Israel’s most famous king was from a little-known place called Bethlehem. As a shepherd boy and the youngest of eight brothers, it would have seemed almost certain that he was destined to obscurity. But God delights to use the weak things of the world to do His will (1 Cor. 1:27), and so to everyone’s surprise, the prophet Samuel arrived one day and anointed David to be king. Henceforth, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him (1 Sam. 16:13), which he quickly proved by defeating the Philistine champion Goliath with no more than a sling (1 Sam. 17).

Instead of receiving acclaim, David endured the harshest persecution by his predecessor, the jealous and vengeful King Saul. Hiding in caves and living on the run, David found himself never more than a step away from death (1 Sam. 20:3). But as Saul and his kingship began to spiral down into ruin, God blessed and established David and eventually seated him on the throne of Israel.

David’s experience—humility and persecution leading to triumph and exaltation—was meant as a prophetic picture of a greater King to come. “The sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” that would follow (1 Peter 1:11) are portrayed in David’s life and reflected in David’s psalms. David’s inspired songs are quoted dozens of times by the New Testament authors as being ultimately fulfilled in the humiliation and exaltation of Christ. This makes David a type of Christ, which is to say, his life and his words were designed to foreshadow the life and the work of our Savior. The prophets knew this and often referred to the coming Savior under the image and even the name of David (Ezek. 34:23; Hos. 3:5).

God made a covenant with David, promising that the Christ would come through his lineage and reign over an eternal kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12–16). This is why Matthew begins his gospel by saying, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David” (Matt. 1:1). It is also why many who acknowledged Christ as the Savior called him “Son of David” (Matt. 15:22; 20:30). The resurrection of Christ was the fulfillment of “the sure mercies of David” (Isa. 55:3; Acts 13:34).

The risen Christ now eternally occupies and perfectly fulfills the three offices of prophet, priest, and king. As a prophet, He reveals God to man. As a priest, He represents His people before God. As a king, He rules over all things in righteousness. As a type of Christ, David uniquely foreshadowed the convergence of these offices in one individual. David was obviously a king, but we also catch glimpses of him in a priestly role, whether wearing an ephod (2 Sam. 6:14) or making a sacrifice (2 Sam. 24:18–25). David is also called a prophet (Acts 2:30), and in his last words he testified that “the Spirit of the Lord speaks by me” (2 Sam. 23:2). The fulfillment and perfection of these three offices by his greater Son was thus reflected in David’s life.

Yet even while David reflected the life of Christ, he (like all of us) was a sinner in need of Christ. His adultery with Bathsheba and his subsequent murder of her husband Uriah (2 Sam. 11) remind us that even a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14) is not immune to falling into great sin. David’s house was troubled with conflict and rebellion from that time forward, but the “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Sam. 23:1) left us with a genuine example of the heart of true repentance (Ps. 51) and the assurance that God is gracious and forgiving toward all those who call upon Him in faith (Ps. 145).

David’s love and longing for God are captured in some of the most beautiful images of Scripture that continue to guide and strengthen our faith today. It would be impossible to quantify how much comfort God’s people have derived over the centuries from Psalm 23 as each believer has made his journey through the valley of the shadow of death to dwell in the house of the Lord forever. But David’s greatest legacy is that he foresaw and foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Christ. David’s life and his psalms continue to point us to his greater Son.

Years ago, a group of young people migrated to our church, filled with enthusiasm and energy. Since we didn’t have any official “ministries,” they seemed uncertain about how to serve. Our pastor addressed this before the service: “If anyone is looking for a ministry, you don’t need a formal group or title. We have lots of opportunities. You can visit the elderly, the shut-ins, or those who suffer from physical or mental conditions.”

Within days, a young man came to visit my son, who was living with a serious mental health condition. Another young man joined later, and the three became friends. It was a balm to my soul. My son’s condition tends to stifle emotions and hinder social exchanges. Most people interpreted his reluctance to engage in conversations as a sign that he wanted to be left alone. That was far from the truth.

I remember my feelings of awkwardness before that time, when I sounded like an overly protective mother looking for friends for her twenty-year-old son. My pastor’s announcement resolved this problem.

Mine is just one of many stories of caregivers looking for support in their churches. Their needs are as varied as their circumstances, but they all long for lasting encouragement and true understanding.

Lasting Encouragement

Most churches are quick to respond to immediate needs. They are ready to provide material and emotional support to those who have received a troubling diagnosis, have lost a job or a home, or have had to bury a loved one. But caregiving is often a long-term calling, and the challenges continue long after the church’s initial burst of enthusiastic help.

Pastors can do much to keep the support flowing. Besides keeping caregivers and their loved ones in their private and public prayers, they can continue to encourage the congregation to be present with visits, letters, calls, and tangible acts of assistance.

My pastor often reminded us that love may call us to step out of our comfort zone. “You have to be inconvenienced,” he said. And his life supported his words. Where there was a need, he was there—never outwardly stressed—as if visiting those in need was the highlight of his day.

“A family in a long-term caregiving situation needs more than just people cheering them on at the beginning of the journey,” Amy told me after months of sharing her nine-year-old son’s struggle against leukemia. “Just like an ultra-marathon runner, we need stops for water and Gatorade along the way. We need people with cowbells at random spots along the road cheering us on and reminding us they are on our side. This is a long, exhausting journey. Don’t forget us.”

Forgetting is easy because everyone is busy, and caregivers often prefer to keep their struggles to themselves for fear of bothering others or of offending their loved ones by divulging details of their daily care. It’s up to each individual in our churches to remember caregivers and their loved ones, approach them at church, and seek them out when they are absent.

True Understanding

Even when we manage to step out of our comfort zone to assist the caregivers in our churches, our busy attitudes often prevent us from understanding their needs. Trina, who spent years caring for her husband during his struggle with dementia and cancer, has sad memories of people limiting their prayers to the healing of cancer, while both she and her husband thought God had allowed it as a merciful end to his rapid mental decline. No one prayed for her and their children with her present.

“We needed endurance and had concerns about pain relief, end of life decisions, and other issues,” she said. “People need to listen to or read the prayer requests and pray for those things, particularly in the hearing of the patient and caregiver. We need to feel heard by those we look to for support. And their prayers must support reality, not the wishes of the one praying.”

Many parents of people with a serious mental condition have told me they mostly need acceptance, understanding, hope, and love—including love and true appreciation for the person needing care. “Caretakers become responsible not merely for their loved ones’ physical care, but also to help them see a continuing purpose in their lives,” Trina told me. “I needed to remind my husband that he was an image bearer who could still bless his family. It’s important to thank our loved ones for how they bless us and go before us. I am realizing more and more what my husband’s example of suffering means to me and those who witnessed it intimately.” The church can assist in this work of appreciation.

Love, understanding, and appreciation require a commitment of time that is rare in a pragmatic society that emphasizes quick solutions. If we visit a person in need, we often feel compelled to resolve their problems or at least provide useful suggestions. Yet, this might be the worst thing we can do for people who have been trying to navigate, through a careful exercise of wisdom and attention to professional advice, the complexity of their situation.

The best thing to do is to be present as faithful friends, ready to stick around, listen, and learn. Getting involved in the lives of caregivers and their loved ones may seem like a sacrifice, but it’s well worth it for everyone involved. If we are convinced that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14), and each is necessary for the building up of the church, we will treat each other as such and—in the process—grow in maturity, love, and wisdom.¹

Ligonier Ministries has entered a joyful partnership with Joni and Friends as part of our Study Bibles for the World campaign.

Many of you are likely familiar with Joni Eareckson Tada. She has been a longtime friend of Dr. R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries, and she has given her testimony at our national conference in years past. The organization she founded, Joni and Friends, works to bring practical assistance and gospel hope to people with disabilities and their families around the world.

Now, through Ligonier’s Study Bibles for the World campaign, we have the opportunity to bring the Reformation Study Bible to pastors who are ministering to people with disabilities and their families.

Watch this brief video as president of Joni and Friends, Shawn Thornton, and I discuss this new avenue to equip the global church—all made possible through the support of friends like you.

In many parts of the world where living conditions are challenging and false teaching is rampant, few pastors are well equipped to preach a biblical theology of suffering. For Christians struggling with disabilities, this can be devastating.

Now we have the opportunity to send a one-volume theological library through Joni and Friends’ extensive distribution networks to equip pastors on the front lines of the Great Commission.

1 John 3:17–18 conveys the importance of rendering assistance as a show of our Christian unity and our love for one another in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We’re honored by this opportunity to support the pastors and leaders who are ministering to our suffering brothers and sisters around the world.

Will you pray for this new partnership with Joni and Friends as we seek to serve God’s people in more places? Thank you for your support of Ligonier as we seek to strengthen the global church together.

The prayer that Jesus taught His disciples to pray, which we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9–13; see also Luke 11:2–4), is a kingdom prayer. It assumes the coming of the kingdom through Christ and shows us how we ought to pray now considering the kingdom realities in which we live. Jesus tells His disciples:

“Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt. 6:9–13)

When we pray “our Father,” we are reminded that we can call God Father because of what Christ has done for us; through Christ we can call God Father (see Heidelberg Catechism 120). When we pray “our Father in heaven,” we are reminded of the majesty and authority of God, the heavenly King who can give us what we need (see HC 121).

The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “Hallowed be your name.” This is a prayer for God to be glorified, which is also important in the context of the kingdom; the kingdom of God is ultimately about the glory of God. When we pray “Hallowed be your name,” we are praying a kingdom prayer that God’s name and glory would be exalted in the earth. In his classic book, Herman Ridderbos comments on this petition: “The coming of the kingdom is first of all the display of the divine glory.”¹

The second and third petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are also related to the kingdom: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Richard Pratt has observed, “This prayer sums up the central message of the Bible in a few words.”² This is a prayer that God’s kingdom would come more and more fully and that God’s will would be done on earth. In this case “will of God” means doing what God commands.³ It is also a prayer that God’s kingdom would be extended throughout the world. Heidelberg Catechism 123 captures the second petition memorably:

“Your kingdom come” means: Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you. Preserve and increase your church. Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your holy Word. Do all this until your kingdom fully comes, when you will be all in all.⁴

Another helpful exposition of the second petition comes from Westminster Larger Catechism 191. Among other things, the Larger Catechism says that in this petition “we pray that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world . . . : that Christ would rule in our hearts here.” This is also a prayer that the church would be strengthened in this age. Praying for God’s kingdom to come is to pray for God’s will to be done on earth in the present age as we look ahead to the second coming of Christ.

We are also to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” It is especially important to understand the timing of the kingdom’s coming to understand this petition. Put simply, this is a prayer that we be spared the wiles and traps of the devil that would lead us into sin even now. This is a practical prayer for daily living.

In contemporary scholarship, however, it has become common to view this prayer as a very specific prayer about being spared from the great trial or tribulation (the Greek term peirasmos can mean either of these, as well as the more familiar temptation) at the end of time.⁵ Despite the popularity of this view, this narrower reading of being delivered from the final eschatological trial misses the present reality of kingdom conflict around us every day and that the kingdom does not come all at once.⁶ We need to be spared the snares of the devil, for right now he roams around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). This is not just a prayer for the future; it is a prayer for faithful kingdom living each day.

The interim between the first and second comings of Christ is a time when the devil’s kingdom is defeated in principle, but the devil is still active. We live in a time of continuing spiritual danger. As we will see further in chapter 7, we live in a time of conflict between kingdoms. We therefore need to be protected in this age of kingdom growth that we may come safely into the consummated kingdom in the future. We therefore must pray that we are not led into temptation but are delivered from evil and from the evil one himself The text of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew does not include the traditional ending that is part of the liturgical use of the Lord’s Prayer: “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” This portion of the prayer is not found in the best manuscripts but most likely comes from the end of David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:11. It therefore is most certainly a biblical prayer, and it is appropriate to pray in conjunction with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus is the greater David who brings a greater kingdom. If David could pray that the kingdom belongs to the Lord forever, surely it is appropriate for us to pray this, since Christ has brought the long-awaited kingdom promised in Scripture.

Some things in life need to be said in person. After Israel had been in the land for hundreds of years, God had something so vital to say, He sent not just a message, but a person, the prophet Jeremiah. We know that Jeremiah the man was vital to God’s communication because his book—more than any other prophetic book—tells us a great deal about the prophet himself. As we will see, the man was the message.

So, who was Jeremiah, and what was God saying through his life? We’ll explore Jeremiah’s identity by the analogies that Scripture makes between him and other biblical figures.

1. Jeremiah was a new Moses.

This point emerges when the Lord called Jeremiah in the days of Josiah, the last good king of Judah (roughly in 627 BC). In Jeremiah 1:9, God put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth, which recalls Deuteronomy 18:18, where God says He will raise up a prophet like Moses. Moses was the great leader of Israel out of Egypt whom God used to mediate the old covenant at Sinai. In Jeremiah, God raised up a great prophet who would mediate the dissolution of the old covenant order. Jeremiah would “pluck up and break down” (Jer. 1:10) the people of Judah and all that incarnated their relationship with God: the temple, the king, the land, and the city of Jerusalem. At Sinai, God had “married” Israel (Jer. 2:2). But now the people had committed heinous acts of spiritual adultery by worshiping foreign gods (Jer. 2:33). As Moses facilitated God’s wedding to His people, Jeremiah would be God’s emissary for divorcing His people (Jer. 3:8; 13:26).

Jeremiah was understandably afraid of this calling. Like Moses (Ex. 4:10), he resisted and claimed that he did not know how to speak (Jer. 1:6). But God said that He would be with Jeremiah to deliver him (Jer. 1:8, 19). Jeremiah would go on to proclaim the intense anger of God for Judah’s sin, along with the consequent desolation and exile that would soon befall Judah through the Babylonians.

2. Jeremiah was a new Job.

But Jeremiah did more than speak these sorrows; he lived them. The second analogy is that Jeremiah was a new Job. Though Jeremiah himself was not an idolater, he needed to experience the sorrows that would come to the wicked. The Lord forbade him from taking a wife and having children (Jer. 16:2), for soon the children of Judah would die from deadly disease because of their parents’ idolatry. Jeremiah could not enter a house of mourning (Jer. 16:5), for the coming devastation would mean that no one could bury the dead or lament them properly. Neither could Jeremiah enter a house of feasting (Jer. 16:8), for there would be no more feasting when the Babylonians ravaged the land. Jeremiah lived his message.

The catastrophe of Judah also convulsed Jeremiah terribly in his soul. He said, “For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded” (Jer. 8:21). Initially, he could not fathom why God would send judgment when so many other prophets proclaimed peace (Jer. 4:10). God then made clear that He did not send those prophets. Indeed, the people’s sin was so enslaving that they could not repent and judgment was inevitable (Jer. 6:10; 21:1–10). Jeremiah then struggled with the incessant persecution he faced and complained that God was being unfaithful to His promise to deliver him (Jer. 15:18). In response, God rebuked His prophet and insisted that His promise is true (Jer. 15:19–21). But the persecutions continued. Like Job, Jeremiah then cursed the day he was born (Jer. 20:14–18; see also Job 3:1). Jeremiah embodied the sorrow and despair of Judah.

3. Jeremiah points to Jesus.

But Jeremiah’s life was not merely a story of suffering and despair. The prophet who once cursed the day he was born eventually became a hero of faith, continuing to boldly speak the truth even at great cost to himself (see chs. 37–44). Moreover, Jeremiah also had a message of “building and planting,” which would overcome the plucking up and breaking down (Jer. 1:10; 31:28). The third analogy is thus between Jeremiah and Jesus. Jeremiah’s life foreshadowed the victory over sin that Jesus would win through His willingness to suffer for His people.

Like the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, Jeremiah was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter (Jer. 11:19). Though Jeremiah was thrown in the muddy pit like the innocent sufferer of the Psalms (Jer. 38:6; Ps. 69:2), he trusted God, and God delivered him. The last we hear of Jeremiah, he was forcibly taken to Egypt with wicked Judeans who reviled his preaching and refused to repent (Jer. 42–44). Truly, he made his grave with the wicked (Isa. 53:9).

And yet, his words emerge from beyond the grave, and they speak of a hope and a future that transcends the terrible judgment that the Lord brought on His people (Jer. 29:11). At the center of Jeremiah’s book about God’s demolition of the old covenant stands a glowing promise of a new and better covenant that finally includes the power to repent and obey with all the heart and soul (Jer. 31:31–34). In this new and better covenant, God would reverse all the curses of judgment: There would be a new king ruling over a new people in a renewed land with renewed worship (see chs. 30–33). All these amazing promises come about through Jesus Christ, the true and better Jeremiah, who not only died for His people, but who was raised and ever lives to intercede for them.

Time is running out to save on your registration for our 2026 London Conference, Chosen by God. The early-bird rate ends Saturday, May 16, so don’t delay. Register now and save 40% on the regular rate.

Join us on September 25–26 as we explore how the doctrine of election reveals the riches of God’s mercy, the certainty of His purposes, and the ultimate hope of eternal fellowship with Him.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

• Before the Foundation of the World
• The Potter and the Clay
• Chosen for Holiness
• Christ, the Chosen Cornerstone
• The Golden Chain of Redemption
• God’s Purpose in Election
• A Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood
• Panel Discussion
• Two Q&A Sessions

We’ll also host a pastors’ pre-conference event, Shepherding and the Sovereignty of God, on September 25, 2026. This additional event is designed to help pastors reflect on their calling as shepherds of God’s flock serving under the ultimate authority of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Learn more.

PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

• The Chief Shepherd’s Reign
• Strength in Weakness
• Preaching Christ with Conviction
• The Steadfast Pastor
• Q&A Session

We hope you will join us for this time of mutual edification and fellowship as we reflect on the glorious reality of God’s electing grace.

Register today to save before the early-bird rate ends on Saturday at midnight ET.

God calls His people to pass down the Christian faith to the next generation. As we teach the Bible to our children, we invite them into the captivating story of redemption.

Now available in a digital edition, Growing in God’s Word is designed to assist you in this calling. With 52 lesson plans, this teacher’s resource helps churches, families, and schools lead elementary students through an overview of the Bible.

Flexible Options for Your Classroom

Whether you need the complete K–5 set or just one learning level, the digital edition of Growing in God’s Word is flexible to fit the needs of your classroom.

• Purchase the complete K–5 set or individual learning levels
• Choose the Presbyterian & Reformed Edition or the Baptist Edition
• Add additional digital licenses to share with teachers, volunteers, or families

Your Digital Curriculum Includes:

• A Teacher’s Guide
• 52 Bible Lessons
• Suggested Prayers
• Learning Activities
• Optional Catechism Questions
• 5 Digital Licenses—Print One Copy or Share with Others

Order your digital copy today.

More Digital Supplementary Materials

Find more free downloadable resources on GrowingInGodsWord.org to adapt for your classroom and enhance your lesson preparation. These free materials include:

• An adaptation guide showing how to use the curriculum in different settings
• Coloring sheets for each lesson that you can print and share with your students
• Lesson summaries with the main idea and passage taught in every lesson
• Scope and sequence listing all lesson subjects, verses, and catechism Q&As
• Activity material list with recommended classroom items for every lesson

Purchase a digital copy of Growing in God’s Word today and engage children with the Bible’s transformative story.

“God is a father to the fatherless and protector of widows.” These powerful words are not the clever sayings of orphanage founders or nursing home slogans filled with elderly widows. Rather, they come from the Psalms (Ps. 68:5), as David praises God for His great and glorious character. The desire to care for the poor and most vulnerable, specifically orphans and widows, runs deep in the character of God. And yet, so many Christians in the modern day seem to have forgotten this central passion of God’s heart and biblical theme throughout Scripture. Jesus modeled a special care for the weak and vulnerable throughout His ministry, but this divine task is most succinctly captured by the Apostle James, who writes to Christians and exhorts, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

The context of this passage comes directly after James has exhorted his readers to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22–25). The care of widows and orphans needs to press upon the conscience of every follower of Jesus. But the command is not simply to be hearers, but doers in this noble act. How can followers of Jesus do the care of widows and orphans today? Here are four ways that we as individual Christians and local churches can engage and make a difference:

1. Visit

Never underestimate the power of presence. A visit to an orphanage or the home of a lonely widow in your church is a powerful ministry in which any Christian can engage. A greater commitment to this work can be embraced by repeated visits to a certain widow’s home who is a member of your church, or by partnering with a missionary that serves in needy orphanages around the world. Presence is powerful, and anyone can do it.

2. Include

A natural burden for orphans and widows is loneliness and a lack of belonging. Therefore, a wonderful way to care for them is to include them in your family. This can be as simple as inviting them to participate in your family birthday parties and holiday celebrations. But as God would lead, there can be a permanent inclusion through formal adoption of orphans and the informal, organic adoption of a widow into your family.

3. Honor

Widows and orphans commonly lack the family structure that provides opportunities to be honored in ways that many of us take for granted. The best opportunity to honor an orphan is to celebrate his or her birthday, while a widow commonly feels most loved when remembering her wedding anniversary with her husband (though how each individual widow needs support on this day may vary). This would require you to know these dear ones personally, as well as those important calendar dates.

4. Listen

We all need someone in our lives to simply sit in an unhurried manner and listen. Widows and orphans are no different. In fact, because they often lack a sense of belonging, taking the time to sit with them, listen to them, attentively hear them, see them, and love them in this way is certain to encourage those who battle loneliness.

Charles Spurgeon was most known as a mighty preacher and church leader in nineteenth-century England. What fewer people know about is his unwavering commitment to the care of the poor, widows, and orphans throughout his ministry. Upon witnessing Spurgeon’s sweet, tender interaction with a dying boy in the orphanage that he himself founded and frequently visited, American activist John Gough recorded his recollection of Spurgeon, saying:

I had seen Mr. Spurgeon holding by his power sixty-five hundred persons in a breathless interest; I knew him as a great man universally esteemed and beloved; but as he sat by the bedside of a dying pauper child, whom his beneficence had rescued, he was to me a greater and grander man than when swaying the mighty multitude at his will.¹

Widows and orphans matter to God and thus should matter to us. They are central to the heart of God and, likewise, should be to ours. May Gough’s words about Spurgeon also be said of every follower of Jesus who seeks to reflect God’s character and heart, and ultimately prove to be Jesus’ disciple.²

“Love them,” our wise pastor advised me. In all my reading about discipline, schedules and developmental stages, he pointed this new mom to what mattered most: love (1 Cor. 13:1). Over the decades, I have come to appreciate the wisdom of his advice. While keeping love at forefront, I offer moms twelve biblical principles on holiness.

1. Our holiness is God’s priority.

As Scottish pastor Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843) was known to have said, “My people’s greatest need is for my personal holiness.” The same is true for moms. We can humbly live in such a way that we can say to our children, “Follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Through this pursuit, our children will learn more than we know.

2. Our holiness is in Christ alone.

When we sin, as we all do (Rom. 3:23, 1 John 1:8), we can also set an example of repentance. When you sin against your kids, ask your kids to forgive you. Don’t be like our first parents and hide your sin as if it were not there (Gen. 3:7–8). Teach your kids how to deal with their own sin by the way you deal with yours. As you confess your sin, your children will learn that God not only cares about our holiness, but He also provides the way to holiness through trusting Christ in the gospel (1 John 1:9).

3. Serving our children is a holy calling.

We may be tempted to think that there is something more valuable than changing a diaper, waiting at a checkout line, or playing a game with our toddler or teenager. Many parenting tasks are mundane, but when done in faith, they are glorious! When Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, He dignified humble service. What’s more, He said that whatever you did to the least of these, you did to Me (Matt. 25:40). Let us humbly serve our children a cup of cold water in His name (Matt. 10:42), knowing that this loving care reflects God’s care for His children (Matt. 7:9–11).

4. Our children belong to God.

They belong to Him first (Eph. 1:4). He is their heavenly Creator. He made them for His purposes, not our own. Parents are stewards called to point our children to their greatest need (Heb. 12:5–11). This means that we must always submit our plans for our children to God’s plan (Prov. 16:9)._ _God chooses where they will live (Acts 17:26), the good they will do (Eph. 2:10), and the course of their lives (Ps. 139:16).

5. God uses suffering for His holy purpose.

God even chooses suffering for our children. God is a good Father, who does not allow suffering without providing relief (Isa. 41:10; 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 Peter 4:19; Rev. 21:4). Naturally, our hearts break when we see our children suffer. But in His holy and wise providence, God gives our children trials to conform them (and us) to the character of His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). With this good purpose in view, we are called to rejoice in suffering, and over time, teach our children to as well (James 1:2–4).

6. Holiness requires discipline.

God disciplines those He loves and so should we (Heb. 12:6, Prov. 13:24, 23:13). No one, including moms, likes discipline at the time, but it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it (Heb. 12:11). Pray for wisdom to discipline your children well and fully expect God to give it (James 1:5, 1 John 5:14–15).

7. Holiness requires God’s vision.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). When our children misbehave, we may be tempted to judge by appearances. The Bible cautions us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19) and tells us, “The ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (Prov. 18:15). Sometimes we need to hold back from immediate discipline. In some cases, we should seek greater understanding first so that we can address the heart accurately (Prov. 14:29).

8. Holiness is a gift from God.

Sometimes we do not have because we do not ask God (James 4:2–3). Ask God for holiness for your children—along with every other good and perfect gift: love for His Word, a teachable heart, wisdom, health, friends, and more (James 1:17). Look past what you can give from your resources to what God can give from His (Matt. 14:13–21).

9. God gives children a holy promise.

“Honor your father and mother . . . that it may go well with you” (see Eph. 6:1–4). Set an example of honoring their father and all their authorities. Seek to settle disagreements in private and to be united in raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Col. 3:18–25). If you must disagree in front of your children, do so respectfully (Eph. 6:33).

10. God is always at His holy work (John 5:17).

Pray to see God’s work in your children’s lives, thank Him for it, and point it out to them. A godly mom builds up her house (Prov. 14:1). Don’t wait for “perfection” before giving praise. God doesn’t! He commended many imperfect people in the Bible. Point your kids to God’s faithful work in their lives.

11. Jesus is our holy peace.

Jesus assures us: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Expect trouble as a mom, but don’t despair; God is with you. Be strong and courageous as you take hold of the covenant promises God has for your children as you labor to consistently set God’s Word and Lord’s Day worship with God’s people before them (Josh. 1:9).

12. God’s holy Word is sufficient (2 Tim. 3:14–15).

Stay and pray in the Word and you will find many more truths to help you be a godly mom (John 17:17). As you study who God is and what He has done, the Holy Spirit will show you just what you need as a mom so that you can say with Paul, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).¹

Christians are not promised health, wealth, and happiness this side of heaven. The sad reality of life in a fallen world is that we will all go through many different forms of loss: our health, a job, a relationship, or, worst of all, the loss of a person dear to us. When we experience these things, it can be hard to see anything outside of the loss itself. It can become so all-consuming that everything else gets swallowed up by grief, even the life-giving truths of Scripture.

I experienced this when my daughter Leila was stillborn one week before her due date. I began to fixate entirely on the horror of my loss: my longed-for baby had died; I wouldn’t get to feed, clothe, or care for her; my son, Ben, remained an only child; I might be plunged into infertility again; my daughter was buried in a grave; and on, and on, and on the eyes of my soul regarded one terrible reality to the next. But in looking at my loss and its many layers, I stopped looking at the One who alone could bring comfort to my sadness and light to my darkness. Hymn writer Helen Lemmel knew the way out of my near despair:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

When I turned my eyes to Jesus, even the loss of my child grew strangely dim as His light illuminated the darkness. Looking upon Him didn’t anesthetize me from pain, but it did bring me immense comfort amid the pain.

The Savior Who Cares

As I turned to Jesus in the loss of my daughter, I found a Savior who was full of compassion. The Gospels record how Jesus’ heart was tender toward hurting people who had experienced many kinds of loss. One of the most beautiful examples of this is when a man afflicted with leprosy implored Jesus to make him clean. Mark records in his gospel: “Moved with pity, [Jesus] stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, ‘I will; be clean’” (Mark 1:41). This man was unclean according to the Levitical laws (Lev. 13), and therefore was treated as an outcast, with physical distance always separating him from others. But Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched His hand across the void of separation and touched him. How long must it have been since this man had felt the touch of another person?

The Gospels give us many examples of Jesus touching the lives of those living under the burden and brokenness of a fallen world. With compassion, Jesus pursued the mother whose only son had died (Luke 7:11–15), the sick (Matt. 14:14), the hungry (Matt. 15:32), the blind (Matt. 20:30–34), and the harassed and the helpless (Matt. 9:35–36). When we look at these accounts, we do not see a Savior void of feeling for suffering people, but a Savior who “stretches out His hand” toward us in compassion.

The Savior Who Cries

Perhaps nowhere do we see the tender heart of Jesus more than in the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). When He arrived at the house of mourning where His friend Lazarus lay dead, Jesus didn’t shed a cinematic single tear—He wept. Even though He knew that He was about to call Lazarus back to life, He still felt the deep emotions of sadness and anger.

After Leila was stillborn, I wept more than I ever had before, but I was comforted by the fact that my Savior also wept in the face of death. In his commentary on this verse, John Calvin writes, “He is as much moved by our ills as if he had suffered with them himself.” In your loss, and in mine, our Lord Jesus does not delight in our sorrow. He is the Word become flesh who felt sorrow in His breast and tears on His cheeks.

The Savior Who Conquers

Knowing that Jesus cares and cries is a comfort in times of loss, but by itself it is not enough. For what use is it for Jesus to come alongside us in our suffering and sorrow, if, in the end, He cannot overcome these things for us? If Jesus is not a conqueror, then ultimately, He is not a comforter. When we are hurting, we do not merely need a sympathizer—we need a Savior.

Jesus didn’t come to cover our pain with a Band-Aid; He went to the root cause of all our suffering—namely, sin. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” so that He could reverse the curse of the fall (1 Peter 2:24). Before sin cast its ugly stain over everything, there was no loss. There was no crying, no disappointment, no brokenness, no death. When Jesus called Lazarus from death to life, He was showing us what He came to do: “That through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Because Christ conquered death and was raised to life on the third day, He gave us new hope of a world to come where all sorrow and sighing will flee away, where death and loss will be no more.

The Savior Who Comforts 

When I found out that Leila had died in my womb, I was plunged into a grief that threatened to consume me. But when I looked to Jesus, the Savior who cares, cries, and conquers in a world of sin, suffering, and sorrow, I found comfort—my only comfort in life and in death. When I turned my eyes toward Him, my loss grew “strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

O soul, are you weary and troubled,
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.¹

This spring brings a major shift in my motherhood: my youngest will graduate from high school. It’s a finish line that marks the end of this stage of parenting. I’ve seen it coming for a while and I’m filled with multiple emotions—joy for my son as he enters the next stage of life; sorrow as I anticipate not seeing him at home every day. I’ve reached the destination we all journey toward, yet I’m filled with uncertainty about what lies on the other side.

When I first embarked on this journey, I felt overwhelmed by all that I did not know. I felt inadequate in the face of so much that was new and unknown. I lacked wisdom for challenging parenting decisions and feared not getting them right. Since then, I’ve encountered many difficult circumstances in my motherhood and anticipate more to come. Yet, I can look back and see God’s grace at work and His faithfulness to meet me in all my troubles.

Wherever you are in your motherhood journey—whether in the early, middle, or empty nest years—God meets you where you are. He provides His grace. We see this in the lives of three mothers in the Bible. In each of their circumstances, God provided what they needed and gave them His grace.

God Sees and Knows

In the story of Hagar, we see a soon-to-be mother whom God saw in her struggle. As Sarai’s servant, she became part of Sarai’s plan to bring God’s promises to fruition (Gen. 16). When she fled from Sarai’s anger and into the wilderness, God met her and showed her His grace. There she called God El Roi; “You are a God of seeing . . . Truly here I have seen him who looks after me” (Gen. 16:13). When she later found herself in the desert again and thought she and her son would die, God saw her. He heard her cries. He met her needs once again with His grace: “Fear not, for God has heard” (Gen. 21:17).

When we struggle as moms, God meets us where we are with His abundant grace. He is El Roi, the God who sees. He sees our fears, sorrows, and uncertainties. He knows our cares for our children. He hears our cries for help and delivers us. The greatest proof of this is in God’s deliverance of us from our sin at the cross, where He provided His own Son to pay the punishment we were due. Through faith in Christ’s work for us, we are delivered from sin and now belong to God: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31–32).

The same God who saw Hagar in the wilderness sees and hears our cries for help.

God Delivers Because of His Covenant Love

In the book of Ruth, we meet Naomi, who had lost everything in the land of Moab. Her husband died, followed by her two sons. Her grief was heavy; she could not imagine life would ever bring joy again. God provided for her in her daughter-in-law Ruth, who left her people to join Naomi on her journey home to Bethlehem. He then provided for her in the grain fields a loving husband for Ruth and a grandson for Naomi. A frequent theme to their story is God’s hesed love. Such love is more than mere kindness; it is God’s covenant commitment to His people.

God meets mothers in desperate circumstances with His hesed love. For moms in challenging situations, for those of us in hard parenting seasons, we can trust in God’s steadfast love for us. A love that is faithful. A love that delivers and provides. A love that keeps its promises. A love that never fails.

The same God who delivered Naomi in her grief and showed hesed love to her and Ruth is faithful in His love toward us.

God Equips Us for Our Calling

Young teenage Mary one day encountered the angel Gabriel, who told her she would bear the Savior of the world. I remember well the insufficiency I felt as a new mom; I can’t imagine what it was like for Mary to hear such news. Her song reminds us how God works in our lives by His grace:

For he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation” (Luke 1:49–50).

God doesn’t call us as mothers because we already know what we are doing. He doesn’t choose us to raise the children He entrusted to our care because we are capable or wise. Rather, He equips us for motherhood out of His abundant grace: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). He gives us all we need to raise our children. He provides wisdom, strength, and endurance. This is good news for moms.

The same God who showered His grace upon Mary showers the same upon us.

Each of these mothers in Scripture encountered God’s grace in their lives, revealing His faithfulness. Moms, wherever you are today, trust that God will meet you there with His grace.¹

In this era of advanced sports analytics, you often see baseball players in the field pull out cards from their back pockets between batters. These are positioning cards—they tell the fielders where to stand, based on the tendencies of each batter, to increase the chances of getting an out on a hit ball. In a similar way, I hope this brief summary of Elijah the prophet will help you know what to look for as you study the prophet’s ministry in the book of Kings. As we survey Elijah’s life from his first appearance to his being taken to heaven, there are six things we need to know.

1. Elijah was an enigmatic man.

In the early ninth century BC, during the dark days of Ahab the son of Omri, from seemingly out of nowhere God raised up Elijah as His prophet to confront the Baal worship of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 16:28–17:1; 2 Chron. 21:12). But he was from somewhere—he was a Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead (the region of Israel east of the Jordan River). Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly where Tishbe was, and his hometown is all we know about his background. We don’t know his “origin story.” Like Melchizedek, Elijah was also “without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Heb. 7:3). He was something of a mystery man, wearing distinctive clothing (2 Kings 1:8) and standing aloof from Ahab for much of his ministry (1 Kings 17:3; 18:10), appearing and disappearing at God’s command.

2. Elijah was a bold man.

He stood against the wickedness of the leaders of God’s people (particularly Ahab) with boldness and courage. On Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), in the vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings 21), and in the face of Ahaziah’s soldiers (2 Kings 1), Elijah was fearless. From where did his boldness come? He tells us in 1 Kings 17:1: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand . . . ”. Elijah knew that he stood always in the presence of the covenant God of Jacob, the true King of Israel, who had called him to do His will. He knew his God, and he was jealous for the glory of his God (1 Kings 19:10). With the boldness of a lion, therefore, he displayed strength and took action (Prov. 28:1; Dan. 11:32).

3. Elijah was a brokenhearted man.

Unfortunately, Elijah’s reaction in 1 Kings 19 to Jezebel’s response to the “battle” of Mount Carmel is often misunderstood. Far from being bold in this instance, we are often told that he shows himself to be a fearful, self-pitying, complaining coward. But as Dale Ralph Davis insightfully notes, when we weigh the Hebrew text, read the map, listen to the angel, ponder the parallels with Moses, and hear Paul telling us in Romans 11:2 that Elijah “appeals to God against Israel” on God’s covenant mountain, we see the chapter with new eyes. Rather than viewing Elijah as quivering in fear, sinfully losing trust in God, then refusing to see his sin even when God asks him the same question twice, we should understand that Elijah is groaning in utter disappointment and despondency at seeing Israel’s continued rejection of the Lord’s word and deeds. Rather than rebuking him on Mount Sinai, God is listening to him levy a covenant accusation against Israel, encouraging him that He has a plan of judgment and salvation, and giving him a new direction in ministry, thus setting the stage for what follows in the narrative.

4. Elijah was a prayerful man.

We see Elijah speaking to God throughout his ministry: at the deathbed of the widow’s child (1 Kings 17:20–21), on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:36–37), and on Mount Sinai (1 Kings 19:10, 14). But in James 5:16–18, James highlights Elijah’s prayer for rain in 1 Kings 18:42—as well as his prayer that it would not rain (implied in 1 Kings 17:1). Elijah was a man “with a nature like ours” (James 5:17) and is held up for us as an example of fervent and earnest prayer (the Greek reads, “He prayed with prayer”) that accomplishes much. Elijah didn’t merely pray reactively to the circumstances happening around him; he sought God’s face proactively. He knew that he was coming to a King of power, holiness, and grace, so he brought with him large petitions that only a strong God could answer.

5. Elijah was a type.

The Bible is clear that Elijah prefigured John the Baptizer (Mal. 4:5; Luke 1:17; Matt. 11:14). Like the former, the latter had a distinctive appearance (Matt. 3:4); turned many of God’s people back to Him (Luke 1:16–17); faced a hostile political power, including a woman with murderous desires (Matt. 14:8); and anointed a successor at the Jordan River (Matt. 3:13). Just as Elijah points us to John, so Elisha points us to Jesus.

6. Elijah never died.

Like Enoch in Genesis 5:24, Elijah never died (see also Heb. 11:5). The prophet was taken up by a whirlwind into heaven, with his body still united to his soul (2 Kings 2:11). Therefore, these two men are unlike all the rest of the departed saints. One day soon, they will once again join us on earth—a new earth, in which no idolatry exists, in which righteousness dwells, and in which there are no more broken hearts.

Historian Philip Schaff said of the Heidelberg Catechism (1563):

It is fresh, lively, glowing, yet clear, sober, self-sustained. The ideas are Biblical and orthodox. . . . Altogether the Heidelberg Catechism is more than a book, it is an institution, and will live as long as the Reformed Church.

That’s high praise from a history lover. But should this old document excite modern people?

Perhaps its story can tell us something about its contemporary value.

Like all catechisms, the Heidelberg is an ancient teaching tool, often employed by Scripture (Mic. 6:8; Mark 8:29, 36–38), that uses questions and answers to convey truth. And when it was written, fifty years into the Protestant Reformation, people needed good answers. Many weren’t sure about such vital matters as the authority of Scripture, the sufficiency of Christ, the relation of faith and works, and the nature of the church. The Roman Catholic Council of Trent (1545–1563) had just enshrined anti-reformation teaching, and reformational factions often generated strong disagreement.

One place where tensions ran high was the German province of the Palatinate, ruled by Frederick III (1515–1576) from 1559 until his death. Thanks to his wife Maria, Frederick had become a Calvinist. And while many of his subjects were gospel-believers, they were deeply divided, particularly over how Christ was present in the Lord’s Supper. Several debates in the years following Frederick’s accession brought no peace.

To help his people make a common confession of faith, Frederick followed the popular custom of publishing a catechism that might promote both personal piety and peaceable living. It would provide children a doctrinal study guide, give preachers a structure for presenting the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), and establish a theological standard within the Palatinate.

While Frederick could capably sponsor, oversee, contribute to, and edit the catechism, he enlisted help from the theological faculty at the University of Heidelberg and from his city’s distinguished ministers. These, in turn, gleaned insights and even specific phrases from an international cadre of theologians including Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, Huldrych Zwingli, Henry Bullinger, John à Lasco, and especially John Calvin. The Heidelberg Catechism was a team project, but in its production two men stand out.

Caspar Olevianus gained a doctorate in civil law before studying theology under Calvin and Peter Martyr Vermigli. After a brief and tumultuous ministry, Olevianus came to Heidelberg in 1560 to teach and preach. While he was likely not a coauthor, he played a meaningful role in drafting the catechism.

The catechism’s principal author was Zacharias Ursinus. He studied under and befriended Melanchthon in Wittenberg, Germany, pastored a church in modern-day Poland, and gained further education in Zurich, Switzerland, before coming to Heidelberg in 1561. In 1562, he composed smaller and larger catechisms and, the following year, translated Calvin’s Genevan Catechism (1541) into German. All of this heavily influenced the Heidelberg Catechism.

Frederick’s catechism was an immediate success, requiring three printings in the first year. But, to no surprise, it was also controversial. In 1566, Frederick defended himself at the Diet of Augsburg, where he earned the nickname Frederick the Pious. After Frederick’s death, his son, Louis, banned the catechism and banished over six hundred Reformed teachers and preachers. However, when Louis died, Frederick’s second son, Casimir, honored his father’s legacy by reintroducing the catechism. The Heidelberg found its way to America through German and Dutch immigrants in whose churches it had become a doctrinal standard.

The catechism opens with a greatly treasured piece of Christian writing:

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own,
but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—
to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has delivered me from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.
Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
also assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him. (Q&A 1)

The next question and answer introduce the catechism’s guilt-grace-gratitude structure. As sinners, we need a righteousness that doesn’t come from us (Rom. 3:19–20). Because God in Christ provides what we lack (Rom. 3:21–22), we must offer ourselves to Him in loving service (Rom. 12:1). This sketch of the Christian life is expanded by a question-and-answer study of the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.

The factors that birthed the Heidelberg Catechism are not foreign to us. Believers and their children must still understand, as J.C. Ryle put it, both biblical facts and “the nature, place, and proportion of the various doctrines.” We must “be sound in the faith, and . . . armed with a clear scriptural knowledge of the whole system of the gospel.” Because of its warmth, breadth, clarity, and Christ-centeredness, the Heidelberg Catechism remains one of the most influential of the numerous Reformation catechisms. It stands ready to help believers in every age grow in the comfort the gospel gives.

When you think about tomorrow, are you anxious or hopeful?

If you’re like me, thoughts about the future can crowd in quickly. But the answer we give is often shaped by the voices we’re listening to each day.

To help you devote your attention to the voice of God in His Word, we’ll send you a special resource bundle to thank you for your donation this month. You will receive a thinline Bible and a one-year subscription to Tabletalk magazine to encourage you to meditate day and night on God’s Word (Ps. 1:2).

Our minds are always being shaped. The question is not whether we are being formed, but who is forming us.

• Are we being discipled by the Lord and shaped into Christ’s likeness?
• Or are our minds being shaped by the spirit of the age?

The world, the flesh, and the devil are eager to have our attention. Amid the confusion, instability, and moral disorder, prognosticators are making endless predictions about what the future holds. Some voices guarantee earthly paradise; others warn of total annihilation. All of them make promises that cannot save.

Dr. R.C. Sproul reminded us that “living as Christians means that we do not live by the drumbeat of this world but by a higher calling—the calling of God.” This calling requires that we seek minds renewed in God’s Word. We must fix our eyes on the Lord as we seek to bring His gospel to a dark world and as we strive to shape the next generation with His truth.

This is the task of discipleship that drives the global teaching outreach of Ligonier Ministries, and this is the mission you can further through your financial support.

We become like what we behold. Ligonier is a ministry driven by the call of Isaiah 40:9: “Behold your God!” While everything in the world fades like grass, Ligonier encourages Christians with the truth that God’s Word stands forever (v. 8). He is our refuge amid the tsunami of change, and His promises never fail. Christ has conquered the world to redeem His people, securing a glorious future for us and calling each of us to be a “herald of good news” (v. 9).

This teaching fellowship exists to help Christians fix their focus on our holy God and be formed by His Word so they can face the future with unwavering hope. Ligonier’s Bible teaching is not just about sharing information. We strive to help Christians cultivate minds informed by Scripture, hearts devoted to loving God, and wills committed to serving Him faithfully.

By God’s grace, your support is helping to nurture this Christian formation around the world by supplying Tabletalk and other vital Bible study resources. Recently, Jerry wrote to us from Ontario:

“I’ve been reading Tabletalk magazine for a number of years and have greatly benefited from the teachings of R.C. Sproul. Knowing that the world seems to be teetering ever further into confusion and unbelief, I simply wanted to play a small part in ensuring that future generations have access to both Tabletalk and Dr. Sproul’s teaching.”

This vital service to God’s people is only possible because of the ongoing support of friends like you. Not only do you gain from Ligonier’s teaching yourself, but you also stand with us to declare who God is so more people may know Him and find refuge in His grace.

Together, let’s redouble our efforts to help more people behold our God, that they may hope in His “precious and very great promises” in the gospel (2 Peter 1:4). Your additional support can help provide a formative influence for the future of the church. Please give today to help:

• Shape the next generation through new short outreach videos, providing a clear, biblical voice on digital platforms where young people are already being shaped.
• Supply trusted answers to the global church by developing substantial theological libraries in the top 20 languages.
• Accelerate the translation of reliable teaching, such as the new Spanish edition of Dr. Sproul’s expositional commentary on Romans.

Out of appreciation for your donation this month, we’ll give you a twelve-month subscription to Tabletalk magazine so you too can benefit from this daily companion to your study of God’s Word. You’ll also receive a thinline ESV Bible. It’s the perfect size to keep as a reference while you delve into Tabletalk’s articles, reflect on God’s Word with its in-depth daily devotions, and follow the yearlong Bible reading plan.

Thank you for standing with Ligonier so more people can behold the Lord in all His glory and find stability in a changing world as they trust His sure promises for the future.

Since 1859, when Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published, Christians have been forced to wrestle with the challenges raised by his theory of naturalistic evolution. For millennia, Christians had taught that God created each species according to its kind. Slight changes may accrue for various reasons, but cows remain cows and horses remain horses. Darwin challenged this teaching by proposing a theory to surmise how various organisms may have arisen over time from a common ancestor. He suggested that offspring differ slightly from their parents and from each other. Animal breeders have long observed the same thing and take advantage of these variations by selecting the most desirable offspring to produce the next generation.

Darwin argued that something analogous to a human breeder exists in nature without any intelligent choices being made by anyone—human or divine. He argued that some biological variations provide individual offspring with advantages that make their survival more likely. Over time, those offspring with such advantageous traits survive, breed, and pass down those traits to the next generation. Thus, the mechanism of evolution was said to be a purely “natural selection.” When Gregor Mendel’s work on genetics was rediscovered at the turn of the twentieth century, an explanation for variations in offspring was added to Darwin’s theory.

Christian Responses to Evolution

Christians have responded to Darwin’s theory in a number of ways since it was first published. Some have rejected the theory completely, explaining its scientific problems but emphasizing that Darwinism is contrary to Scripture. We see this approach in the work of organizations such as Answers in Genesis, Creation Ministries International, and the Institute for Creation Research. Others have rejected the theory completely but have focused almost exclusively on the argument that it is contrary to the evidence in nature. We see this approach in the Intelligent Design movement represented most famously by the Discovery Institute. The essential point to note here is that the Christians involved in these various organizations tend to agree that descent with modification and natural selection can account for neither the origin of life nor the diversity of life.

Since the nineteenth century, other Christians have accepted the arguments for the basic ideas of Darwin’s theory of evolution (descent with modification and natural selection) but have rejected the atheistic implications. Instead, they have argued that evolution is the way in which God created the various species. Versions of this view have been termed “theistic evolution” or “evolutionary creationism.” Adherents of this kind of view suggest that God’s work of creating the species is analogous in some ways to His creation of each of us in the womb. In the case of each of us, we can describe the natural processes from conception to the development of the embryo, all the while still confessing that God knit us together in the womb. Theistic evolutionists argue we can say the same thing, on a larger scale, with the process of evolution. God is the primary cause, and evolution is the secondary cause.

The Weakness of Theistic Evolution

Theistic evolution/evolutionary creationism seems like an easy way out where we get to have our cake and eat it too. I would, however, encourage Christians who are tempted to take that easy step to pause and take the time to research the issue. Darwin’s theory has always had some serious weaknesses. For example, from the beginning, every version of the theory assumed the existence of the biological process of reproduction as a given. Descent with modification assumes a process by which descent takes place. But how did the process of reproduction (a mind-bogglingly complex biological process) itself evolve without an already existing process of reproduction?

That question was raised by scientists in the nineteenth century, but things have not gotten better for Darwin over the last century and a half. The more we learn about biology, the more problems arise. One of the most intriguing problems involves the origin of the information coded in our DNA. Stephen C. Meyer explored this problem in his 2010 book Signature in the Cell. To this day, naturalistic Darwinism cannot explain the phenomena discussed in that book. Similarly, examples of irreducible complexity, first explored by Michael Behe in his book Darwin’s Black Box, have become legion, and they too are inherently inexplicable on a purely naturalistic basis.

A Call for Careful Research

It is easy to fall prey to the influencers and authors who say with self-assured confidence that the case for Darwinism is airtight and who mock anyone who would be foolish enough to disagree as ignorant buffoons. They argue by shouting the loudest and by mockery. A rock-solid case doesn’t require shouting and mockery. Only a weak case requires the methods of middle school locker rooms.

Furthermore, take a look at what scientists fifty years ago, one hundred years ago, or 150 years ago were boastfully claiming to be “the assured results of modern science.” Some of it is quite silly. I have no reason to doubt that scientists one hundred years from now will be looking back at some of today’s “assured results” with the same head-shaking disbelief. It might not include Darwinism yet, because that’s the only option for atheists, but don’t take self-assurance as proof. Scientists have been self-assured of many falsehoods over the centuries.

In short, take your time. Do some prayerful reading and research. You might be surprised to find out how weak the case for Darwinism really is.

Murder mysteries are popular these days. Agatha Christie’s fiction works continue to be read by a new generation, making her the best-selling author of all time. TV shows such as Dateline or 48 Hours feature weekly narrations of true stories. Numerous podcasts are dedicated to recounting solved murders or bringing attention to cold cases.

But when it comes to the death of a truly innocent victim, Jesus of Nazareth, we do not need to call on a detective to solve it. We have eyewitnesses whose testimony makes it abundantly clear who was responsible for Jesus’ death. On Pentecost, Peter stood with the other Apostles and openly declared who murdered the Son of God. Peter said:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Acts 2:22–23)

Though this statement is crystal clear, Peter’s words reveal layered distinctions that must be made when answering the question, “Who killed Jesus?”

Pontius Pilate and Roman authorities executed Jesus’ death.

Peter testified that Jesus was “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” He was referring primarily to the Romans, including Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea who ordered Christ’s death. We read that Pilate did so reluctantly as he “took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood’” (Matt. 27:24). However, he was guilty of Christ’s murder. In giving the crowd the choice between releasing either Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious criminal, he knew they would choose the latter (Matt. 27:15–26).

Under Pilate’s orders, Roman soldiers then crucified Christ, mocking Him with a robe and a crown of thorns, spitting on Him, and placing a sign above His head saying that He was King of the Jews (Matt. 27:27–30). History has corroborated Pilate’s guilt in Christ’s death. The Apostles’ Creed states that Jesus Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.”

The Jewish leaders and people plotted and demanded Jesus’ death.

At Pentecost, Peter was speaking to the “men of Israel.” Peter and the other eleven Apostles, representing the new Israel of God, spoke directly to the old Israel with lifted voice, “This Jesus . . . you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (emphasis added). The Jewish leaders, striking a secret deal with Judas Iscariot to betray Him, were culpable in Jesus’ death. Indeed, the last words of this sermon are, “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36, emphasis added).

Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). Even worse, when He was on trial, they all chanted, “Let him be crucified!” (Matt. 27:22–23). Most horrific of all, they even cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25). Terrible judgments, including the destruction of Jerusalem within a generation, became the awful fulfillment of their rejection and murder of the Messiah who was sent to them.

The elect made necessary the death of Jesus.

In speaking of Christ’s crucifixion at Pentecost, Peter proclaimed His death and resurrection as the only means available for salvation. When the hearers were pierced in heart over their guilt, they cried out to the Apostles, “‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).

Truly, every sinner elected unto salvation by God is, in part, responsible for the death of Jesus. Our sins made nailing Jesus to the cross necessary. Only by this act do “we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph. 1:7). Whenever we confess our sins, witness a baptism, or partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are, in effect, admitting that we made it necessary for Christ to die and thanking Him for it.

God ordained Jesus’ death.

Incredibly, Peter’s answer to this question had a final distinction. He said that Jesus’ crucifixion occurred according to “the definite plan and foreknowledge of God.” As the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), it was determined by God in the eternal council of redemption that His Son would become man and die on behalf of the elect.

However, we must be careful here. Unlike the three previous parties who are guilty of the death of Jesus, God simply and sovereignly is not. As the Westminster Confession of Faith states,

God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. (WCF 3.1)

Though not a perfect illustration, God is like a conductor who is not responsible for playing any instrument in a symphony. God orchestrated the death of His beloved Son without any wrongdoing on His part in order that we might be saved.

Whodunnit? When it comes to Jesus’ death, the answer is apparent and profound.¹

Hadassah was a young woman who lived in the ancient, bustling city of Susa—located in modern-day southwestern Iran—around 480 BC. Her mother and father had died, so her older cousin, Mordecai, took her in and raised her. Susa was an important city, serving as a capital of the Persian Empire after the Persians defeated the Babylonians in 539 BC, bringing the Neo-Babylonian Empire to an end. Shortly after this conquest, Cyrus issued his decree allowing the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the temple (see Isa. 44:28; Ezra 1–2). While many Jews returned to do just that, others remained in the lands where they had settled during the exile. Mordecai and his adopted daughter were among them. She went by her Persian name, Esther. In God’s providence, this young woman would play a vital role in preserving God’s ancient people and in securing the fulfillment of His ancient promises.

Esther is said to have been a beautiful woman (Est. 2:7). At that moment in the Persian kingdom, beauty was a dangerous thing, for it was precisely what the Persian king was seeking. King Ahasuerus’ wife, Vashti, had humiliated him before his guests at his own feast. In response, the king decided to replace her. He ordered the most beautiful women in the empire to be gathered to his chambers for what was essentially a degrading “tryout.” Each woman would spend one night with the king in order for him to choose the next queen. Esther was swept up into this lewd beauty pageant. During the year-long period of preparation, Esther concealed her Hebrew identity at Mordecai’s urging.

When the time came for Esther to enter the king’s chambers, she continued her pattern of winning favor with those in the palace: “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins” (Est. 2:17). Within a year, Esther had gone from an orphan girl to queen of the most powerful empire in the world. But this was hardly the end of her story.

Shortly after Esther was crowned, Mordecai discovered an assassination plot against the king. The crisis was averted and the deed recorded in the king’s annals. Mordecai had saved the king’s life. Yet instead of reward or recognition, there was nothing. No honor. No celebration. Just ink on a page. Until one sleepless night.

Before that sleepless night, however, Mordecai had a fateful run-in with the king’s chief official, Haman. Haman was an Amalekite, which means he should not even have existed, but Saul’s disobedience had allowed that wicked line to continue (see 1 Sam. 15). Enraged, Haman manipulated the king into issuing a decree ordering a day of slaughter: the annihilation of all Jews—“young and old, women and children” (Est. 3:13)—throughout the empire.

Esther, the secretly Jewish queen of Persia, was now in a dreadful position. Mordecai pressed her to use her influence to stop the massacre. But there was a problem. Though Esther was indeed the king’s wife, she could not simply walk into his presence whenever she pleased. She told Mordecai:

All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days. (Est. 4:11)

What happened next provided an opportunity for Esther’s courage and shrewdness to shine. When the king saw her standing there in her royal robes, he welcomed her and offered her up to half his kingdom. But Esther was patient. She did not reveal her intentions immediately. Instead, she asked permission to prepare a feast for the king and Haman. At that feast, the king renewed his offer: “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled” (Est. 5:6). Again, Esther waited:

My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said. (Est. 5:7–8)

Haman, the enemy of the Jews, returned home elated and drunk, boasting in his riches and honor. Yet his hatred for Mordecai would not let him rest, so he had thirty-five-foot gallows prepared from which Mordecai would be hanged the next morning.

Unfortunately for Haman, that was the very night the king could not sleep. The king’s remedy for insomnia was to have the book of memorable deeds read to him. There he was reminded of Mordecai’s loyal discovery of the assassination plot. The king remembered the deed, but not any reward for it. No king worth his salt would allow a loyal deed to go unrewarded. So, he summoned Haman and instructed him to parade Mordecai (his worst enemy) through the city in public honor. One can almost hear Haman’s misery:

So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.” (Est. 6:11)

Before Haman had time to recover from the humiliation, it was time for Esther’s second banquet. When the king again asked Esther to state her request, she finally spoke plainly:

If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. (Est. 7:3–4)

The king was stunned. Who would dare do such a thing? Esther answered with force: “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” (Est. 7: 6). Haman was then hanged on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. What sweet justice!

But one problem remained: Though Haman was dead, his decree still stood. And such an edict could not simply be revoked. Esther therefore appealed again to the king:

If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman . . . which he wrote to destroy the Jews. (Est. 8:5)

The king granted her request in the only way Persian law allowed:

You may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked. (Est. 8:8)

The resulting counter-decree, sent out with the same authority and urgency as the first, granted the Jews the right of overt self-defense: “The Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies” (Est. 8:13). And when the day came, “the Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them” (Est. 9:5). The Lord had preserved His people. Through this orphan-turned-queen, He proved Himself to be their “shield, and the horn of [their] salvation, [their] stronghold” (Ps. 18:2). To commemorate this deliverance, Esther established the feast of Purim.

Although Mordecai’s words to Esther may have carried undue pressure, they nevertheless proved true: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est. 4:14). Though Esther’s story is fraught with moral compromise and strange turns, the Lord’s invisible hand governs every movement. She reminds us that the same is true for us as well, irrespective of whether we perceive it:

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill He treasures up His bright designs And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flow’r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.¹

God’s purposes ripened fast with Esther, unfolding every verse. Through what seemed like a painful chain of events, the young woman who had been forced into marriage with a divorced pagan king became a mighty instrument in the hands of God. If Hadassah/Esther was anything, she was that: a providential weapon, raised up by God for the preservation of His people and the destruction of His enemies.

The last promise that Jesus gave to His Apostles before His ascension to heaven was the promise that the Holy Spirit would come upon them to empower them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Luke records the fulfillment of this promise beginning in Acts 2, which tells us how the Spirit descended on the church at Pentecost.

Under the old covenant, Pentecost was one of the three major pilgrimage festivals that required the Israelites to go up to Jerusalem (Deut. 16). It was also called the Feast of Weeks because it took place fifty days, or seven weeks, after the Feast of Firstfruits, which was observed on the first day after the first Sabbath during the week of Passover. Pentecost marked the end of the spring grain harvest under the old covenant (Lev. 23:4–22). Over time, the Jews came to associate Pentecost with the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, probably because about fifty days had elapsed between the exodus from Egypt and the receiving of the law (Ex. 19:1).

Moving into the new covenant, the Holy Spirit came upon God’s people on the Pentecost that immediately followed the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Spirit came with the sound of “a mighty rushing wind.” The word for “spirit” in both Greek and Hebrew is the same word translated as “wind,” and Scripture speaks of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in terms of a mighty wind or breath (Ezek. 37:1–14; John 3:8). Along with the sound of the wind, visible tongues of fire appeared and rested on the heads of the people (Acts 2:3). Fire signified the divine presence and the promised sanctifying baptism of the Messiah (Ex. 3:1–6; Luke 3:15–17).

Of course, the Holy Spirit had been with the covenant community before the new covenant day of Pentecost, for He regenerated old covenant members and gave them the gift of faith. He had to do so because the only way that anyone believes in the one true God under any covenant is by being born again by the Spirit (see John 3:3). Nevertheless, the new covenant experience of the Spirit is much greater, for now all Christians possess the Spirit’s gifts for ministry.

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Our culture is much obsessed with performance. We take people who are extraordinary in their ability to perform certain feats and turn them into heroes—great actors or actresses, musicians, military heroes, professional athletes, and so forth. We are drawn, as if by a magnet, to people who are high-performance individuals. We surround these people with attention and adulation and, many times, with enormous financial rewards. We tend to measure the worth of people by what they can do, by how well they perform.

Paul turns his attention to this issue in 1 Corinthians 13:3: “If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” He’s talking about performance, about behavioral patterns that themselves are considered extremely virtuous. He speaks of giving away everything, making the ultimate financial sacrifice. “I am the great benefactor,” he says in effect, “and if I build museums or residential shelters for the homeless, if I give money to feed the hungry or to clothe the naked, if I do all these things, but have not love, what is it worth?”

“And if I deliver up my body to be burned . . .” Paul is not despising the martyrs who had shed their blood on behalf of the gospel for the sake of Christ. He is not criticizing the spirit of charity that has been manifest in the liberal generosity of many people in the church who give of their goods and their time sacrificially. He doesn’t say that these things are bad. He is stressing again that these things can be done without love. It is theoretically possible to give all your money away, to be the greatest donor in the world, to be the greatest benefactor in the world, and still not possess love. A person can even be a martyr for the wrong reasons.

That may sound almost impossible until we remember the ongoing dispute that Jesus had with the Pharisees. The Pharisees came under the judgment of Christ chiefly for one sin: hypocrisy. It wasn’t that something was wrong with their outward performance, but something was wrong inside. Something was wrong with their hearts. They were scrupulous in their giving, they tithed their mint and dill and cumin and made all kinds of sacrifices for the church of their day, all the while hating the Lord’s Messiah. All the while, they were enemies of God.

The best book ever written on 1 Corinthians 13 is Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards’ treatment of this chapter is fantastic. His understanding of the depths of Christian grace is itself extraordinary. But one of the things that he probes is this question: What would motivate a person to be sacrificial in his giving or even to lay down his life as a martyr in a particular cause if he didn’t have the love of God in his heart?

Edwards explores two ideas that are common in the history of theology. One is the concept called civic virtue. The Bible acknowledges, for example, that one does not have to be a regenerate Christian to exhibit outward conformity to the laws of God. We can’t go out to a highway and determine who is a Christian and who isn’t by noting who’s keeping the speed limit. We will find many Christians who are breaking the speed limit and many non-Christians who are obeying it. We can find all kinds of humane works performed by non-Christians, and at the same time, we will see all kinds of dreadful acts performed by Christians. People who are not yet reconciled to God through Christ can display outward conformity to the law of God. That’s called civic virtue or civic righteousness.

The second thing that Edwards explores is the cause of civic righteousness, which he attributes chiefly to what he calls enlightened self-interest. Going back to the idea of obeying the speed limit, someone may obey the speed limit at a given time not because he wants to give glory to God by demonstrating submission to the civil magistrate, not because he wants to be kind and considerate of the safety of other people whose lives he might endanger if he drives at high speed, but because he is concerned for his own personal safety, or he fears getting a ticket. People fear getting into trouble. That is enlightened self-interest—the desire to look out for oneself or to act for one’s own good.

How would that explain giving away all of one’s goods? What is enlightened about that? The answer is that some people would rather have the applause of men than silver and gold. If they live in a certain culture where sacrificial giving or getting rid of all possessions and living as a hermit or a monk provokes the exaltation of people, a person may be inclined to do that without any real love for God or for people.

What about martyrdom, the ultimate sacrifice, giving oneself up to be burned? Even in that extreme case, some people can seek their own interest. They see martyrdom as a quick ticket to immortality in history. They’d rather die and be famous than live and be nobody. Or they’d rather be dead and be looked at by their family and friends as people of courage than live and be deemed cowardly. When soldiers are asked what motivates them to take the risks in combat that they do, they answer that it’s sometimes because they’re terrified of not obeying orders and they’d rather get shot in the stomach than in the back. Ultimately, we don’t know what’s going on in people’s hearts. Only God can read the heart and know whether the performance is motivated by love. The point that we’re making, and that Paul is making, is that it’s possible to do these things and not have love. If that happens, these extraordinary acts of performance have no value whatsoever. They’re nothing. They’re worthless without love because love is the sine qua non of all virtue.

Obviously, Paul is speaking illustratively here, not exhaustively. He could continue the list forever—though I write fifty books, though I have perfect attendance in church, though I have taken care of five hundred sick people. He could give an endless list and declare that none of those things matter apart from love because the absence of love vitiates the virtue of any action or performance.

Edwards makes this comment: “Men are ready to make much of what they do but more of what they suffer.” Have you ever been in a conversation and somebody said to you, “Look at all I have done for you”? Then begins the list of sacrifices made and all the benefits provided. We want to say, “Look at the accomplishments that I have achieved in my lifetime.” We want to be recognized for our performance, for our achievements, but even more so for what we endure on behalf of others. Often, when we feel that we have suffered unjustly at the hands of another person, we want to make an ordeal out of it.

Before Paul begins to give us his exposition of what love is, he has shown us how important love is and the premium that God places on love. It’s higher than the gifts and more important than performance.

Edwards makes an important point here: “The ordinary influence of the Spirit of God working the grace of charity in the heart is a more excellent blessing than any of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit.” There is a distinction between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Love is a gift of the Spirit, and everyone who is genuinely regenerate and indwelt by the Holy Spirit is given the gift of love. In that sense, it is an ordinary gift, as distinguished from those special powers that not everybody is given. Paul enumerates the extraordinary gifts: the gifts that not every Christian has. Edwards says that though the extraordinary gifts get all the attention, the one that counts the most and is most prized by God is love.

You can now freely stream all the messages from our 2026 National Conference online, in the Ligonier app, and on our YouTube channel. Watch your favorite moments again and share this Bible teaching with your friends and family.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

• What Is Truth? by Derek Thomas
• Does God Control Everything? by H.B. Charles Jr.
• What Is My Purpose? by Ken Jones
• How Should I Endure Suffering? by Sinclair Ferguson
• How Can I Know God’s Will? by David Strain
• How Can I Overcome Anxiety? by Eric Bancroft
• Does Prayer Change Things? by W. Robert Godfrey
• Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? by Derek Thomas
• Who Is God? by Joel Kim
• What Is My Identity? by Michael Reeves
• Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? by David Garner
• How Do I Grow in Holiness? by Sinclair Ferguson

Q&A SESSIONS:

• Questions & Answers with Bancroft, Charles, Godfrey, and Jones
• Questions & Answers with Garner, Reeves, Strain, and Thomas
• Questions & Answers with Ferguson, Godfrey, Kim, and Thomas

SEMINARS:

• Lights in a Dark World with Eric Bancroft and H.B. Charles Jr.
• Training Leaders in the Church with Sinclair Ferguson, David Garner, and Joel Kim

Register today and save for our 2027 National Conference, The Glorious Attributes of God.

The messages from our 2026 National Conference are now available to watch and share on Ligonier.org and in the Ligonier app.

Conference Sessions:

• What Is Truth? by Derek Thomas
• Does God Control Everything? by H.B. Charles Jr.
• What Is My Purpose? by Ken Jones
• How Should I Endure Suffering? by Sinclair Ferguson
• How Can I Know God’s Will? by David Strain
• How Can I Overcome Anxiety? by Eric Bancroft
• Does Prayer Change Things? by W. Robert Godfrey
• Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? by Derek Thomas
• Who Is God? by Joel Kim
• What Is My Identity? by Michael Reeves
• Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? by David Garner
• How Do I Grow in Holiness? by Sinclair Ferguson

Q&A Sessions:

• Questions & Answers with Bancroft, Charles, Godfrey, and Jones
• Questions & Answers with Garner, Reeves, Strain, and Thomas
• Questions & Answers with Ferguson, Godfrey, Kim, and Thomas

Seminars:

• Lights In a Dark World with Eric Bancroft and H.B. Charles Jr.
• Training Leaders in the Church with Sinclair Ferguson, David Garner, and Joel Kim

Register today before April 25 to get 45% off for our 2027 National Conference, The Glorious Attributes of God.

Who is like the Lord our God?

Out of His infinite fullness and perfection, He gives us life. To enjoy Him in endless wonder is the crowning gift of our salvation. Therefore, we have no higher calling than to know who God is. Understanding His character clarifies the purpose of our life in this world and the glory that awaits us in Christ.

Join us next year in Orlando for Ligonier’s 2027 National Conference, The Glorious Attributes of God.

When you register today, you’ll secure your spot for $219 and save 45% with the pre-registration rate. Don’t delay—this special rate is only available until Saturday, April 25.

Other Discounted Registration Rates:

• Full-time students: $89
• Youth (4–17): $18
• Children (0–3): FREE

This conference invites you to marvel at God’s holy character. Gather with Christians from around the world to hear biblical teaching on His divine attributes, sing His praises, and draw strength from His promises.

Conference Sessions in 2027 Include:

• The Power of God
• The Love of God
• The Beauty of God
• The Faithfulness of God
• The Goodness of God
• The Justice, Mercy, and Grace of God
• The Sovereignty of God
• The Wisdom of God
• The Holiness of God

Next year’s event also includes a variety of breakout seminars. Join our conference speakers in exploring how understanding the character of God equips us to serve Him faithfully and pursue His glory in every sphere of life.

Seminars Include:

• Marriage Shaped by God’s Character
• Serving God Faithfully in the Workplace
• Walking with God Through Suffering
• Raising Children in the Knowledge of God
• Cultivating Prayer and Dependence on God
• Discernment in a Digital Age

This conference will be held on April 1–3, 2027, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando. Lodging is available for you directly at the venue. Mention Ligonier Ministries when you make your reservation.

Never Experienced the Conference Before?

Watch messages from our 2026 National Conference in the free Ligonier app or online. Additionally, you can still browse the online bookstore for special discounts on trusted biblical resources while supplies last.

What do you do when you struggle to pray?

Every Christian knows this struggle. We recognize our staggering privilege to address our holy God and to approach His throne of grace. Yet we struggle to remain consistent. Other priorities crowd in, our minds wander, and we do not know what to pray for (Rom. 8:26).

Even the disciples, who walked with the Lord Jesus Christ throughout His public ministry, needed to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).

When I need to regain focus in my prayer life, I find renewed direction by remembering the purpose and significance of prayer.

Ligonier’s founder, Dr. R.C. Sproul, emphasized the importance of prayer because he emphasized the character of God. He reminded us that prayer is more than a spiritual habit. It is worship. It is communion. And, in God’s providence, prayer is one of the primary means that the Lord uses to accomplish His purposes in the world.

R.C. said: “If we want to reach the world with the gospel, we must recover a vital understanding of the place and importance of prayer. If we are to live transformed lives and seek reformation in the church, we must begin with prayer.” This conviction drove Dr. Sproul’s teaching ministry, and it shapes the discipleship outreach of Ligonier today.

Your prayers and generosity are vital to the spread of the gospel and the support of the church. Thank you for extending a theological lifeline to help Christians know God deeply and live in grateful dependence upon Him. This month, when you give a donation to Ligonier, we’ll send you The Valley of Vision.

Dr. Sproul identified this book as a great aid to his own prayer life. I received a copy in my college years and return to it often. It is a treasured collection of written prayers from various Puritans, wise pastors and theologians who excelled at praying with both doctrinal precision and soul-penetrating depth.

These devotional prayers help us keep our eyes fixed on who God is. He is faithful. He is sovereign. He is holy. He is glorious. They model a way to approach the Lord with reverence and humility, resting our confidence in His steadfast grace. It is crucial for us to regain our focus in prayer, because the church’s vitality—as well as yours and mine—has always been tied to dependence on God.

By God’s grace, Ligonier strengthens the church’s reliance on the Lord by providing faithful Bible teaching that calls Christians to earnest prayer. Every day, we strive to advance the kingdom of God by proclaiming who He is—and He is worthy of our endless adoration. Everything we are and all we have depends on the Lord’s gracious provision. Thanks be to God, we can always draw near to His throne of grace with confidence because of Christ (Heb. 4:16).

Day by day, the Lord is using your support of Ligonier to equip His people and further His kingdom. As you serve alongside us through your generous giving, you make it possible to:

• Proclaim the holy character of God clearly on Renewing Your Mind, YouTube, the free Ligonier app, and many other digital platforms.
• Strengthen Christian discipleship by publishing new books, releasing video teaching series, and holding in-person teaching and training events​.
• Equip Christian leaders worldwide by providing pastors, prison chaplains, and military chaplains​ with the teaching resources they need.
• Expand global church support and release additional teaching every week in the world’s 20 most-spoken languages.
• Mobilize Christians to pray for awakening and the spread of the gospel until Christ is glorified among every tribe, people, and nation.

None of this happens apart from prayer. Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain (Ps. 127:1). Every outreach we undertake depends upon His blessing. Every door He opens is an answer to prayer (Col. 4:3). Every mind renewed and life transformed is the work of His grace alone.

That is why your partnership in the gospel matters so much. Our sovereign God uses means to accomplish His purposes. And in His providence, your prayers sustain the work of Ligonier, and your financial support extends it—placing trusted Bible teaching into the hands of Christians hungry to know God.

Give today to accelerate outreach, and you’ll receive a special gift edition of The Valley of Vision in the mail. I hope these biblically rich, God-centered prayers from our forefathers in the faith will encourage you to pray with worshipful reverence.

Additionally, we would be honored to pray for you. If you would like us to bring your request before the Lord, please contact the Ligonier team. You can email your prayer request to service@ligonier.org or call us at 800-435-4343.

Thank you for committing to pray for Ligonier and its kingdom work so that the church may be strengthened and the nations may rejoice in the Lord.

Can we trust the Bible? Are these the last days? How should we approach suffering?

Get concise answers to the most common and difficult questions about the Christian faith with Dr. R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series.

From parables to predestination to prayer, this collection of 50 booklets communicates core Christian truths in everyday language, equipping you for thoughtful evangelism and discipleship.

With the release of three new titles, How Should I Worship?, Why Is There Conflict in the World?, and What Is Love?, the complete collection of Crucial Questions booklets is now available to help you share clear biblical truth in any setting.

Booklets for Every Setting

• Evangelism 
• Discipleship 
• Personal Study 
• Family Devotions 
• Small Groups 
• Church Outreach 

Equip Your Church

Order copies for your church, small group, or outreach ministry with bulk discounts and church partnership pricing available. Or download all 50 titles as free ebooks to read and share digitally.

Ordering from Canada? Place your order through Reformed Book Services to receive the lowest shipping rate.

Wherever this year takes you, Ligonier’s digital discipleship resources make it easy to incorporate trusted, in-depth Bible teaching into your daily routine.

For a limited time, explore a variety of discounted discipleship materials. Save on ebooks for $1; audiobooks, audio teaching series, and music for $3; and video teaching series for $5. Browse the collection today and save on select digital resources.

With each download, you’ll receive lifetime digital access to faithful Bible teaching that can encourage your Christian growth. Access your purchases any time in your Learning Library.

Stock up today on biblical discipleship resources at a discounted price. This sale ends Saturday, March 21.

By God’s grace, your prayers and support of Ligonier’s global outreaches are bearing fruit worldwide. We are both excited and encouraged by the ministry momentum we’re seeing, and we’re prayerful that the Lord will continue to strengthen His people through this Bible teaching ministry throughout 2026.

Here are some of the notable milestones that the Lord has enabled Ligonier to meet so far this year through your faithful support.

Serving in the Top 20 Languages

• Through Ligonier’s dedicated-language websites, our current global reach has exceeded 158,000,000 people worldwide.
• Chinese editions of The Holiness of God and Lessons from the Upper Room are now available in audiobook format online.
• Dr. R.C. Sproul’s 35-part video teaching series The Consequences of Ideas is now dubbed in Chinese and available on Ligonier’s Chinese website and YouTube channel.
• Two newly translated titles from the Crucial Questions booklet series, What Is the Gospel? and Can I Trust the Bible?, are now available in Hindi and on our dedicated-language website.
• Two timely books have recently been translated into Spanish and will be released on March 17: A Field Guide on Gender and Sexuality and Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue.

Furthering Study Bibles for the World

• So far, Ligonier has distributed more than 165,000 Reformation Study Bibles to pastors worldwide.
• Lord willing, we plan to distribute another 5,000 study Bibles this summer in Madagascar. We are also planning a large-scale distribution in Kenya later this year.

Equipping the Next Generation

• Last month, we saw hundreds of young Christians turn out for Ligonier’s recent Always Ready youth conference in Panama City Beach, FL.

As we look out upon the remainder of 2026, I’m struck by the overwhelming demand we’re seeing for sound biblical teaching globally. Please join with us in praying for the following outreach opportunities:

• For new study Bible distribution opportunities around the world and for skilled, godly Bible translators to partner with.
• That pastors receiving the Reformation Study Bible would be equipped to proclaim God’s Word to Christians in their churches.
• For the two additional Always Ready events planned for this year. We pray that God will strengthen young Christians to stand firm in an increasingly hostile culture.
• For new opportunities for conferences and events around the world to serve Christians in every age, stage, and nation.

Thank you again for your prayerful and financial support of Ligonier Ministries. May we continue to see the global church strengthened and God’s people equipped for the work of gospel proclamation.

What difference does theology make in the Christian life?

At first glance, the study of doctrine may seem like an abstract discipline reserved for pastors and scholars. But knowing God is vital for every believer—theology shapes how we think, worship, and live before the One who saved us.

In his new 36-part video teaching series, Theology for All, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson draws on a lifetime of theological study and pastoral ministry to unfold the core doctrines of the Christian faith, demonstrating why they matter for every believer.

Get lifetime digital access to this video teaching series when you order it today.

In Theology for All, Dr. Ferguson explores the whole range of systematic theology, revealing how a deeper knowledge of Scripture strengthens our love for God, enriches our hope in His salvation, and guides us to live according to His will.

36 Messages, Including:

• Why Theology Is Important
• The Doctrine of the Word of God
• The Nature of Sin
• Chosen in Christ
• Christ’s Church
• And More

Watch the first message for free to start your study.

Several Teaching Series Formats Available

• Digital teaching series
• Ligonier Connect course
• Digital study guide

Preorder the DVD Edition and Paperback Study Guide

You can also be among the first to receive the DVD edition and paperback study guide for Theology for All when they become available. Preorder Dr. Ferguson’s DVD teaching series and study guide for yourself or a loved one today.

Watch Now as a Ministry Partner

Did you know that Ligonier’s Ministry Partners enjoy complete streaming access to our teaching series library? If you’d like to stream Theology for All and 230+ other series online and in the Ligonier app, partner with Ligonier today.

Your committed prayers for the ministry and your monthly donation will help fuel gospel outreach so more Christians worldwide can benefit from this biblical teaching. 

Can you imagine a world filled with Christians who know God deeply and live with single-minded devotion to make His glory known?

Men and women would embrace their dignity as people created in God’s image. Families would thrive by reflecting divine love. Nations would prioritize true righteousness.

That is not the world you and I inhabit—not yet, and it won’t come without deliberate, faithful discipleship in the truth.

Ours is a fallen, sinful world plagued by animosity toward God and ignorance of His revelation. Into this darkness, the Lord Jesus Christ sends His church to form disciples in the truth of His Word (Matt. 28:18–20). Ligonier Ministries seeks to strengthen the church for this Great Commission by providing trusted Bible teaching for the whole Christian life and for the whole world.

Dr. R.C. Sproul expressed the comprehensive mission of this teaching fellowship with a stirring statement: “I want to flood the world with knowledgeable and articulate Christians.” By this, he meant Christians whose minds are shaped by Scripture, whose lives are marked by holiness, and whose witness is anchored in truth. This tidal wave of clear, courageous faith requires serious education in the Word of God.

Thank you for your generous support of this movement to strengthen discipleship in the historic Christian faith. Your prayerfully considered donation this month can help Ligonier advance four vital initiatives throughout 2026. I’ll explain those below.

Making disciples of Jesus Christ is the responsibility of the whole church (Eph. 4:15–16). This calling requires every Christian to know the faith deeply and to express it clearly to others. Yet around the world, faithful Christian teaching is lacking:

• Many pastors cannot afford trusted discipleship resources to help them study God’s Word and to feed their congregations with life-giving truth.
• The next generation is inundated with lies about their identity and purpose, often leaving young believers feeling under attack and alone.
• Christians in many countries lack access to study materials in their language to help them understand and apply the whole counsel of God.

With your generous support, we can provide trusted theological instruction for people of every age, at every stage of the Christian life, and in every nation.

Below are Ligonier’s 2026 outreach plans. I’m updating you on these four initiatives so you can know how to pray and where to give as we seek together to strengthen the global church throughout this year and beyond.

INITIATIVE #1: Strengthen the whole Christian life through an unparalleled arsenal of Bible teaching, expanded discipleship resources, and additional in-person training. Your support can help to:

• Develop in-depth Bible studies for all 66 books of sacred Scripture, providing tools for Christians of all ages to be mastered by God’s Word.
• Release more resources for families and children, including the Spanish and Chinese translations of the Growing in God’s Word Bible curriculum for children.
• Produce new focused content and teaching events for teenagers, college students, and young professionals, applying timeless truth to the formative stages of life.
• Extend online courses through Reformation Bible College to provide a rigorous theological education for global students and prison inmates.

INITIATIVE #2: Expand media and digital platforms to give Christians constant access to God’s truth in a noisy, confusing world. Just as R.C. and the early Ligonier staff pioneered the use of emerging technology, we now use digital channels to spread truth and counter the tsunami of lies online. To support strategic outreach improvements, you can help:

• Increase the impact of Renewing Your Mind by making it a full-video daily podcast and holding live online events from the newly built Renewing Your Mind studio.
• Release more short-form video content to enhance Christian discipleship and provide clear, trusted answers to eternal questions on platforms increasingly shaped by distraction, distortion, and falsehood.
• Develop upgrades for RefNet (our free 24/7 radio app) with more teaching to serve the whole family and set a soaring standard for Christian internet radio programming.
• Revolutionize the free Ligonier app to deepen the study of God’s Word through increased personalization, more teaching in more languages, and an intelligent search assistant that delves into our extensive library.

INITIATIVE #3: Equip 500,000 global pastors with the Reformation Study Bible. The Study Bibles for the World campaign has already blessed more than 150,000 pastors who lack formal theological training and have little access to study materials. Every $25 given to this initiative helps place a Reformation Study Bible into the hands of one pastor, furthering Ligonier’s plans in 2026 to:

• Gift 4,000 study Bibles to the Anglican Church of Kenya in the coming months. As this theologically conservative denomination has more than 5 million members, each minister equipped with the Reformation Study Bible can have a wide-reaching influence.
• Furnish 5,000 pastors in Madagascar this summer, serving the largest Presbyterian denomination in this impoverished island nation with study Bibles. We’re eager to help these church leaders further after meeting many of them last year.
• Fuel additional major study Bible distributions around the world throughout 2026, supporting the church where the need is greatest and faithful teaching is least available.

INITIATIVE #4: Unleash a deep theological library for 80% of the world. As Ligonier entered 2026, you helped us cross the starting line to release weekly Bible teaching in the world’s top 20 languages. Now, decades of translation and production lie ahead, with a potential reach of 6.5 billion souls and rising. Your support today can:

• Deepen our library in these 20 most-spoken languages with translated teaching from Dr. Sproul, the Ligonier Teaching Fellows, and other gifted teachers from the global church.
• Form partnerships with native-language publishers to produce additional discipleship materials in the 60+ languages in which Ligonier is already active.
• Establish long-term launchpads for ministry with dedicated Ligonier staff members providing support to the church in Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom.
• Host more international conferences to bring Christians from every nation to the biblical riches of Reformed theology.

Our great God is worthy of great endeavors. This is His work, empowered by His grace and accomplished for His glory alone. Please pray with us for His continued provision.

R.C. outlined a vision for comprehensive discipleship outreach because the need for biblical truth is universal. Everyone needs to know who God is, and every Christian must be deeply anchored in the gospel to bear faithful witness to His glorious grace.

Ligonier presses on to serve the global church because the Lord is blessing our Great Commission outreach. In His astonishing mercy, the Lord has multiplied the reach of Ligonier fivefold in the years since R.C. went to be with Him, using ordinary means—faithful teaching, careful stewardship, and gospel partnership—to serve the global church. As long as God keeps us faithful and opens more doors for ministry, we will trust and follow Him through.

Your prayerful and generous support can help accelerate this work as the Lord provides. Our team is committed to stewarding your generosity to form knowledgeable and articulate Christians worldwide.

The nations await. Thank you for your prayers and thoughtful generosity in service to the Great Commission.

R.C. Sproul devoted his life to helping Christians grow in their knowledge of God and His holiness. **This week only, explore a special collection of more than 100 discounted books, teaching series, and other discipleship resources **from the founder of Ligonier Ministries.

With his signature ability to bring clarity to complex theological subjects, Dr. Sproul’s timeless teaching continues to make the deep truths of the Christian faith accessible to people around the world.

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• Discounted books like The Power of the Gospel: A Year in Romans.
• Commentaries such as Romans: An Expositional Commentary
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My other favorite Reformer, partly because I love his name, is Johannes Oecolampadius. His name literally means “house lamp,” but he was a brilliant language scholar. He wrote a Hebrew grammar. He wrote a commentary on Isaiah that became the model for Luther, for Calvin, and for all the Old Testament work of a whole century of scholars. Every time we pick up our English Bible, we know that a boatload of scholars made that possible. Some of them gave their blood for us to have an English Bible. Oecolampadius was one of those guys. He died young, but he filled his life as much as he could. And what a great name!

This text doesn’t literally mean we should never do anything other than pray. It’s clear the Scriptures call us to all sorts of other things. But prayer should be a regular, recurring part of our whole experience, such that there are not only, perhaps, set times of prayer for us but that we turn to the Lord throughout the day. We don’t have to pray at great length all the time, and I think that’s part of the reminder here. This text calls us to cultivate a sense of the presence of God with us, along with us turning our hearts, minds, and cares to Him regularly throughout the day.

It’s an encouragement to think of ourselves as a prayer-filled people. That’s the call, and it’s a valuable call for us to hear.

To know who you are already in Christ is invaluable. You belong to Him. Any persecution you experience, any demeaning you experience, yes, it will be sore, but you can look up to Him and say: “Lord, I belong to You, I’m Yours, and I know this is about You. You will help me cope with it.”

The other thing I would say is really get to know your Bible. Psalm 119 was written for people your age. That’s why it says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?” (Ps. 119:9). Psalm 119 teaches us that if we hide God’s Word in our hearts, it will not only protect us from sinning, but it will make us wiser even than our teachers. That doesn’t mean you’ll know more than a rocket scientist, but it does mean that you have the clues to the meaning of life and that you learn in Scripture first principles that will enable you to negotiate your way through life. That is such a tremendously stabilizing force.

I would also advise that you really seek to understand Christian doctrine. Understanding Christian doctrine gives you a framework of reference, and most of your peers have no idea of their framework of reference. They don’t have any roots. They don’t have any first principles of which they are conscious. They are awash. They’re blown around, as Paul says, by any teaching that comes along. There is “cool” teaching that you’ll come across—for example, it’s cool to be an atheist today just like it was cool to smoke fifty years ago. But just like it was cool to smoke fifty years ago, being an atheist is going to kill you.

There is a tremendous strength in the Christian gospel, and one of the things our conference time does for youngsters is give them a sense that the gospel has its own intellectual power, and we don’t need to be ashamed of it.

There are people in the visible church—that is, they attend church and may even be members of the church—but they are not members of the invisible church. They may even make a profession of faith, but we don’t know the heart. We can’t see into the heart. In some denominations, in order to be a member, you have to have a credible profession of faith. They are looking for evidences, but even then they don’t know if someone is genuinely saved.

To sum it up, false converts are not converts who then become not converts. They were never converts. This is not something that’s new for us; it’s there in the epistles of John and in the New Testament church.

I started reading the Bible when I was nine. I had read John 5:39–40 before, but I was fourteen when it hit me. That verse applied to me in this way: I thought being a Christian meant reading the Bible, saying prayers, helping old ladies cross the street, and doing good things, but that verse hit me like a hammer. I thought: “This is exactly where I am. I’ve been searching the Scriptures and reading them diligently. In five years, I’ve probably missed only five days of reading the Bible.” It really came to me with great power and awakened me. It didn’t convert me; it awakened me. A number of months afterward, I was brought to a living faith through John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Those are reasons why I love John’s gospel from my mid-teens, but there are many other reasons. One of them is simply because of the sheer wonder of the portrayal of Christ in it. There are also sections of it that I particularly love. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve loved John 13–17 particularly, but there is no part of it I don’t love. Every time I read it or preach on it, I think, “This is absolutely endless.” The early fathers used to say that John’s gospel was like a sea that an elephant could swim in and in which a lamb could bathe—it’s just so rich for all believers. So, I think my favorite book of the Bible is John’s gospel.

I remember when I was converted as a high school student and first found myself worshiping amongst the Dutch Reformed, we always prayed the Lord’s Prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” We can debate the translation, and it can go either way, but I think our Lord is reminding us that He withstood temptation for us and overcame the evil one. We pray that He will continue to preserve us so we don’t face temptation as He faced it and that we would be delivered from the evil one to live for Christ. I think that’s at least part of what’s going on in the Lord’s Prayer.

REEDER: I love the translation, “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” I actually think it’s a better translation because that’s exactly where this is aiming: we are reminded of Christ having endured temptation for us, and therefore, we are delivered through His faithfulness in all of life under the assault of the evil one.

On the other hand, the notion of testing itself is not evil. On the contrary, God uses testing. Further, God can sovereignly take that which the world, the flesh, and the devil would use to ensnare us, and the Lord can use it instead to disciple us and develop us. But we are to flee temptation. I’ll make two comments.

First, Christians make a big mistake in this area by saying that we resist temptation and flee Satan. I think the Bible would have us do the opposite. The Bible does not want us to flee Satan; the Bible wants us to resist Satan, and he will flee from us. But that which is designed to ensnare us into sin, we are to flee that temptation and pursue the environment of holiness and the means of grace that build us up.

Second, having said that, when God brings tests, they are not designed to ensnare us. Rather, they are designed to edify us. A test from the divine hand does three things. It’s kind of like my algebra teacher in the eighth grade. I was convinced she gave me tests to flunk me. I have always told people: “You never have to worry about prayer in school. As long as you’ve got algebra tests, you’ll have prayer in school, I can promise you.” But a test in the hand of the Almighty is there to show us what we know, to show us what we don’t know, and to show us what we need to know. That is from the hand of the Lord. But we flee that which is designed by the world, the flesh, and the devil to bring us down.

PARSONS: I think it is confusing for everyone when we hear that translation. Part of the issue with the way it’s translated into English and the way we understand that portion of the Lord’s Prayer is that it’s a bit of a Hebraism. It’s a way of speaking. It’s a manner of getting a point across to say: “When we are tempted, Lord, lead us away from it. Get us out of it. Help us to flee it.” I know that sounds like the opposite of what it is saying, but that is the way the Hebrews thought and spoke. We see Hebraisms throughout the Gospels, and I think that’s what it’s getting at.

The second thing I would say is that many Christians have been taught to have prejudices against the Reformed faith, but often they don’t know what it is. However, if they are really the Lord’s people, there is one person they are not supposed to have a prejudice against, and that is the Lord Jesus. So, immerse yourself in the teaching of Jesus.

Our late friend, James Montgomery Boice, once preached a sermon on the radio, which I think was called “Was Jesus a Calvinist?” He got more bad press for that sermon than for anything else, but that is actually quite a good question because we can get prejudices about “isms,” but if we are the Lord’s people, we love the Lord Jesus. We know even at the instinctive and emotional level that if He taught it, we should listen, and if He believed it, we need to learn to believe it.

So, a great tool for us in keeping friendships and helping our friends is our own study of the way in which Jesus Himself taught about the grace of God, the depravity of man, the nature of the atonement, and the sovereignty of God. It’s all in the Gospels. I think that will enable you to maintain friendships, or if you lose them, they will be lost because alas, people won’t listen to Christ Himself. That is very sore, but I think it does mean that you have not been the offensive one. That’s one thing that I’ve found helpful.

The Spirit primarily does two things in us, and if you understand these two things, you’ll understand how the Spirit helps us pray. First, the Spirit illumines us. He opens our eyes to see who God is truly, and we then find our minds turned. We have a complete misunderstanding of what God is like, and then the Spirit opens our eyes, and it’s a mighty aha moment that carries on as we carry on being educated by the Spirit. So, the Spirit renews our minds as we think: “Oh, that is what God is like. I did not think God was like that.”

Second, by renewing our minds, the Spirit transforms our hearts. He takes away a heart of stone to give us a heart of flesh. That is an initial work that He does, but it’s also an ongoing work. The Spirit gives us a new mind and a new heart, but He also ongoingly educates us and affects us. In regard to prayer, that means that as the Spirit works in me, my mind is enabled to know what to pray for.

As a young Christian, I naturally tended to have a prayer life like a shopping list of blessings for me, my family, and my friends, and it was pretty self-centered. And then I’d remember that I ought to do some less self-centered prayers. But as the Spirit works in me and transforms my mind, and I see reality differently, as I start seeing the centrality of God and not me, then my prayers start following that change. My prayers start becoming more God-centered and less me-centered. That’s the Spirit’s re-education work.

Further, through the Spirit’s re-education work, He is also transforming my affections and desires. It’s not merely as the Spirit works in me that I know, “Yes, I really ought to be more God-centered and less self-centered.” Rather, the Spirit is doing a deeper work. He’s actually making me want to be and enjoy being God-centered so this just becomes natural to me. I’m not trying to work at it. It just comes out of who the Spirit is making me to be. Therefore, I begin to desire to pray God-centered, God-loving, and God-adoring prayers.

The Spirit educates and affects me such that I begin to desire to pray, to desire long communion with God in a way that I did not think about before. Initially, prayer was just one of those things that I ought to do every now and again. But the Spirit’s work runs so deep that I begin to enjoy communion with God.

So, it’s those two things that the Spirit does. He educates me, transforming my mind, and He transforms my affections so that I enjoy prayer and begin to pray more intelligently and more Christian prayers.

The basic principle is to make sure that you have space in your day, then space in your week, and then space in your month set aside for reading. I remember the late John Stott saying that he tried to read one hour a day, a morning a week, a day a month, and a week a year. If you keep that up, or some such program, even though it seems slow, you will eventually get through a lot of books over a longer period of time.

This is not a matter of setting a pattern or a standard for everyone. Some of us read very quickly, and some of us read more slowly. Some books should be read quickly. Others should be read slowly. I think the thing that helps is breaking the back of our sloth and indifference and saying, “Even if I have to start small, I will do it.” And if you keep going, it’s amazing how much you can get through.

I would also recommend paying attention to the style. If you read something and think, “That is really good,” then don’t just go on to the next thing. Look back and ask yourself: “Why is this really good? How is this person doing this?” Then, see if you can build some of these principles into your own use of language. I think we often forget that we use language in ministry, and the better we can use it, the better it will be. In a sense, the better our language is, the better we will be able to glorify God with words—not just cheap, easy words and slang but words that exalt God and lift the spirits of those who listen to us.

In the ministry of Christ and the seventy, when they came back from their mission, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). An aspect of Satan’s control over the world was affected by the ministry of Christ, His death and resurrection, and the day of Pentecost, which suggests that now the gospel is to be preached in all the world.

That being said, Satan is still referred to as the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). He still has power. He does not have as much power as he did under the old covenant, but he is still to be reckoned with: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). In his Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis said something along the lines that you can make too much of the devil, but you can also make too little of him. He hasn’t yet been cast into the bottomless pit that the book of Revelation speaks of in Revelation 20. So, he is very much to be reckoned with, even in the new covenant.

GODFREY: I certainly agree, but we have to be very clear: Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords now. I think Lewis is exactly right: we can’t make too much or too little of Satan. On the “too much” side, sometimes we talk about Satan almost as if he were a minor god. He is a finite creature, which means he can’t be everywhere at once. He can’t be the Holy Spirit, so he has minions who serve him.

Sometimes we talk as if there is the Holy God and then there is the evil god, Satan. Satan is not God. He’s a finite creature. He’s limited by his finitude as well as by God’s sovereignty. He is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but he is chump change compared to the sovereign God. He has been defeated, and he will be destroyed. Our calling is not to let him destroy us before he is destroyed.

FERGUSON: We all try to answer questions by saying the same thing in different ways, and there are two things I’ve found helpful in this context.

The first is what Bob has alluded to in Matthew 28:18–20. Jesus is saying in Matthew 28:18–20 that as the second man and the last Adam, He has won back the dominion on earth that Adam lost. Adam lost his dominion. He fell to the tempter. Christ has overcome the tempter so that He now says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” We might instinctively think, “He’s the Son of God—of course all authority in heaven and on earth is His.” But Jesus is speaking in a particular context, saying that the dominion Satan won in the garden of Eden has been overthrown, and that authority is now His.

The second is to pick up what Derek said: the limiting context of the expression regarding the binding of Satan is that he would no longer deceive the nations. It isn’t just a general statement, “Satan is bound,” but that Satan is bound in this particular respect: until the resurrection of Christ, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the coming of the last days, Satan was deceiving all the nations except the one nation God was undeceiving in His mercy. On the day of Pentecost, the crowd that gathered was analogous to the crowd that gathered to build the Tower of Babel in an attempt to pull God down. God judged the nations at Babel and committed them to the deception of Satan. But from the day of Pentecost onwards, the nations are being undeceived by the preaching of the gospel. That is symbolized by the gatherings of the people at Pentecost and has now been experienced for two thousand years.

This is just another way of saying that we always need to look at the context in which phrases are used. We don’t just see a phrase and then make up ourselves what it means. In specific ways, the Scriptures help us to see these statements within a particular grid and context. So, when the Scriptures say that Satan is the god of this age, we realize that those who are not Christians are living in this age. However, the end of the ages has dawned on believers, and the preaching of the gospel continues to invade this age to bring people into the new age, which will continue until the Lord comes. And then, whatever your eschatology, comes the end.

I was seventeen in 1965, a first-year student at university, and I encountered the first reprints of John Owen’s works. They were big—six hundred pages per volume, and there were twenty-four volumes. I was able to buy them for fifteen shillings a volume, which is about eighty cents or something like that. When you are Scottish and young and you can get six hundred pages for under a dollar, you buy it. Of course, I’m being humorous. But when I started to read him, I realized this was a different order of teaching altogether. Owen’s works were so theologically rich and spiritually profound that they made some of the other things I was reading seem very superficial. So, that was how I started reading John Owen, and I have kept reading him ever since.

If somebody asked me, “Which theologian taught you to think?” I would say John Calvin because I bought his Institutes when I was a teenager as well.

BINGHAM: Was it expensive or cheap?

FERGUSON: I got them cheap. However, they were more per volume than John Owen. I probably got my first set of Calvin’s Institutes for about $4.50. But Owen helped me to apply theology and to see the way biblical theology flows out into the experience of the church and the Christian life.

Some of Owen’s books in particular helped me, and the one I have treasured most is his book Communion with God, which focuses on communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are also helpful volumes in his complete works. He talks about Christ in volume one, sin in volume six, and justification in volumes four and five. There are twenty-four volumes. I go back to reading him and sometimes think, “Why do I bother reading anybody else?” It is so rich. He is not an easy read, but it’s worth persevering.

The world takes confidence in all sorts of things. It takes confidence in its own accomplishments. It takes confidence in the various ways it avoids having to think about reality. It’s sometimes prideful. Sometimes it’s just indifferent. Christian confidence, on the other hand, is attuned to the Word of God, the promises of God, and the assurance of what God has said.

Recently, I was talking to some friends about a dear saint in our church who is on her deathbed. They reported that she is full of confidence that Jesus has eternal life for her and that death is not the end. It is critical that we have confidence like hers as we face the struggles, difficulties, and from our limited perspective, uncertainties of life. We can have confidence that God’s promises that will prove true.

Machen was a brilliant scholar. He had a bachelor’s from Johns Hopkins, was Princeton-trained, and then became a Princeton professor. Machen lived during the time of modernism in American culture, as the twentieth century was a time of optimism and growth. Of course, it had World War I, but that influenced Europe far more than it did America because it took place on European soil. France lost 2 million people in World War I, while America lost 170,000 soldiers, which is terrible, but the differences are known. But it was still a time of modernism, and Machen lived during the “Roaring Twenties,” as we call it. It was a culture that was ready to move away from God. That’s modernism: “We don’t need God anymore. We built skyscrapers, and He is holding us back.”

Much of the church didn’t want culture to keep moving past them, so they said: “Hold on, you don’t have to leave just yet. We’ll make our doctrines a little more palatable. If you don’t like sinful man, let’s say that humanity is basically good. If you don’t like the idea that Christ had to die and you must have a substitute, let’s turn Christ’s death into just an example that you are empowered to follow every day. Isn’t that beautiful?” That’s liberalism. It compromised the doctrines that actually define Christianity in order to stay at the “cool table” of culture.

Along came Machen, and he wrote a book, Christianity and Liberalism. He essentially said: “This is not Christianity. This is a Christianity without a cross, which is not Christianity. Christianity without the message of sin is not Christianity. Christianity without an authoritative Bible standing over us that we are accountable to is not Christianity. If you don’t have those things, you don’t have Christianity. You are American. You are free to believe whatever you want to believe. We love liberty, but you can’t believe something that’s the total opposite of Christianity and call it Christianity.” Machen took a bold stand.

I mention all of this because I think it’s true of the story of American Christianity, which is a tale of two cities. We love our culture in America. Sometimes, we want to be a part of it so much so that we’ll compromise our convictions. It has happened. We all saw it. It’s happening right now. Whole denominations are selling their birthright to keep up with culture. That’s one city. Or, we can be a church of conviction that says, “No, we are going to follow God’s Word.” Machen is a good example of being a Christian of conviction.

So, that is one incident I find interesting and informative.

Later on, I used a different pattern and then I started using the kind of “Through the Bible in a Year” type pattern and there are various forms of that. I have used one that was written by Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Scottish minister in the nineteenth century that is very well known. You read four chapters a day from Old Testament, New Testament. You get through the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice in the year. And so, getting through the whole Bible each year I think is a helpful practice.

I’ve also, in addition to that, focused from time to time on certain books and given them more concentrated study. The material I actually recommend, I think I find myself recommending most, is actually Tabletalk, Nathan, for two reasons. One is because it does give you that help of a disciplined program of Bible reading. It gives you help in the notes that help you to expound and understand and apply the text, and there are also some great articles that go along with it. And it’s a terrific bargain. So, product placement is Tabletalk.

I know people who have used the same pattern all their lives. I have tended to vary the patterns I’ve used just because knowing the way I’m wired, that’s what I’ve found most helpful. And then, I have surrounded that with various things. You know sometimes I’ll have used some kind of prayer book just to help me, you know, to get the engine started. Sometimes I would sing.

Last year I did something I had never done before. I’m a speed reader and I felt I was speed reading instead of meditating, and so I started chanting the Psalms to myself, now not quite in the old Anglican way, but what I found in the English Standard Version was I could slow myself down by chanting out loud. And one of the things, I think, both my wife and myself have found is that speaking the Bible out loud is a very good help to Bible study because it was actually written to be heard and not just to be read.

So, those are some of the things that I have found helpful.

For those who want to pretend that God doesn’t exist and want to act as if He doesn’t and claim that He doesn’t, I still say to begin with Him. At the end of the day, people are not converted by the way in which we evangelize but rather by God who works in their hearts. So, objectively, begin with God. Begin with His standard, His character, who He is, and what He demands.

At the same time, I would also say that it depends on the conversation. I am engaged in conversations with non-Christians all the time, whether at restaurants, where I am in the community, at the gym, and so on, and it’s fascinating to me: people are incurably religious. They are religious at the very core of their being. Even people who don’t go to church, who are not a part of any organized religion, are religious. We see it every Sunday: clubs, communities, people coming together, being spiritual, being people of faith, whatever they are. So, start wherever they are. In one sense, you can meet people where they are. If they’re thinking about their children, if they’re thinking about their situation, if they’re worried about things, if they have guilt, if they feel the pressures and the anxieties of life, start there.

I would also say this: engage in conversations with them as human beings in a genuine and authentic way because you actually care about them. Yes, you want to communicate and proclaim the gospel to them—but communicate with them because you care about them.

That’s one of the things we see Jesus doing in His ministry. We see the Apostles doing that in their ministries. They have a love for people and a care for human beings. It’s true that their love for God and their desire to glorify God exceeds all of that, but they actually do care about people. They engage with people because they care about them. They care about their souls.

We evangelize not so that we can tell our Christian friends that we have evangelized; we evangelize for the glory of God and for the sake of the souls of those to whom we speak.