of the end times taught him that the quicker things got worse, the sooner Jesus would return.

What are we to be doing? How are we to prepare for the return of Jesus? Is our calling to sit and wait, to drag as many lost souls as we can onto the lifeboat? Are we supposed to merely occupy until He returns, or are we called to be more than conquerors? Or should we be like I was, utterly indifferent?

Paul writes to Titus that believers are to be “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works” (2:13–14). That’s not nothing. Nor indifference. We are called here to look for the blessed hope, to be not only at peace but looking joyfully forward in the midst of our own cultural collapse, knowing He will return. Yet we are also to purify ourselves, to be a people zealous for good works.

As we look with hope, our first task is tending our own garden. We should be preparing for the return of the Groom more than peeking down the hallway to see if He is coming. Even as we face frustration in our sanctification, we still have peace because He is the one working in us, not just as individuals, but as a people. And our common purity is shown forth in zeal for good works. In this context we go forth as conquerors.

Our understanding of the last things is dependent upon our understanding of the firstborn of the new creation. As we understand Jesus went up in the shekinah glory cloud, and will return again in it, went to heaven not to wait, but to rule, we labor here as His faithful servants, mighty warriors. When we understand that He will wipe away every tear, our tears would begin to dry themselves (if we only would believe it). If we would but believe that He has already overcome the world, we would be of good cheer now.

We need not invest all our energy trying to chart the day and the hour. Nor as if this were our last day, eschewing the godly investments in a sure tomorrow. We need to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That is first, and that is last — because it begins in Christ, the firstfruits of the new creation, the true Alpha male, and ends in Christ, to whom and for whom and through whom are all things, the true Omega man.

Posted in Advent, Biblical Doctrines, eschatology, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, RC Sproul JR, theology, wonder, work | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

I Always Feel Like, Somebody’s Watching Me

Posted on November 6, 2025 by RC

Privacy has long been an escalating battle. For every idea and technology to hide ourselves we come up with an idea and technology that reveals ourselves. VPNs, pseudonyms, combat ip addresses and facial recognition software. All of which is by and large, comical.

The truth is that there is a precise overlap between the One whom we alone need to fear and the One who knows all things. No technology can cloud His eyes or veil our thoughts, words and deeds. And a day is coming when everyone will witness the big reveal. As we will witness the big reveal of everyone else.

At the end of time we can be assured of two things. First, every sin ever committed will have its perfect, corresponding judgment. Second, every sin ever committed will be known by all. The good news for those who are in Christ is that because every sin of ours has already received its just judgment on the cross, every revelation of our sins is cause for rejoicing over His grace toward us.

In the face of God’s omniscience, privacy becomes utterly unattainable. He sees us when we’re sleeping. He knows when we’re awake. In light of His grace, however, privacy from Him becomes utterly undesirable. When the fear of His judgment is gone, we enter into the comfort of His presence. When David writes:

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You. (Psalm 139: 1-12)

he is not feeling exposed but covered. God’s gaze is not a threat but a promise.

When we remember that we live all our lives coram Deo, before the face of God, we do have a restraint on our sins. I’m not suggesting we should not use His presence as an aid to our obedience. But better still is when we remember He is with us in a posture of infinite love, we want to do well.

He knows us fully. Better than our critics. More clearly than the devil himself. Far more than we know ourselves. And He declares us righteous. He calls us His own. May we always feel like He is watching us. Because He is. And not from a distance.

Posted in 10 Commandments, assurance, Biblical Doctrines, eschatology, grace, justification, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, psalms, RC Sproul JR, repentance, wonder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on I Always Feel Like, Somebody’s Watching Me

All New! Lisa & I on Seasons; What Would Charlie Say & More

Posted on November 5, 2025 by RC

Gremlins have been exiled. Lisa on the mic. All your favorite goodies from the podcast. It’s like pumpkin spice day at Starbucks.

This week’s All New Jesus Changes Everything Podcast

Posted in 10 Commandments, Advent, appeal, Devil's Arsenal, ethics, Jesus Changes Everything, Lisa Sproul, politics, RC Sproul JR, Sacred Marriage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All New! Lisa & I on Seasons; What Would Charlie Say & More

Be Careful Little Children What You Hear: Listen Now

Posted on November 4, 2025 by RC

There is a steep penalty to pay for our steeply declining level of discourse. As a culture we have grown radically more emotive and radically less thoughtful. We communicate in 280 characters, through memes, with the broad brushed strokes of the hurried and the harried. Nobody has time to listen. Check that, nobody takes the time to listen. We disparage nuance and then wonder why everything feels as well formed as a boulder.

Here are just a few examples I’ve had to live through in the past few weeks. I wrote, “It’s possible that X.” I got angry pushback saying, “How dare you say X?!” I didn’t dare. I didn’t say X. I said X was possible. If, when I say “It’s possible that X” I should expect people to hear me say “X” then communication is virtually impossible. I know it’s possible for me to miss-speak, miss-write, miscommunicate. But I also know it’s possible for me to miss-listen, miss-read, miscommunicate.

Second, I wrote, “X is like Y in that both demonstrate Z.” I got angry pushback saying, “How dare you say X and Y are the same.” I didn’t dare. I didn’t say X and Y are the same. I said that have this in common- they both demonstrate Z. To draw a parallel, to make use of analogy is not to equate two differing things. I’m sorry I have to say that. That is, it saddens me that people don’t know this. That, however, is where we are. We think words, if they have any shape at all, are hopelessly muddy and amorphous, that they can be shaped into anything at all.

I’m perfectly willing to concede that words are not as laser focused and precise as numbers. But they do have meaning. Think I’m wrong? If they don’t, a. you can’t even know what it is you’re disagreeing with and b. you can’t even communicate your disagreement. We’ve all heard the old saw, when hearing a response to an appeal to the Bible, “Well, you can make the Bible say anything you want it to.” No, you can’t. You can misunderstand the Bible in an infinite number of ways. You can only understand it rightly in one.

There are rules for how we understand words. These rules involve definitions and grammar. That schools no longer teach these things, either because they’re too boring and difficult or because such is too western and “white” doesn’t make it not so. Grammar doesn’t go away when you ignore it. Instead it turns conversation into the wild, wild west.

Postmodernism holds that all language is about wielding power. There is, however, no greater power than imposing what we want to hear over what was actually said. If I can make you mean whatever I wish I can make you say whatever I wish, and in turn, blame you for what I wished you to mean. And there’s not a thing you can do, or say about it. In our day we must not only guard our tongues but our ears.

Posted in 10 Commandments, Devil's Arsenal, Education, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, on writing well, RC Sproul JR | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Be Careful Little Children What You Hear: Listen Now

Dinner and a Bible Study, Tonight: God Never Changes

Posted on November 3, 2025 by RC

We continue our weekly Monday night Bible study. We begin at 7:00, but local guests are invited to come for dinner too, at 6:15.

We air the study on Facebook Live (RC-Lisa Sproul). Within a day or two we post the video of the study right here for those who would like to watch on their own schedule.

We’d love to have you with us, in person if possible. We’d love for you to invite your friends. Our study considers the attributes of God, unpacking just a hint of His ineffable glory. Tonight- God Never Changes

Posted in 10 Commandments, announcements, Bible Study, Biblical Doctrines, RC Sproul JR, theology, worship | Tagged , | Comments Off on Dinner and a Bible Study, Tonight: God Never Changes

What does it take to be a student of the Word?

Posted on November 3, 2025 by RC

All believers know that the Bible is God’s Word, that it is true in all that it teaches. We know we’re supposed to not only read it, but to be read by it. We’re to study it and to be studied by it. If there’s one thing it reveals about us it’s that we don’t do well as students of it.

What to do? I’d encourage the cultivating of three qualities we don’t necessarily connect to being good students, but that can make all the difference in the world. We begin with curiosity. Duty is less a motivator than delight is. Nobody has to be told to eat their ice cream. The Bible is that book which reveals to us the very grace and glory of God. A childlike wonder is what we are called to.

How many of us, at one time or another, actually feared that heaven might be boring? All that time. No hardships to overcome. A single encounter with the glory of God should cure such silliness. And a deep study of His Word is a constant encounter with that glory. When we look at the Bible as a history of what other people believed it will not likely grip us. When we see it for what it is, the revelation not just from, but the revelation of the Living God, we are drawn in.

Second, humility. We are prone to thinking we’re doing just fine. We may miss the mark by a bit, but it’s not like we’re Hitler. Except that it is like we’re Hitler. As one wise theologian used to say, if you put Hitler on one side of a spectrum and Jesus on the other, then place each of us on the same spectrum, we’d be holding hands with Hitler and needing the Hubble telescope to get a glimpse of Jesus. The Bible is that mirror that reveals to us what we are. But why would anyone want that?

If we start with humility, if we come to God’s Word already knowing our dependence on His grace, then every deeper glimpse of the stain of sin in us is just another cause for celebrating what He has done for us. If we start with pride, the Bible will pummel us instead. Humility reminds us not only that we’re no good, but that the Bible equips us for every good work, that it is profitable for correction.

Finally, courage. Courage is typically something we think we need when facing hardship, when entering into battle. What use is it when we are sitting down with Bible in hand? It’s useful in that context because we are facing hardship, entering into battle. The Bible is sharper than a two-edged sword, and it not only goes before us into battle with the world but comes toward us in our battle with our flesh. Are we willing to face our failures, to confront our consciences, to own our errors?

Curiosity, humility, courage. These three prepare us for the plow cutting into our souls, That the Word might be planted, that Spirit might bear in us an abundance of fruit for the glory of the Gardner.

Tonight, 7:00 eastern, we conclude our Bible study on the character of God, considering the glorious truth that He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Please plan to join us in person or on Facebook Live (RC-Lisa Sproul). For more on this theme, check here.

Posted in Ask RC, Bible Study, hermeneutics, inerrancy, RC Sproul, RC Sproul JR, theology, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not Standing But Kneeling; Not Thundering, But Silence

Posted on October 31, 2025 by RC

There was once a great man who managed to upset the religious leaders of his day. They screamed for his blood because he’d bypassed their own power structure, and gained a large popular following. He had taught those under his influence that the traditions they had received were wrong, distortions of the Word. He called them to something far older, something far more biblical. And the world was being turned upside down.

Those in authority accused the man of heresy, demanding that he cease and desist. And then, the most amazing thing happened. The history tells us that “…while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Do you hear how many things they testify against You?’ But He answered Him not a word, so that the governor marveled greatly” (Matthew 27:12-14.)

Jesus gave no dramatic speech. He did not thrust His chin out, confess that He could not recant because His conscience was captive, turn on His heels and walk off. Instead He went like a lamb to the slaughter. He submitted Himself to the scribes and Pharisees, to the Roman empire, and more important, the Emperor Beyond the Sea.

Luther did the right thing, standing on the Word at Worms. And we, too often, do all the wrong things in his name. We think that the glory of the Reformation story is that he stood his ground, that he was courageous, immovable, a rock. And so we go in search of the same opportunities.

We boldly stand, and walk out of our churches because this possible inference of that potential trajectory of the other postulation in the pastor’s off-the-cuff remark might impinge on an important doctrine. We brashly defy the American empire, refusing to tell their census taker how many toilets are in our house. We stridently dishonor our parents, because we think them to be not quite as honorable as we are.

Luther is a hero not because he was bold, but because he was meek, not because of his stance, but because of where he stood. I suspect that great speech at Worms was delivered not with bravado, but as a plea, that he whimpered rather than thundered. Luther is a hero because he was willing to be slaughtered for the sake of the Lamb. It was not because he stood, but because he knelt, in submission to the Word.

It is a good thing to want to do great things for the kingdom. It is a better thing to understand that the better thing is almost certainly to submit to those in authority over you. The greatest thing Jesus ever did was not His miracles. It was not the proclamation of His message. It was not even the walking out of the tomb alive. The greatest thing Jesus ever did was to say, at the greatest possible cost, “Yes, Father.” May His grace and power teach me to do the same.

Posted in Biblical Doctrines, Big Eva, church, Devil's Arsenal, Heroes, kingdom, Kingdom Notes | 1 Comment

Here We Stand; We Can Do No Other, God Help Us

Posted on October 30, 2025 by RC

The difference between a right perspective and a wrong one is rarely a matter of data. It can happen that way. I may think I need a snowblower because I believe Fort Wayne averages 212 inches of snow annually. It does not. Not even close.

More often, but still not that often, the difference between a right perspective and a wrong one could be a matter of logic. I may think that my cat is a dog because I know that all dogs are four legged animals. And that my cat is a four legged animal. Therefore, my cat is a dog. The premises are true. The conclusion does not follow.

I suggest that the most common reason we end up with a wrong perspective, however, is we lack courage. I can’t, I admit, give you data to prove this. I cannot produce an iron-clad syllogism. But I still believe it’s true. While sin’s impact on our senses may lead us to misread data and its impact on our minds may lead us to reason poorly, its impact on our hearts is the real culprit. We choose what we want to believe on the basis of how it impacts our lives.

In our day, the most widely practiced hermeneutic among professing believers runs something like this- whatever this Scripture is saying, it cannot be saying I am wrong, that I have sin in me. Premise 1 of all our syllogisms is “I don’t have to change.” We may be willing to wrestle with the text, but as soon as the referee pounds the mat twice we call time out.

It isn’t, however, just the Bible. Whatever issue we may be discussing or debating, we are prone to choose the one where we come out looking the best. The postmoderns are quite right, that most of our discourse is not about the dispassionate pursuit of truth, but the secret pursuit of power. A groveling, lickspittle “power” to be sure.

Whether we call it “winsome” Christianity, third way-ism or cultural engagement, we are fools to believe we are wiser than Jesus. He promises us that as we follow Him we should expect the hatred of the world. Jesus commands of us that we consider the cost, and then take up our cross. We forget that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than it is for the Bible to fit through the Overton window.

Love for the world is hatred toward God. Public approval is just as merciless a task master as mammon. We have but one Lord, and He will not share our loyalty with another. Courage calls us to follow Jesus. It calls us to follow the truth. Courage commands us to immovably proclaim that Jesus and the truth are one and the same. The fear of man is a snare. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. May the Lord grant us the courage to be hated, in the confidence that we are beloved.

Posted in 10 Commandments, apologetics, Biblical Doctrines, Devil's Arsenal, hermeneutics, kingdom, Kingdom Notes, logic, RC Sproul JR, Reformation, wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This week’s I Am Bible Study- God is Gracious

Posted on October 29, 2025 by RC

Posted in 10 Commandments, assurance, beauty, Bible Study, Biblical Doctrines, communion, creation, Doctrines of Grace, eschatology, grace, RC Sproul JR, theology, wonder, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on This week’s I Am Bible Study- God is Gracious