If ever there were a time there was nothing, there would be nothing now. —R.C. Sproul
Coram Deo: The doctrinal differences we have with others over secondary theological matters are not insignificant, and we do not want to pretend we agree where we do not. However, our differences over secondary issues should not keep us from recognizing the true unity we have with other believers in other traditions and churches. Let us endeavor to foster church unity where we can and to recognize that the church is bigger than our local assembly.
Coram Deo: Because God has only one people, the promises He makes under each covenant to the corporate body apply to all of His people. We are not disconnected from Abraham, Esther, Ezra, the intertestamental Jews, or any others who make up the community of God’s people. Their stories are our family stories, and we must know them if we are to serve God rightly.
It's easy to be an educated fool. —R.C. Sproul
As we do our good works before the watching world—not to be seen by men in order to get glory for ourselves, but so that the world might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven—people will naturally ask us why we do all that we do, why we believe what we believe, and why we hold to the hope that is within us. And when they do, we must not be afraid, for Christ has promised that the Holy Spirit is with us to give us the courage and compassion to speak the truth in love. —Burk Parsons
Coram Deo: As is true of the church’s unity, the church’s holiness is an already/not-yet reality. Already the church is holy in position, but we are not yet fully holy in practice. Thus, we are called to pursue personal holiness and to encourage our leaders to pursue corporate holiness. Let us encourage one another in our local churches to live holy lives because God has set us apart as holy.
Coram Deo: Revelation 7 indicates that God’s people will include men and women from every tribe and tongue. The catholic church is the church that is enriched by thinkers from every background who preach the truth of Scripture, not the church that makes one geographical or cultural expression of the faith definitional for everyone else. Let us work for the catholicity of the church, finding a place for all faithful expressions of biblical truth.
Coram Deo: All of God’s people have a responsibility to ensure the Apostolicity of the church. Pastors, elders, and teachers must faithfully exposit the Word of God to their congregations. Laypeople must not tolerate the teaching of heresy in their midst. Yet, to ensure that the church remains Apostolic, we must know Apostolic teaching ourselves. That can be accomplished only through the regular study of the Scriptures
Coram Deo: What are you looking for in a church? Many people choose a church based on its music, programs for children and youth, and other concerns. While paying attention to these things is important, the primary criterion we should have if we need to find a church is faithfulness to the Word of God. A church with excellent programs but bereft of the Word of God is not a church but a social club.
Coram Deo: How important do you consider the sacraments in the local church? The Reformers regarded them as so important that they could not conceive of a true church’s existing where the sacraments were not rightly administered. Neither should we. When considering a local church to attend, let us look for one that places a high value on baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
At the heart of Reformed theology this axiom resounds: Regeneration precedes faith. —R.C. Sproul
Coram Deo: Church membership vows often include a pledge to safeguard the purity and peace of the church. The most important thing we can do to advance the church’s purity is to pursue holiness ourselves so that we need not come under official church discipline. Let us resolve to practice holiness, to repent of sin, and to encourage one another to follow Christ and His holy way.
Coram Deo: God gave the Apostles and prophets for the good of His people, and they fulfilled their task by delivering to us His infallible Word. If we want to benefit from what these officers have to offer us today, we must pay heed to what they give us in Scripture. There is no other place today where we can find God’s special revelation to His people.
The church must awaken to its status as a moral minority and hold fast to the gospel we have been entrusted to preach. In so doing, the deep springs of permanent truth will reveal the church to be a life-giving oasis amid America’s moral desert. —Albert Mohler
Coram Deo: Are you thankful for the evangelists, shepherds, and teachers whom God has given your church? It is easy to be critical of our leaders and teachers and to criticize them for their real or perceived failings. But God in His wisdom has given these officers to the church. Let us be thankful for them and express our thanks to them and to God.
Coram Deo: God has designed us as individuals and His church as a corporate body such that we grow to maturity within the context of the local church’s ministry. No amount of study that we do on our own, however helpful it may be, can substitute for the benefit we receive by participating in the educational ministry of our local church. Let us not fail to participate in the church, which is God’s primary arena for our spiritual growth.
True contentment comes when our boast is in the Lord. It comes when we remember our complete unworthiness to be given any good thing, receive God’s “inexpressible gift to us in Christ Jesus” (2 Cor. 9:15), and recognize with heartfelt gratitude and overflowing praise that every gift, whether to us or to others, is wisely and lovingly given by God in accordance with His good purposes for all His people. —Tyler Kenney
Coram Deo: Today’s passage reminds us that God has given each of His children at least one spiritual gift. If we do not use the gift or gifts the Lord has given us, the body will be diseased and will not function properly. But when we serve one another through the use of our gifts, the church is healthy and is able to ward off the infections of impurity, false doctrine, and an unloving spirit. How are you using your gifts to ensure the health and welfare of Christ’s body?
Coram Deo: Love never ends, so God’s purpose of the church as the arena where we receive and give love will never end either. Even into glory we will be loving and serving one another. We practice, as it were, for that day by loving and serving one another today. If we are not looking for ways to love and serve other believers, meeting their needs as we are able, we are not fulfilling God’s purpose for His church.
One of the most powerful devices of manipulation we’ve ever designed is to claim that we have experienced the Spirit’s approval of our actions. How can anyone dare contradict us if we claim divine authority for what we want to do? The result is that we end up silencing any questions about our behavior. But Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit leads us to holiness, not to sin, and if the Spirit inspired the Scriptures, any experience we have that suggests we can go against biblical teaching cannot be from Him. —R.C. Sproul
Every attempt of man to build his own ultimate city and kingdom will end in chaos.
Faith is the only instrumental cause of justification. —R.C. Sproul
We have been gripped by gospel grace, so let us manifest the gospel love that flows from such a life.
We are recipients of unfathomable, demonstrable, efficacious, otherworldly love.
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