Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Praying Scripturally

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 9
“Praying Scripturally”
First Published: March 13, 1997

Just prior to the Missions Conference, we had been reflecting on prayer and, in particular, prayer for those in ministry. I would like to return to that subject again and focus on some of the problems and potentials in our practice of prayer.

Few of us, probably, are satisfied with our private, family, and corporate prayer habits. And surely we all recognize that the Church of our day, at least in our land, is weak in the way of prayer. We do not pray often. We do not pray with Scriptural proportion, nor does our prayer much reflect the language and thought of the Bible. We do not pray fervently. Some, perhaps, lack confidence in the efficacy of prayer. There are many roots to this problem, and hence many aspects to its solution, but I can think of no more significant component to changing our prayer habits for the better than learning to pray according to Scripture.

Resorting to a more Scriptural pattern of prayer may be a simple (but profound) answer to many problems in our practice of prayer. Praying Scripturally will teach us what prayer is, even while we do it. It will correct "shopping list" views of prayer which abound in the Christian community. It will begin to solve in our own minds the question of "unanswered prayer." It will remind us of just how much there is to pray about day by day. It will teach us of the extreme urgency of prayer. It will return proportion to prayers long on petition, but short on adoration, confession, and thanksgiving. It will instruct us how best to pray for ministers, missionaries, and one another. It will show us the proper way to approach God in prayer. It will remind us of the good things that God does for us (which we, more often than not, take for granted). It will remind us to always give thanks to God (which, paradoxically, is so important for our own assurance of His faithfulness in answering prayer). It will begin to engrave in our minds Biblical patterns of thought which can help immunize us from the enticing folly of the world's view of life. It will force us to rehearse the solemn warnings and precious promises of God (which will do eternal good to our souls). And it will move us from our inherent man-centeredness in prayer to a Biblical, God-centered way of praying.

Over the next few weeks we will look at biblical patterns for prayer, but for now there is a book which I heartily recommend as an aid to your renewal of Scriptural prayer in daily life. D.A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Baker Book House), a study of Paul’s prayers. It is perhaps the best book recently written on Scriptural prayer. A dear friend of mine, Dr. Mark Dever (Minister of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC), reported to me that when Professor Carson gave the lectures on prayer that eventually became this book to the Christian Union at Cambridge University, it made a profound and lasting effect on the students’ Christian walk.

May the Lord revive our hearts and make us a people of prayer.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Ambassadors for Christ

The Pastor’s Perspective

Vol. 30 Num. 8
“Ambassadors for Christ”

We have been deeply moved by the preaching of our esteemed brother Derek Thomas (a Professor and Dean at RTS) during the Missions Conference this past week [editor's note: this was originally published in February of 1997]. He has provided for us a clear, biblical vision of the call to, the meaning of, and the urgency of missions. Let us pause for a moment to reflect on some of the spiritual wisdom he imparted. Those of you who heard his messages will, no doubt, be stirred at their remembrance. Those of you who did not hear these great sermons will, no doubt, be motivated to get the tapes!

In his first Sunday morning exhortation (2 Corinthians 5:6-20), Professor Thomas reminded us that Christ has made us ambassadors (that’s what we are, not something that we choose to be at some point in our Christian experience!) and that our calling as ambassadors involves at least four things. First, he showed that the Ambassador makes it his aim to please Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:9). In other words, those who have been redeemed by Christ, willingly and joyfully live their lives for Him. Do we?

Second, we learned that the Ambassador sees it as his task to bring others to Christ (2 Cor. 5:11). Here we were challenged to view all life and relations from the standpoint of the judgment seat. Do we “see” unbelievers as human beings standing in the shadow of the eternal throne of judgment? Do we seek to persuade them in that light? And do we labor as those who live in the light of eternity and long to hear “Well, done” at the great assize?

Third, it was emphasized that the Ambassador derives his energy from Christ (2 Cor. 5:14). Many have tried to serve Christ in their own strength or for mistaken reasons. There have been some, for instance, who have labored for Christ because they thought “if I work enough for Him, maybe He will love me.” But this is wrong. Indeed, it is Jesus’ love for us that constrains us to serve, empowers us to serve, equips us to serve, and motivates us to serve. We serve, because He loves us. We are able to serve, because He strengthens us. Do we live from the base of His grace?

Fourth, we saw that the Ambassador builds the foundation of his life on Christ (2 Cor. 5:19). Our life with and service of God is based on Christ’s work of reconciliation. Through Christ’s atoning work, our alienation from God has been exchanged for friendship with God. Here Professor Thomas made a profound point that none of us should ever forget. He said: “The Gospel is not that ‘God has not counted our trespasses against us,’ but rather that ‘God has not counted our trespasses against us, but against Christ.’” In other words, the Gospel is not “God forgives,” but “God forgives, because ‘He spared not His own Son.’” This reminds us of the centrality (in the Gospel and in our lives) of the atoning work of Christ.

Many today preach that “God loves” is the essence of Christianity, but our lives are based on a foundation more glorious than this: “God so loved that He poured out His wrath on His own Son that we might be redeemed from wrath, alienation, and estrangement into an eternal fellowship with Him.” “How firm a foundation,” indeed.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan

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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Called to Missions

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 7
“Called to Missions”

We are now in the midst of our annual Missions Conference [editor's note: this was originally published in February of 1997]. What a blessing it is to hear God’s Word proclaimed with a view to building a missionary spirit in our hearts. As Henry Martyn once said “The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him the more intensely missionary we must become.” Last week, we said that missions “is the work of Christ through the Church to call all the peoples of the earth to Himself by repentance and faith, and to make them His disciples, and through baptism to incorporate them into His body (the Church).”

All Christians are called to this task, this purpose. We may not be called in the same way, to the same particular job, or to the same region of ministry, but --let us be clear about it-- we are called to be witnesses to Christ in the world. As it is said: “No Christian is outside our Lord’s last command.” Whether one is a faithful CPA or homemaker in Jackson, bearing witness to the truth, or a lifetime missionary to Brazil, we are all called to be witnesses.

During this week you will have been encouraged to become involved in the missionary activity of the church. No doubt, many of those addressing you will remind you that you can be involved by praying, giving, and going. This is true. But I want to be more specific.

Whenever God prepares to employ someone in His service, He changes that person (think of Saul/Paul). He creates a new heart (new character, new priorities, new desires) in that person, out of which all their activities naturally flow. Our involvement, then, in the activities of witness is a natural expression of our union with Christ. We are His and He is ours, and so we live and speak in light of that relationship. So, the first way we can become involved in missions is to remember who we are (what God has made us). We are witnesses, by definition. But what does this mean, practically, for our involvement in missions. Well, it means at least five things.

1. We are to be witnesses to the truth of the Gospel: it has radically changed our lives. Do we live in such a way that our neighbors can see that we believe the claims of Christ in His Scriptures really matter? Do we ever enter into conversation with them about spiritual things?

2. We are to be witnesses to the saving Lordship of Christ: He has redeemed us and rules over us. Can those who know us best see a difference in our lives? Does it show in our choices and priorities?

3. We are to be witnesses to the power of grace to sanctify: we now walk in the way of holiness. Are we good examples to our families and friends? Could we say to them “do as I do”?

4. We are to be witnesses to Christ in the midst of our community and culture: He has placed us here to be a living testimony to the Truth. Are we looking for ways to impact our culture, our business, our social circles, with the Gospel?

5. We are to be witnesses to Christ to our neighbors: in our love and integrity and informal speech we show forth the good news of salvation. Do we practice radical hospitality? Do we befriend those from “the wrong side of the tracks” for the sake of the Gospel? Do we seek the best interest of others, despite the personal cost? Do we reach out and welcome strangers at Church, and invite them into our homes?

Well then, that’s who we are: we are His witnesses. Every Christian is a witness to Christ (it is not an option, it is who we are!). And so, the only question is: “will I be a good witness or a bad one?” Dear ones, let us pray and let us give and let us go -- but let us be, ourselves, the witnesses that God has intended us to be.

Your fellow missionary,


Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Going to the Mission Field

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 6
“Going to the Mission Field”

This Sunday [editor's note: this was originally published in February of 1997] will mark the beginning of our Missions Conference. It is appropriate for us to ask the question “What is missions?” This may seem elementary, but even scholars of missions (called missiologists) remind us that it is helpful to reflect on the exact nature of our task before we throw ourselves into it.

Sometimes we hear folks say evangelism is bringing the gospel to people close at hand, while missions is bringing the gospel to those far away. This is not entirely incorrect, as long as we realize the evangelism, Biblically defined, is simply the presentation of the gospel (the good news of salvation through Christ) -- wherever and to whomever it is proclaimed! If we present the gospel to our next door neighbor, we are doing the work of an evangelist. If we share the gospel on the street in the Ukraine, we are doing the work of an evangelist. Sharing the gospel (evangelizing) is a basic responsibility of every Christian.

Every Christian is called to be a witness to Christ (Acts 1:8; 8:37). We are to bear witness to who Christ is, what He has done on our behalf, and to His Lordship over us, through our lives and our words. When we bear witness through our words we are “evangelizing.”
So, back to our question: “What is missions?” Missions is an important (indeed, an essential) aspect of the Church’s duty to be a witness to Christ, rooted way back in God’s covenant with Abraham (and before that in the counsels of eternity). The word mission comes from the Latin missio which means “a sending away.” Hence, a missionary is one sent by the call of God and by the authority of the Church to bear witness to Christ in place or culture away from his own people.

God has commanded not only that we be witnesses, but that we be witnesses to the very ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In God’s covenant with Abraham, He indicated that Abraham was to be a blessing to “all the families of the earth” (Genesis 12:3). In the fulfillment of the covenant of Abraham, Christ told his disciples that his message was to be preached to “all the nations” for a blessing (Matthew 28:19).

What then is missions? It is the work of Christ through the Church to call all the peoples of the earth to Himself by repentance and faith, and to make them His disciples, and through baptism to incorporate them into His body (the Church). What a privilege to be an instrument of the risen Lord to bring the light of eternal life to all peoples. Let us go then to the task. And if we cannot reach the mission fields on our feet, we can reach them on our knees.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan



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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Praying for the Preacher’s Boldness

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 5
“Praying for the Preacher’s Boldness”

Last week, we continued our look at Ephesians 6:19-20 where Paul details a list of seven prayer requests for preachers. We have now reviewed the first six of those seven directions: (1) Christians are to faithfully intercede for ministers; (2) Christians are to pray for their ministers’ consistency in heralding the word of God; (3) Christian are to pray for their ministers to be given a divine supply of truth; (4) Christians are to pray for the fear of God in their ministers; (5) Christians are to pray for their ministers to make known the mystery of the Gospel; (6) Christians are to pray for their ministers’ endurance under tribulation. This week we conclude with a look at the seventh request.

7. Christians are to pray for their ministers’ fearless declaration of the Gospel. Finally, Paul asks that we pray “that I would declare it fearlessly (boldly), as I should.” Here, we are reminded of the minister’s need for holy boldness. The preacher is speaking a message with eternal consequences. He must speak “as a dying man to dying men.” For this he needs spiritual boldness. So, if we want to intercede for our ministers, we would do well to implore God to make them fearless in proclamation.
In Edinburgh, Scotland on Saturday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 a small band of faithful church members/prayer warriors gathers in the church hall of Holyrood Abbey Church. There they intercede for the evangelical ministers and missionaries of their denomination supported by their church. Thus, if your are a minister of the Gospel and your name is on the prayer board of Holyrood Church, you know when you climb the pulpit steps next morning that you are not alone and you are not without the prayers of the saints. What a comfort to know the surrounding of the prayers of the saints.
Who knows what blessings the Lord will rain down if we seek His face in prayer for His servants: for the campus ministers who preach to our collegians, for the pastors that mount our pulpits, for the missionaries who preach the Word in far countries, for youth ministers who herald the gospel to our children, for the seminarians whose ministry is before them, for the seminary professors who are entrusted with crafting ministers of the Gospel. Let’s all determine to be in prayer for the all the ministers of the Church, and to pray for them biblically.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Continuing to Pray for Ministers

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 4
“Continuing to Pray for Ministers”

Last week, we began a look at Ephesians 6:19-20 where Paul details a list of seven prayer requests for preachers. We saw, first, that we are to faithfully intercede for ministers and, second, that we are to pray for their consistency in heralding the Word. This week we consider the next four directions (#3-6) for prayer that God sets down in that passage.

3. Christian are to pray for their ministers to be given a divine supply of truth. Note that Paul asks that we pray“that . . . words would be given to me.” It is not the word of man that saves, but the Word of God. We need men who will speak His Truth, not their opinions, if we expect to see the hand of God in revival. So we need to pray for God to put His Word in ministers’ mouths.
4. Christians are to pray for the fear of God in their ministers. Paul asks for petitions “that . . . I would make known with boldness the Gospel.” This may refer to him speaking boldly (a request he makes later), or it may point to his desire to preach the word in the fear of God (rather than man). That is, Paul wants to be conscious of the fact that God is his judge and audience when he preaches. What God thinks is what ultimately matters, not what men think. Whatever the case, we ought to pray that our ministers are God-fearers and not man-pleasers.
5. Christians are to pray for their ministers to make known the mystery of the Gospel. The flip side of this last prayer request is “that . . . I would make known the mystery of the Gospel.” In other words, Paul does not want to be sidetracked in his proclamation. He needs to get to the heart of the issue if he is going to get into the hearts of people. We, too, need to pray that preachers get to the essence of the Gospel every time they preach. The “mystery” (which means a “public secret” -- something that was once concealed that has now been revealed) is that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and that through his life, death, and resurrection He is the one and only Savior for the world (Jew and Gentile).
6. Christians are to pray for their ministers’ endurance under tribulation. Paul adds the comment“for which I am an ambassador in chains” This reminds us that every minister worth his salt is going to be tested. Paul was imprisoned, and eventually martyred. Luther was excommunicated and hunted. Rutherford was exiled. Whitefield was mocked. Show me a faithful minister and I’ll show you a man who knows tribulation: a man with a broken heart. This is the way God insures that you have a man with a tender heart to care for you in time of need. First, He breaks the heart of the shepherd. Then he calls the broken-hearted shepherd to tend His sheep. So, we need to pray that God’s men hold up under His divine discipline.
Well say more next week. Until then, may the Lord keep you all.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Prayer for Ministers

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 3
“Pray for Ministers”

Prayer is one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. Indeed, it is so important that we often talk about our “prayer life” as if it were a separate existence! Prayer is one of the three great means of grace (the Word and sacraments being the others of that triad). Most of us probably know more about prayer than we put in to practice. It is the doing that is difficult for us. But I am also convinced that one of the things that keeps us from praying is not knowing what to pray. Fortunately, God has not left us to our own devices and creativity here. The Bible is filled with instructions, specific instructions on what we ought to pray for one another.

For instance (if you will allow me to be a bit selfish for a moment), God tells us exactly what to pray for ministers. There are, of course, many legitimate things we can ask of God for them. But the Bible gives us some specific matters for prayer that we dare not ignore. When you pray for ministers, youth workers, campus ministers, missionaries, church planters, and seminarians, what do you ask? Well, in Ephesians 6:19-20 (and we could look at other passages), we find seven directions on what to pray. This week we’ll look at the first two directives.
1. Christians are to faithfully intercede for ministers. “Pray for me,” Paul says. He repeats this plea elsewhere:“I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf” Romans 15:30. This first point, of course, is that we ought to pray for ministers! Surely if the exalted Apostle needs prayer in his ministry, his lesser brethren need your intercessions as we fulfill our duties. We actually join the minister in the work of the Gospel when we pray for him (as Romans 15:30 indicates).
2. Christians are to pray for their ministers’ consistency in heralding the word of God. Paul says pray “that whenever I open my mouth words would be given to me.” It is the Gospel minister’s job to herald the truth “in season and out of season.” But we preachers are often tempted to unfaithfulness or perhaps we grow weary in well-doing, and so we need supporting prayer, even as Aaron and Hur supported Moses. Furthermore, Paul asks that we pray for him to speak the very words that the Lord would have him speak. Surely every minister would be the beneficiary of such a prayer.
How blessed is the minister whose congregation so prays for him. We’ll look at the next four directions in Ephesians 6:19-20 next week. Until then, God bless you all.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan



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Men of the Covenant

Dr. Sean Michael Lucas

Men, please join us for our Men of the covenant Luncheon on Thursday, November 5, in Miller Hall from 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Our speaker will be Dr. Sean Michael Lucas. Sean currently serves as the Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, MS. Sean is from Stratford, New Jersey. He graduated from Bob Jones University with a BA in Pastoral Studies in 1993 and a MA in Theology/Church History in 1994. Sean earned his PhD at Westminster Theological Seminary in 2002. Since 2004, Sean has served at Covenant Seminary. He has held a number of positions at the seminary including Dean of Faculty, Vice President of Academics, Chief Academic Officer and Associate Professor of Church History. While serving the seminary, he served as Assistant Pastor of Preaching at The Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St. Louis. Sean and his wife, Sarah, have four children, Samuel (12), Elizabeth (10), Andrew (8), and Benjamin (5).

Reservations are not required and the cost of lunch is $5.00 at the door. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Craft at 601-326-9243 or shannc@fpcjackson.org.
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: The Ground and Substance of all our Hopes

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 30 Num. 1
“The Ground and Substance of all our Hopes”

In the beginning of a new year, we often devote ourselves afresh to important principles and goals for our lives and families. We also look back, reflecting and reassessing the events of the year past: happy and sad, triumphant and tragic.

There will be many within our congregation for whom 1996 was filled with inexpressible grief. These may have been private griefs known to few (or none), but which have broken the heart, or public griefs, in which we found support in the midst of our losses and crosses from friends and family. Surely, these folk must be wondering what the future holds for them.

Others in our church family may recount the victories and blessings of 1996 among the sweetest in life: answered prayers for which we had never dreamt how wonderful God’s answer would be, the gift of children, or marriage, or meaningful vocation, or financial prosperity, or family love and tranquility. And those blessed, too, will be wondering: what next in God’s plan?

For most, however, 1996 was somewhere in between: filled with favors and difficulties, but neither the best nor the worst of times. Whatever our individual circumstances may be, all of us would do well to reconsider our Spiritual priorities in the dawn of this new year. And while we do so, we also do well to reevaluate our dependence on God’s grace.

Many years ago Robert Hawker said: “I am every day more and more convinced that the lack of living wholly upon Christ is the sole cause why so many of God’s children go lean from day to day.” In your prosperity or poverty are you going lean? Are you finding joy in the midst of hardship, because of the sense of Christ’s presence? Are you unimpressed with the best of the world’s treasures because your treasure is hid away in Christ? You see, one key to Spiritual growth is complete dependence on Christ.

If I may paraphrase some important counsel from Robert Hawker’s, The Poor Man’s Morning and Evening Portions (an excellent devotional book which I recommend to you all): The Christ of God is the whole of salvation in the Lord’s arrangement. Therefore, the believer who really and truly knows and accepts the Lord Jesus in this comprehensive way must be, in his or her growth in sanctification, completely dependant upon Christ for God’s glory and his or her own happiness. The source of our growth and felicity (that real and profound happiness and contentment that worldlings think they can find apart from God) is Christ. And so, as we purpose to grow in grace this year, we must purpose not trust in our feelings, nor our moral virtues, nor our holiness, nor our pious desires, nor even in our faith (which is but an instrument of grace, not the basis of it) but in Jesus the Christ. He is the ground and substance of all our hopes.

Yours devotedly,



Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Christ as Grace and Truth

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num. 15
“Christ as Grace and Truth”

This is a season full of sentiment, but the Christian’s sentiment should be fuller and deeper and richer than all others’ because it is based on a divine verity: the incarnation of our Lord. We would do well to meditate often on the Lord Jesus’ enfleshment and its significance for our salvation, and there is no better passage than John 1:14-18 to help us: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, ‘This was He of whom I said, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.”’ For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Here, are set out three great truths to encourage our hearts. First, the reality of the Incarnation is stressed. It really happened: the Word became flesh. The eternal Son of God took on human nature. Do we have a hard time believing it? Well, John says, there is proof. “We” witnessed His glory. That is, all the Apostles and eyewitnesses saw His glory show through. Furthermore, John the Baptist testified of Him. John saw and confessed Him too. Finally, we know He is true because “we” have received grace after grace through Him. As “we” (not only the Apostles, but all who are in Christ) have experienced the benefits of His person and work, the reality of the incarnation is confirmed.

Second, we learn here that the work of Jesus Christ was savingly effective. Notice that John explicitly identifies Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word (17). What does it mean that “Grace and truth have been realized” through Him? Grace means “saving favor” -- the saving favor of God. This favor is realized through (and only through) the person and work of Christ which bring to expression God’s eternal love and saving purposes. “Truth,” here, refers to the “reality” pointed to by all the Old Testament promises and prophecies. The Old Testament foreshadowed that reality, but in Christ it has been realized. John is saying: “In Christ, we have found saving favor with God and Christ is the reality to which the whole Old Testament pointed.

Third, we discover that the Word has explained the Father (18). It is a standing theological principle of Scripture that God is invisible, but John’s words mean more: No man knows God as He is in himself. However, the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ, is “the Only Begotten God” (notice this unapologetic testimony to the divinity of Christ) and He has revealed Him. In other words, if you want to know God, you must do so through Christ because He is the Father’s definitive revealer. As J.C. Ryle put many years ago: “Christ is the meeting-point between the Trinity and the sinner’s soul.”

May your Christmas meditations be filled with incarnational truth and blessings. Merry Christmas!

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: O Word of God Incarnate

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num. 14

In this season of the year, we often gather our families and read the beautiful accounts of Christ’s nativity found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. This is good, but we should not forget John. He, too, gives an important account of our Lord’s entrance into the world. True there are no shepherds or wise men or mangers in his account, but his words are chock full of glory and joy.

Remember the opening verses? “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:1-5).

As J.C. Ryle has reminded us “. . . there are heights and depths in [this passage] which are far beyond man’s understanding. And yet there are plain lessons in it which every Christian would do well to treasure up in his mind.” Permit me to point to five of these lessons for your edification.

First, note that we learn here that Jesus Christ is eternal (“In the beginning was the Word”). Jesus is here called “the Word” (John explicitly makes the connection in verses 14, 17-18). He was born into the world and born of Mary, but He pre-existed his human birth, and He pre-existed the world itself. Second, we find that Jesus Christ is a person distinct from the Father (“the Word was with God”). Hence, the Word (the preincarnate Son of God) is not only eternal, but also personal (a He not an it), and indeed He is alongside God the Father eternally.

Third, John boldly states that Jesus Christ is very God (“the Word was God”). This is a straightforward assertion of the deity of our Lord. No other estimation of Jesus will suffice. As Robert Lewis Dabney once said: “He who believes in the divinity of Jesus Christ is a Christian; he who does not, (whatever his profession), is a mere Deist.”

Fourth, Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things (“All things came into being through Him”). Not only is the Word eternally existent, not only is He personal, not only is He ascribed the name of God, but He is also the Creator (a task which every good Jew knew was performed by God alone).

Fifth, Jesus Christ is the source of all spiritual life (“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men”). John tells us that the Word, the Lord Jesus is the only Hope and Savior of the world because all life and light reside.

By the way, in a nutshell, we have here the rudiments of Scripture’s doctrine of the Trinity. That is, though there is but one true God, there is an eternal personal fellowship between the divine Word and God, the Word shares the name of God, and the Word does the works of God. Correlate with this passage the New Testament teachings on the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit, and you have the doctrine of the Trinity: one God in three Persons.

What a glorious passage on which to reflect in all seasons of the year. Ryle urged: “Would we know . . . the strength of a true Christian’s foundation for hope? Let us often read these first five verses of St John’s Gospel. Let us mark that the Saviour in whom the believer is bid to trust is nothing less than the eternal God. . . . In ourselves we are great sinners. But in Jesus Christ we have a great Saviour.” May you share this message this faithfully and may it be your everlasting comfort.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan


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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: More than Just Knowing

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num. 12

Last week we observed that saving faith involves a true knowledge. In other words, we must know certain truths in order to exercise saving faith. These truths are found in the Word of God and are part of true Gospel preaching. So, in order to embrace Christ in a saving relationship, we must also embrace the truth about Him (both about His Person and Work) revealed in the Holy Scriptures. By the way, the importance of catechizing our children becomes apparent when the above truth is grasped.

However, there is more to faith than knowledge, for saving faith also entails a FIRM BELIEF (Hebrews 11:6). That is, when confronted by the truth-claims of the Gospel, saving faith responds not with mere assent or acquiescence (The Bible tells us that the demons “assent” and tremble! - James 2:19), nor with apathetic acknowledgment (that bored yawn that says in the heart “so what?”), but with a firm and hearty conviction. Saving faith always involves a personal embrace of the truth of the Gospel. This conviction of saving truth means a whole-hearted commitment that confesses “I BELIEVE” both the facts of the Gospel and the Savior of the Gospel. In other words, I believe in Christ and His Word, and I believe in the Christ of the Word. The church has always recognized the essential importance of such a faith commitment, and that is one reason it composed creeds (from the Latin “credo” -- “I believe”) -- short summations of Biblical truth meant to be confessed by the church and its ministry
May I mention in passing the dangerous modern tendency to set belief in a Person and belief in truths in opposition to one another. We often hear evangelicals say “Christianity is a Person, not a doctrine.” This is precisely what the Liberals began teaching a century ago. And it is a soul killing lie. Saving faith is a personal relationship, true, but it is a relationship with a Person who is revealed to us in the Word of God alone. So if we are going to know Him, we are going to have to know Him as He has revealed Himself (and not on our own terms). Saving faith says both “I believe in you, Jesus” (Your Person -- who You are) and “I believe you, Jesus” (Your Word -- what You say)
Let me say in conclusion that GOD GIVES FAITH (Phil. 1:29; Eph. 2:8). It is true, we must believe, but we cannot do it on our own. We need the grace of God. There are two enemies of real faith: self-confidence and despair. Self-confidence assumes that faith is an almost effortless action -- anybody and everybody can do it. Despair fears that faith is impossible. Satan knows this and so he tempts us with two lies or half-truths. On the one hand, he persuades some to believe that faith is the easiest thing in the world. Thus they think that they can do it on their own. But in the end, they end up trusting themselves, or their faith, and not Christ. On the other hand, he persuades others that faith is the hardest thing in the world. Thus they never believe because it seems impossible. They are paralyzed by the fear that they might not be able to believe, and thus their fears become so many self-fulfilling prophecies.
The Bible unties this knot by reminding us that for us alone, by ourselves, on our own, faith is impossible, but that with God all things are possible! The Lord gives faith. The Lord enables our belief. This is the blessed truth of Scripture. The Bible teaches that saving faith is the fruit of divine election (Acts 13:48), the result of regeneration (I John 5:1) the effect of the Spirit’s work (I Cor. 12:3). It is the Father who enables us to come to Jesus (John 6:65) and Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). So the proper Biblical posture with regard to faith is always: “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

Yours joyfully,


Ligon Duncan

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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Faith and Knowledge

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num.11

Last week we noted that saving faith is much more than a momentary decision or something that we did in the past. In fact we saw that, according to the Bible, saving faith involves both acceptance of truth and personal trust. It is the instrument by which we lay hold of Christ in all His benefits.
We live in a day that is characterized by a preoccupation with our emotional responses to events (rather than the realities themselves), and with our perceptions (rather than the facts). In such a time as this, then, it is important for us to remember that FAITH ENTAILS A TRUE KNOWLEDGE.

We often hear people say “we believe in a person (Jesus), not in propositions.” But though it is true that the object of our faith is a Person (the Lord Jesus), we must know something about Him before we can have a saving relationship with Him. In other words, saving faith involves both trust and beliefs. Saving faith is not “contentless faith” or a faith without knowledge, nor is it “faith in faith” (“if I just believe enough it will come true” -- which is not Christian faith), nor “faith in ourselves” (“you just have to believe in yourself” -- which is pagan).

Our Lord Himself stressed that the truth makes us free (Luke 24:25, 45), so before we can have saving faith in a Person we must know some things about Him. This is why Paul says “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). A key part of faith’s knowledge is the realization of the love and mercy of God in Christ Jesus. That is, we must recognize that, in spite of the fact the we deserve to be condemned, God had manifested His readiness to save repentant sinners by giving His Son on our behalf. Only God’s grace can reveal this to a sinner.

The fact that saving faith involves a true knowledge reminds us of the importance of being good students of the Bible and Christian Doctrine. Saving faith is a faith which is instructed by the Word of God. Saving faith trusts in Christ as He is presented in the Gospel (not Christ according to our opinions). So, if we do not know the Book and its teachings, our faith will be deficient (or even empty).

We will continue our reflections on saving faith next week. In the meantime, let’s commit ourselves to attaining the true Biblical knowledge that fortifies faith.

Your friend,



Ligon Duncan

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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Faith in Christ

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num. 10

According to the Holy Scriptures, FAITH is the saving response to the gospel. We all speak and hear a great deal about faith. Still, there are many who don’t seem to know what “saving faith” means. But if faith is necessary for our salvation, then it is vital that we know what it is and what it involves. Indeed, according to the Bible “without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6).


In the New Testament, the Greek noun for “faith” means a person’s “conviction of the truth” (as in Acts 11:24; Rom. 3:28; Eph.2:8) or else refers to “the content of our belief” (as in Jude 3; Gal. 1:23; I Tim. 4:1). The Greek verb for the act of faith can emphasize “believing a thing to be true” (Matt 24:23), “accepting (acknowledging) a message from God’s messengers” (Acts 24:14), or “acknowledging Jesus to be the Messiah and trusting Him for salvation” (John 3:16).
A variety of word-pictures are employed in the New Testament to illustrate what it means for a person to have saving faith. Four of the most vivid examples are found in the Gospel of John. There, faith is described as “coming to Christ,” that is, turning from trust in self to trust in Christ (John 6:37). In John 6:51, faith is graphically depicted as “eating of Christ,” that is, gaining Spiritual nourishment from Christ. It is likened to “drinking of Christ” in John 4:14, that is, finding our Spiritual needs met in Christ. And our Lord speaks of it as “abiding in Christ” (John 15:5), that is, receiving our Strength from Him alone and finding our blessedness in fellowship with Him. It is evident from these passages that saving faith is much more than a momentary decision or something that we did in the past. Indeed, according to the Bible saving faith involves both acceptance of truth and personal trust. It is the instrument by which we lay hold of Christ in all His benefits.

We’ll continue exploring this theme next week. Until then, I trust that the Lord will find us all a people of faith.

Yours joyfully,



Ligon Duncan

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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Perspectives on Giving

The Pastor’s Perspective
Vol. 29 Num. 9

During our “Commitment Sunday” services, we looked at Biblical principles for Christian giving. As there are many folk still preparing to hand in their pledge cards for the 1997 Church budget, perhaps it would be good to review those principles here. We saw in our study of four New Testament passages at least nine principles for Christian giving.
1. Christians will give. Jesus said to his disciples, “when you give” not “if you give” (Matthew 6:2)! Hence, Christian giving is not optional, but rather essential. 2. Christians must give for the right motives. Jesus warned his disciples not to give for the sake of being admired by men. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them,” He said (Matthew 6:1). 3. Christians should remember that they are giving to the all-seeing Father. Jesus said “When you give to the poor . . . in secret; your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4). Our reward in giving comes from our heavenly father. 4. Christian giving is an act of worship. We see this in Paul’s word’s “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save” (1 Corinthians 16:2). In other words, Paul sees the taking up of the collection for the needy as an act of worship which is a part of the regular Lord’s Day worship. 5. Christian giving should be done in light of the incarnation. Paul reminds us “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our giving is to be inspired and instructed by Christ’s inexpressible gift. 6. Christian giving should be done readily and according to our means. Paul is quite clear on this: “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12). Put another way Paul is saying that you should give in proportion to what God has given you. He said it this way in 1 Corinthians 16:2 -- “each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper.” 7. The liberality of God’s blessings to us is connected to the liberality of our Christian giving. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” About this matter J.A. Beet once said: “They who in giving think, not how little they can give, as they would if self-enrichment were the aim, but of benefits to be conferred, will receive back on the same principle. As they do to others, so God will act to them.” 8. Christian giving must be willing giving, free giving. We learn this in 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion.” 9. Christian giving ought to be cheerful giving. As Paul says “God loves a cheerful giver.”
May the floodgates of your generosity be opened wide for the sake of the Gospel and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yours joyfully,



Ligon Duncan
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