T4G Gems: Ligon Duncan

Did the Early Church Fathers Know the Gospel?

"We should read the church fathers respectfully, but carefully - keeping in mind the ultimate authority of the Scriptures."

"Paul taught that 'wolves' would rise up from within the church. So it would naturally follow that some of the church fathers would be completely wrong."

"When you read the church fathers on doctrines which were under assault in their time, they almost always get it right. However, regarding doctrines which were not being disputed at the time, they were often wrong. In this way, ironically, heresy served the church."

"Often the fathers erred by reacting too strongly against the culture of their day. This should be a lesson for us."

"Scripture shows that the Word of God always creates the people of God; the people of God never create the Word of God."

"A study of the early church fathers proves the early dating of the NT canon, since these early fathers quote all the NT books."

"Contra Dan Brown, the early church did not struggle with the deity of Christ, but with the humanity of Christ."

"Only the affections of the Spirit, through the gospel, are a match for the affections of the flesh."

"The church fathers did not articulate gospel truths clearly enough so that doctrines like imputation would be sustained through the next several centuries. But the gospel was not lost. Fathers such as Diagnatus, Irenaeus, and Hilary of Partian clearly taught imputation and justification by faith alone."

"Reading the early church fathers is a great evidence of the inspiration of the NT documents, written just before. When you compare them, the difference in quality and glory is remarkable."

Mark Dever - R. C. Sproul - Al Mohler - Thabiti Anyabwile - John MacArthur - David Platt - John Piper - Ligon Duncan - Matt Chandler - C.J Mahaney