Ligonier Ministries

What is the goal of reformation?

FERGUSON: Both in Calvin and in the Westminster Confession and its subordinate standards the answer to the first question, “What is our chief end?,” must be the same as to the question, “What is the goal of Reformation?”: “To glorify …Read More

How should the North American and global church pray for and serve each other?

LOPES: I think one of the ways that churches in the Global South can help the Western church is to remind them of the need to remain faithful to Scripture. I know there are exceptions, but as you look as …Read More

As one who is courting in college, to what extent does my parents’ authority extend?

I think it’s an interesting age, obviously, because I am very much involved with college students. They’re in the transition moment and, as we look at it, this is not the last time with an adolescent. This is really the …Read More

Is eternal punishment in hell fair?

The concept of eternal damnation is postulated on the basis that the crime that is committed by transitory human creatures is a crime against One who is infinite in His perfection. In fact, I’m saying that there is almost an …Read More

How do you define heresy?

It’s a great question because the word heresy sometimes is thrown around by people. Some people use the word heresy simply to mean any error or a fairly serious error in theology. But classically the word heresy was used to …Read More

Does the Bible say the Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday?

That’s a great question, and I love the implication of the question, namely, that the Sabbath did change. Part of the problem we face in our time is a lot of people think the Sabbath is entirely passé. One place …Read More

In this day when the gospel is considered offensive, how can I work without losing my job?

That’s a question you need to go and ask your pastor or minister really. That’s not the kind of question that can be answered just in a blanket way. But one of the things I would say to people is, …Read More

How do I counsel a Reformed mother who is married to a Roman Catholic?

I live in that world a lot, because Southern California has so many Hispanic people there, and it’s very common. And even some people from Asia, who have been raised as Catholics, we see a spouse coming to Christ, and …Read More

Why should I become a formal church member?

By however a church does it, and churches do it in different ways, what we are actually doing by becoming a formal member is saying “I’m committing myself to you. I’m committing myself to the Lord, and I’m committing myself …Read More

Do you have any advice for new ministers in the Bible Belt surrounded by charismatic influence?

The one thing I would say in a local church situation is to make sure your focus is on the person, ministry, and work of Christ. If folks really are the Lord’s sheep, Jesus assures us that they’ll hear His …Read More

Who is your favorite woman of the Reformation and why?

I suppose my favorite woman is Jeanne d’Albret who was the queen of Navarre and the mother of the man who became Henry IV of France. She was a very well-educated and learned woman. She was a very pious woman. …Read More

Are all Christians called to be missionaries and/or do the work of missionaries?

We’re all called to serve Jesus Christ. The word “missionary” just means somebody who is sent. And we’re all sent, we’re all drawn into Christ and we’re sent out by Christ to live in the world as witnesses to Christ. …Read More

Is it a sin not to pray?

We should always expand on these things a little bit. The Lord calls us to pray. There are many commands in the Scripture to pray. If we’re prayerless, it may reflect a kind of hyper-Calvinism that says, “God already knows …Read More

How is the exclusivity of Christ alone under attack in different cultural contexts?

De Chirico: The seal of the gospel that my city and my nation have received as the standard form of the gospel was a Rome-alone kind of gospel. In our twenty-first-century context it has been substituted with a mercy-alone gospel. …Read More

How do you explain the doctrine of election to an unbeliever?

The first thing I would say is that it is not the place to begin in talking to an unbeliever. The second thing is that since the reality of election is grasped only by faith, that’s what we really need …Read More