Ligonier Ministries

When should I leave a church?

SPROUL: Along with the question of when should you leave the church, another thing I would say is that there are times when you may leave the church where it’s not absolutely necessary to leave the church, and there are …Read More

What does it mean to be “in Christ”?

LAWSON: To be in Christ, first of all, means that we have a saving relationship with Christ and are brought into union and communion with Him in such a way that, as we are in Christ, what is true of …Read More

Can a Christian fall into deep sin, die, and still be saved?

We are not the final arbiters of anyone’s final destiny. To me, that is a supremely important thing to grasp. We have relatively poor measures to understand all that God does in the lives of people who sin, and there …Read More

Can praying to Mary or the saints keep a professing Christian out of heaven?

SPROUL: It’s a gross act of idolatry to be praying to Mary and to the saints. That is a very serious matter. I think there are thousands—perhaps millions—of people within the Roman Catholic Church who really are trusting in Christ …Read More

Is it ever permissible for a Christian to refuse medical treatment?

This is a question that comes up all the time in the field of Christian ethics. One of the problems we have in dealing with all of these modern, heretofore unthinkable advances in technological medicine is that all the other …Read More

Since no one seeks after God, why do so many unconverted people come to church?

LAWSON: In a lot of churches, I think people are going to be entertained, or they are going to make relationships, or they are going out of religiosity. They are going not for God, but for what God would provide …Read More

Can our prayers change God’s will? If not, why pray?

SPROUL: To ask that question is to answer it. What could I possibly say to God that would change His mind? Would I give Him information that He didn’t have before I talked to Him? Could I give Him counsel …Read More

If Jesus was born of “the substance” of the Virgin Mary, how was He without original sin?

SPROUL: When we talk about Jesus receiving “the substance” from His mother, the Virgin Mary, we’re talking about His human nature. Because we’re talking about His deriving His human nature from His mother, you would think that human nature would …Read More

When John identifies Jesus as “the Logos,” is he referring to the Logos in Greek philosophy?

I think John is writing intentionally to communicate with Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, he knows that as he begins his gospel and says, “In the beginning,” all the Jews will sit up and think, “We’re back in Genesis.” Then he’ll …Read More

What does it mean to be “called” in the New Testament?

The New Testament uses the word “to call” in more than one way. We can distinguish among three different ways in which we speak of divine calling. There is the idea of “a calling” we have that is a vocation, …Read More

In John 4:23, what does it mean to worship God “in spirit”?

In the context of John 4:23, it probably does mean worshiping in the power of the Holy Spirit. It would take a long time to explain fully what that means, but Jesus is looking forward to the fulfillment of His …Read More

Does the Old Testament teach the doctrines of grace?

In Exodus 33 and 34, Moses says, “Show me your glory” (which is the title of a book I have coming out). Then, God descends in a cloud, and God Himself preaches to Moses. He preaches His own glory to …Read More

When God created the world, did He know it would be corrupted by sin?

Not only did He know it, but He ordained it. God, in His infinite wisdom and His sovereignty, that is, His absolute authority over all things, wills everything that comes to pass in history. He doesn’t do it in a …Read More

Was the Lord’s Day Sabbath revoked by Jesus?

THOMAS: “No” would be my answer. In Sinclair Ferguson’s fairly recent book on sanctification, I believe there is an appendix on this very issue, which I would certainly recommend. I think that Jesus put His imprimatur on the principle of …Read More

What is the fruit of repentance?

The fruit of repentance is a changed life. It is a turning away from something and a turning to something. It’s a change—a change of direction; a change of desire. It’s a turning away from a life pursuit of sin, …Read More