The Gospel in All its Forms - Like God, the gospel is both one and more than that. - Tim Keller

The gospel has been described as a pool in which a toddler can wade and yet an elephant can swim. It is both simple enough to tell to a child and profound enough for the greatest minds to explore. Indeed, even angels never tire of looking into it (1 Peter 1:12). Humans are by no means angels, however, so rather than contemplating it, we argue about it.

A generation ago evangelicals agreed on "the simple gospel": (1) God made you and wants to have a relationship with you, (2) but your sin separates you from God. (3) Jesus took the punishment your sins deserved, (4) so if you repent from sins and trust in him for your salvation, you will be forgiven, justified, and accepted freely by grace, and indwelt with his Spirit until you die and go to heaven.

There are today at least two major criticisms of this simple formulation. Many say that it is too individualistic, that Christ's salvation is not so much to bring individual happiness as to bring peace, justice, and a new creation. A second criticism is that there is no one "simple gospel" because "everything is contextual" and the Bible itself contains many gospel presentations that exist in tension with each other. more...

Atheism Remix - Albert Mohler's new book

Al Mohler's latest book, Atheism Remix, is due out this July from Crossway. The link takes you to the book's official site, where you can pre-order it for 35% off.

D. A. Carson writes: “I know of no other introduction to this crucial debate that is as comprehensive and clear in such brief compass. Dr. Mohler has chosen to provide us with masterful coverage of the dominant writers on both sides.”

Also see and hear Dr. Mohler speak on 'The New Atheism' at Dallas Seminary in February 2008.

Advice for Sabbath-keeping (Reformation21) - By Rick Phillips

Having preached a sermon that touched in part on the Christian Sabbath (the text was John 5:9-18), I followed it up with a pastor's letter that gave advice to those learning to keep the Sabbath. I though it might be of benefit to our readers here as well.

I am persuaded that the Fourth Commandment, establishing the Sabbath observance, remains in effect for Christians. Not all Christians agree on this and some think Sabbath-keeping is a form of legalism. I am persuaded that this is mistaken, since Sabbath-keeping is one of the Ten Commandments, since the Sabbath ordinance is rooted not in the old covenant but in creation (see Gen. 2:2-3), and since as a sign and foretaste of God's eternal rest in glory, it is still needed on this side of Christ's Second Coming. As Hebrews 4:9 states, "There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God." more...

The ESV Study Bible is coming!!

The ESV Study Bible was created to help people understand the Bible in a deeper way—to understand the timeless truth of God’s Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality. To accomplish this, the ESV Study Bible combines the best and most recent evangelical Christian scholarship with the highly regarded ESV Bible text. The result is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published—with more than 2,750 pages of extensive, accessible Bible resources.

With completely new notes, maps, illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles, the ESV Study Bible was created by an outstanding team of 93 evangelical Christian scholars and teachers. In addition to the 757,000 words of the ESV Bible itself, the notes and resources of the ESV Study Bible comprise an additional 1.1 million words of insightful explanation and teaching—equivalent to a 20-volume Bible resource library all contained in one volume.

Primary Features

• 25,000-plus notes—focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.
• Over 50 articles—including articles on the Bible’s authority, reliability, and interpretation; on biblical archaeology, theology, worship, prayer, and personal application.
• Over 200 full-color maps—created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color, throughout the Bible.
• 200-plus charts—offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
• 80,000 cross-references—to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
• More than 40 new full-color illustrations—including historically accurate reconstructions of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more.

Goal, Vision, and Publication
The goal and vision of the ESV Study Bible is, first and foremost, to honor the Lord—in terms of the excellence, beauty, and accuracy of its content and design; and in terms of helping people come to a deeper understanding of the Bible, of the Gospel, and of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry and all receipts from the ESV Study Bible go directly toward the support of this ministry goal around the world.

The publication date for the ESV Study Bible is Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Sermons now on Oneplace.com

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Living Grace

Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899 – 1981) has been described as 'a great pillar of the 20th century Evangelical Church'. Born in Wales, and educated in London, he was a brilliant student who embarked upon a short, but successful, career as a medical doctor at the famous St Bartholemew's Hospital. However, the call of Gospel ministry was so strong that he left medicine in order to become minister of a mission hall in Port Talbot, South Wales. Eventually he was called to Westminster Chapel in London, where thousands flocked to hear his 'full-blooded' Gospel preaching, described by one hearer as 'logic on fire'. With some 1600 of his sermons recorded and digitally restored, this has left a legacy which is now available for the blessing of another generation of Christians around the world – 'Though being dead he still speaks'.

MINISTRY DETAILS

The work of this Trust is to promote expository preaching in order to enable people everywhere to understand clearly the Scriptures and to come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do this through broadcasting, audio and literature distribution, and conferences.

ESV Bible Reading Plans Read through your ESV Bible

Read through your ESV Bible this year with any of the following reading plans.

Daily Reading Bible Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Outreach Bible Daily Old Testament, Psalms, and New Testament	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Outreach Bible New Testament Daily New Testament. Read through the New Testament in 6 months	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
M’Cheyne One-Year Reading Plan Daily Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Literary Study Bible Daily Psalms or Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch or the History of Israel; Chronicles or Prophets; and Gospels or Epistles	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Every Day in the Word Daily Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Through the Bible Daily Old Testament and New Testament	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Chronological Through the Bible chronologically (from Back to the Bible)	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print
Book of Common Prayer Daily Office Daily Psalms, Old Testament, New Testament, and Gospel	Web	RSS	Email	iCal	Mobile	Print

Stand Firm - Jay Adams

I suppose it’s a fault. I’m sure that my wife who remembers every name, place, and date for the last fifty years thinks so. But, for some reason, I find it difficult to recall details of the past. If I say to myself at the time, “remember this,” I probably will. Otherwise, only the big lumps remain in my mental sieve. I’m saying this because I want you to understand the phenomenon isn’t the result of old age — I’ve always been that way. But so, too, I have always looked toward the future. And that’s exactly what I want to do here. more...

From Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul. © Tabletalk magazine.
Website: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk. Email: tabletalk@ligonier.org.
Toll free: 1-800-435-4343.

Watch Ligonier's National Conference online

Live Webcast

Because the church has failed to preach the biblical Gospel, our evangelism has too often introduced people to the wrong Jesus. Sinclair Ferguson, Steven J. Lawson, John MacArthur, C.J. Mahaney, R.C. Sproul, R.C. Sproul Jr., and Joni Eareckson Tada aim to remind us of the great truths of the Gospel and help us evangelize more effectively. To this end, we are offering a free, live webcast of this conference in both English and Spanish. Click here to sign-up Click here for the Spanish language audio webcast You may also read session summaries and view daily conference photos on the Ligonier Ministries blog.

Ligonier Reduces prices on all DVD series

Ligonier Ministries had reduced pricing on all DVD's featuring R. C. Sproul. Check it out!

What Is Natural Law? - by Paul Copan

From a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, Martin Luther King Jr. discussed civil disobedience, noting that "there are two kinds of laws: just and unjust" and that there is a "natural law" to which we are subject. He was right: We shouldn't say we know right and wrong only because "the Bible says so." Romans 2:15 states that God's moral law has been written on the hearts of all human beings. This innate or intuitive awareness is beautifully illustrated in C. S. Lewis's Abolition of Man. There he lists various universally recognized moral laws and virtues—impartial justice, truthfulness, kindness, mercy, marital fidelity, respect for human life. They have been regarded as true for all from ancient Babylon and Greece to Native America, from Jews and Christians to Hindus and Confucians. Yet while humans are capable of recognizing basic moral principles, they may suppress their conscience, harden their hearts, and become morally dull.

Medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas spoke of certain "laws." He said there is an eternal law, which God alone knows and by which God created and governs the universe. Because God created us in His image (as moral, reasoning beings), we are capable of recognizing a self-evident natural law, the reflection of God's eternal law in the created order. This law is known by all human beings whether or not they are aware of God's special revelation through Israel and Jesus Christ, as inscripted in the Bible. God has placed within us a disposition to have moral knowledge. Unless we suppress our conscience, we naturally know basic moral truths. General virtues and vices, Thomas Reid wrote, "must appear self-evident to every man who has a conscience, and has taken the pains to exercise this natural power of his mind" ("Of Morals").

Some will respond, "There can be moral atheists. We don't need God for morality." However, atheists have been made in the image of God. Though they deny God's existence, they have still been designed by God to function properly and even to create human law for the good of society—the law that, to varying degrees, applies the natural law placed within us. Atheists ignore the very basis of goodness—God, who created them and who is the highest Good. (See J. Budziszewski, The Revenge of Conscience and Written on the Heart.)

The Apologetics Study Bible: Understanding Why You Believe.

America's Changing Religious Landscape - Al Mohler

A massive new study of the American religious landscape reveals big changes and powerful trends shaping the future. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life surveyed 35,000 Americans in one of the largest research projects yet undertaken.

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey report is over 140 pages long, but the Pew Center for Research has provided a helpful summary. Among the major findings:

• Most Americans (78.4%) identify themselves as Christians of some sort. This Christian majority seems to be a settled fact for some time to come, with trends such as Hispanic immigration bolstering these numbers.
• America's Protestant majority -- a mainstay of American life from the colonial era to the present -- is in decline and Protestant Christians will soon become a minority. The survey revealed that only 51.3% of Americans now identify as Protestants.
• Evangelicals are now the largest single group of American Christians (26.3%).
• Roman Catholics (23.9%) are the second-largest Christian grouping, though almost a third of those born into Catholic homes no longer consider themselves as Catholic. In all, almost 10% of all Americans are "former Catholics."
• Mainline Protestant churches and denominations continue to lose membership and now represent only 18.1% of the population.
• Buddhists (0.7%) outnumber Muslims (0.6%).
• Mormons (1.7%) and Muslims report the largest families.
• Those identifying as "unaffiliated" represent a fast-growing segment of the population (16.1%), including atheists (1.6%), agnostics (2.4%) and "nothing in particular" (12.1%).
• At least 27% of families are interfaith to some extent. The percentage rises to 37% if spouses of different Protestant denominations are included.
• Among younger Americans (ages 18-29) almost a quarter claim no religious affiliation.
• The Midwest is the most representative region of the country, while Evangelicals are concentrated in the South.

Christianity and Culture - J. Gresham Machen

One of the greatest of the problems that have agitated the Church is the problem of the relation between knowledge and piety, between culture and Christianity. This problem has appeared, first of all, in the presence of two tendencies in the Church - the scientific or academic tendency, and what may be called the practical tendency.

Some men have devoted themselves chiefly to the task of forming right conceptions as to Christianity and its foundations. To them no fact, however trivial, has appeared worthy of neglect; by them truth has been cherished for its own sake, without immediate reference to practical consequences.

Some, on the other hand, have emphasized the essential simplicity of the gospel. The world is lying in misery, we ourselves are sinners, men are perishing in sin every day. The gospel is the sole means of escape; let us preach it to the world while yet we may. So desperate is the need that we have no time to engage in vain babblings or old wives' fables. While we are discussing the exact location of the churches of Galatia, men are perishing under the curse of the law; while we are settling the date of Jesus' birth, the world is doing without its Christmas message. More...

God's great mercy!

There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us - Richard Sibbs.

SEVEN BASIC QUESTIONS of Worldview

If a worldview can be expressed in propositions, what might they be? Essentially, they are our essential, rock-bottom answers to the following seven questions:

1. What is prime reality—the really real? To this we might answer God, or the gods, or the material cosmos. Our answer here is the most fundamental. It sets the boundaries for the answers that can consistently be given to the other six questions. This will become clear as we move from worldview to worldview in the chapters that follow.
2. What is the nature of external reality, that is, the world around us? Here our answers point to whether we see the world as created or autonomous, as chaotic or orderly, as matter or spirit; or whether we emphasize our subjective, personal relationship to the world or its objectivity apart from us.
3. What is a human being? To this we might answer: a highly complex machine, a sleeping god, a person made in the image of God, a naked ape.
4. What happens to a person at death? Here we might reply: personal extinction, or transformation to a higher state, or reincarnation, or departure to a shadowy existence on “the other side.”
5. Why is it possible to know anything at all? Sample answers include the idea that we are made in the image of an all-knowing God or that consciousness and rationality developed under the contingencies of survival in a long process of evolution.
6. How do we know what is right and wrong? Again, perhaps we are made in the image of a God whose character is good, or right and wrong are determined by human choice alone or what feels good, or the notions simply developed under an impetus toward cultural or physical survival.
7. What is the meaning of human history? To this we might answer: to realize the purposes of God or the gods, to make a paradise on earth, to prepare a people for a life in community with a loving and holy God, and so forth.

From 'The Universe Next Door - A Basic Worldview Catalog" - James S. Sire.

Ligonier Internet Specials

Ligonier Ministries has some great specials on their internet store. One in particular is Defending Your Faith : An Overview of Classical Apologetics with R.C. Sproul for only $76.80, which is half off the listed price. Check out the other specials!

Ended, but Ligonier has reduced prices on all DVD's featuring R.C. 3/11/08

Learning Greek - Online Greek Grammar

Great Learning Tools and Study Aids for those who would want to start learning the language of the New Testament.

There are many sites and pages currently published on the web that can help with grammar and vocabulary learning. The links below will take you to explanatory grammatical pages and grammatical charts within the web site as well as links to other resources that may help you learn or review Biblical Greek grammar.

1. The Greek Alphabet & Pronunciation

2. Accenting

3. Vocabulary

4. Nouns

5. Pronouns

6. Prepositions

7. Verbs

8. English Grammar

9. Greek Grammar Sites

10. Teaching and Learning Greek Methods

THE REASON FOR GOD website launched

Tim Keller has launched the 'The Reason for God' website concurrently with the release of his new book 'The Reason for God'.

The book answers the following questions:

• Why does God allow suffering in the world?
• How could a loving God send people to Hell?
• Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?
• How can one religion be “right” and the others “wrong”?
• Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?

These are just a few of the questions and doubts even ardent believers wrestle with today. As the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his church as well as the most important reasons for faith. And in The Reason for God, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.

Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.

The Works of Cornelius Van Til on sale $47.99

Both layman and scholar will now be able to browse through or study any aspect of Van Til's thought. This CD-ROM is the definitive repository of primary source materials.

The Works of Cornelius Van Til is edited by Eric Sigward, B.A., Harvard; M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge; M. Div. and Th. M., Westminster Theological Seminary. Published by Labels Army Co.

About Cornelius Van Til:

Reformed apologist. Born at Grootegast, Netherlands, Van Til immigrated with his family to America in 1905. As a member of the Christian Reformed Church, Van Til attended Calvin College and Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, followed by studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and Princeton University. Ordained in the Christian Reformed Church (1927), he ministered briefly in Michigan and then taught apologetics for one year at Princeton Seminary before moving to the newly founded Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in 1929. Van Til joined the Orthodox Presbyterian Church soon after its inception in 1936 and remained at Westminster until his retirement in 1975 at the age of eighty.

Contents Included:

Searchable A Guide to the Writings of Cornelius Van Til by Eric D. Bristley, Th. M.

41 Books and Pamphlets

22 Manuscripts

111 Articles in English

25 Articles in Dutch

75 Reviews

32 Sermons and Addresses

Jerusalem and Athens, festrschrift

Audio: Approximately 52 hours of audio recordings

$3 Worth of Gospel, Please

From D. A. Carson's Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians (pp. 12-13)

• I would like to buy about three dollars worth of gospel, please.
• Not too much – just enough to make me happy, but not so much that I get addicted.
• I don’t want so much gospel that I learn to really hate covetousness and lust.
• I certainly don’t want so much that I start to love my enemies, cherish self-denial, and contemplate missionary service in some alien culture.
• I want ecstasy, not repentance.
• I want transcendence, not transformation.
• I would like to be cherished by some nice, forgiving, broad-minded people, but I myself don’t want to love those from different races – especially if they smell.
• I would like enough gospel to make my family secure and my children well behaved, but not so much that I find my ambitions redirected or my giving too greatly enlarged.
• I would like about three dollars worth of the gospel, please.

Prayer: Luther's Way of Praying

When Martin Luther’s barber (and friend) asked him how to pray, Martin Luther responded with a brief treatise published in the spring of 1535 under the title A Simple Way to Pray, for a Good Friend. Luther explained his own practices of prayer.

The following are some of the suggestions Luther gave to his barber:

1. There is need for concentration
   Let prayer be the first business of the morning and last in the evening. Do not be sidetracked. Luther writes, “So, a good and attentive barber keeps his thoughts, attention, and eyes on the razor and hair and does not forget how far he has gotten with his shaving or cutting. If he wants to engage into much conversation or let his mind wander or look somewhere else he is likely to cut his customer’s mouth, nose, or even his throat. Thus if anything is to be done well, it requires the full attention of all one's senses and members. . .” (p. 32-33).
   
2. There is a sequence of prayer
   Luther writes ". . .kneel or stand with your hands folded and your eyes toward heaven and speak or think as briefly as you can. . .” (p.20). Offer a brief prayer “O Heavenly Father, dear God, I am a poor unworthy sinner, I do not deserve to raise my eyes or hands toward thee or to pray. . .” (p. 21) Begin to pray one petition of the Lord’s Prayer or one of the Ten Commandments. Never doubt you are alone in your prayer. “Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, ‘Very well, God has heard my prayer, this I know as a certainty and a truth.’ This is what Amen means” (p. 29).
   
3. The heart must be ready for prayer
   Keep prayers meaningful. Unclutter your mind by focusing on one thought, perhaps one petition of the Lord’s Prayer or one of the Ten Commandments.
   
4. Prayer is like a garland of four twisted strands
   This garland is especially true when using Holy Scripture, Lord’s Prayer, or Ten Commandments. Each strand can be posed as a question:
   What is the (petition, commandment, etc) teaching/meaning for me?
   What prayer of thanksgiving does this prompt?
   What confession or lament does it evoke?
   What is the prayer petition?

Luther said, “Nothing can be said here about the part of faith and Holy Scriptures [in prayer] because there would be no end to what could be said. With practice one can take the Ten Commandments on one day, a psalm or chapter of Holy Scripture the next day, and use them as flint and steel to kindle a flame in the heart” (p.56).

--Quotes are from Martin Luther, A Simple Way to Pray, Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster Knox Press, 2000.