Dr. R.C. Sproul takes theology down from the dusty shelves of theological libraries and expounds in clear and simple terms more than one hundred major Christian doctrines. He offers readers an essential understanding of the Christian faith that will kindle a lifelong love for truth, which is foundational to maturity in Christ. Here are theologically sound explanations of the biblical concepts every Christian should know, written in a way that we all can understand. Dr. Sproul’s homespun analogies and illustrations from everyday life make this book interesting, informative, and easy to read.

King Ahaz of Judah learned the hard way that a refusal to stand and confess the truths revealed by the Lord leads only to disaster. Today, many professing evangelicals are repeating Ahaz’s error, diminishing the importance of difficult but crucial doctrines. But if the church is going to crash the gates of hell, she must reaffirm and recommit herself to the essential truths of the Christian faith, as Alistair Begg, James Boice, Sinclair Ferguson, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and others remind us in Ligonier Ministries' 1997 National Conference, "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith."

Without a firm grasp of the essential doctrines of Christianity, we will not be able to recognize false teaching or stand firm in our faith. In this series, Alistair Begg, James Montgomery Boice, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sproul explore eleven key truths of biblical Christianity.

Without a firm grasp of the essential doctrines of Christianity, we will not be able to recognize false teaching or stand firm in our faith. In this series, Alistair Begg, James Montgomery Boice, Sinclair B. Ferguson, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sproul explore eleven key truths of biblical Christianity.

King Ahaz of Judah learned the hard way that a refusal to stand and confess the truths revealed by the Lord leads only to disaster. Today, many professing evangelicals are repeating Ahaz’s error, diminishing the importance of difficult but crucial doctrines. But if the church is going to crash the gates of hell, she must reaffirm and recommit herself to the essential truths of the Christian faith, as Alistair Begg, James Boice, Sinclair Ferguson, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, R.C. Sproul Jr., and others remind us in Ligonier Ministries' 1997 National Conference, in Orlando, FL., "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith."

Dr. R.C. Sproul devoted his life to helping people grow in their knowledge of God and His holiness. Combining keen theological insight with a warm conversational style, Dr. Sproul’s timeless biblical teaching continues to make the deep truths of the Christian faith accessible to today’s readers. For the first time, eleven of Dr. Sproul’s most influential books have been compiled in a beautifully crafted six-volume collection. Featuring significant titles on the character of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the nature of the Christian life, The R.C. Sproul Signature Classics make an attractive addition to a personal library or an ideal gift for students of Reformed theology. Return to this resource again and again to receive trusted Bible teaching from a beloved instructor, or pass down the rich heritage of the historic Christian faith to the next generation. Titles Include: Volume I The Holiness of God Chosen by God Volume II Everyone’s a Theologian Volume III What Is Reformed Theology? Knowing Scripture Volume IV Faith Alone Willing to Believe Volume V Pleasing God Surprised by Suffering The Intimate Marriage Volume VI Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

While always initiated and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit, history tells us that the most powerful periods of church renewal and reformation follow the efforts of Christian leaders to teach the Word of God accurately. These gifted teachers held in common a solid grounding in the essential truths of the prophetic and apostolic writings, the foundation upon which Christ builds His church. Christian leaders today must likewise be established in these biblical truths if the church would enjoy a new reformation. In Ligonier Ministries' 2009 Ministry Leadership Conference, “Pillars of the Christian Faith," Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, and R.C. Sproul seek to equip you for effective, biblical leadership based upon the essential truths of the Christian faith.

While always initiated and empowered by the work of the Holy Spirit, history tells us that the most powerful periods of church renewal and reformation follow the efforts of Christian leaders to teach the Word of God accurately. These gifted teachers held in common a solid grounding in the essential truths of the prophetic and apostolic writings, the foundation upon which Christ builds His church. Christian leaders today must likewise be established in these biblical truths if the church would enjoy a new reformation.

In 2009, Ligonier Ministries hosted a Ministry Leadership Conference, “Pillars of the Christian Faith," in Sanford, FL. Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, and R.C. Sproul seek to equip you for effective, biblical leadership based upon the essential truths of the Christian faith.

Why does sin matter to God? Why does He care about our “bad” choices? Beginning this series entitled Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Dr. Sproul starts off by explaining the biblical teaching of man’s fallen condition and why God is concerned with our behavior.

The Latin word credo means simply “I believe.” It represents the first word of the Apostles’ Creed. Throughout church history it has been necessary for the church to adopt and embrace creedal statements to clarify the Christian faith and to distinguish true content from error and false representations of the faith. Such creeds are distinguished from Scripture in that Scripture is norma normans (“the rule that rules”), while the creeds are norma normata (“a rule that is ruled”).

Historically, Christian creeds have included everything from brief affirmations to comprehensive statements. The earliest Christian creed is found in the New Testament, which declares, “Jesus is Lord.” The New Testament makes a somewhat cryptic statement about this affirmation, namely, that no one can make the statement except by the Holy Spirit. What are we to understand by this? On the one hand, the New Testament tells us that people can honor God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. That is to say, people can recite creeds and make definitive affirmations of faith without truly believing those affirmations. So, then, why would the New Testament say that no one can make this confession save by the Holy Spirit? Perhaps it was because of the cost associated with making that creedal statement in the context of ancient Rome.

The loyalty oath required by Roman citizens to demonstrate their allegiance to the empire in general and to the emperor in particular was to say publicly, “Kaisar Kurios,” that is, “Caesar is lord.” In the first-century church, Christians bent over backward to be obedient to civil magistrates, including the oppressive measures of Caesar, and yet, when it came to making the public affirmation that Caesar is lord, Christians could not do so in good conscience. As a substitute for the phrase, “Caesar is lord,” the early Christians made their affirmation by saying, “Jesus is Lord.” To do that was to provoke the wrath of the Roman government, and in many cases, it cost the Christian his life. Therefore, people tended not to make that public affirmation unless they were moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. The simple creed, “Jesus is Lord,” or more full statements, such as the Apostles’ Creed give an outline of basic, essential teachings. The creeds summarize New Testament content.

The creeds also used that summary content to exclude the heretics of the fourth century. In the affirmation of the Nicene Creed, the church affirmed categorically its belief in the deity of Christ and in the doctrine of the Trinity. These affirmations were seen as essential truths of the Christian faith. They were essential because without inclusion of these truths, any claim to Christianity would be considered a false claim.

At the time of the Reformation, there was a proliferation of creeds as the Protestant community found it necessary, in the light and heat of the controversy of that time, to give definitive statements as to what they believed and how their faith differed from the Roman Catholic Church’s theology. Rome

size and endurance of such groups tend to give them more credibility as time passes and as more people associate with their beliefs. When we look at groups, such as the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, we find elements of truth within their confessions. Yet at the same time, they express clear denials of what historically may be considered essential truths of the Christian faith. This certainly includes their unabashed denial of the deity of Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons have this denial in common. Though both place Jesus in some type of exalted position within their respective creeds, He does not attain the level of deity. Both groups consider Christ an exalted creature. Following the thinking of the ancient heretic Arius, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that the New Testament does not teach the deity of Christ; rather, they argue it teaches He is the exalted firstborn of all creation. They say He is the first creature made by God, who then is given superior power and authority over the rest of creation. Though Jesus is lifted up in such Christology, it still falls far short of Christian orthodoxy, which confesses the deity of Christ. Passages in the New Testament such as Jesus being “begotten” and His being the “firstborn of creation” are incorrectly used to justify this creaturely definition of Christ.

In the first three centuries of Christian history, the biblical passage that dominated reflection on the church’s understanding of Christ was the prologue of the gospel of John. This prologue contains the affirmation of Christ's being the Logos, or the eternal Word of God. John declares in his gospel that the Logos was “with God in the beginning, and was God.” This “with God” suggests a distinction between the Logos and God, but the identification by the linking verb “was” indicates an identity between the Logos and God. The way in which this identity is denied by Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cultists is by substituting the indefinite article in the text, rendering it that the Logos was “a god.” In order to wrest this interpretation from the text, one must have a prior affirmation of some form of polytheism. Such polytheism is utterly foreign to Judeo-Christian theology, where deity is understood in monotheistic terms.

The threat of cultic distortions is something the church must struggle with in every generation and in every age. It is also important to understand that even legitimate churches may contain within it practices that reflect the behavior of the cults. Cults can emerge within the structures of certain churches. In the Roman communion, for example, we see in Haiti a mixture of Roman Catholic theology with the cultic practices of voodoo. Also in that same communion there is no question that large groups of people venerate Mary to a degree that is beyond the limits espoused by that church itself, degenerating their worship into a cult mentality. But such can be the case among Lutherans, Presbyterians, or any group, when orthodoxy is

1 Corinthians 13 that I know of. I’ve read it at least half-a-dozen times, probably more. In this work, Edwards writes: A truly humble man, is inflexible in nothing but in the cause of his Lord and master, which is the cause of truth and virtue. In this he is inflexible because God and conscience require it; but in things of lesser moment, and which do not involve his principles as a follower of Christ, and in things that only concern his own private interests, he is apt to yield to others.

The humility of which Edwards is speaking here is a humility that must be brought to every disagreement that erupts among believers. It is a humility that brings to the fore what in church history many have called the judgment of charity. The judgment of charity works something like this: When we disagree with one another, I believe that we are called as Christians to assume the motives of the person with whom we disagree are pure motives. This is the approach we are to have with those with whom we have an honest difference in biblical interpretation but who love the Bible and aren’t trying to change what it teaches. Such people are unwilling to compromise the essential truths of the Christian faith.

Now, the judgment of charity assumes in a Christian dispute that the brother or sister with whom we are disagreeing is disagreeing honestly and with personal integrity. Here I think of my friend John MacArthur. If I disagree about something with John—I don’t care what it is—and we go to the mat and talk about it, John will change his position—no matter the cost— if I can persuade him that the Bible teaches my view and not his. That’s because what he wants more than anything else is to be faithful to the Word of God.

That’s what I mean by the judgment of charity. We don’t impugn people’s motives and don’t assume the worst of them when we disagree with them. We make a distinction between best-case and worst-case analysis. The problem we all have as sinners on this side of glory is that we tend to reserve best-case analysis to our own motives and give worst-case analysis to our brother’s and sister’s motives. That’s just the opposite of the spirit we’re called to have in terms of biblical humility.

No event in our lives could be more significant than our conversion to Christ. But what happens next, after we become Christians? What do we need to know, and how do we grow in grace? The following resources, curated by the Ligonier editorial team, can assist new Christians in learning the Bible and Christian doctrine so that they might live a life of love for God and others.

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul

In this book, Dr. Sproul explains more than one hundred major Christian doctrines, providing an accessible yet thorough understanding of the Christian faith as revealed in Scripture. Topics covered include divine revelation, the attributes of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, end times, and much more. Analogies and illustrations from everyday life make this an interesting and informative tool for those who are new to the Bible or theology.

The Basics of the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson

What is a Christian? What does it mean to belong to a church? And how can we grow in grace? This twelve-part teaching series answers these vital questions and many more, covering topics such as becoming a Christian, belonging to the church, the means of grace, discovering God’s will, and enduring hardships. It is a valuable resource for new believers who are seeking to better understand what it means to be a Christian and how to live to the glory of God.

Everyone’s a Theologian by R.C. Sproul

We may not think of ourselves as theologians, but the truth is, anytime we think about a teaching of Scripture and seek to understand it, we are engaging in theology, which refers to the study of God. In this book, Dr. Sproul surveys the basic truths of the Christian faith, explaining what God is like and what He has done for His people. This introduction to systematic theology includes sections on the doctrines of Christology (Christ), pneumatology (the Holy Spirit), soteriology (salvation), ecclesiology (the church), and eschatology (last things).

The Reformation Study Bible

This study Bible is designed to provide an unparalleled reading, study, and discipleship experience for every age and stage of the Christian life. Resources include theological notes from Dr. R.C. Sproul, commentary from distinguished theologians, topical articles on key theological themes, book introductions and study notes for every book of the Bible, full color maps, and historical creeds and confessions. Other editions are also available, including a condensed edition and a student edition.

Tabletalk Magazine

Tabletalk is a monthly discipleship magazine dedicated to helping Christians grow in their faith. With articles from trusted pastors, scholars, and teachers, each issue contains feature articles, daily Bible studies, and columns that address various biblical, theological, and practical themes to help strengthen and encourage readers. New Christians may find the daily Bible studies especially helpful as they seek to develop an understanding of correct biblical interpretation.

faith but remain in through works, and that the final justification that determines our entry into heaven is based on works. They strongly emphasize the objective efficacy of the sacraments and show a negative attitude towards inward and supposedly subjective signs of saving faith. Among the doctrines of the Westminster Standards that they deny, contradict, or dispute are: unconditional election, the covenant of works, the distinction between the visible and the invisible church, assurance, and perseverance of the saints. Most important for this paper is their general agreement with the New Perspective on justification. What Ligon Duncan warns against the New Perspective must therefore be warned against the Auburn Avenue Theology: “[It] is productive of dangerous errors… pertaining to our understanding of the nature of the Gospel, the meaning and importance of justification, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness and more.”

Conclusion

The literature associated with the New Perspective on Paul is vast and varied. The writings of N.T. Wright alone are thick and voluminous. They include much that is of stimulating interest, not to mention grace and wit. It would be wrong to assume that any minister who is well-read in the New Perspective is automatically suspect (in which case the present writer would warrant considerable scrutiny). Among the positive benefits of the New Perspective, I would suggest that the broadening of salvation beyond forensic categories may serve to stretch many traditionally-minded Reformed evangelicals. Those who have flirted with self-centered and antinomian brands of Christianity will find themselves brutally (and accurately) parodied by the New Perspective. Duncan writes, “Many evangelicals tout justification as the solution to self-image problems, self-esteem deficits, and emotional neediness, rather than as the solution for God’s righteousness wrath against rebellious sinners.” In the New Perspective they will be confronted with a reminder that the coming of Christ’s kingdom is indeed first an historic event, by which the end of the ages has come upon us, who are called out from a kingdom of darkness and death into a glorious reign of light and life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Lastly, the New Perspective helps us to see how unclear so many Christians are about the nature of the “gospel”. This confusion is to a certain extent revealed and corrected by the New Perspective, but also exploited and advanced. This reminds pastors and elders carefully and persistently to instruct their flock in the basic claims and essential truths of the Christian faith.

Finally, the New Perspective on justification seeks to address problems that are in reality pastoral rather than theological. In so doing it sows confusion, both by redefining our traditional theological terminology and by recasting it in a scheme of salvation that is alien to the teaching of the apostles. Traditional Reformed and evangelical theology, with its strong emphasis on justification through faith alone apart from works, involving forgiveness and the imputation of Christ’s perfect righteousness to believers, is in fact able to fit wholesomely within the whole tapestry of biblical doctrines. Paul’s doctrine of justification, as understood

answer when they ask about your hope in Christ, especially people who claim to be atheists? Reading this issue of Tabletalk is one practical way to get ready to give people an answer. Another good way to get better prepared to share our faith is to read good Christian books like R.C. Sproul’s Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. It is also important for us to develop growing friendships with people outside the church. The better we know people, the more they will share their spiritual questions, and the better we will understand all the ways they need the Gospel. Peter’s words remind us to do this with gentleness and respect, loving people who still need to know Christ.

Yet the most important thing for us to do is point people to the Scriptures. The best reasons we can give people for our hope in Christ are biblical reasons; the clearest answers we can give to their question about God are biblical answers. The Holy Spirit will use the true words of God to do His spiritual work in people’s lives. God has not promised to use our personal testimonies to bring people to Christ. No matter how eloquently or persuasively we speak, our words in themselves do not have the power to give people spiritual life. What God has promised to use in a saving and sanctifying way are His own words — the words we read in the Bible and understand by the help of the Spirit. God’s Word always does God’s work (see Isa. 55:10–11).

The Word of God even has the power to save atheists, changing the minds and hearts of people who say they do not believe in God. The real truth, of course, is that even the most hardened atheist actually does believe in God, he just works very hard to deny it. In order to maintain a consistently atheistic point of view, unbelievers must actively suppress what they know to be true about the existence of God. Deep down, everyone knows there is a God (see Rom. 1:21).

The inescapable reality of God’s power should give us tremendous confidence for personal evangelism. Although we may not have very much confidence in ourselves, or in our ability to respond to every objection an unbeliever may raise against the Gospel, we ought to have every confidence in the goodness of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Bible confronts every person’s conscience, testifying that the God who is really there speaks to people today. Whether we are fully prepared to give an answer or not, God is always ready and able to save people by His mighty Word.

From Abraham to the present day, the history of Israel is a striking testimony to the Lord’s providential governing of redemptive history. In this sermon, R.C. Sproul surveys God’s preservation of an elect remnant, or group of people, in every age.

In this sermon, R.C. Sproul examines the life of the early apostolic church as they participated in doctrine, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer together, and what this picture of church life means for us today.

Sin and its impact on human beings have been the focus of our study of Romans this month as we have looked at Paul's view that all people, Jew and Gentile alike, have been thoroughly corrupted by their transgression of God's law. This raises issues related to the nature of man, so we will now pause our study of Romans for two days to look at what the Bible says about the nature of human beings as fallen images of the Lord. Dr. R.C. Sproul will assist us in this study through his lecture "The Nature of Man" from the Ligonier Ministries teaching series Essential Truths of the Christian Faith.

Given the emphasis on total depravity in the Reformed tradition, many have accused Reformed thought of having an entirely negative view of mankind. To say that fallen human beings are basically corrupt and wholly inclined to reject our Creator does indeed seem to be a dour view of humanity when surveys report that even a large number of professing evangelical Christians believe that men and women are "basically good." Yet as Dr. Sproul points out, there is no need for the evangel—the gospel—if we are basically good. If that were the case, our basic goodness would mean that there is not really anything that we need to be saved from.

It is actually a strong view of the pervasiveness and power of sin as we find in the Reformed tradition that reflects the highest view of man possible. To say that human beings are basically good is to say that sin is ultimately of little consequence. Sin would then be just a minor error, not a true violation of other image-bearers and even God Himself. If we were not made in the image of God, then sin would not really matter. It would have no more moral significance than any other event in creation such as the movement of subatomic particles.

The person who has a low view of sin and tries to minimize my guilt before our holy God actually hates me and robs me of my dignity as the Lord's image-bearer. If sin is serious, then the fall was serious, and if the fall was serious, what we were created to be has profound significance. The higher our view of the power and extent of sin, the higher our view of our Creator's righteousness and holiness; and the higher our view of our Creator's righteousness and holiness, the higher our view of mankind and what He made us for, namely, to reflect that righteousness and holiness in all that we do.

How is Christ, after His ascension, localized in heaven and yet with His people no matter where we are (Matt. 28:18–20; Acts 1:6–11)? According to His humanity, Jesus is not on earth, but according to His deity, Jesus is never absent from us (The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 47).

This issue gets to the heart of the person of Jesus, who is both truly human and truly divine. Human beings can be in only one place at a time. It is an intrinsic limitation, something that makes us human. If Jesus’ humanity possessed omnipresence, He would not be truly human, and He could not have borne God’s wrath in our place. Similarly, omnipresence is one of the attributes that makes God, well, God. If Jesus’ divine nature were not omnipresent, He would not be God. We can commune with the entire Christ because His omnipresent divinity, perfectly united to His humanity, connects us to His whole person, including His localized humanity. Each nature, however, retains its unique properties.

We are taking care to distinguish, without separating, Jesus’ human nature from His divine nature because of their perfect union in the one person of Christ. The Heidelberg Catechism affirms the perfection of this union (Q&A 48), using Colossians 2:9 as a proof text. Paul tells us in this verse that “the whole fullness of deity” exists in Jesus; the union between the human and divine is so complete, so perfect, that the person of Jesus lacks nothing that is intrinsic to humanity or deity.

The perfection of this union means, as Dr. R.C. Sproul writes in Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, that “what is said of the divine nature or of the human nature may be affirmed of the person.” Still, we may not confuse Jesus’ divine nature and human nature. Dr. Sproul notes that we rightly say, “Christ, the God-man, died. This, however, is not to say that God perished on the cross” (p. 81). Similarly, “Jesus knew what was in man” (John 2:25), but His human nature was not omniscient.

This perfect union did not end with the resurrection. Jesus continues as “a high priest forever” (Heb. 6:20), and His priestly office depends on His “becoming like his brothers in every respect” (2:14–18).

For the past few days, we have seen how the Lord works through church officers to bring the church into “mature manhood” (Eph. 4:1–16). Thus, we have reached a good place to pause our study of Ephesians for two days and consider the importance of spiritual maturity, what hinders true growth, and the ways doctrinal understanding leads to mature faith. Dr. R.C. Sproul will help us consider these topics as we consult the introduction to his book Essential Truths of the Christian Faith.

In centuries past, the Christian church prized the diligent study of doctrine because pastors and laypeople alike followed Paul’s call to pursue the depths of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15). Yet this emphasis is largely absent today. Surveys repeatedly show that theological knowledge is shallow even among evangelicals. Vast numbers confess Jesus as their personal Savior, but only a tiny percentage have a grasp of what this profession means. Making matters worse, too many care too little to rectify the problem.

Immature understanding of biblical doctrine leads to immature thinking and living; thus, many believers do not live up to their calling in Christ to be salt and light to the world. There are numerous reasons for this immaturity. One of the most common is the failure of many churches to grasp the true meaning of childlike faith. When Jesus says we must become like children to receive the kingdom (Mark 10:15), He demands that we become like the typical child in our attitude toward Him, not in our knowledge. To be childlike in matters of faith does not mean that our knowledge of facts is as deficient as a small child’s; rather, it means that we are wholly dependent on the Lord, just as little children rely wholly on their parents. Unfortunately, many believers think childlike faith requires childlike knowledge when, in fact, the opposite is true. Only as we begin to understand the greatness of God do we realize our utter weakness, which prompts us to live as children absolutely dependent on our Father.

Another contributing factor to the pervasive immaturity we see in the church today is the antirational spirit of the current culture. The importance of critical thinking and the need for our minds to inform our feelings and emotions have all but fallen by the wayside. Yet Scripture places a premium on loving God with our minds, so Christians must never succumb to this antirationalist spirit (Mark 12:30).

In today’s passage, Matthew summarizes Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee, an area encompassing 2,800 square miles. Covering this region is no small under-taking, says one commentator, because Jesus, if He moves rapidly and visits two cities a day, will need more than three months to visit every town and village!

Jesus is met with much acclaim during the time He spends preaching and teaching in Galilee. Matthew tells us that “great crowds” from the Decapolis and from beyond the Jordan follow the Christ, along with many citizens from Jerusalem and Judea (4:24–25). The Decapolis is a group of about ten cities included within the Roman province of Syria in Jesus’ day. These are predominantly Gentile cities, and so again we see how the nations, in addition to the Israelites, come to Jesus from the very start of His ministry (2:1–12).

Today’s passage sets the stage for the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 4:23–25 is an overview of Jesus’ ministry, implying that the sermon is only a sample of His Galilean teaching, not an exhaustive account. An itinerant preacher, our Savior repeats the same basic content in different settings, adapting and applying His same message to various audiences. Thus, it is not surprising that Jesus’ teaching varies some from one gospel to another. His central message is “the gospel of the kingdom” (v. 23) — the decisive intrusion of God’s saving presence into this world through the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection.

Along with teaching, Jesus heals all kinds of diseases and afflictions (v. 24). Note that these healings are not simply healings for healings’ sake. Rather, they validate the message of Jesus and vindicate Him as the Father’s emissary. As Dr. R.C. Sproul teaches, miracles “prove or attest [God’s] agents of divine revelation (Heb. 2:3–4)” (Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, p. 66). John Calvin says in his commentary on Matthew that “when Christ miraculously healed them, he proved his divinity.” This is especially true of Jesus’ exorcisms. In casting out demons, Jesus shows Himself as the usurper of Satan’s authority and reveals Himself as the rightful representative of the sovereign Creator who has come to rule over His people.

Today we conclude our study on the church by noting that there are many different bodies that call themselves churches, whether or not they are true manifestations of the church of Jesus Christ. How then can we tell when a church in name is also a church in reality?

Faced with this same problem, the Reformers and Roman Catholics answered this question very differently. Rome has said that the bishop is the mark of the church, that is, the true church is present when you have a duly consecrated bishop who is part of a line of succession going back to the apostles. Ultimately, a bishop is a true bishop only if he submits to the pope; thus, in Roman Catholicism only Roman Catholic parishes constitute the true church.

Protestants recognize the biblical failings of this view and, in studying Scripture, traditionally define a true church according to two criteria:

1. The Word — there is no true church without the right proclamation of the Word of God. In other words, a group that denies any of the essential truths of the Christian faith is not a church. The essential truths of Christianity are clearly taught in Scripture, and the Nicene Creed is one document that helpfully summarizes them. A truth like justification by faith alone is included in this list even though it is not specifically mentioned in the creed, because Paul lists it as a defining mark of the Gospel (Gal. 1:6–9; 2:15–16), and it is a necessary deduction from the creed’s emphasis on salvation through Christ alone.

2. The Sacraments — a true church rightly celebrates the Lord’s Supper and baptism. That is, the sacraments must be conducted in line with Scripture’s clear teaching, and we must allow for latitude where such things are not so plain. For example, the biblical instruction on the mode of baptism is not as clear as we might like; thus, we cannot anathematize those who disagree with us in this specific area. Celebrating the sacraments correctly also involves keeping unrepentant sinners from partaking in these means of grace (church discipline). Though inseparably linked to the sacraments, sometimes we make special mention of church discipline as the third mark of the church (1 Cor. 5).

The Social Gospel movement, which arose in America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries under the inspiration of theological liberalism, downplayed sin and reduced Christianity to feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and other acts of social justice. There was a justifiable backlash against this movement in the churches and an exodus of people who affirmed the essential truths of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, some theological conservatives were so afraid of falling prey to the Social Gospel that works of charity ranked at the bottom of their priority list, if they were done at all.

Those who neglected acts of social welfare for fear of looking like liberals were guilty of throwing out the baby with the bath water. Though the parallels between this historical example and today’s passage are inexact, Matthew 23:23–24 warns us that it is possible to become focused on one set of God’s demands at the expense of another. The scribes and Pharisees tried to obey God’s law scrupulously; they tithed their herbs even though the Torah did not specifically require the giving of such (Deut. 14:22–23). However, their obedience did not include the weightier, and more difficult, matters of the Law. It is easy to count out a tenth of one’s cumin seeds, but it is much harder to help needy people in a substantial way. Sacrifice of time and leisure might be required to show mercy to the one who is downtrodden. Faithfulness may mean the loss of one’s job or reputation as the result of bearing witness to Christ.

The scribes and Pharisees were not wrong to tithe their smallest things; in fact, they rightly gave God a portion of all they had (Matt. 23:23–24). They erred in following the Law superficially, concerned with its letter, not its spirit, and mistakenly focused on minutiae at the expense of the duties to which tithing, and every other commandment, pointed: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8). Bishop Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century defender of Trinitarian orthodoxy, warns us: “God laughs at the superficial diligence of those who measure cucumbers” (On Matthew 24.7).