So Great a Salvation: Ligonier 2015 Fall Conference

John MacArthur, Steve Lawson, Stephen Nichols, Nathan Busenitz and RC Sproul gathered together at Reformation Bible College to consider together the subject of our great salvation.

From the website:

As R.C. Sproul has said, the most serious problem we face as humans is that “God is holy and we are not.” During our 2015 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College, we considered this problem and addressed the scope of the biblical gospel. Hosted in partnership with The Master’s Seminary, the conference featured Dr. John MacArthur as our special guest. In addition to those attending Fall Conference, we were joined this weekend by prospective Reformation Bible College (RBC) students as they took classes during the college’s Preview Weekend, spent time meeting with faculty and current students, toured the campus, and joined us for RBC’s fifth annual convocation service on Friday evening.

You can read highlights here.  The conference is currently free to stream video or audio.

So Great A Salvation Conference >>>

The Atonement of Jesus Series with R. C. Sproul

Ligonier has made Sproul’s 10-part series on the atonement available as free downloads.  The motivation is the growing number of “evangelicals” who are questioning the doctrine of substitutionary atonement.  This series will ground you in the bible’s solid ground of the atonement of Christ.

R. C. has said,

“If you take away the cross as an atoning act, you take away Christianity.”

The Atonement of Christ >>>

The Atonement

Warning! Do not listen to the following podcast if you don’t want to purchase another book.

The CTC lads interview Gabe Fluhrer, editor of a marvelous book titled Atonement, which is a collection of incredible essays on the atonement by Sinclair Ferguson, J. I. Packer, R. C. Sproul, James Boice, Alistair Begg, and John Gerstner. Fluhrer has an incredible grasp of this doctrine and speaks to the many challenges our age faces with opponents of the atonement, subtle and direct.  The interview motivated me to purchase this book, and I think it will you too.

The Atonement >>>

Atonement: Scripture on Penal Substitution

The Master’s Seminary Faculty Lecture series for 2009 looks at penal substitution, which is under heavy attack in some corners of “Christianity”.  TMS is known for very thorough academic level work, and these messages will be published in the TMS Journal soon.

“The Scriptural Necessity of Christ’s Penal Substitution” by Richard L. Mayhue

“Penal Substitution in the Old Testament” by William D. Barrick

“Penal Substitution in the New Testament: A Focused Look at First Peter” by Paul W. Felix

“Penal Substitution in Church History” by Michael A. Vlach

“Worthy is the Lamb that Was Slain: Penal Substitution and Christian Worship” by Andrew V. Snider

From TMS:

Because of recent attacks on this crucial doctrine, we believe this will be one of the most important issues that the journal has ever published.

The Atonement TMS >>>

Pierced for Our Transgressions: Mark Dever & Michael Lawrence

Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence have taken 14 key passages on the atonement and delivered a series of fabulous and humbling sermons at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.  This series was inspired by the fantastic book Pierced for Our Transgressions.

Pierced for Our Transgressions page >>>

Together for the Gospel ’08

I just returned flying home from T4G in Kentucky, and the entire conference is already online.  The panel sessions are not up yet, but I would guess those require some editing. Here is a brief overview.

Ligon Duncan gave an excellent overview of how systematic theology is used throughout Scripture, primarily responding to those who would dismiss the necessity of systematizing Scripture in favor of using Scripture only as a storyline.

Thabiti Anyabwile look at the issue of racism, and helpfully uncoupled the concept of race from ethnicity.  However, this was a very difficult and often slippery subject to deal with, and to get the full benefit you need to listen to the panel discussion that followed for certain clarifications.

MacArthur gave a clear and powerful look at the doctrine of total depravity, or ‘complete inability’ as he prefers to call it.  He not only lays out clear doctrine from Scripture, he shows how misunderstanding this doctrine dramatically impacts the clarity of the gospel message.

Mohler examined the relentless attack on substitutionary atonement and wrestled through the arguments with us, allowing us not only to see through the issues raised, but allowing us to glimpse into his incredible mind.

R. C. Sproul’s message on the Curse Motif is, as Al Mohler described it, one of Sproul’s most powerful messages that he’s ever heard.  This message was stellar.  Don’t miss this one.

John Piper was also in top form with an incredibly challenging message about how we are to endure suffering for the sake of Christ.  This will change the way you approach ministry.

C. J. Mahaney brought us back down to earth and the harsh realities of daily life and ministry and cleared the road for success in getting back to work. This was vintage C. J.

Listen to all the panel discussions.  The panels are one of the strong points of this conference, and often the panels are more engaging and challenging than the messages they preach.

Together for the Gospel audio page >>>

The Doctrine of the Atonement: Grudem’s Systematic Theology series

I never tire of hearing sermons on the atonement, and Grudem brings his careful and thoughtful study to this glorious doctrine. 

The Doctrine of Atonement mp3 pt. 1 >>>

The Doctrine of Atonement mp3 pt. 2 >>>

The Doctrine of Atonement mp3 pt. 3 >>>

The Doctrine of Atonement mp3 pt. 4 >>>

Al Mohler’s Messages 2006 Ligonier Fall Conference ‘Cross of Christ’

Mohler delivered two brilliant and timely messages about the crises that the church faces today.  Mohler, in typical form, often speaks as Paul wrote, using sentences that go on and on, but are filled to the brim with meaning and purpose. 

In ‘Christ Our Ransom’ Mohler gives us a comprehensive picture of the work of our Savior as God and as our great mediator.  He focuses on the necessity and logic of substitutionary atonement in the message of the cross. The glory and magnificence of Christ, our Redeemer is beautifully portrayed by Mohler.

In ‘Blessing or Curse’, Mohler looks at the big picture of God’s redeeming purpose.  He makes this very challenging statement: “We are living in a time when we find ‘attention’ a very, very rare stewardship. And we are particularly weakened and compromised in the evangelical church today because there is not adequate attention–slow, text driven, theologically enriched attention–to how we are to view the great doctrines of the faith. So, instead, what happens is, even in some of the most orthodox of our churches, what happens is you skip across texts of Scripture. And you take glancing blows across doctrines, and it’s not so much that they are mistaught, but it’s that they are misapprehended.  Because lacking context, and lacking a systematic understanding, and lacking a comprehensive attentiveness to these things, we rob God of His glory in His church by treating doctrines as disconnected realities, and texts as isolated islands of meaning, rather than pointing to the comprehensive purpose of God laid out in the comprehensive unity of Scripture.”

Al Mohler ‘Christ Our Ransom’ >>>

Al Mohler ‘Blessing or Curse’ >>>

A TOP AUDIO POST

Panel Discussion: 2007 Desiring God Pastor’s Conference, The Holiness of God

I’m a sucker for panel discussions with good preachers.  I love the candid insight they often bring forth that might not come in a prepared message.

The panel discussion at the Desiring God 2007 Pastors Conference on the Holiness of God is one of the most encouraging and insightful.  John Piper, William Mackenzie, and Thabiti Anyabwile discuss the doctrine of election, sanctification, faith, child salvation, legalism, revival, sufficiency of atonement and the very real differences and gifting required for true ‘missionaries’ who wrestle with a completely new culture, versus the old cliche that ‘we are all missionaries where ever we are.’

 Here are some tidbits.  How can one be helped to come to grips with the doctrine of election in light of the Biblical commands and admonitions for man to act in human will?  Piper suggests the reading of Martin Luther’s ‘The Bondage of the Will,’ and for the more adventurous, to wrestle through Jonathan Edwards ‘The Freedom of the Will.’  Thabiti sketches his personal journey from Islam to Arminian Christianity, to the doctrines of grace.

Panel Discussion>>>