How concerned should we be for the lack of truth taught in the church?

SPROUL: I don’t know how to put a ceiling on that concern. The church is to be the house of truth. The church is to be founded on truth. The church is committed to the distribution and proclamation of the truth. If you’re not concerned about truth, then what are you doing in the church at all?

We’re living in one of the darkest moments in church history with respect to concern for truth. People seem to be more concerned about peace and relationships. They say, “I don’t need to know doctrine, I just want to have good relationships.” They don’t understand that the truth of God’s Word is the only way you can define what a good relationship is.

If you don’t care about truth, you don’t care about the Word of God. If you don’t care about the Word of God, you don’t care about the Son of God. Furthermore, if you don’t care about the Son of God, you don’t care about God. We could talk all day about the vital necessity of being immersed in the pursuit of truth, the defense of truth, and contending for the truth. All of these things are a part of the Christian’s calling.

WEBB: R.C., this is your passion, isn’t it? I can tell that question struck a nerve with you. This is what has driven you and this ministry for the past forty years.

SPROUL: There is no question about that, Lee. There’s so much falsehood in the world, and Satan himself is the father of lies. What nourishes and nurtures our souls more than anything is the truth of God. I don’t want to devote my life to something that isn’t true. Again, that truth is defined by God Himself, who is the Author of truth, the Fountainhead of truth, the Source of all truth.

Jesus Himself was the personification of truth: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). When Jesus prayed in the upper room for the sanctification of His disciples, He said, “Father, sanctify them.” How? “By Thy truth, Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17). If you don’t care about truth, there’s no concern about sanctification. It is impossible to be a Christian and not care about the truth.

This transcript is from an Ask R.C. Live event with R.C. Sproul and has been lightly edited for readability. To ask Ligonier a biblical or theological question, email ask@ligonier.org or message us on Facebook or Twitter.