Loneliness is no respecter of persons. It can strike young and old, married and unmarried, male and female, rich and poor, extrovert and introvert. For some, loneliness may result from life circumstances that isolate and prevent us from cultivating relationships in the ways we’d like. For others, loneliness can be present despite being around other people regularly. In both cases, there can be a deep sense of feeling unseen, unknown, unloved, and disconnected from others, which can fuel anxiety, shame, or depression. As Christians, how do we understand loneliness from a biblical perspective to orient ourselves in this painful providence?

1. Loneliness is a result of the fall.

To understand the experience of loneliness, we must go back to the very beginning. The triune God, who is eternally existent in three persons sharing all-satisfying fellowship with one another, created mankind in His own image. Part of what that means is that we, like God, are relational beings. This is why it was “not good” for Adam to be alone before Eve was created. Before the fall, Adam and Eve enjoyed unbroken fellowship both with God and with one another. But when sin entered the world, so did the experience of loneliness, and we all taste its bitter fruit to one extent or another.

In discussing loneliness, it’s helpful to go back to the beginning because in doing so, we acknowledge that the experience of loneliness is not how things were originally meant to be. Loneliness feels wrong because, in a very real sense, it is wrong. That’s why we groan under the weight of the curse—because it’s not supposed to be this way. Therefore, our loneliness actually testifies to the truth of the goodness of the original creation and the bitterness of sin and the suffering it brought into the world.

2. Loneliness is a form of suffering.

Loneliness is also a form of suffering. While there may be times and ways in which our own personal sin causes or contributes to our experience of loneliness, it’s often the case that our loneliness is not correlated to any specific sin on our part. But until we are glorified in the presence of the Lord, to one degree or another, we struggle to experience the kind of communion with God and with one another that our hearts were created for. And until God eradicates sin entirely from His people and His world, our limitations and failures in our love for one another create a painful space where loneliness is an ever-present threat.

Acknowledging loneliness as a form of suffering helps us because we can then grieve over the painfulness of the experience and bring it before the Lord in lament. In Psalm 142:2, David says, “I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.” He goes on to present a powerful image of the painfulness of loneliness: “Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul” (Ps. 142:4).

3. Suffering loneliness can tempt us to sin.

Suffering the sting of loneliness can also tempt us to sin, seeking to satisfy our longings for connection through means that God has prohibited. In our fallenness, we are skilled in self-justification, finding plausible-seeming reasons why what God calls sin is permissible in our particular circumstances.

David acknowledges the believer’s dual identity as both sufferer and sinner when he says: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins” (Ps. 25:16–18). As we suffer loneliness, we are wise to remain vigilant against temptation and sin.

4. Loneliness drives us to take refuge in God.

As we bring our lament about our loneliness before God, grieving that we can find no refuge in the companionship of friends, we turn to the One of whom it can be said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Ps. 142:5). In our loneliness, we feel disconnected from fellow human beings. But as we bring those laments to God in prayer, by faith we connect to Him, finding divine refuge where human refuge is lacking. Part of the sweetness of turning to God as our refuge lies in the fact that Jesus Christ experienced and understands what it’s like to be lonely. He prophesied before His arrest and crucifixion: “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you . . . will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me” (John 16:32).

Jesus knew He would be abandoned by His followers and friends, but His comfort was in the fact that the Father was with Him. But on the cross, as He bore the divine judgment for sin, He felt the howling abyss of loneliness in His human nature as He experienced the presence of God’s wrath and the absence of His divine favor and fellowship. And because He was forsaken in this way on our behalf, we can confidently say with the Apostle Paul that even though “all deserted me . . . the Lord stood by me and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:16–17).

5. Loneliness is temporary.

Because Jesus has satisfied the wrath of God against sin for all who place their faith in Him, and because one day God will bring about a new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells, we can live in confident hope that ultimately, our loneliness is temporary. David ends Psalm 142 by saying, “The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me” (Ps. 142:7).

This is the ultimate hope for every Christian who is lonely in this life. One day, we will be surrounded by the righteous in never-ending, joyous fellowship. We will be perfectly righteous, others will be perfectly righteous, and no one will ever feel overlooked, unloved, unknown, or disconnected. And in this redeemed and restored world of righteousness, loneliness will be one of the former things that has passed away—forever.

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Theology for All I: God

What difference does theology make in the Christian life? In this course, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson explains why knowing God is vital for every believer—and that theology shapes how we think, worship, and live before the One who saved us.

When Worlds Collide

Without a biblical understanding of the nature of God, man, and the world, everything seems to be spinning out of control. In this course, Dr. R.C. Sproul explains God’s sovereign and righteous purposes over every aspect of life—even times of suffering.

The Lord’s Day

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Everything in Christ

Is Jesus really enough? Sometimes Christians can be tempted to chase spiritual experiences or keep religious rules rather than rest their faith in Christ alone. In this course, Rev. Joel Kim explores Colossians, showing how this book lifts our eyes to the preeminence of Christ.

The Necessity of Reforming the Church

In this course, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey gathers insights from John Calvin to ask penetrating questions for Christians and congregations today. Far from being over, the work of reforming the church is needed even now.

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There is something about Mary Slessor that has turned her into a legend. By the time she died, she was as well-known as one of her role models, David Livingstone. Today, her name is still highly regarded both in her native Scotland (her image appeared on a 1997 Clydesdale Bank £10 note) and on her mission field of Nigeria, where she is often remembered as Obongawan Okoyong (Queen of Okoyong). Statues have been erected in her honor and schools and churches named after her.

And yet, as much as her commissioning mission board appreciated her achievements, they were baffled by her insistence to venture into the forests where natural dangers, protective tribes, and an oppressive climate had frightened most European missionaries. To make things worse, she discarded many of the typical Western precautions. In her effort to become one with the natives, she walked barefoot, drank unboiled water, and shunned both the protection of mosquito nets and sun hats. To some foreigners, she looked “mad and dangerous.”¹

But, while she fully understood that God’s timetable differs from ours (“Christ never was in a hurry,”² she famously said), Slessor had little patience with the missionary board’s hesitations. It was the challenge of bringing the gospel to an unreached population that had moved her to approach the mission board in the first place, and she was not about to sit with other missionaries in the relative comfort of a coastal town.

The Making of a Missionary

Despite her small frame and timid personality (she was famously afraid of crossing a road alone or standing in a field if there was a cow), Mary Slessor was used to challenges. Born on December 2, 1848, in Gilcomston, a suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, she was only ten when her father’s alcoholism and consequent unemployment forced her to work as a weaver in the textile mills of Dundee to support her family. And yet, after her twelve-hour work schedule, she found time to improve her slim education and, later, to serve as a missionary teacher in the local United Presbyterian Church.

In 1873, captivated by the flurry of reports following the death of David Livingstone, she applied to her denomination’s foreign mission board. Three years later, with only minimal training, she was off to Duke Town, Calabar, near the southeastern coast of present-day Nigeria.

Following the board’s advice, she spent time with the local women to learn their language, Efik. But she was surprised that none of them had yet joined the church. “Something more must be done for the women here if we are to raise the men,”³ she said. Throughout her life, teaching the women and improving their oppressed condition remained one of her main commitments.

Once she had mastered the language, she asked the board’s permission to move three miles away from the coast where most foreigners lived. In 1885, when her mother and sister, her last surviving family members, died, she considered her ties with her homeland irrevocably severed: “Heaven is now nearer to me than Britain, and no one will be anxious about me if I go up-country.”⁴ And up-country she went, eventually settling in the district of Okoyong.

She came close to marriage in 1891, when Charles Watt Morrison, a Scottish missionary teacher in Duke Town who was eighteen years her junior, proposed to her while she was on sick leave. Asking for the board’s approval, Slessor and Morrison specified that he would join her in Okoyong, and not the other way around. She left the matter to the Lord: “If it be for His glory and the advantage of His cause there to let another join in it I will be grateful. If not, I will still try to be grateful, as He knows best.”⁵ When the mission board refused to allow Morrison to move, the engagement was off.

Slessor’s family became the twins she adopted in order to save them from death, as some African tribes believed that twins were the result of a coupling with evil spirits. Slessor worked hard to prevent the murders of these children and their mothers, until the local chief agreed to declare this custom unlawful.

Influence and Legacy

Slessor exercised an even greater influence on the local laws and customs starting in 1892, when the British government, impressed with her interaction with the locals, appointed her vice-consul of the region, presiding over the native court. She was the first woman to hold such a position. In 1905, she became vice president of the Ikot Obong native court.

To some Western observers, her judgments seemed unconventional. “She was an expert at settling quarrels,” Mina Amess, who lived with Slessor for some time and carried on some of her work, remembered during an interview. “Once she told two warring chiefs, ‘I will prick your hand and his, and you can suck each other’s blood.’ ”⁶ Her greater emphasis, however, was on the gospel she conveyed to everyone she met, resting on God’s power to transform hearts.

Eventually, after years of hard work and exposure to the elements, a painful and crippling form of rheumatoid arthritis forced her to take long periods of rest. Still, she kept on her post as long as she could. She died of fever and dysentery on January 13, 1915, at sixty-two years of age.

But her energy and vision continued with some of the missionaries she had trained, and her memorials stand as a reminder for the church not to rely on comfortable arrangements. As James Luke wrote in The Record in 1904, “Where the church has failed, a single woman has stepped into the breach.”⁷ But Slessor would have put it in simpler terms: “After all, it comes back to this: Christ sent me to preach the gospel, and he will look after the results.”^{8 9}

If God is God, then He is sovereign over all things. I have frequently taught a seminary course on the theology of the Westminster Confession of Faith. The third chapter of the confession always provokes a strong response from students. It begins with these words: “God, from all eternity, did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass.”

People are often aghast when they see or hear these words. They often dismiss them as merely the harsh teachings of Calvinism or Reformed theology. But nothing in the statement is unique to Calvinism. Indeed, the affirmation is not even unique to Christianity. It is an affirmation found in the tenets of Judaism and also in Islam. All three of these world religions would affirm that (at least in some sense) God ordains whatever comes to pass.

If God did not ordain all things, He would not be sovereign over all things. And if He is not sovereign over all things, then He is not God at all. Theologians argue endlessly over how God ordains all things. But even if this ordination is by mere “permission,” for God to let things happen that do happen He must choose to allow them to take place. Insofar as He lets things happen that He has the power and authority to prevent from happening, He is “ordaining” them.

Divine Sovereignty, Human Agency

The quote above from the Westminster Confession goes on to say that “nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away.” God’s ordination of all things does not annihilate human decisions or the forces of nature. Yet at the same time, the sovereignty of God stands over every human event. If I am asked whether God ordained various calamities, I answer,

“Yes, He did.” Now, if I am asked why He ordained them, I cannot be glib in my reply. In reality, I do not know why God ordains all the calamities that take place. But I know that He does ordain them, because if He did not ordain them, they would not happen. Whenever something happens, I know for certain that God ordained it in some sense. That is one of the most difficult concepts for even devout Christians to deal with. Yet the concept is found on almost every page of sacred Scripture. It is at the very heart of the Christian faith.

Let us examine a passage from the second chapter of the book of Acts, where we have a record of Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost:

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 have crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:22–24)

Peter is giving a severe rebuke to his contemporaries for doing what? For executing Jesus. Even though God had confirmed Christ’s identity as the Messiah through His miracles, the people put Him to death. Peter by no means absolves these people of their responsibility for the death of Christ. It was by human hands that Jesus was delivered to Pilate, it was by human hands that He was sentenced to death, and it was by human hands that He was crucified. Yet all these things, Peter said, did not take place through accidents of human history; rather, they took place according to the “definite plan and foreknowledge” of almighty God. Before anyone raised a finger against Jesus, when He went to the garden of Gethsemane, He was completely aware of what was going to happen. He knew it was God’s will, not the mere will of mortals, that He must carry out.

Jesus had told His disciples only a few days earlier that He had to go to Jerusalem to be delivered into the hands of wicked men, and that He would be beaten and killed (Matt. 16:21; Luke 24:7). When Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane and sweated drops of blood in prayer, He begged God to change that plan (Luke 22:41–44), because Jesus knew that these things had been appointed by His Father. From the time of His birth, Jesus’ destiny was set out. When Jesus was brought to the temple for dedication, the prophecy was announced that this One would be a sign for the rise and fall of many, and that a sword would pierce Mary’s soul (Luke 2:34–35).

Years before Jesus was put to death, the Word of God revealed that it was God’s plan that Jesus should die, and that this would happen through the actions of wicked men. Here is God directing His counsel, bringing His will to pass through a divine providence that works through human agency in such a way as not to cancel out the will or the responsibility of the participants.

The clearest example of this combination of divine providence and human agency is in the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. Because of his brothers’ jealousy and envy toward him, Joseph was sold into slavery. On the slave block, Joseph was purchased by Potiphar, whose wife then falsely accused him of assault, for which Joseph was thrown into prison, where he languished for many years. Eventually, God brought a famine to the land, and because the people were starving, Jacob sent his sons down to Egypt to seek relief from the Egyptian storehouses, which ironically had been prepared through the supervision of Joseph, who had been freed from prison and elevated to the office of prime minister of Egypt.

In that poignant moment of the encounter between Joseph and his brothers, when the brothers suddenly recognized Joseph, they were terrified. They feared his vengeance upon them. Joseph, however, shocked them with his mercy. He understood that their intent had been evil. They had had a purpose in mind when they acted. They had sinfully chosen to deliver Joseph into the hands of those Midianite traders, and they were responsible for that. But beyond their decision, beyond their choice stood the sovereignty of God and His providence. As Joseph explained to them, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). Even in the wicked choices of Joseph’s brothers, God was at work to bring His perfect counsel to pass in human history.

That is what we believe if we are Christians. Our world view affirms a divine Providence who governs human history. He doesn’t just govern the orbits of the planets. He is sovereign over everything. That’s the idea that defines our whole understanding of human life, our whole understanding of economics, our whole understanding of government, our whole understanding of education. That concept is on a collision course with every philosophy in human history that would deny the sovereignty of God over human life.

There is a temptation to assume that the people who receive the most attention in Scripture must be the most significant. Yet Stephen reminds us that significance in God’s kingdom is not measured by the amount of space devoted to a person, but by the God to whom that person points.

Though Stephen’s ministry is recorded in only two chapters of Acts, his role is crucial in the unfolding story of redemption. More importantly, his life directs our attention not to himself but to Christ. Stephen stands at a pivotal moment in the history of the early church. Before Jesus’ ascension, He promised that the Holy Spirit would empower His disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Through Stephen’s ministry and martyrdom, that promise begins to advance beyond Jerusalem. The persecution that followed Stephen’s death scattered believers throughout Judea and Samaria, leading to the further spread of the gospel.

This should encourage us. God graciously used a man whose entire ministry is summarized in only two chapters to help advance His kingdom. Outside of Acts 6 and 7, Stephen is mentioned only a few more times in the book of Acts. Yet his influence was profound because God delights to use ordinary believers for extraordinary purposes.

Character

As the church continued to grow, so did its needs. A complaint arose because the Hellenistic (Greek-speaking Jewish) widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. In response, the Apostles instructed the church to select seven qualified men to oversee this ministry (Acts 6:1–6). The first man named is Stephen, and he is introduced as “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.” While this description likely characterized all seven men, Luke places special emphasis on Stephen. These characteristics were especially evident in his life. What defined Stephen’s character? He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

Stephen had been saved by faith, the gift by which sinners are justified and reconciled to God (Rom. 5:1). Paul says there is one faith, and yet the experience of that faith may vary (Eph. 4:5). For example, Paul says there is weak and strong faith (Rom. 4), and Jesus referred to those with little faith (Matt. 14). However, Luke tells us that Stephen was a man full of faith. His faith was steadfast, courageous, and unwavering in the face of opposition.

He was also a man full of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean he received a second conversion or a higher spiritual status than other Christians. To be a Christian is to have the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). Rather, Scripture teaches that God often grants special measures of the Spirit’s power for particular tasks and trials (Matt. 10:16–20). Stephen was continually strengthened and equipped by the Spirit for whatever challenges lay before him. In his book The Spirit of Promise, Donald Macleod notes that:

The Holy Spirit is not something God’s children can do without. He is indispensable. Nor is he something they can store up. They need more and more. They need again and again. And the only way they can ensure that they are always full is to be always asking.¹

A man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit was also full of grace and power. Stephen had been saved by grace through faith and set for us an example that grace saves and grace transforms. The grace of God that saves us changes us not simply in status but in character. God’s grace in our lives brings a kind of charm and sweetness to it. At the same time, the Spirit of God empowered him to use his gifts for the building up Christ’s church (1 Cor. 12:7–11).

Calling

Stephen’s calling extended beyond serving tables (Acts 6:1–6). He faithfully fulfilled that responsibility, but God also called him as a powerful witness to the gospel. It’s striking to think that a man marked by such a godly character was called into a ministry marked by intense opposition. Stephen’s ministry did not lead to comfort or popularity; instead, it led him into conflict. The longest recorded sermon in Acts isn’t found in a worship service but rather a courtroom of sorts. Stephen is on trial for being charged with blasphemy before the religious leaders. Instead of a personal defense, Stephen recounts Israel’s history. His point is clear: They understood many of the facts of their history but failed to grasp its meaning. Every event in Israel’s story pointed forward to the coming of Christ. Stephen addresses their misunderstanding of God’s promise and God’s presence beginning with Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and even David and Solomon. The point was that God’s presence with God’s people isn’t confined to a building made with human hands, and even Solomon acknowledges this (1 Kings 8). All of Israel’s history culminates in Jesus Christ. The temple was never the ultimate hope of God’s people, for Christ is the true cornerstone, and through Him, God is building His church with living stones from every nation and people.

Crown

Stephen’s life concludes with a fitting fulfillment of his name. All seven men chosen in Acts 6 bear Greek names because they were appointed to minister among Greek-speaking believers. Stephen’s name means “crown” or “garland.” In the ancient world, a crown was awarded to a victorious athlete and honored leaders. How fitting that Stephen would receive a far greater crown, the crown of righteousness promised to all who love Christ’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:6–8). His final moments are remarkable. As he faced death, Luke tells us that he was once again “full of the Holy Spirit.” Gazing into heaven, he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. The Savior upon whom he had fixed the eyes of faith throughout his life now stood before him in glory. Like his Lord, he prayed and forgave saying, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Like his Lord, he entrusted his spirit into God’s hands. In such violent persecution, Stephen’s death is described with remarkable peace: “He fell asleep.”

Stephen’s life reminds us that faithful Christian living is not measured by prominence, longevity, or earthly success. It is measured by steadfast faith in Christ. Therefore, might we find great encouragement and exhortation in the hymn lyrics:

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.

The State of Theology survey from Ligonier Ministries Canada reveals what people really believe about the Christian faith.

Unfortunately, the survey’s key findings show that theological confusion is prevalent—not only outside the church, but also within.

Nearly three quarters of Canadian evangelicals affirm the statement, “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”

This means that three out of five evangelicals throughout Canada either don’t understand or don’t believe the Bible’s teaching about original sin and human fallenness. When people fail to see the seriousness of sin, the need for the gospel itself is called into question.

To make matters worse, 60% of Canadian evangelicals agree with the statement, “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”

These sobering statistics point to significant perplexity in the church about sin. Yet Scripture is clear: Since Adam’s fall, every person (except for the incarnate Lord) is born guilty, corrupted in nature, and in need of God’s grace for salvation through Jesus Christ.

Download the Free Study Guide

The church today needs clarity on sin and salvation. One important way of gaining clarity is by gathering people together around the Word of God.

Download the free digital study guide for The State of Theology Canada. Each section includes discussion questions and biblical insight to guide your conversation.

More Resources on Sin and Salvation

R.C. Sproul founded Ligonier to help Christians know who God is and who they are. Here are several resources from Ligonier addressing the Bible’s teaching on sin.

• The Bondage of the Will book by Martin Luther
• “Radical Corruption” article by R.C. Sproul
• “The Sinfulness of Man” video message with Michael Reeves
• “TULIP and Reformed Theology” article by R.C. Sproul
• What Is Reformed Theology? video teaching series with R.C. Sproul

Where do blueberries come from? I asked myself this question the other day watching my kids enjoy blueberries at the dinner table. The bluish hue that bled across their lips and tongues reminded me of the purple of Roman imperial robes—a color so rare and costly in the ancient world that it marked the heights of status and splendor. “Why didn’t they just use blueberries?” I thought.

The answer, of course, is geographical. Blueberries are native to North America. The ancient peoples of the Mediterranean never knew them. Yet, asking questions that often seem trivial at first glance can have a way of pointing us to more profound discoveries. Take, for instance, a seemingly simple question: Where did Christianity come from? The answer leads to deeper understandings rooted in geography, identity, and divine intent. Let’s consider each in turn.

1) Christianity comes from the Middle East.

It’s easy to forget, especially in the modern West, that Christianity is not a Western religion. It’s a Middle Eastern one. It was born among Semitic peoples, in lands long shaped by monotheism and the idea of divine sovereignty. These ideas offered a strong contrast to the polytheism of the Greeks and Romans, whose gods bickered, lusted, and stumbled in their dramas. Christianity, on the other hand, emphasizes that God is one and holy. He rules not from Mount Olympus but from the heavens, maintaining justice and order. He can’t be manipulated or controlled, and we owe Him our allegiance as the emperor of the universe. Contrast that with the Greek and Roman gods who were often regional, fickle, and merely super-human rather than divine. As a result, Christianity offered a vastly different understanding of God than the polytheistic world in which it took root.

2) Christianity comes from the name of Christ.

Acts 11:26 says that “in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” This is because people understood the early Christians to be following Christ. Christ, of course, means “Messiah” in Greek. Christians are people who believe the Messiah has come; He is Jesus of Nazareth. Christians, however, weren’t always called Christians. In the early days, they were frequently called followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9; 19:23; 24:14; 24:22). Sometimes they were called Nazarenes (Acts 24:5). Other general terms appeared as well, such as “disciples” (Acts 6:1), “saints” (Acts 9:13), and “believers” (Acts 2:44). But Christian is the name that stuck, and the religion that they keep is therefore Christianity.

3) Christianity comes from God.

When Adam and Eve fell, God promised to send a seed to crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). This was the first time in the Bible that God promised a Messiah—someone who would come to save His people from their sins. So, the idea Christianity represents—God redeeming a people for Himself—is as old as the world. But going even further back, Paul tells the Ephesians that God chose them “before the foundation of the world, that [they] should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph. 1:4). So, while the name Christian may have appeared at Antioch during the first century, nevertheless, Christianity points to the redemptive work of God that He purposed from before the world was created. That is to say, its origin is divine, and the unfolding of God’s plan is as old as eternity. ¹

When was the last time you were afraid? Really afraid? For many of us, that is harder to answer than it should be. We reach back and find childhood: a dark room, the dog next door, the bully waiting at the bus stop. As adults, we may no longer catch ourselves trembling. We are not scared, we tell ourselves, because scared is a child’s word, and we have not been children for a long time. So, we conclude that fear is mostly behind us.

It is not. We have simply stopped recognizing it. Fear grew up when we did. It traded the racing heart for something quieter and far harder to see, and it learned to wear respectable clothes. The man who is afraid of poverty does not walk around frightened. He is careful. He is responsible. He keeps a tight grip on what he has and calls it stewardship, and he would be genuinely surprised to hear the word fear attached to any of it. Likewise, the woman who fears being thought poorly of does not feel afraid. She is simply attentive to what people need, agreeable, and quick to smooth things over. In both of these cases, fear has stopped being a feeling and has become a posture they live from. It is closer to who they are than to anything they consciously think.

This is why fear is so hard to name on demand. Ask a man what he is afraid of, and he draws a blank, because the thing he fears most no longer registers as fear. It registers as prudence, as personality, and as common sense. It surfaces only in behavior, in the loss he cannot calmly contemplate, the threat that makes him overreact, the thing he protects without ever deciding to. Often, the people around him can see it before he can. His wife could name it. He cannot.

The disciples could not either. The storm had swallowed the light, the water was already in the boat, and the Man who had told them to cross the sea was asleep on a cushion in the stern. They woke Him with an accusation dressed as a question: “Do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). They were afraid, but they did not experience it as a failure of faith. They experienced it as an accurate read of the situation. Their fear felt like sober judgment. So, it was a strange thing for Jesus to still the wind and then turn the question back on them: “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40).

Jesus was not addressing the storm. He was addressing what the storm had exposed. Their fear revealed where their confidence rested: They trusted the wind to destroy them more than they trusted the One who made the wind. That is what fear does before it is anything else. It reveals what we love and what we trust. It marks the place where we have set our security on something that can be taken from us. The storm does not create the idol. It only drags it into the light.

This is also why trying to feel braver never works for long. You cannot calm a fear without dealing with the love underneath it, and you cannot reorder your loves by willpower. So, the question is not how to feel less afraid. It is about what you are afraid of and whether it is the right thing to fear.

Scripture’s answer to fear might come as a surprise. It does not tell the fearful to stop fearing. It tells them to fear rightly: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7). When God prepares His people for a season of dread, He does not pretend their fears are imaginary. He says they are misdirected: “Do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread” (Isa. 8:12–13). A man who truly fears God has little fear leftover for anything else, because the One he reverences most cannot be threatened by the things that frightened him before. Reverence for God does not sit beside our other fears. It swallows them.

Here, the gospel turns terror into rest. The God we are called to fear is not a tyrant we must appease. He is the Father who feeds the birds and counts the hairs on your head. Jesus holds both halves together: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” And then, without pausing: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. . . Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:28, 29–31). The storm that terrifies you is not on the loose. It is in His hand.

I have been the man in the stern. There was a season when I was afraid of losing my job, though I would not have called it fear. I called it providing for my family. But underneath the long hours and the tight planning was a conviction that I never said out loud: The job was the provision, and I was the provider. So, when the work was threatened, it did not feel like a setback. It felt like the floor was giving way because I had built it myself and named it security. God carried me through that season. He did not carry me out of the battle. I am still relearning, in each new circumstance, that the floor was never mine to build and that the One who held my family then is holding them now. The fear still comes. It still arrives dressed as clarity. And I still have to preach myself back to the truth about who holds the water.

So, when was the last time you were afraid? Do not answer too quickly. Look instead at where you grip too tightly, what loss you cannot bear to imagine, and the place you defend without deciding to. Name it and ask what it reveals about where you have anchored your hope. Then preach the truth of the sparrow back to yourself: Not one falls apart from your Father. And then act. Move toward the thing you dread rather than away from it, not because you have worked up courage, but because the One who governs the storm has told you to fear not, and His Word is steadier than the sea. Faith is not the absence of fear. It is fear that has finally found its rightful object.

The claim that Christianity was turning the world upside down was originally made by Christianity’s enemies, not its friends. In Acts 17:6–7, we hear that a mob of Hellenistic Jews set the city of Thessalonica in an uproar, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also . . . acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” It is certainly true that the early Christians confessed Kyrios Christos (“Christ is Lord”) over against the claims of the Roman Empire that Kyrios Caesar (“Caesar is Lord”), but they did not set out to launch a political revolution. Far from trying to overthrow Caesar, the Apostles taught the early Christians to pray “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:2). In every case of turmoil recorded in the book of Acts in the towns where Paul was planting churches, it was caused by his opponents and not by the Christians. Christianity was not a revolutionary movement in that sense.

Moreover, it was not Christianity that was turning the world upside down, but rather God, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We call the second book that Luke wrote The Acts of the Apostles, but it would be more accurate to call it The Acts of the Risen Jesus Through the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:1–2). It is, after all, focused more on the work of the Spirit bringing the gospel to the nations than on the Apostles themselves, some of whom are barely mentioned on its pages. Moreover, there have been plenty of other times in church history when preachers have faithfully proclaimed the same truths the Apostles did without seeing anything like the same results. As a result, people sometimes try to re-create the form of the early church, as if doing so will automatically grant them the same outcomes. But God is sovereign not only over the dramatic growth of the church but also during those times when it seems to be stagnating or even shrinking. It is God who turns the world upside down through the gospel, whenever and wherever He pleases.

At the same time, we have to acknowledge that God did something rather remarkable in the growth of the early church as described in the book of Acts. In the space of half a century, Christianity grew from being a marginal Jewish sect into a religion with devotees around the entirety of the then-known world. How was that possible? The answer lies in the fundamental difference between Christianity and every other religion. Most religions offer a kind of wisdom or spiritual enlightenment that enables a person to live well, however that may be defined. They provide spiritual coaching that promises to help good people achieve a better life, either now or in eternity. Christianity, however, offers a message of hope that is rooted and grounded in what God has already done in Jesus Christ, not on what we must do for ourselves.

In his message to the Thessalonians, which stirred up such turmoil, Paul explained that “it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead,” and said, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ” (Acts 17:3). For Paul, the death of Christ was not simply a demonstration of love in its purest form (although it includes that). Rather, it was the necessary atonement offered by God so that sinful human beings could be made right with Him, not through their personal reformation but through the righteousness of another that is imputed to them. This offering was itself vindicated by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, whereby God acknowledged the full payment for the sins of all of God’s people. It is this consistent message of salvation through faith alone, in Christ alone, that Paul and the other Apostles preached wherever they went (see Eph 2:8–10; 1 John 1:9; 2:2; 1 Peter 1:3–5). Even though the Apostles knew that this message of a crucified Messiah would be offensive to both Jewish and Greek audiences, they continued to preach Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23–25), confident that the Spirit of God would use that preaching to bring men and women to faith in Him from every tribe, nation, and language group.

The good news for us is that the Spirit of the risen Christ is still sovereignly at work through His church, turning the world upside down one sinner at a time. In some places that work may be dramatic, recalling His work of the first century. In others, Christians may find themselves in a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10). The Spirit is still at work in those times and places too (Zech. 4:6), and we are to be faithful to our callings even when the harvest seems meager. God will bring in His whole harvest in due season, on the day when He will shake the heavens and the earth and truly turn everything upside down (Hag. 2:6), creating a new world for His saints to inhabit with Him forever.¹

Do you feel disoriented in our rapidly changing world?

Civilizations that once reflected Christian values now embrace secular ideas and challenge biblical truth. How did these changes happen, and how should the church respond?

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One of the great quests in the history of philosophy is investigation into the meaning and purpose of life. Philosophy seeks the purpose not only of human existence but also of animal existence, of flower existence, of the existence of rocks and of everything else. Philosophy is profoundly interested in questions of purpose and meaning.

But when we consider adverse events, this is the question that burns in everyone’s mind. Why did this happen? Particularly if one is a theist and especially a Christian theist, we ask the “why” question. “How could God allow this to happen?” or “Why, God, did this happen?” Christians do not allow for meaningless events to take place, because at the heart of the Christian worldview is the idea that everything in history has a purpose in the mind of almighty God. God is a purposive God; He is not chaotic. As Albert Einstein once remarked, God does not “play dice” with the universe.¹ For everything there is a purpose—including what we define as tragedies. Knowing this, however, we are still pressed to ask the “why” question.

If someone were to say to me: “Why did this happen? What was God’s purpose in all of this?” the only honest answer I could give would be, simply, “I don’t know.” I can’t read God’s mind. If you were to ask me, “Was God involved?” my answer, of course, would be yes. Because I’m committed to the Christian doctrine of providence, I’m convinced that God was involved in this act, that it was according to God’s purpose. But what His specific purpose was in this event, I do not know.

Let us turn our attention at least briefly to a discussion Jesus had with His disciples, recorded in the ninth chapter of the gospel of John. We read these words: “As [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man blind from birth” (John 9:1). Let’s stop right there for a moment. Let’s say that you are a mother. You carry your baby to term. You’re excited in anticipation of the birth of this child. But soon after the baby is born, you discover that he is blind. Few people would respond to such an experience with joy or would react to that experience as a visitation of divine blessing. In a word, the parents in their disappointment, in all probability, would see that event, at least for them and for their child, as a personal tragedy. Certainly people would be inclined to ask, “Why, God, did You let this happen?”

The disciples of Jesus met a blind person when he was an adult. They knew that he had been born blind, suffering total blindness for many years. If anything seems senseless, it is the experience of a man born blind. So the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2).

Jesus immediately recognized that the question posed to Him committed a logical fallacy, for which we have a technical name. It is the fallacy of the false dilemma, sometimes called the either/or fallacy. The fallacy is committed when a person reduces possibilities or options to two and only two, when in fact there may be more possibilities. In some situations, the possibilities can legitimately and rationally be reduced to two. For instance, either there is a God or there is not a God. There’s no third alternative. It’s one or the other. Either you are going to die or you are not going to die. But in this case, the disciples rushed to judgment and reduced the options to two when there was a third option that they hadn’t considered. So Jesus, when He heard the question stated this way, essentially answered by saying, “Neither.” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3).

This man had been born blind so many years before in order that, on this particular day, God’s kingdom could be manifested through his healing. God’s purpose here was to demonstrate who Jesus was. And to this day, two thousand years later, that blind man, who presumably is in heaven today and perhaps has been joined by his children and grandchildren, sits with them and talks about how God used his blindness to demonstrate the identity of Christ. He discovered that his tragic condition was by no means senseless. It had a divine purpose that has borne witness to Christ through all history.

Scottish Presbyterianism, with its robust theology, disciplined government by elders, and strict piety, would significantly influence America through the waves of Scots-Irish immigrants that became the backbone of the Revolutionary era. Descended from lowland Scots, the Ulster Scots had begun settlement in northern Ireland during the reign of James VI and I, eventually organizing themselves into presbyteries within the established Irish Anglican Church. The Scots-Irish were required to pay taxes to support the established church; only in America would they eventually be free to practice their Presbyterianism within the context of complete religious liberty.

The great American Presbyterian pioneer was Scots-Irish minister Francis Makemie (1657–1708), who was ordained in 1682 by the Irish Presbytery of Laggan and departed the next year for Maryland, responding to pleas for a Presbyterian clergyman. His early American years were spent in evangelistic work in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, where he established five congregations. Makemie's designation as the "Father of American Presbyterianism" is associated with his role in the founding of the first American presbytery in 1706 in Philadelphia.

One of the reasons American Presbyterians had organized themselves was a belief that joint effort could strengthen religious toleration. Under the 1689 Toleration Act of William and Mary, Makemie and other ministers had secured Dissenter licenses. Makemie's house had been designated as an authorized preaching point in Anglican-established Virginia, but he was arrested in New York by the governor, Lord Cornbury, for illegal preaching. He was jailed and eventually tried, but was acquitted in 1707. Makemie's exoneration was a notable milestone in the advancement of religious liberty in the colonies and made Presbyterians popular with Dissenters.

Within a decade of Makemie's trial, the massive immigration of Scots-Irish would commence. Beginning in 1717, a steady stream of Ulster Scots populated the Middle Colonies, particularly the frontier in western Pennsylvania. By the time of American independence, nearly five hundred thousand Scots-Irish had come to America. The Virginia and Carolina Piedmont areas were unoccupied before 1730, but Scots-Irish settlers coming down the "Great Philadelphia Wagon Road" began to populate the backcountry. By 1750, they had moved into the South Carolina Piedmont and north Georgia. Scottish Highlanders settled along the North Carolina seaboard and coastal areas of Georgia.

The most remarkable spiritual event to shape Scots-Irish colonists in the generation preceding the Revolutionary War was the revival known as the First Great Awakening. Many Presbyterians were keen supporters of revivalist preachers George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, who deepened American passion for freedom to worship God according to the dictates of one's conscience.

One fruit of the revival was renewed Christian piety, which many American clergy saw as central to God's blessing on the colonies. There were also millennial overtones to the Spirit's work as a sign of America's providential destiny. These elements helped create fertile soil for the American Revolution, and Presbyterian ministers utilized these themes as advocates for independence from Britain.

As Presbyterian churches in the South and Middle Colonies proliferated under the revival, the need for more clergy made a theological school imperative. Pro-revival Presbyterian ministers in 1747 received a charter to start the College of New Jersey for college studies and training ministers. Several prominent leaders served as president of the new college, including Jonathan Edwards. By the 1760s, the school needed a new president, and the trustees selected a Presbyterian minister from Scotland, John Witherspoon (1723–1794), to lead the fledgling school. In 1768, the Witherspoon family arrived in New Jersey.

The spirit of colonial America captured Witherspoon, who had embraced the vision of representative government. He became involved politically as he witnessed the oppression of the colonists by the British crown, believing their rights as Englishmen were being violated. In 1774, Witherspoon was part of the state convention in New Brunswick and soon was thrust headlong into the War for Independence.

His first political sermon, preached in May 1776, urged resistance to tyranny as obedience to God and encouraged listeners to trust in God to bring good out of evil. The published sermon was dedicated to John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress. The sermon drew praise for Witherspoon as a patriot, but British loyalists hated him, burning him in effigy. A member of the British Parliament exclaimed, "Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson."

When Presbyterians in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, got word about the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, they gathered at the Charlotte Courthouse in May 1775 and issued the Mecklenburg Declaration, proclaiming independence from Britain. Having learned the skills of using a musket in the backcountry against Indians, the Scots-Irish frontiersmen were adept fighters. The American forces that defeated the redcoats at Kings Mountain were predominately Scots-Irish, led by five colonels who were Presbyterian elders.

The Scots-Irish filled the ranks of General George Washington's army for the duration of the Revolutionary War. At Valley Forge, when many had deserted, the Scots-Irish remained, enduring the cold and hunger. During the war, a Hessian officer wrote home: "Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scotch Irish Presbyterian rebellion."

When the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, Witherspoon served as the only clergy delegate and signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Witherspoon also signed the Articles of Confederation (1778), helped ratify the Constitution (1787) as a member of the New Jersey convention, and served on the Board of War and Board of Foreign Affairs.

The College of New Jersey was a hotbed of patriotism during the war as numbers of students entered the Continental Army.

The War for Independence cost Witherspoon dearly; he lost two of his sons in battle. He was keenly aware of God's providence in the conflict and wrote several proclamations on behalf of Congress, calling on Americans to offer God thanksgiving for His mercy.

One of the fascinating questions associated with American representative government is the degree to which Presbyterian church government influenced the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Only Pennsylvania and New Jersey were represented at the convention by Presbyterians, and there is no record of any mention of Presbyterian structure by the delegates. There are certainly parallels in the structures, such as the people's right to choose their own representative leaders and the idea of confederation—union of presbyteries in a general assembly and individual states' union in a federal government. There are also significant ways that Presbyterianism differed from the American constitutional government with its executive, judicial and legislative branches, two distinct legislative houses, and a powerful executive office.

It is more probable that the greater Presbyterian inspiration upon American government came through Witherspoon's most prominent student, James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution" and fourth president of the United States. Madison studied at the College of New Jersey, even staying an extra year after graduation in 1771 to study Hebrew. Witherspoon had taught his students about balanced political structure where misuse of power may be corrected. Madison had apparently also imbibed from Witherspoon the old Calvinist doctrine of total depravity and man's natural inclination to vice and political corruption. Largely through Madison's influence as a chief architect of the U.S. Constitution, the genius of the American republican democracy would include a complex system of checks and balances, preventing political power from ever resting in the hands of a tyrannical few.

Witherspoon believed that the maintenance of civil and religious liberties demanded both public and private virtue. The people should choose godly magistrates who would encourage a virtuous stable society. Witherspoon was also a stout defender of freedom of conscience, stating, "Everyone should judge for himself in matters of religion." Madison was a key advocate of the Bill of Rights, including its enshrinement of religious freedom in the First Amendment.

When evaluating Witherspoon's influence upon the U.S. government, it only begins with Madison. In addition to his famous student who became president, Witherspoon's former pupils included a vice president, twelve members of the Continental Congress, five delegates to the Constitutional Convention, forty-nine U.S. representatives, twenty-eight senators, and three Supreme Court justices.

The Scottish Reformation was a rebellion established upon the deeply held conviction that practicing one's faith, according to conscience informed by Scripture, was an inalienable right. This became a founding principle of the United States government. When George Washington was elected president in 1789, the Presbyterian General Assembly sent him a congratulatory letter; Washington replied, reminding the Presbyterians, "All men within our territories are protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of their conscience."

In our time, when this liberty appears to be threatened again by politicians imposing policies that churches deem immoral, a good dose of the old Scots-Irish spirit may again be in order. Fighting for religious liberty is about as quintessentially Scottish and American as it gets. ¹

There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. —John Witherspoon

Two hundred and fifty years ago, news arrived in London that a long and protracted conflict with the American colonial possessions of Great Britain had culminated in a resolute declaration of independence. Horace Walpole, the prime minister, rose in Parliament to declare: “There is no use crying about it. Cousin America has eloped with a Presbyterian parson.” It was a sentiment shared with virtually all the royalists on both sides of the Atlantic.

From the beginning of the conflict, King George III had been convinced that the leading patriot leaders were Presbyterians (a term he loosely used to describe Reformed Congregationalists as well as Presbyterians). As early as 1774, he had quipped to Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson, “Are they not Presbyterians?” In truth, the king had every reason to suspect so.

The crown had struggled to suppress restive Reformed pastors and their congregants since the sixteenth century—with the Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Covenanters, and the Jacobites. The king and his advisors surmised that the Scots-Irish, already comprising a third of the population of the colonies and newly reinvigorated by the Great Awakening, were fomenting fresh troubles.

The king was advised by William Jones in 1776, “This has been a Presbyterian war from the beginning . . . and accordingly the first firing against the king’s troops was from a Massachusetts meeting house.” Likewise, Ambrose Serle, secretary to British General Howe in New York City, wrote to the British Secretary of State in 1776 telling him that the American Revolution was ultimately “a religious war.” Indeed, he asserted that the revolt would not and could not be sustained were it not for the Presbyterian ministers who “bred it.” He lamented the fact that almost every minister in America seemed to “double as a politician.” In November 1776, the Earl of Dartmouth was informed by one of his New York emissaries, “Presbyterianism is really at the bottom of this whole conspiracy, has supplied it with vigor, and will never rest, till something is decided on it.” A Hessian mercenary captain, enlisted by the British, told a correspondent in Wiesbaden, “Call this war, dearest friend, by whatsoever name you may, only call it not an American Revolution, it is nothing more nor less than an Irish-Scotch Presbyterian Rebellion.” A letter published in a London newspaper from a royalist in New York lamented, “Believe me, the Presbyterians have been the chief and principal instruments in all these flaming measures.” Serving in his ambassadorial role in London, Benjamin Franklin confirmed that the antipathy of the royalist was due to the fact that they believed the American Patriots were “Whigs and Presbyterians.”

These assumptions were not without warrant. Amidst the fervor of the Great Awakening—a series of revivals that occurred throughout the colonies in the period between 1720–1750—the pulpits of America were ablaze with both Reformed theology and the scriptural warrant for liberty. Second Corinthians 3:17 and Galatians 5:1 were favorite texts: “Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). “For freedom Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).

Because of the growing cultural relevance of personal faith due to the impact of the Great Awakening, there was an increased awareness of how important religious liberty was to advancing the cause of Christ. The great Reformed Baptist leader, Isaac Backus, emphasized that the gospel of grace could only take root in a culture that allowed for the freedom for it to be proclaimed. George Whitefield often warned that political liberty could never be compromised without risking the integrity of spiritual liberty as well. He foresaw the danger that a conflict between the colonies and Britain might pose to the ongoing work of the gospel. Speaking to a crowd in Portsmouth, Massachusetts, in 1764, he said:

I can’t in conscience leave the town without acquainting you with a secret. My heart bleeds for America. O poor New England! There is a deep-laid plot against both your civil and religious liberties, and they will be lost. Your golden days are at an end. You have nothing but trouble before you.

He would not live to see how prophetic his words were.

The “Presbyterian parson” whom Prime Minister Walpole accused of having “eloped” with “Cousin America” was John Witherspoon. He was the president of the College of New Jersey at Princeton, the first great Presbyterian institution of higher learning. Witherspoon, a prominent Scottish scholar-preacher, had dramatically developed and enlarged Princeton’s campus and academic program, adding French, history, international law, philosophy, and speech to course offerings, all in accord with a consistent Reformational worldview. He simultaneously furthered the growth of the Presbyterian Church in North America, launching an initiative that helped to plant dozens of new churches along the frontier as well as in those areas renewed by the revivals of the Great Awakening.

But he was also a strong advocate of freedom in the civic arena. When the colonies began to chafe against the petty tyrannies of Parliament, Witherspoon lent his considerable reputation to the cause of independence. He was a man of presence and of great energy. Only George Washington commanded more respect than he did. According to historian Jeffry Morrison:

There was no abler advocate for American independence, or better representative of the legacy of the Reformation’s theory of resistance in early America. Although something of a forgotten founder today, in fact Witherspoon was rightly called a colossus in his own day.

Indeed, John Adams confirmed that Witherspoon was “as high a Son of Liberty, as any Man in America.”

Of the 478 graduates he trained at Princeton, a large proportion rose to occupy high offices. Among these were twelve members of the Continental Congress, five delegates to the Constitutional Convention, a vice president, forty-nine members of the House of Representatives, twenty-eight senators, three Supreme Court justices, eight district judges, one Secretary of State, three attorneys general, and two foreign ministers. Twenty-six of Witherspoon’s graduates were state judges, seventeen were members of their state constitutional conventions, and fourteen were members of the state conventions that ratified the federal Constitution. In addition, four of Witherspoon’s pupils held presidential offices: three served as presidents of Congress under the Articles of Confederation—Thomas McKean, Elias Boudinot, and Thomas Mifflin—and one, James Madison, served as President of the United States under the Constitution.

A member of the Continental Congress himself (1776–1779, 1780–1782), Witherspoon signed the Declaration of Independence, helped to draft the Articles of Confederation and later the Bill of Rights, and was a delegate to the New Jersey convention of 1787 that ratified the Constitution. He was the only pastor, the only professor, the only college president to serve in any of those capacities. He served on at least 126 committees during his public service tenure and drafted the instructions to the American peace commissioners in France in 1781.

Just two months after he was first elected to the Continental Congress, he preached a sermon in the college chapel at Princeton. “The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men,” subsequently published in Philadelphia, caused a great stir across the restive American colonies. In the sermon, he made a strong biblical argument for the Declaration of Independence—and even a war for freedom, if necessary—based on the covenantal violations of king and Parliament as evidence of God’s providential dealings in this poor fallen world.

The sermon rested on foundations for a Reformational theology of resistance to tyranny that had been laid by Pierre Viret and John Knox in the sixteenth century and Samuel Rutherford and John Milton in the seventeenth century. It was predicated on the ideas of magistratal interpositionalism and covenantal jurisdictionalism—ideas that paved the way for the republicanism and federalism of the Founding Fathers.

The sermon was instrumental in convincing a large number of very reluctant patriots to see the issues of independence through the lens of covenantal obedience rather than through the lens of revolutionary fervor—a critical distinction. Indeed, it was the gravitas of Witherspoon’s leadership and vision that persuaded them that “Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.” In the end, Witherspoon’s theological argument won the day and independence was declared. The American patriots took up the cause of the Presbyterian rebellion and a great experiment in liberty was begun.

Who is your role model for the Christian life?

All of us learn by imitation. From our earliest days, we pattern our lives after the examples set before us. We absorb their habits and characteristics—both the good and the bad, as every parent knows too well.

Ligonier Ministries has created a new book filled with godly examples from redemptive history. Request Heroes of the Christian Faith, featuring teaching from Dr. R.C. Sproul, with your donation this month.

For me, faithful pastors and theologians are my heroes.

The Lord Jesus Christ has given these men to His church as gifts (Eph. 4:11–12). They are on the front lines of the gospel’s advance. He used faithful preachers to lead me away from the “seeker-sensitive” approach to church growth and toward a biblical understanding of how God works through His ordinary means of grace. The church grows as pastors proclaim the whole counsel of God, tearing down strongholds of unbelief and advancing the Great Commission (2 Cor. 10:4–6) by means of the Word, prayer, and the sacraments.

This is why I am as passionate as ever about the purpose of Ligonier Ministries: to spread trusted Bible teaching from gifted theologians for the health of the church. This passion drove Dr. Sproul. He looked up to faithful Christians throughout history who devoted their lives to the ministry of the Word, and he took joy in serving in that long line through the teaching fellowship he established at Ligonier.

The generous support of Ligonier’s donors is vital for strengthening the church. Following our founder’s example, friends such as you help lift up God’s glorious Word so that generations to come, and nations around the world, may love and serve the Lord.

The heart of Christian discipleship is learning to imitate our Savior. One way we do this is by patterning our lives after saints who have gone before us and believers who are ahead of us in their walk with the Lord. The Apostle Paul illustrated this pattern when he urged the Corinthians to “be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

It matters immensely who influences us and whose example we follow.

Today, many people—especially young people—model their lives after the wrong heroes. Influencers, athletes, and entertainers shape the popular imagination, yet their character typically does not drive anyone to Christ. Even within the church, many are led astray by false teaching and unbiblical ideas. Others grow complacent in the pursuit of holiness, aimless and without a guide.

God calls His people not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. We must instead seek to renew our minds by His Word and Spirit (Rom. 12:2). Helping Christians cultivate renewed minds is the objective of Ligonier’s Bible-teaching outreach as we exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hero and Champion of our salvation. He is our hope and our highest model for faithfulness.

Ligonier seeks to help Christians follow the Lord by building what we believe is the world’s greatest discipleship library—more than 30,000 theological resources from 800 teachers. This library preserves the rich heritage of God-honoring heroism in the historic Christian faith:

• The prophets and Apostles, whose costly obedience gave us Spirit-inspired Scripture;
• Courageous leaders like Athanasius and Martin Luther, who defended the truth;
• Great teachers like Augustine and John Calvin, who brought clarity to the church.

As R.C. said, “We need examples, not only in the Bible, but in church history, of people who were willing to stand against the whole world if necessary to be loyal and faithful to Christ.” Your support of Ligonier can help more people see the rich depths of historic Christianity and the courage it instills to live for God’s glory.

This month, we want to send you a new resource drawn from several of Dr. Sproul’s most well-known teaching series. Heroes of the Christian Faith is a book aiming to invigorate steadfast faith and godly conviction through the examples of twenty of the Lord’s servants, from Moses and Esther to Polycarp and Jonathan Edwards. Be among the first to receive the book with your donation.

The heroes in this book stood firm by God’s grace, yet they did not stand alone. Nor can Ligonier stand alone today. Your support is crucial as we begin this new budget year with a plan to expand outreach for the further proclamation of God’s Word.

Your prayers and financial generosity can help establish a pattern for Christian faithfulness by:

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• Equipping parents and teachers to model faithfulness for the next generation through the new digital Growing in God’s Word Bible curriculum and forthcoming translations;
• And edifying the global church by releasing new Christ-exalting teaching each week on Ligonier’s dedicated websites in the world’s top 20 languages.

Please pray especially for our largest-ever distribution of the Reformation Study Bible next month. In August, Lord willing, 35,000 church leaders across four African nations will receive study Bibles in three languages. These pastors are hungry for reliable resources to help them guide their congregations to know the Lord deeply and follow Him faithfully.

Outreaches like this would not be possible without Ligonier’s thoughtful donors. God works through real people—like you and me—to spread truth and further discipleship in His church.

Thank you for standing with Ligonier today by making a timely gift that expands the reach of trusted Bible teaching, helping more Christians stand firm in the truth and live for God’s glory alone.

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27–28)

In Mark 2:23–28, the Lord Jesus Christ cuts through the Pharisees’ legalism to recover what the Sabbath was always meant to be: a gift to man and a day belonging to its Lord.

1. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

The Sabbath was made for the benefit of man. If man lives, there is a need for Sabbath, which means “rest.” God made it as a creation ordinance along with labor. In the beginning, God created the universe, then man and woman, and then the Sabbath on the seventh day. He blessed it, made it holy, and rested on it Himself (Gen. 2:2–3). The fact that He gave man work to do shows that man also needed rest.

God created us to glorify and enjoy Him daily—every hour and forever. Beyond our daily worship in our homes and our vocations, the Lord has prescribed in His law a day for rest and worship. Nearly everyone follows a seven-day-week pattern. This is informed by the law of nature in us. If we work, then we should also rest. The Sabbath is a creation ordinance, just like work and marriage.

2. The law teaches that the Sabbath is to be remembered.

The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments, which summarize the moral law, and it is in the first table of the law. The first commandment shows that the object of worship is God alone. The second commandment reveals that the proper manner of worship is not by representation. The third commandment displays the subject of worship, the name of God. The fourth commandment points us to the time of worship.

The Sabbath law is not a matter of Christian liberty or adiaphora (something neither commanded nor forbidden by God); it is the law of God. Shall we worship any other god but God? No. Shall we take the name of the Lord in vain? No. Shall we ignore the Sabbath? No. Is the fourth commandment only ceremonial and so fulfilled by Christ so that it is no longer binding? No. While under the old covenant it was to be observed on the seventh day of the week, with the resurrection of Christ the Sabbath is to be observed on the first day of the week since His resurrection. Nevertheless, the principle to keep the Sabbath holy is part of the moral law of God and perpetually valid. Like the other nine commandments, it was engraved on the stone tablet by the finger of God (Ex. 31:18).

3. Jesus did not deny the Sabbath.

The Pharisees charged our Lord with laxity regarding the Sabbath. They accused Him of breaking the Sabbath (John 5:18). They said, “He does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16). Did Jesus respond to the Pharisees, “I’m sorry, but I don’t keep the Sabbath”? He could have told them that the Sabbath was no longer binding because He had fulfilled it. Instead, He simply took them back to the law, interpreting it accurately.

The Pharisees’ interpretation of what it meant to keep the Sabbath was flawed because it was inconsistent with the rest of Scripture. Jesus took them to what David did when he was hungry. The disciples of Jesus were not harvesting corn; they were in need and hungry. This is why they plucked the ears of grain to eat. The Pharisees’ interpretation also denied the purpose for which God made the Sabbath—it is for man. God made the law for the sake of safeguarding the best interest of His people and for His glory. The law shows us our sin. It is the mirror to expose guilt, and it is also the guardian of righteousness. This is all for the benefit of man.

Jesus kept the Sabbath. Where did the Sabbath day find Him, and what did it find Him doing? Was He in the field harvesting wheat? Or was He in Joseph’s workshop planing boards and fastening wood to make a table or a bed? Did He go with the disciples on a fishing expedition in Galilee? Was He taking scenic tours of the Mediterranean? Not at all. He was in the synagogue preaching the Word, doing good to distressed souls, healing them and destroying the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

4. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus determines and controls what happens on this day because He owns it. It is for His special use—holy to Him. He is “lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). The Lord Himself ordained the first day of the week as the day of rest and worship for the church. He did this by rising from the dead on the first day (Luke 24:1); by meeting with His disciples on the first day, prior to the ascension (John 20:19, 26); by coming to the church in the Holy Spirit on the first day (Pentecost was a Sunday); and by directing the Apostles and the Apostolic church to gather for worship on the first day (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1–2). The early church gathered on Sunday, the Christian Sabbath.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

“What is truth?” So asked Pontius Pilate to the man who had just declared that He came into the world “to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37–38). Far from a serious philosophical inquiry, Pilate’s rhetorical question reflected cynicism toward the very idea of truth. Nevertheless, the question itself is an important one that deserves careful reflection.

One thing is clear: the Bible places a high premium on truth. In both the Old and New Testaments, God’s people are enjoined to speak the truth (Ps. 15:2; Prov. 12:17; Zech. 8:16; Eph. 4:15, 25). The ninth commandment (Ex. 20:16) is expressly concerned with truthfulness, primarily in the context of a law court (Deut. 19:15–21) but also by extension in every sphere of life. As the rest of Scripture testifies, truth-telling is a moral duty, and honesty is a moral virtue. The pursuit of justice depends crucially on truthfulness, and thus the righteous are those who “love truth” (Zech. 8:16–19; see Amos 5:10). A sincere concern for truth should permeate our very thoughts (Phil. 4:8).

The primary words for “truth” in the Bible are emeth (Hebrew) and alētheia (Greek). Both can connote the accurate representation of facts (as in “tell the truth”) as well as the broader concepts of veracity, trustworthiness, sincerity, and authenticity. In more general terms, it can be helpful to distinguish between propositional and non-propositional senses of what it means for something to be “true.” The former applies to things such as beliefs and statements: a belief or statement is “true” if and only if it depicts things accurately or authentically. This propositional sense is particularly in view when it comes to testimony, whether human or divine (John 5:31–32; 21:24; Acts 10:42; 18:5; 20:23, 26; 26:25; 1 John 4:14; 5:6–12). In the non-propositional sense, things are “true” if they are genuine, trustworthy, or substantial (see Luke 16:11; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 9:24). The Apostle John is particularly fond of this usage, regularly using terms such as “true light,” “true worshipers,” “true bread,” “true food,” “true drink,” “true vine,” and “true God” in his writings. In this latter sense, “true” is often used to point beyond the transient physical realm to deeper spiritual realities (John 6:32, 55; Heb. 8:2).

For the Christian, truth is far more than a philosophical concept. It is deeply theological because it is intimately tied to the nature of God and His self-revelation. The Lord is both “the true God” (Jer. 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 John 5:20) and “the God of truth” (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16) who cannot speak falsely (Num. 23:19; Titus 1:2). Jesus Christ is “the only Son from the Father,” and thus He is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14)—indeed, He declares Himself to be the truth (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit, whom the Son sends as He returns to the Father, is “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6). Satan, in sharp contrast, is “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44–45).

Since God’s self-revelation necessarily reflects His character, the Word of God is entirely true. Indeed, it is not merely true (adjective) but truth (noun)—the implication being that God’s Word bears the very nature of truth (John 17:17; cf. Ps. 119:160; 2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:18). The essential truthfulness of God’s Word is bound up with its perfection and trustworthiness (2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 12:6; 18:30; Prov. 30:5; Rev. 21:5; 22:6).

But what exactly is truth? Philosophers have debated whether truth should be understood as some kind of relationship to reality. According to realism, the commonsense view, a belief or statement is true if it accurately depicts or represents the world as it really is. Realism predominated until the turn of the twentieth century, when varieties of anti-realism arose, often in pursuit of a more consistent outworking of atheism. Anti-realism is closely associated with postmodernist movements, according to which “truth” is a human social construction to be created rather than discovered. It is safe to say that the Bible assumes a realist view of truth, and the great creeds and confessions of the church were forged by Christians who would have been baffled by any other stance.

Besides the debate over realism, various theories of truth have been proposed. Correspondence theories maintain that truth is a relationship between beliefs and facts: a belief is true if it “matches up” with the way things actually are. Coherence theories hold that truth is more like an internal feature of a belief system: a belief is true if it meshes consistently with one’s other beliefs or ideas. Pragmatic theories propose that truth is a function of the consequences of beliefs: a belief is true if holding that belief “makes a difference” in some useful or desirable way.

Christians understandably gravitate toward a correspondence theory of truth, yet the other two approaches contain some important insights. Following the lead of Augustine, some Christian thinkers have suggested that truths are ultimately divine thoughts. It is not merely that whatever God believes is true; rather, truth simply is whatever God believes. If this is correct, then we can understand how truth will manifest not only correspondence with reality, but also internal coherence (because of the orderliness of God’s mind) and pragmatic usefulness (because God’s thoughts are always wise and effective). On this view, when we apprehend truth, we are “thinking God’s thoughts after him” in the deepest sense—a truly awe-inspiring thought.¹

We’ve all had moments of standing at the sink and wondering why we’re washing yet another load of dishes. The spinning of the hamster wheel is almost palpable. Created as eternal souls in physical bodies, we carry within us a tension between the tangible life of clothing and sustenance and the unseen things that meet our deepest needs as humans.

Generations of the church have often fallen off on one side or the other by elevating physical reality or denigrating it. But what if we reframed our vision to see God actually furthering His kingdom through the ordinary stuff of life?

The Mercies of Earth

God has seen fit to tether even the wisest and most intellectual men and women to earthly bodies with the usual requirements of food, air, exercise, and community. Esoteric theories of philosophers and dreamers have often met a timely end on the rocks of reality, demonstrating to all the watching world that the creature is not above his Creator (Rom. 9:20).

But our Father is never cruel. It is His wisdom that has ordained things in this way for the flourishing of His creatures and His children. He uses the sleepless nights of parents, the bills of counselors, and the marriages of pastors to remind us that none of us is above the very discipline we administer, the counsel we give, or the message we preach. We are all called to sit under the Word and to have its truth applied to our own lives.

Having coworkers with whom to share the gospel and church members with whom to build unity awakens us continually to our utter dependence on God’s grace. Something as simple as sweeping food from under the dining room table can reveal our hearts quite quickly: Am I cleaning up this mess out of a desperate desire for a clean house? Out of frustration because no one else has done it (like Martha in Luke 10:38–42)? Or am I doing this out of love for Jesus and a desire to serve Him in this painfully specific way He has given?

Our own skills, achievements, and even callings can veil areas of sin in our hearts, but the mundanity of life often uncovers these quite well. It’s much easier to do work for which we are regularly recognized or uniquely gifted and mistake personal pride for joy in serving Jesus than it is when we are vacuuming the car or addressing the hearts of siblings at war. Pride (and all other sins) takes what leeway we give it, but our heavenly Father loves us enough to use everyday means of killing toxins in our souls.

Much has been written about the value of the table in the life of the family and hospitality in the role of evangelism. On an even more basic level, the day in, day out care and nourishment of the family is a humble task that shapes the hearts of those within it just as much as the rhythm of their days. More than that, the constant, demanding, physical attention of providing for those under our care enables us to mirror the faithfulness and patience of God in the daily mercies He shows to His children—to us.

From Jesus’ discourse on the truly blessed in His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1–12), we learn that true life comes by dying to worldly definitions of honor. God issues His people a calling to cease pursuing recognition and fame because these things are passing away (1 John 2:15–17). The salvation freely offered to us through Christ’s death demands humility, and in few places are we given the opportunity to enter into this dying more clearly than in the home, where the meeting of spiritual, emotional, and physical needs is the great equalizer of backgrounds, skills, and accomplishments.

Quiet Spheres

If our home, neighborhood, and church are fields given to us to keep, the sowing and watering and tending is an agonizingly slow and tedious process. The way of the kingdom is having gospel conversations after church; it is laundry and conversations with our children; it is relationships with neighbors and sitting down across from the stranger.

The thing is, in the upside-down kingdom of God, jewels of endurance, patience, and faith are often refined in the quietest corners. Humble, out-of-the-way believers at your church might be the richest untapped source of spiritual encouragement to the body: a husband loving perseveringly in a difficult marriage; an adult child caring for a parent on hospice; a parent praying perseveringly for wayward children.

This cultural moment has conditioned us to want tangible rewards. But raising children, loving our spouses, and serving our local church—none of these provide a linear view of progress or accomplishment. Yet God has promised that He is doing His eternal work in and through us (Phil. 2:12–13). The unrecognized spheres in which we serve are perhaps the most important, for here are the front lines of service, of sanctification, and of the work God is doing to raise up generations to His name and glory. In 1 Corinthians 3:5–9, Paul writes:

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. . . For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Lived Truths

Cutting through our theological training, professional awards, or prodigious reading list, the ordinary demands of life reveal the heart that lies underneath. As we take up the figurative towel to wash one another’s feet, we follow in the footsteps of the Son of God, who laid down glory and rights to serve fallen humanity (Phil. 2:3–8). Should we not joyfully take up the most menial tasks in service to this Master?

Rather than letting resentment build at inconveniences, interruptions, and trivial things that delay our plans or fill our days, let us see these things as opportunities to demonstrate the grace we celebrate with our mouths each Sunday. May the truths we confess, sing, read, and pray work their way into every detail of our lives so that, even in the unseen moments, we might demonstrate His greatness, not our worthiness.

Noah stands at a watershed moment in history (2 Peter 3:5–7). In doing so, he serves as an Old Testament type of Christ.

His name sounds like the Hebrew word for “rest” (nuah), which is fitting because of the “eternal-sabbath-typifying rest” into which Noah ushers his family both as he enters the ark and enters the post-flood world.¹ However, his name is chiefly connected to the Hebrew word for “relief” (naham) by the oracle spoken by his father: “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (Gen. 5:29).

Nevertheless, the conceptual overlap between both words creates a wordplay associating Noah and Adam: the “resting” (wayyannihehu) of Adam in the garden in Genesis 2:15 and the hopes pinned on Noah for “relief” (yenahamenu) from the toil-curse in Genesis 5:29.² In response to the curse foisted upon creation by the first Adam, one now arises who will begin the process of deliverance from this curse.

Several additional elements of the flood narrative present Noah as a new Adam:³

• Both are uniquely associated with the image of God (Gen. 1:26–28; 9:6).
• Both are given the creation mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 1:28; 9:1, 7).
• Both are parties in covenants with God (Hos. 6:7; Gen. 6:18; 9:9–17).
• Both “walk with God” (Gen. 3:8; 6:9).
• Both are associated with a sin involving “knowledge,” “nakedness,” and “covering” (Gen. 3:5, 7, 10, 21–22; 9:21–25).
• Both witness God’s coming in judgment (Gen. 3:8–19; 6:5–7, 13, 17; see also 1 Peter 3:20).
• Both beget warring “lines of seed” (Gen. 4; 9:25–27).

As a new Adam figure, Noah also becomes a type of Christ, the last Adam, who undoes what the first Adam did (1 Cor. 15:21, 45–49). Noah anticipates the coming of Christ in several ways.

On the one hand, his character and work anticipate Christ, who does these things in consummate and salvific fashion.⁴ For example:

• Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Gen. 6:8), as did Jesus in Luke 2:40, 52.
• Noah is called “righteous” (Gen. 6:9; Ezek. 14:14, 20), pointing us forward to Christ who was the truly and perfectly righteous One (1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 2:1), whose righteousness is ours by faith alone (1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9; 2 Peter 1:1).⁵
• Noah complied with God’s plan for the deliverance of his family (Gen. 6:22, 7:5; Heb. 11:7), pointing us forward to Christ who complied perfectly with the Father’s plan for the eternal salvation of His elect (John 4:34; 17:4).

On the other hand, the New Testament explicitly invokes Noah to highlight the greater things that come in Christ.

First, the New Testament says that Noah’s prophetic role finds fulfillment in Christ, the consummate prophet. First Peter 3:19 speaks of Christ going and proclaiming (kēryssō) to “the spirits in prison.” While this is a debated and much misunderstood event, what is clear is that it is a fulfillment of Noah’s ministry of proclaiming God’s patience in his own day, such that 2 Peter 2:5 uses the same language to describe Noah as “a herald [kēryx] of righteousness.”

Building the ark was a proclamation of God’s plan whereby Noah condemned those around him (Heb. 11:7). It was likely accompanied by a spoken appeal (though we are not told its content) urging repentance before God’s patience ran out and the typological judgment of the flood arrived. Yet Christ not only proclaimed the need to repent before the final judgment, He bore that judgment in His own body and grants repentance and faith to His own.

Second, the New Testament describes the flood as a type of the final judgment (1 Peter 3:18–20; 2 Peter 2:5; Matt. 24:37–38; Luke 17:26–27), with baptism likewise portraying salvation through judgment by means of this flood imagery (1 Peter 3:21; see also Mark 10:38–39; Luke 12:50). The flood wiped out the ungodly world of Noah’s day, picturing a final day when the world is judged by fire (2 Peter 3:7). Yet Christ bore that judgment so that those in Him pass through in safety, just as Noah and his family remained safe in the ark. (Moses also passed through death-threatening waters in an ark [tevah]. Genesis 6–9 and Exodus 2 are the only places this word for “ark” is used.)

While baptism threatens with the floodwaters of judgment those who would apostatize against His covenant,⁶ it marks off Christ’s own as those who have indeed passed through the judgment waters safely in the “ark” of His own person and work.

In January of 2023, air traffic in the United States was massively disrupted by a computer system failure, resulting in the redirection of thousands of flights. I was traveling to a conference with seminary students, and we were separated into two different groups during the reassignment for flights. Since I could only be on one flight, it would be several hours before I would know the whereabouts and well-being of an entire group of students under my charge. But one of the students in their number had served as a soldier in an elite military unit. I turned to him and said: “You are now on point; make sure they get to the conference. See you there.”

Elders Lead the Church Home

Christ has appointed leaders for His church and charged them to get His people home. These leaders are called elders. When the Apostle Paul gave his final charge to the elders of the church in Ephesus (Acts 20:17–35), he commended them to God and His Word, to the end that they would be built up to their inheritance in heaven along with all the saints (v. 32). The vision of Christ’s Apostle was that Christ’s holy people would get to the holy city (Eph. 5:25–27; 1:11; see also Rev. 21:1–27), and their elders would guide them there (Acts 20:1, 28; see also 1 Peter 5:12).

In the Old Testament, elders were leaders of tribes, men of wisdom who sat at the city gate and judged cases for God’s people. They were the “fathers” of the community. In the New Testament, we find that Christ’s Apostles instituted elders for the churches they planted and discipled (Acts 14:21–23; Titus 1:5) and acknowledged their crucial place in these congregations (Phil.1:1; 1 Tim. 3:1). These are the leaders the Scriptures exhort church members to respect and even obey as they do eternally important work, for which they are accountable to God (1 Thess. 5:12–13; Heb. 13:17).

Elders Lead Together

Elders are referred to by different titles in the New Testament, each of which identify distinct responsibilities of one group of men who lead the church together. Paul’s charge to the group from Ephesus identifies them as “elders” (Acts 20:17) and “overseers” (v. 28) and tells them to “shepherd” or “care for” (v. 28) God’s church. His instruction to Titus about church order demonstrates that the terms elder and overseer identify the same group of church leaders (Titus 1:5, 7; see also 1 Tim. 3:1; 5:17). The Apostle Peter also exhorts the elders to shepherd God’s flock as they exercise oversight (1 Peter 5:1–2).

First Timothy 5:17 shows us that, within this one group of leaders, there are two kinds of elders: those who govern and lead the church and those who are set apart and supported by the church to devote themselves to preaching and teaching while also leading with their fellow elders. These two kinds of elders are distinguished in some churches by the titles ruling elder and teaching elder, the latter of which is often called *pastor *or minister.

These various New Testament titles tell us that elders are to be men of spiritual maturity and wisdom to serve as examples and exercise sound judgment for God’s family. They are overseers because the Holy Spirit has entrusted them with the stewardship of Christ’s church, and they are shepherds who are to lead Christ’s flock to provision and protection within the green pastures of His will prescribed in His Word.

Elders Lead as Courageous Stewards

Elders always remain undershepherds of Christ Jesus. They will give an account to Him for how they lead His church (1 Peter 5:4; Heb. 13:17). This means they must lead like Christ and not like the world that rejects His lordship (Luke 22:24–27). Their motives and manners in leadership must evidence that they know they are stewards—not the Sovereign—of the churches entrusted to them (1 Peter 5:2–4).

Their calling is to give themselves for God’s people, not to gain all they can from God’s people (John 10:11; Acts 20:35). However, the servant mode of the elders’ leadership does not mean they should lack conviction. In fact, a primary way in which elders must be prepared to give themselves for God’s people is by getting between the flock and wolves who would lead Christ’s church astray through twisted doctrine (Acts 20:29–30). While Christ’s undershepherds are not to be quarrelers, they have been appointed to teach sound doctrine and correct false teaching (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24–26; Titus 1:9). The elder’s charge is to lead Christ’s church by building it up and protecting it through the clear and courageous ministry of God’s Word (Acts 20:31–32).

Elders Lead as Followers of Christ

In order to lead for Christ and like Christ, elders must walk with Christ. That is why the Apostle exhorted the Ephesian elders first to “pay careful attention to yourselves” (Acts 20:28, emphasis added). If his ministry is to be empowered by God’s Spirit and have integrity for God’s glory, an elder must be diligent to maintain vital personal communion with Christ and to continually mature in conformity to Christ’s character and commands. The Apostle who presented himself and his ministry as an example for elders (Acts 20:17–20, 35) depended on the power of Christ in him to execute his ministry effectively (Col. 1:28–29).

Elders who lead God’s people to their heavenly inheritance provide footprints of spiritual maturity for them to follow on the way (1 Tim. 4:12). May the head of the church continue to give to His church elders who take the Apostle’s charge to heart.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

It can be hard to be still in a world filled with responsibilities, distractions, and struggles.

Yet as Christians, it is vital that we maintain a consistent time of Bible study—to reorient our gaze heavenward and to deepen the roots of our faith.

Tabletalk magazine can help you establish this habit. Each month’s issue provides:

• Daily Bible studies guiding you passage by passage through God’s Word
• Themed articles to aid you in a focused study on theological topics
• A Bible-in-a-year reading program, helping you engage with all of Scripture
• And more

When you give today, you’ll receive one year of Tabletalk.

Your gift sends trustworthy Bible teaching throughout the world, enabling more Christians to know what they believe, why they believe it, how to live it, and how to share it.

Give today to receive a discipleship resource for your own home, and to continue spreading discipleship resources to the homes of Christians throughout the world.

This offer ends on June 30.

For the first time, Ligonier has released a nationwide Canadian survey. The State of Theology Canada reveals what people really believe about God. And the results are sobering:

66% of Canadian evangelicals agree with the statement, “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.”

This is no minor theological mistake. It shows a widespread confusion about the foundation of the Christian faith. If we fail to know who God is in His triune nature, we risk undermining the gospel itself.

Interestingly, most Canadian evangelicals surveyed (93%) affirm the statement, “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” These contradictory responses highlight a deep theological confusion among many in the church.

Yet Scripture is clear on this matter: The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force—He is the third person of the Trinity.

Download the Free Study Guide

These survey results are serious, and they warrant serious discussion. Gather a group and download the free digital study guide for The State of Theology Canada. Each section includes discussion questions and biblical insight to guide your conversation.

More Resources on the Holy Spirit

R.C. Sproul founded Ligonier to help Christians know who God is and who they are. Here are several resources from Ligonier addressing the Bible’s teaching on the Holy Spirit.

• Who Is the Holy Spirit? booklet by R.C. Sproul
• Everyone’s a Theologian, book by R.C. Sproul
• The Holy Spirit, guide from Ligonier Ministries
• “What Is the Procession of the Holy Spirit?” article by Robert Letham
• “Another Helper,” episode of Things Unseen

Right theology shapes our minds and directs our lives. The more we know God, the more opportunities we have to grow in our walk with Him.

Ligonier Connect provides an online space for Christians to dive deeper into biblical truth through an ever-expanding library of interactive video courses.

For a limited time only, save 30% on your first three months of Ligonier Connect when you use the promo code THEOLOGY26.

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• Theology for All I: God
  Before we can know ourselves, we first need to know God. In this course, the first of four parts, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson introduces the study of theology proper, showing the importance of the core doctrines of the Christian faith for everyday life.

• Basic Training The Apostles’ Creed is much more than an antiquated formula: It is a monumental affirmation of what it means to be a Christian. In this course, Dr. R.C. Sproul teaches through the creed to give a concise explanation of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity.

• Reformation Truths
  In this course, Dr. Michael Reeves examines key Reformation ideas in light of the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics so that believers can think with clarity about the central truths of the Reformation.

• Signed, Sealed, Delivered: An Introduction to Covenant Theology From beginning to end, the Bible reveals God’s gracious plan of salvation. In this course, Dr. J.V. Fesko introduces the essential elements of Reformed covenant theology.

• Union with Christ Many Christians today suffer from an identity crisis. In this course, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson explores our Christian identity as people who are “in Christ,” revealing the glorious benefits and blessings of living in union with the Savior.

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Remember to use coupon code THEOLOGY26 at checkout to save 30% on your first three-month subscription to Ligonier Connect. This offer ends June 20.

What does it mean to be a Christian today? Teenagers hear many answers to this question—but are they the right answers?

If our children are to follow Christ in a confused world, it is vital that their faith rest on the right foundation. Not on the opinions of online influencers—or even the authority of their parents—but on the immovable foundation of God’s Word.

Join churches and youth groups on October 17, 2026, in Atlanta, GA, for Always Ready. This youth conference invites hundreds of Christians ages 12–18 to hear biblical teaching on the core truths of the Christian faith.

SESSIONS:

• Bigger Than You Think
• Why This Book?
• Who Am I?
• Why Am I Here?
• Panel Discussion: Faith in the Real World
• Panel Discussion: Unfazed in a Strange New World
• Q&A: Got Questions?

During this full day of biblical teaching and fellowship, we’ll explore who God is, why we can trust the Bible, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ shapes our whole lives.

Register today for $35, which includes a welcome bag, lunch, and admission to all sessions. A 20% discount is also available for groups of ten or more. Invite your youth group, family members, and friends to join you.

Time is running out to save on your registration for our 2026 Southern Ontario Conference, Thy Kingdom Come. The early-bird rate ends Saturday, June 13, so don’t delay. Register now and save 50% on the regular rate.

Join us on November 6–7 as we reflect on the profound significance of both Christ’s inaugurated rule in this present age and our hope in the consummation of His rule in the age to come.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

• The King and His Kingdom
• Preaching the Gospel
• Speaking the Truth in Love
• The World as God’s Mission Field
• Obedience and Rest
• The Kingdom to Come

We’ll also host a pastors’ pre-conference event, Standing Firm in the Truth, on November 6, 2026. This additional event invites pastors to reflect on Paul’s second letter to Timothy, offering guidance for ministers in Christ’s church as they seek to remain faithful to their calling.

PRE-CONFERENCE SESSIONS:

• Fan into Flame
• Guard the Deposit
• Endure Hardship
• Preach the Word

We hope you will join us for this time of mutual edification as we explore the biblical reality of God’s kingdom and the calling on every Christian to live under Christ’s lordship.

Register today to save before the early-bird rate ends on Saturday, June 13, at midnight ET.

Ligonier Ministries joins with Christians around the world in thanking God for the life and ministry of Rosemary Jensen (1929–2026).

As the founder of the Rafiki Foundation, Rosemary labored joyfully to provide education and Christian discipleship to children, pastors, and communities throughout Africa. Her work was marked by a settled conviction that the greatest need of every person is to know God’s Word.

This commitment to the truth and life-changing power of Scripture led to Rosemary’s decades-long friendship with R.C. Sproul and Ligonier.

In 2001, Rosemary joined us at the Ligonier National Conference to reflect on how God uses His Word to bring His people to faith, transform their lives, and send them out into faithful service. Later, she wrote an article for Ligonier reminding Christians to live with values fixed on eternity, deploying our gifts and talents to further God’s everlasting kingdom.

Dr. Sproul shared Rosemary’s desire to see the church anchored in sound theology, with pastors well equipped to proclaim God’s Word faithfully for generations to come. This shared vision brought about a now-global outreach, Study Bibles for the World, gifting the Reformation Study Bible to the church where the need is greatest and faithful Christian teaching is least available.

Rosemary wanted 100,000 people throughout Africa to receive study Bibles before she died. In the Lord’s great kindness, she lived to see her vision achieved, with more than 114,000 Reformation Study Bibles distributed throughout the continent as of the end of May 2026.

Ligonier’s chairman, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, shared these remarks following Rosemary’s death:

“By faith, Rosemary Jensen stopped the mouths of lions—at least metaphorically. She did so in her engaging way, making friends of many kinds and in many places to help her in her work of serving Christ. She was a clear-minded visionary seeking ways to encourage as many people as possible to study the Bible so they would know Jesus and grow stronger in faith. Unlike many visionaries, she was also a practical builder. She got things done at remarkable speed, whether producing Bible study materials for adults and children or building orphanages and schools where children could live, grow, and learn the Word of God.”

Chris Larson, Ligonier’s president, wrote this of Rosemary:

“I was brought into friendship with Rosemary because of her friendship with Dr. R.C. Sproul, a friendship that went back decades. Certainly, Rosemary cared deeply about missions, but never missions untethered from sound doctrine. She loved the church and wanted to see theologically faithful pastors strengthened, equipped, and encouraged to preach the Word of God with courage and conviction. She also cared deeply about the next generation of Christians, that they would be grounded in Scripture, formed by sound doctrine, and prepared to serve Christ faithfully in their own day. The Lord used Rosemary's faith to strengthen mine, and I praise God for her life and ministry.”

“God’s Word at Work.” Rafiki’s motto embodies the faithful testimony of Rosemary Jensen. Her confidence in Scripture and her devotion to serving others still bears fruit as God’s truth goes out to the nations.

Are you looking for a gift for Dad that can help deepen his knowledge of God’s Word and equip him for family discipleship?

This week only, receive steep discounts on more than 100 biblical discipleship resources—including select items available for as little as $1. Shop and save on a variety of books, teaching series, children’s titles, study Bibles, and more. Explore the collection.

Do you know someone looking for gift recommendations? Share this special sale with them. Don’t delay—this offer ends on Saturday, June 6. While supplies last.

Not sure what to get Dad? You can also purchase gift certificates to our online store ranging in value from $10 to $500.

Do our beliefs about God come from social media or Scripture? How do we learn who we are—by listening to influencers or to the inspired Word?

In a sea of swirling opinions, it’s vital that we build our faith on the Bible as our immovable foundation.

Join us in a city near you for an upcoming Always Ready event for Christians ages 12–18. Together, we’ll explore who God is, why we can trust the Bible, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ shapes our whole lives.

Save the date for an upcoming Always Ready event this fall:  

• Sanford, FL – September 19
• Santa Clarita, CA – October 10 
• Atlanta, GA – October 17

Group discounts are available—bring your youth group, young family members, and friends to one of our Always Ready events. Additional details for each event will be available soon.

Your support of Ligonier Ministries can help Christians take courage in our confused age.

Countless people are lost today. They wander through life without certainty and without hope. This confusion is not merely intellectual. It is profoundly spiritual. When we do not know who God is, we cannot rightly know who we are. Nor can we understand the world in which we live.

This is why theology matters.

For many years, Dr. R.C. Sproul reminded the church that everyone is a theologian. The question is not whether we think about God. The question is whether we think rightly about Him. Are our minds directed by the Word of God or by the spirit of the age? Are we guided by truth, or are we adrift in a sea of confusion?

R.C. understood that the church does not need less doctrine. The church needs doctrine that is clearly taught and faithfully applied. He believed that Christians require more than sentiment and passing inspiration. They must know God in all His holiness, sovereignty, and grace. Only the truth of God declared in all its fullness can lay the foundation for a faithful life.

This conviction has guided Ligonier from the beginning. I believe it is the conviction that our ministry supporters share. As Ligonier’s chairman, let me invite you to help people find direction in a disoriented world through trusted Christian teaching. Now, as this budget year draws to a close, your support by June 30 can accelerate the truth to more people.

As I reflect on the history of the church, I am reminded that in many periods of great confusion, God has raised up faithful witnesses to proclaim His truth. During the Protestant Reformation, the church found courageous leaders who defended the gospel of justification by faith alone. Later, as theological liberalism threatened the church, God raised up faithful teachers who would once again point His people to the authority of His Word.

In our day, the need is no less urgent. Many Christians are unprepared to answer the pressures of our culture. The rising generation is burdened by anxiety in a clamoring world. Pastors around the globe lack the training and materials they need to shepherd their people effectively.

Yet we are not discouraged, because the truth of God has not changed. The Lord Jesus Christ is still building His church (Matt. 16:18). The Word of God is still living and active (Heb. 4:12). And we continue to see God mercifully using the trusted Bible teaching of Ligonier to give courage and clarity to His people.

Driven by Dr. Sproul’s conviction that everyone is a theologian, the scope of Ligonier’s discipleship outreach extends to everyone. Today, Christians around the world are discovering the joy of theological learning and are finding security in the truth.

I often marvel at the global opportunities that God has provided for Ligonier to serve His church. R.C. planned for this teaching fellowship to have a worldwide impact on Christian discipleship, and these plans have borne extraordinary success. In the years since our founder went to be with the Lord, Ligonier’s ministry budget has doubled, while the reach of our Bible teaching has multiplied five times over.

Ligonier is not shrinking back. We are building momentum. By God’s grace, we seek to proclaim the whole counsel of God to the whole world.

This kingdom work is made possible through the prayers and generosity of friends who want to see R.C.’s vision realized. As Ligonier prepares to begin a new budget year, your support by June 30 has a direct influence on preparations for the next twelve months of outreach.

Your gift today can help:

• Accelerate the production of teaching resources and hold additional in-person training events so more Christians can defend their faith;
• Enhance the free Ligonier app and other digital platforms to give God’s people constant access to His Word in a confused world;
• Amplify the ministry of 500,000 pastors around the world by equipping them with the Reformation Study Bible;
• Strengthen the global church by translating a deep theological library into the world’s 20 most-spoken languages.

There are many worthwhile causes to support. Yet this one bears eternal significance as you help more people know the true and living God.

Even now, more doors for service are opening than Ligonier can presently enter. The same God who has blessed this ministry in the past is actively at work today. In His service, let us press forward together so more lives may be transformed in the knowledge of God.

Thank you for standing with Ligonier to proclaim the holiness of God to people of every age, in every stage of the Christian life, and in every nation.

What do Canadians really believe about God, the Bible, and salvation?

For the first time ever, Ligonier Ministries Canada and Lifeway Research have partnered to find out.

The State of Theology survey takes Canada’s theological temperature, revealing what people actually believe—both outside and inside the church.

The results are now in, and they’re sobering.

Many Canadian evangelicals affirm the authority of Scripture. Yet at the same time, widespread confusion is evident in the church:

• Nearly three out of four believe that people are born innocent in God’s eyes.
• Two-thirds think of the Holy Spirit as a force rather than a personal being.
• Almost half believe that Jesus was just a great teacher—but not God.

Time to Recover the Essentials

Decline is not inevitable, and confusion is not our only option. While these survey results are sobering, they show why clear, faithful Bible teaching is needed now more than ever.

Ligonier Ministries Canada exists to support the church in helping to reverse these problematic trends by equipping Christians with trusted theological materials. To that end, we hope The State of Theology can equip you with insights for discipleship in your community.

Respond to the Results: Free Study Guide

Gather a group from your church or community to discuss the significance of these results from the State of Theology Canada survey with the free digital study guide, found at the bottom of the webpage. Each section includes discussion questions and biblical insights to guide your conversations.

Engage with the Canadian State of Theology Survey:

• View key findings.
• Explore complete survey results.
• Take The State of Theology survey to compare your responses.
• Create a private group survey for friends or members of your church.

R.C. Sproul established Ligonier Ministries’ Military Chaplain Outreach to provide a spiritual supply line for servicemen and women around the world. Today, your donation can help men and women in the military to know God and His Word.

The support of friends like you has provided tens of thousands of books, Reformation Study Bibles, video teaching series, and issues of Tabletalk magazine to soldiers. And yet, we’re hearing from new chaplains each month asking for even more resources.

Your donation today can help meet the growing demand for trusted teaching, equipping military chaplains to serve the soldiers under their care. Your gift helps provide chaplains with custom care packages that include:

• Edifying Christian books
• The Reformation Study Bible
• Video teaching series
• Issues of Tabletalk magazine

Support the Troops

We seek to raise $50,000 to help fund our Military Chaplain Outreach for the next year. Your donation today helps ensure that each military chaplain can receive the discipleship resources they need to minister to the soldiers under their care.

By God’s grace, your gift of $25, $50, or $100 can help transform lives, equipping soldiers to know God and His Word.

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.