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e3f782d
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Shepherds were not even allowed to give testimony in court because they were considered utterly untrustworthy, the dregs of society. In other words, the shepherd was seen as just a bit above a slave. He was a lowly servant. That is why it was so significant that the first announcement of the birth of Jesus was given to shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem. Those shepherds had the lowest status in the culture of that time. Things were m..
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R.C. Sproul |
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cca886f
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That source is the Greek word kuriache, which means "those who belong to the kurios." Thus, church in its literal origin means "the people who belong to the Lord."
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R.C. Sproul |
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dc4f81c
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Anyone who has the most rudimentary understanding of justification by faith knows that authentic faith always manifests itself in a zeal for obedience. No
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R.C. Sproul |
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8a66759
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Could not God originally have decreed that no one ever would be able to sin, thus
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R.C. Sproul |
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e5d0c2a
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A Christian is not a skeptic. A Christian is a person with a burning heart, a heart set aflame with certainty of the resurrection.
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R.C. Sproul |
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49ceb69
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Still it is very important for us to call upon him: First, that our hearts may be fired with a zealous and burning desire ever to seek, love, and serve him, while we become accustomed in every need to flee to him as to a sacred anchor. Secondly, that there may enter our hearts no desire and no wish at all of which we should be ashamed to make him a witness, while we learn to set all our wishes before his eyes, and even to pour out our whole..
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R.C. Sproul |
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70d617e
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So the very beginning of godliness, the very beginning of transformation in our lives and in our society, begins with our posture before the character of God. 'The
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R.C. Sproul |
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955d6bc
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If the cause is apart from me, then I am a victim of coercion. If the cause is from within me, then my choices are self-determined or free. Think
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R.C. Sproul |
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dbd5a31
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Unbelief is judged by Jesus not as an intellectual error but as a hostile act of prejudice against God Himself. This sort of unbelief is destructive to the church and to the people of God.
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R.C. Sproul |
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93c321f
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Hypocrisy has a devastating impact on the life of the church and on the representation of Christianity to a dying world. And
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R.C. Sproul |
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35bdd6f
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Before I became a Christian, my heart was beating, my lungs were filling and emptying, and my brain was active (although my teachers wondered at times). But I was spiritually dead. I was dead to the things of God because I existed solely and completely in what Jesus and the Apostles call "the flesh."
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R.C. Sproul |
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e177d2a
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I am convinced that the most neglected dimension of the life of Jesus in the church today is His ascension. Without the ascension, both the cross and the resurrection are meaningless. The climax of Jesus' earthly ministry came when He ascended to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. This was His investiture, His coronation, when the Father crowned Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. It was at that moment that Jesus' glory was r..
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R.C. Sproul |
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733e6e8
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Christ is "truly God and truly man" (Vera Deus, vera homo)."
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R.C. Sproul |
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942e505
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I hear people say, "Doctrine divides." Of course doctrine divides, but it also unites. It unites the ones who love God's truth and are willing to worship Him according to that truth."
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R.C. Sproul |
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9c3bde9
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There is but one who qualifies as Savior. He alone has the ability to solve our most abysmal dilemma. He alone has the power of life and death.
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R.C. Sproul |
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6da0afe
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If I don't like something I read in Scripture, perhaps I simply don't understand it. If so, studying it again may help. If, in fact, I do understand the passage and still don't like it, this is not an indication there is something wrong with the Bible. It's an indication that something is wrong with me, something that needs to change. Often,
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R.C. Sproul |
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dc6397e
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if you assume that the Big Bang happened gratuitously, you're talking about magic, not science.
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R.C. Sproul |
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fb2b99f
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Puedo tener esperanza porque tengo fe en Dios. Puesto que puedo confiar en la promesa de Dios para el manana, mi esperanza tiene garantia; mi esperanza no es solo una quimera, una fantasia o la proyeccion de mis deseos basada en suenos vanos.
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R.C. Sproul |
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f195901
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Arrogant worship is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Yet we see it throughout Scripture. The gospel was given to Adam and Eve. As redemptive history unfolded, the people of Israel continued to recite the promise and to demonstrate it with their liturgy, their signs, their sacraments, and their cultic worship. But the judgment of the prophets that came upon the house of Israel was this: "Your worship has become idololatria. You are not..
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R.C. Sproul |
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4e55720
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Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy. If we understand the difference, we can avoid the pitfalls that entice the believer.
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R.C. Sproul |
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2f34e42
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Once we are reconciled and justified we can rejoice even when people slander us and wound us deeply. We can glory in it because of Christ and our justification. We glory in tribulation because we know what tribula-tion does. Paul understood, because he believed in the sovereignty and providence of God. There are no accidents in this world. No matter how many injustices are heaped upon us this side of heaven, they do not mean anything compar..
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R.C. Sproul |
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e0d47f2
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The translators of the King James Version chose to render parakletos with the English word "Comforter" because at that time the English language was more closely connected to its historical roots in Latin. Today, we understand the word comfort to mean ease and solace in the midst of trouble. But its original meaning was different. It is derived from the Latin word comfortis, which consisted of a prefix (com-, meaning "with) and a root (fort..
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R.C. Sproul |
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450fc53
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If we love Christ, it is appropriate to love Him extravagantly, for He is worthy of extravagant love. There
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R.C. Sproul |
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f55a2e8
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Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:12-13)."
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R.C. Sproul |
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803230e
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Was Paul unloving when he disputed daily in the marketplace about the things of God (Acts 17:17)? Was Jesus unloving when He contradicted the teaching of the Pharisees? Were the prophets of ancient Israel unloving when they rebuked and admonished the false prophets? Was Elijah unloving when he disputed with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)? I cannot imagine someone in the crowd on Mount Carmel that day saying: "You people can follow Elijah..
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R.C. Sproul |
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a7602a9
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Being a Christian is not an acquired skill or discipline like diving or ice skating. It is a living, vital relationship with the God of the universe, a relationship that begins when a person becomes a new creation in Him and receives Jesus as Lord by faith. But
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R.C. Sproul |
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9025a23
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Free-will without God's grace is not free at all, but is the permanent prisoner and bondslave of evil, since it cannot turn itself to good. Martin Luther
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R.C. Sproul |
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7be76b3
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God's people likely will not receive the world's adulation, but we will someday hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
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R.C. Sproul |
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5635283
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Though sin often brings immediate pleasure, it gives no lasting joy. If we understand the difference, we can avoid the pitfalls that entice the believer. The
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R.C. Sproul |
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0aaa378
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look to the Bible and not my feelings as the basis of the Christian life. I've
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R.C. Sproul |
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1869b40
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Just as the Word of God is used in conversion, so it is a critical instrument in our spiritual growth. By immersing ourselves in the Word of God, we begin to gain the mind of Christ and learn what discipleship is. In
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R.C. Sproul |
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060f6e5
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God sovereignly, providentially ordains only what is good. In terms of His eternal purpose, God has esteemed it good that evil should be allowed to happen in this world.
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R.C. Sproul |
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9b9cb4a
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God is the source of primary causality; in other words, He is the first cause. He is the Author of all that is, and He continues to be the primary cause of human events and of natural occurrences. However, His primary causality does not exclude secondary causes. Yes, when the rain falls, the grass gets wet, not because God makes the grass wet directly and immediately, but because the rain applies moisture to the grass. But the rain could no..
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R.C. Sproul |
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7e13a7a
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If God ceased to exist, the universe would perish with Him, because God not only has created everything, He sustains everything. We are dependent on Him, not only for our origin, but also for our continuing existence. Since we do not have the power of being in and of ourselves, we could not last for a second without His sustaining power. That is part of God's providence.
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R.C. Sproul |
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7885a0f
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Deception through distortion of the truth of God is a major problem that confronts every generation and every Christian community. For
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R.C. Sproul |
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bb36ad8
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God does not need our consent in order to govern us. He made us, so He has an intrinsic right to rule over us.
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R.C. Sproul |
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5d0be87
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the biblical King both reigns and rules. And He carries out His rule not by referendum but by His personal sovereignty. AN
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R.C. Sproul |
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62c5690
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La fe es la sustancia de la esperanza La definicion mas fundacional para la fe en la Biblia se encuentra en Hebreos: "Ahora bien, la fe es la garantia de lo que se espera, la certeza de lo que no se ve." --
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R.C. Sproul |
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603e188
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The glorification of God in heaven brings unspeakable, eternal, uninterrupted joy. Jesus
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R.C. Sproul |
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d2cec7e
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Yes, we can name and claim those things God has clearly promised in Scripture. For instance, we can claim the certainty of forgiveness if we confess our sins before Him, because He promises that. But when it comes to getting a raise, purchasing a home, or finding healing from a disease, God hasn't made those kind of specific promises anywhere in Scripture, so we are not free to name and claim those things. As
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R.C. Sproul |
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5ea799c
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I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible. Everyone is looking for power in a program, in a methodology, in a technique, in anything and everything but that in which God has placed it-His Word. He alone has the power to change lives for eternity, and that power is focused on the Scriptures.
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R.C. Sproul |
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095ff1d
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Christian, but one cannot be a Christian and not pray. Romans 8:15 tells us that the spiritual adoption that has made us sons of God causes us to cry out in verbal expressions:
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R.C. Sproul |
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3ee7c99
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When the will is enchained as the slave of sin, it cannot make a movement towards goodness, far less steadily pursue it. John Calvin
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R.C. Sproul |
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dbaf640
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Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth." (John"
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R.C. Sproul |