R.C. Sproul

Knowing God

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Thinking Man (B&W)

More than 200 names for God are recorded in the Bible.  All of them are important.  Each of them reveals and affirms certain characteristics of God.  While God is incomprehensible – we will never exhaust what there is to know about Him – He is nevertheless knowable.  He has revealed himself to us.  To know God is to recognize what He is like – and what He is not like.  As J.I. Packer once said:

“Those who know God have great thoughts of God.”

So what is God like?

This is not an academic question.  Though certainly there are some Academics in the news recently who may have been well served to have given a little more thought to the question before holding a press conference only to display syncretistic ignorance.  But even in that instance the question is not merely academic.  It is personal.

When asked: “What is the greatest commandment?”,  Jesus unhesitatingly declared: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  (Matthew 22.36-40; Deuteronomy 6.1-7) So let me ask a somewhat rhetorical question: “How can one love God if little to nothing is known about God?  Further, even if it is possible to love a god one knows little about, (and I suspect that it may be possible,) how can we claim to be keeping the command to “Love God with all your mind” if we do not engage our minds to learn more and more about him?

Now let me be clear about something: If you are reading this post, and you feel you are less knowledgeable theologically than you think you ought to be, I am not trying to shame you.  Truth is this: I am fairly theologically educated.  If you have any knowledge of God at all, the difference between your little knowledge and my educated knowledge is so minimal when compared to what knowledge there is to be known about God, that any sense of haughtiness I might be inclined to project would be laughable, if such pomposity would not be so pathetic.  My concern is not who knows more than who, but rather whether we  know God, and whether, in keeping with the greatest command, we are engaging our minds to be continually growing in our knowledge of God.

If you have a desire to love the Lord with all your mind, let me offer a handful of suggested books about God with which to feed your mind.  None of these are technical, but all are excellent. (To my mind, these are actually better than most of the technical theological books I have read.)

This list is far from exhaustive. There are many excellent books on this subject, and I welcome anyone who would like to add to this list to do so in the comment section.  Sadly, there are many, many, bad books under this heading as well.  Some of the better books I left off this list are Knowing God by J.I. Packer and Reason for God by Timothy Keller.  While I enjoyed and highly commend both of these, the list above reflects a thorough introduction and/or reflection, yet easy reads.  Keller’s is excellent for those asking the question: Is There a God? Packer’s would be on my list for next steps.

I will end with this: Earlier this year I heard a statement, attributed to John Piper (though I have been unable to confirm it is his), that stuck with me, resonates, and is appropriate to ponder:

“The mind provides kindling for the heart.”

Lingering Guilt & Insulting God’s Integrity

/ Dennis Griffith / 7 Comments

What do you do with the person who says: “I’ve asked God to forgive me, but I still feel guilty?”

A noted writer (R.C. Sproul, I think) was asked [this] once.  [His reply:] “Well,  if You still feel guilty, then pray to God again, but this time don’t ask Him to forgive you for the sin that is haunting you. Rather ask Him to forgive you for insulting His integrity by refusing to accept His forgiveness. Who are you to refuse to forgive yourself when God has forgiven you…it is often a very difficult thing to accept the grace of God. Our human arrogance makes us want to atone for our own sins to make it up to God with works of super-righteousness”.

~ Steve Brown

Misusing the Proverbs

/ Dennis Griffith / 1 Comment

Great post by John Armstrong on Proverbs.  Armstrong asserts:

Perhaps no part of Holy Scripture has been more frequently abused… than the book of Proverbs.

Armstrong goes on to explain what the proverbs are and are not, and their God-intended purpose.

Not long ago a friend and I were discussing this very same problem, after some pastors he knew had thrown around a proverb or two, wielding them as if they were laws.   But proverbs are not laws. They are expressions of wisdom.   Sometimes they are even contradictory wisdom.

Now I do not believe, as many assert, that the Bible “contradicts” itself.  The laws and promises are consistent in all ways.  One has to remove them from their intended context to make a case that they are contradictory.  But when it comes to the book of Proverbs it is reasonable to see that some sayings offer different outcomes for similar actions.  That is easy enough to explain.  Again, proverbs are not laws or promises, they are expressions of wisdom to help us navigate life.  I’ve heard R.C. Sproul says about Proverbs, essentially, in life “sometimes this will happen, and sometimes that will happen.”  Proverbs prepares us for “this” and “that”.

Check Out: Misusing the Proverbs

What is God Like?

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

What is God like?  Describe to me the God you say you believe in. 

In the first chapter of his best selling book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan challenges his readers to ponder who God is. “Who is it that you are praying to?” Chan wants us to ask.  I really appreciate that challenge and that exercise because, quite frankly, I am not sure most people, even in our churches, can offer a substantial answer.

J.I. Packer wrote:

“Those who know God have great thoughts of Him.”

Donald Carson wrote:

“The better we know God, the more we will want all of our existence to revolve around him, and we will see that the only goals and plans that really matter are those that are somehow tied to God himself, and to our eternity with him.”

How well do you know God?

While there is no substitute for Scripture, sometimes the insights of others can help us notice things that we might otherwise not see. Like a tourguide who has navigated a trail many times is able to point out things of importance, of beauty, and of danger, so is one who has walked with God and given himself to careful study of God.

I have found the following books are faithful to Scriptureand helpful in shaping my knowledge of God:

Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer 

Attributes of God by A.W. Tozer

Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

The Pleasures of God by John Piper

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

We Wish You a Merry X-mas

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

I knew better. I should have gone with my first instinct. But I didn’t.

Several Decembers ago I was summoned for jury duty in Walker County, Georgia.  Overhearing other prospective jurors engaged in various religious and low-level theological debates, I vowed to myself to remain quiet and not get involved in these discussions.  For most of the morning I kept to my plan.

Not long before lunch my opinion was solicited by the ring-leader of the discussion group – an un-schooled, self-proclaimed Baptist “preacher”.  Apparently he had taken note earleir in the day when a judge made mention that I was a Presbyterian minister. 

 “Do you believe in the doctine of Once-Saved-Always-Saved?”

Trying to minimize my words, I replied:

“I believe most of what you mean by that, though I am not comfortable calling it by that name.”

“What do you mean?”, he asked.

“I believe the Bible teaches eternal security for the believer. I just think that describing the doctrine as you did a moment ago leaves an impression of cheap grace.”

I am not sure he understood what I was actually saying, but apparently he was satisfied. He even seemed to sense a kindred spirit. He nodded his head approvingly. 

Then he asked:

“Why d’ya think so many people deny this doctrine?” 

Here is where I started down the wrong road:

“I suspect because people don’t bother to read the one source that defines doctrinal positions (- the Bible)”, I replied a little too flippantly and smuggly. 

Again, my answer apparently satisfied him. Again he nodded his approval.  Then he observed:

“Yep. People are tryin’ to take God and his Word out of ev’ry-thang. It’s just like people tryin’ to take Christ out’a Christmas.  Santa Claus instead’a  Jesus.  And all these signs that say Merry X-mas…  They’re tryin’ to X-out Jesus.”

(Here is the height of my error. Having been lulled into feeling comfortable by the eager reception of my previous simplistic responses…)  I interjected:

“O, no. That is not x-ing out Jesus from Christmas. The letter “X” is the symbol of Christ, taken from the  Greek letter “Chi”, the first letter for Christ in Greek.”

Silence, followed by a shaking head instead of a nodding noggin. Finally, still shaking his head, he told me:

“You are educated beyond usefulness“

Then he walked away.

Like I said, I should have stuck with my original plan. I should have remained quiet, done my time, and gone home.  But since I didn’t, I guess I had it coming.

This old memory came to mind when I read a post by R.C. Sproul on the Ligonier blog: Why is X Used?  I am glad to have someone of Sproul’s stature covering my back. But two new questions come to mind:

  • What are the chances that guy will read Sproul’s post?
  • Where were you, R.C., on that day years ago?!

Walk in the Light – Studies in 1 John

/ Dennis Griffith / Leave a comment

If it is true, as they say, that one is known by the company he/she keeps, then the first epistle from the Apostle John is really good news for Christians. 

In the prologue of this letter John talks about Christian Fellowship.  He tells us that, if we are in Christ, not only do we have fellowship with other Believers, but with God Himself!   

In the following verses John explains how we experience that fellowship. That’s what he is talking about when he writes about “walking in the light…” (See v. 5-10) 

John begins by talking about God: “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. 

John is here succinctly expressing a few important things.   

1.      Theology is important.   

Theology, in the proper sense, is the study about God.  And John demonstrates here that theology, at its best, is practical.  For John, knowledge of God is not an optional accessory for the Christian life; theology is not something that is left for the professionals.  Theology comes first, as a foundation upon which we build our lives, our churches, and our relationships. 

2.      Fellowship begins with considering God.   

John has already expressed that his purpose in writing about our fellowship is “to make our joy complete.”  Here, again, he elaborates about how we experience that fellowship – and he begins by talking about God. 

Wisdom, true spirituality, and real fellowship (that produces joy) always begin with our understanding of who God is. 

This may seem obvious to most of us. But, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones suggests:  

“Most of our problems occur precisely because we don’t begin at this point.” 

3.      God is Holy 

J.I. Packer says: “Those who know God have great thoughts of Him.” 

John describes God as being “light”.  Again, it is helpful to remember that John uses word pictures to help us grasp concepts that are important but difficult to define. 

By describing God with the metaphor light, John opens us to consider a wide range of God’s attributes. But while “light” may illustrate many of God’s attributes, most scholars seem to agree that what John has in mind, primarily, is God’s holiness. 

Recognizing, and contemplating God’s holiness is essential to having a relationship with God, and according to John understanding God’s holiness is important for our relationships with others.  

For more reading about God’s Holiness, I suggest: 

Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul 

The Knowldege of the Holy   by A.W. Tozer