Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: The Elders We Need (Part two of Three)

Pastor’s Perspective
“The Elders We Need”
First Published: June 18, 2002

Last week in this column, we asked the question: “What kind of elders do we need?” And we said that this is a timely question, because of the imminent elder election, beginning on Sunday, June 30, 2002. We’ve already noted qualities to look for in potential elders: (1) they need to be men who want the work, not just the status of an elder, and (2) they need to be godly men – for character, godliness, holiness is God’s great qualification for an elder.

This week, we continue our review of the Bible’s qualifications for elders. A third thing is, we need elders who are able to teach, that is, who are able to convey God’s truth to disciples. The one gift qualification Paul lists, is that elders be able to teach He says in 1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be . . . able to teach.” Paul singles out but one responsibility: teaching. The elder must be able to teach. Titus 1:9 – “able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” He’s got to know Bible and doctrine well enough to explain and defend it. Isn’t it interesting, Paul does not require that they have first order leadership skills. He does not require that they come from a particular social or professional class. He does not require that they be men of prominence in the community. He requires that they be able to disciple. The only particular gift-abilities of an elder recorded by Paul are: (1) Able to teach (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; Tit. 1:9) and (2) Keeps hold of the deep truths (Tit. 1:7). That is, he is orthodox in his theology in order to both teach and defend the truth. The elder is a man focused on (three things) teaching the Faith, living the faith and shepherding the flock. It makes sense that a class of men called to disciple the church and the nations, would need to be able to teach. This doesn’t mean that every elder must be great behind a podium, but every elder does need to be competent for and good at some form of teaching. You want to elect elders who not only want to teach, but who are able to teach the faith.

Fourth, we need elders with godly homes and families, and who are aiming for godly homes and families. Paul says of the elder in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 “He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?).” Here Paul focuses upon what we might call family headship character qualities. He has already addressed marital fidelity, and now he adds that the elder is to be a “good manager of his own family” and that he “has obedient children.” This means that their overall behavior is a general gage of his maturity, attitude, values and parenting. As far as Paul is concerned, godliness in the church begins in the home. Discipleship in the church begins in the home. You want to elect elders whose home life and values accredit his fitness as a shepherd and reflect his commitment to Christian discipleship.

Fifth, we need elders who are spiritually mature and not recent converts (they are “old” in the faith, though not necessarily chronologically). Paul teaches us that elders must be mature in the faith, in view of the unique pressures and temptations they face, when he says “and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil,” in 1 Timothy 3:6. Now absolute time-frame is specified, but the principle is self-evident. A neophyte is uniquely susceptible to pride and should not be elected to this work. This requirement of Paul shows that doctrine and spiritual maturity must go hand in hand in the leadership of the church. You want to elect elders to whom you can confidently submit to their spiritual oversight, and that means mature men.

Well, we still have one more point to cover. We’ll get to it next week!

Your friend,

Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Elders We Need (Part 1 of 3)

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Elders we Need”
First Published: June 11, 2002

During last Sunday morning’s message, we asked the question: “What kind of elders do we need?” This is a timely question, especially since we will be electing elders, beginning on Sunday, June 30, 2002. Here is the answer that we derived from God’s word to the important question “What kind of elders do we need?” Perhaps you will want to pray through this list as you consider how to vote.

First, we need elders who want the work, not just the status of an elder. Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 3:1 that the work of the eldership (which is pastoral work) is a wonderful work to which to aspire, he says “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” Paul makes it abundantly clear here that an elder is fundamentally a pastor, a shepherd of souls! He calls him an overseer or bishop or shepherd. Paul is saying here that one who seeks the eldership, that is the pastoral office, desires to be engaged in what is emphatically a good thing. But note also that he that speaks of the eldership as a noble work or task, rather than a noble office. It is about service not status. So, you want to elect men who long to do the spiritual work of an elder, not just who aspire to the status. These will be men who love the Bible. They love Christ. They love the Gospel. They are men of prayer. They are enthusiastic about seeing people converted and helping Christians grow in grace, and they long to spiritually disciple the people of the congregation. They see the work of the elder as fundamentally the ministry of the Word and prayer, and they desire to devote themselves precisely to that.

Second, we need elders who are godly men. For character, godliness, holiness is God’s great qualification for an elder. In 1 Timothy 3:2-3, Paul says: “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.” Such an important work requires corresponding life and character, says Paul here. So, the qualifications of this office are not found in social standing or even extraordinary talents or intelligence, but rather in godly character. Paul lays out eleven character qualities (positive and negative) for an elder. He is: (1) above reproach – that is, he is free from scandalous sins and offensive habits that would lay him open to serious public criticism; (2) the husband of one wife – that is, a man marked by the strictest marital fidelity, his marriage is biblical, monogamous, and sexually pure, and he is not unbiblically divorced; (3) temperate – that is, sober-minded, possessed of a wakeful, alert, vigilant habit of mind, opposed to all sorts of excess; (4) prudent – that is, he has mastery over his natural reactions, he is self-controlled (see Titus 1:8); (5) respectable – that is, he lives a life that bears up under public scrutiny, (6) hospitable – hospitality is required of all Christians (Romans 12:13) but elders are to take the lead; (7) not addicted to much wine – that is, free from any enslavement to or fixation with alcohol, drugs, or other addictive stimulants; (8) not pugnacious – that is, he is not a violent man or given to quarreling; he is not quick tempered; this goes along with being temperate; (9) gentle – that is, he is meek and humble and thus able to elicit a response of trust, respect and affection from congregation members. (10) peaceable – that is, he is not quarrelsome in his pattern of speaking (so as to be able to gently instruct – see 2 Timothy 2:24ff); and (11) free from the love of money – that is, he has a mastery over his material appetites, he is storing his treasure in heaven, he is not trying to serve two masters, he is not a money lover or pursuer of dishonest gain. You want to elect men who are godly and who are very evidently pursuing holiness in their own lives.

Well, I have four more points from 1 Timothy 3:1-7 to cover. We’ll continue them next week.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: "Above All, Remember Your Creator"

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Above All, Remember Your Creator”
First Published: July 2, 2002

A few weeks ago, I saw this excellent article by Bill Smith, the Senior Minister of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama. It was written for graduates, and since many of ours are preparing to head off to school now, it is perhaps still timely.

“This is the time of year for graduation speeches. I have had the privilege of speaking to two graduating high school classes at Trinity Christian High School in Pittsburgh. I won't be giving a speech this year but I've been thinking about some things I might say if I were giving one. I might say:

1. Learn your manners now, if your mother did not teach them to you. Manners are not about stuffiness but about consideration and courtesy. We don't need our manners in every situation, but we should always have them available at our disposal. Be sure you know your table manners. Know how to address an envelope. Know how to behave at a funeral or wedding or job interview, or church. Know how to treat those older than you and those of the opposite sex. Manners will never hurt you, and they'll often help.

2. Learn how to dress. We are going through a time of increased informality in dress. I learned from a Tom Wolfe chapter that much of the "dress down" trend among adults began in the Silicon Valley where those highly intelligent and creative people saw no need for the conventions that characterized east coast businesses. But a part of growing up is knowing that certain types of dress appropriate for some occasions and places are not for others. Again, if your Mom and Dad did not teach you these things, learn them now. Know when to wear jeans or shorts, and when to wear casual sportswear, and when to wear "business casual," and when nothing less than a suit or dress will do. As with manners, dressing properly is a way of showing respect for other people, for occasions, and even for ourselves and our jobs.

Christians should have a concern not just for propriety but for modesty. By modesty I do not mean dressing in a manner deliberately out of style or prudish. Men can dress immodestly when they dress in an attention getting or shocking or extravagant ways. Women must be concerned for modesty in the sense of not dressing in sexually provocative ways. Some do this knowing full well what they are doing while others are naive. Here's a hint for young women: Ask your father and/or brother if what you wear would give him a problem if it were worn by another girl or woman.

3. Learn to write and speak the English language. As with manners and dress, you may violate the rules at times, but you should know at least that you are and better also why you are. When I use the word "ain't" and my spell check tells me that it is not correct, I already know that and I have decided that I want to use that word in that place for some affect. Continue to grow your vocabulary, not to show off, but to do a better job of making your point by using the best word. Get down the rules of standard grammar and punctuation. By all means, use the spell and grammar check, or, of all things, a dictionary or thesaurus (even in book form). And, yes, read books! Real books with covers and pages. Reading will not only help you with language, it will grow your mind and enlarge your world. Language is about communicating what is in one mind to other minds - clearly, accurately, as concisely as possible, and in as interesting a manner as one can. Language is at least as important as math.

4. Have confidence in the Western tradition. You will hear some "scholars" scoff at the relevance of the "old, dead, white guys" - at the things they thought and taught. You will hear about "new paradigms" of observing, thinking, and learning. Some will tell you that there is gender-specific or racial-specific "truth." Some will insist that multi-culturalism means more than understanding, appreciating and critiquing all cultures. They will insist that we must treat all cultures as equal and that we must jettison the whole concept of objective truth that we can seek and recognize when we find it.

But the Western tradition at its best is about studying and thinking and communicating in the confidence that "there is truth out there" to be discovered and passed on. It is about respecting (though not without criticism) the learning of the best and highest intellectual tradition. It is about thinking rationally and logically.

As Christians we know that the Western tradition has been influenced by the Christian faith (and that for good) more than any other cultural tradition. And Christianity is about a God who really is there, revealing Himself and communicating with us in the Bible in language we can understand. In the end all truth is God's truth for when we know the truth we know reality, to the extent possible for us as finite and now sinful creatures, as God does.

5. Above all else, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." Trust, love, and serve God, and develop habits of so doing. Do it now, not later. It will not be easier later when you have "had your fun and done your thing" and are now old. It will be incredibly more difficult. The only life worth living, the only life with deep joy, and only life you can look back on with some sense of satisfaction when you come to die, is a life lived with God and for God. Go to church, worship, read your Bible. pray, get and keep Christian friends. Marry a Christian. Bring up children for God. Find something worthwhile to do with your life and do it with all your heart for God. Know that nothing is so good as God's smile and nothing so bad as God's frown. If you have not entrusted your life to Christ as your Savior from sin and the Lord of your life, do it now, without delay. Nobody is ready to live until he's ready to die and nobody is ready to die until he has been reconciled to God in Christ.

Thanks for giving a few minutes of time to your Pastor, who, believe it or not, once too was young.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Dealing with what we don’t want to talk about

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Dealing with what we don’t want to talk about”
First Published: April 30, 2010

I am so appreciate of the hosts of folks who have encouraged me in the wake of the last Sunday’s sermon on the seventh commandment. To be quite honest, I approached that text with fear and trembling. It speaks to such important and hard and uncomfortable issues in our lives, I knew that it would be disturbing. But we are committed to God’s word here and integrity demanded that the difficult issues (and passages) not be ducked. Many of you have said that the Lord’s word ministered to you deeply, and for that I’m profoundly grateful.

Now I mentioned to you that I wanted to address seven areas of application of the commandment, but in both services we only got to application 3. I will come back to this subject matter again as we work through Exodus (fairly soon, actually), but I think that I will also do some reflection with you on these things in the First Epistle as well.

For one thing, today, I’m going to reveal to you all seven of the areas! I first made the point that the seventh commandment teaches us that as believers are to show covenant loyalty to God only, they are also to show sexual loyalty to their spouse/future spouse. The inclusion of this command in the ten words makes perfect sense. Sexual infidelity is a perennial problem and it relates to covenant loyalty. Marriage is a covenant and therefore all sexual sin is a violation of that covenant. When we say “adultery” we mean especially “any sexual relations between a married person and someone who is not his/her spouse.” “Fornication,” on the other hand, is “sexual relations between the unmarried.” Both are condemned by Christ in his interpretation of this command, and so it is clear that the Bible prohibits all extra-marital or pre-marital sexual relations. The point being made here is fundamental: sex is to be tied to a covenant commitment. There is to be no sex apart from commitment. God has so designed us that there should be no sexual intimacy apart from the attendant covenantal commitments. Furthermore, we emphasized that sexual purity is an expression of love for/loyalty to God, as well as for our spouse/future spouse, see Psalm 51:4 and 1 Cor 7:4). There is a reason adultery is chosen by God as an image of what it means to be disloyal to him (see the OT prophetic writings)!

Second, I commented that as believers seek to be outwardly pure in their sexual life, so also they must strive to be inwardly pure. This is clear from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:27-30. Jesus’ exposition of the true meaning of the law here shows that, because the Law is Spiritual, the keeping of the Law is a matter of the heart. The requirements of the Law extend to our hearts, eyes and hands. Jesus is speaking here of sexual immorality of any sort, for instance, lustful viewing is eye-adultery. Men know exactly what Jesus means! But Jesus also characterizes this eye-adultery as heart-adultery. This is not a superficial or trifling sin.

Jesus’ prescription is shocking. Take drastic action in getting rid of whatever may be the conduit of temptation, he says. The present is not our only life. An eternal destiny awaits us in heaven or hell. Nothing, however pleasurable or satisfying at the moment should be allowed to doom us eternally. Sin must not be pampered or toyed with, but put to death (flung aside immediately and decisively). “Dillydallying is deadly.” The book, the pictures, the film, the web-site, the social tie, the baneful habit – must go.

What areas of application does this teaching have? Many. Many more than I list here. But seven were/are on my mind. Several crucial issues for our time: (1) Pornography: involves idolatry (divided heart), secrecy (divided life), and isolation (non-intimacy). This is a rampant problem. (2) Immodesty: if our clothing is provocative then we are inviting trouble upon ourselves and causing difficulty for our brothers. (3) Pre-marital sex: shows disloyalty to God, disloyalty to our future partner, and is a spiritual danger, as well as a physical danger. [I could have added in the issue of extra-marital sex]. (4) Homosexuality: whatever our society may say it is clearly out of accord with the Bible. Paul’s language of censure is drawn right from the law of Moses! (5) Pedophilia: now that homosexuality has been normalized, pedophilia will be next. Christians must engage the culture on this. (6) Unbiblical divorce: rampant in our community, reveals lack of commitment in our day and time. (7) Intra-marital Sexual Deprivation: see Paul’s comments in 1 Cor 7:3-5.

More on these things later.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Unconfessed

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Unconfessed Sin”
First Published: April 2, 2010

Derek Thomas’ last two Sunday evening sermons have been riveting and convicting. If you missed them, you’ll want the tapes. He probingly dealt with the issue of unconfessed, unrepented of, sin. A friend of mine recently sent me this quote from Jonathan Edwards which seems timely in light of Derek’s messages. “Sin is of a deceitful nature because, so far as it prevails, so far it gains the inclination and will, and that sways and biases the judgment. So far as any lust prevails, so far it biases the mind to approve of it. So far as any sin sways the inclination or will, so far that sin seems pleasing and prejudiced to think it is right. Hence when any lust has so gained upon a man as to get him into a sinful way or practice, having gained his will, it also prejudices his understanding. And the more irregular a man walks, the more will his mind probably be darkened and blinded because by so much the more does sin prevail.

“Hence many men who live in ways which are not agreeable to the rules of God’s Word, yet are not sensible of it. And it is a difficult thing to make them so because the same lust that leads them into that evil way blinds them in it. Thus, if a man goes on in a way of malice or envy, the more malice or envy prevails, the more will it blind his understanding to approve of it. The more a man hates his neighbor, the more he will be disposed to think that he has just cause to hate him, that his neighbor is hateful and deserves to be hated, and that it is not his duty to love him. So if a man lives in any way of lasciviousness, the more his impure lust prevails, the more sweet and pleasant will it make the sin appear, and so the more will he be disposed and prejudiced to think there is no evil in it.

“So the more a man lives in a way of covetousness, or the more inordinately he desires the profits of the world, the more will he think himself excusable in so doing, and the more will he think that he has a necessity of those things, and cannot do without them. And if they are necessary, then he is excusable for eagerly desiring them. The same might be shown of all the lusts which are in men’s hearts. By how much more they prevail, by so much more do they blind the mind and dispose the judgment to approve of them. All lusts are deceitful lusts. Ephesians 4:22: “That ye put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Even godly men may for a time be blinded and deluded by a lust, so far as to live in a way which is displeasing to God.

“The lusts of men’s hearts—prejudicing them in favor of sinful practices, to which those lusts tend, and in which they delight—stir up carnal reason, and put men, with all the subtlety of which they are capable, to invent pleas and arguments to justify such practices. When men are very strongly inclined and tempted to any wicked practice, and conscience troubles them about it, they will rack their brains to find out arguments to stop the mouth of conscience and make themselves believe that they may lawfully proceed in that practice.

“When men have entered upon an ill practice, and proceeded in it, then their self-love prejudices them to approve of it. Men do not love to condemn themselves. They are prejudiced in their own favor, and in favor of whatever is found in themselves. Hence they will find out good names, by which to call their evil dispositions and practices. They will make them virtuous, or at least will make them innocent. Their covetousness they will call prudence and diligence in business. If they rejoice at another’s calamity, they pretend it is because they hope it will do him good and will humble him. If they indulge in excessive drinking, it is because their constitutions require it. If they talk against and backbite their neighbor, they call it zeal against sin. It is because they would bear a testimony against such wickedness. If they set up their wills to oppose others in public affairs, then they call their willfulness conscience, or respect for the public good. Thus they find good names for all their evil ways.”

Convicting, eh?

Your friend,

Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Questions a Daughter Wants to Ask Her Daddy

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Questions a Daughter Wants to Ask Her Daddy”
First Published: March 19, 2002

Moms, get you husbands to read this, especially if they have a teenage or college age daughter. Ken Canfield, who heads up the National Center for Fathering, recently met with a group of five collegian women to discuss their relationships with their fathers. He says “Though each of the five young women came from homes where their fathers were physically present during childhood, their comments revealed that they would like to take the relationships with their dads to a deeper level. At one point, I asked them what they would like to know from their fathers. They came up with a series of questions which, they admitted, they could never actually bring up with their dads, but which reveal that they are eager to connect with their dads in a deep and profound way.”

“Here are their top ten questions: (1) Dad, why don't you want to talk to me? (2) Why do you watch so much TV? (3) What do you want in your relationship with mom in the next twenty years? (4) How did you fall in love and how where you attracted to Mom? (5) Why didn't you teach me about your faith? (6) Are you hiding anything? (7) Why do you always have to be right? (8) What can you tell me about having a good relationship with a guy? (9) How deeply do men struggle with sexuality and pornography? (10) Why do guys have selective hearing?”

OK, Dad, have you ever had and are you now having discussions about these kinds of issues with your daughter? The greatest weapon for good you have in child-rearing is your relationship with your child. Use it!

Now to yet another topic. A number of our women have been involved in a book study, edited by our friend Phil Ryken, called The Communion of the Saints. I have been told by many of the participants that this study has been challenging and encouraging for them. A vigorous discussion on the nature of baptism was sparked by one of the books chapters, and I must say I was so proud of the careful discernment of our women on this issue that I could have popped.

Just the other day, a friend who has been part of this study wrote me an encouraging note about how this study had helped her in her appreciation of corporate worship. She said: “One of the things I have gotten from the book is the importance of worship. The book has forced us to deal with the elements of worship, now that we have been given a basis for understanding for what you do and why you do it week after week. Several of us in my group saw each other after the morning worship service on Sunday. We talked about how the worship service had been much more significant to us than before. The reading and preaching of the word, praying, the singing of psalms and hymns seemed to all take on new meaning and refreshment to our souls. How it works in us to create a people that loves Christ and loves His people as He loves them, sin and all is truly a mystery, but we know that God's means of grace does just that. I have been praying as Paul prayed with the Thessalonians: “May the Lord make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else.”

I can’t think of a better way to end this column this week.

Your friend,

Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Highland Theological College

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Highland Theological College”
First Published: March 5, 2002

Many of you have become interested in the work of the Highland Theological College (HTC) in Scotland, a ministry supported by our congregation. Well, HTC has just celebrated another milestone in its development, with the opening of ‘The Alexander Murray Building’ on Friday 22nd February. The building was opened by Colin Mackay CBE, chairman of the UHI Millennium Institute (UHI) and an elder in St Vincent Street Free Church in Glasgow. In the evening, there was a Thanksgiving Service at which the preacher was a longstanding friend of the college, Sinclair Ferguson, minister of St George’s Tron Church in Glasgow. Apart from the blizzard outside, I am told, it was a tremendous day!

Having begun life in a hut in the grounds of a large college in Elgin in 1994, HTC moved to Dingwall, in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, in 1999. HTC purchased a large property consisting of two buildings linked together, a purpose-built office block dating from the 1960s and the most impressive former National Bank building, dating from 1837. The office block was refurbished immediately and has been in full use since HTC moved to Dingwall. Now the old bank building has been restored to its former glory.

HTC is reformed, evangelical and non-denominational. Among its governors and trustees are Eric Alexander, John Blanchard, Doug Kelly and myself. It is in the almost unique position of being an independent theological college with its own Board and yet, at the same time, one of the thirteen constituent academic partners of the UHI Millennium Institute. UHI is a federal, collegiate institution, which is en route to becoming ‘The University of the Highlands and Islands’, following its ‘designation’ by the Scottish Parliament in April 2001. Because of this unique status, most students pay no tuition fees, since UHI receives support from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

A great deal has been accomplished in the eight years of HTC’s existence. Students have come from Japan, Korea, the USA, Canada, Poland, Switzerland, Romania, Ukraine, Portugal, Australia and the Republic of Ireland as well as from all over the United Kingdom. Already a number of BA graduates are serving Christ in various parts of the world. One recent graduate has gone with his wife and young family as a missionary to the Comores Islands with Africa Inland Mission. Another has moved to Derbyshire to a post as a youth worker with a church there. Yet another has accepted a position with a Christian counseling service for alcoholics, while another has moved on to further training for the pastoral ministry of his denomination. Several have gone on to postgraduate studies.

The first PhD student to have been supervised to completion by HTC staff was our own Derek Thomas.

One of the most exciting aspects of belonging to UHI is the opportunity to deliver courses at a distance. Since UHI has academic partners literally all over Scotland, it has invested heavily in modern technology, not least in a wide-area network. This provides state of the art telephony, e-mail and video-conferencing facilities and access to web delivery for courses. HTC is at the forefront of these developments. Already, the first year of the BA degree in Theological Studies is available by web access and years two and three by distance learning. All full-time academic staff have completed a Learning to Teach On-Line course with Sheffield College in order to support this new mode of delivery.

HTC recognises that none of the above would have been possible but for the providential action of a gracious God, to whom they give all the glory and to whom they look for continued favour and blessing. If you’ve been a prayer supporter of this ministry, join me in praising God with them.

Your friend,
Ligon Duncan


[editorial note: you may visit their website here: http://www.htc.uhi.ac.uk/]
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Let the Nations be Glad

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Let the Nations be Glad”
First Published: Feb 5, 2002

“Let the Nations Be Glad” is our Missions Conference theme this year, and last Sunday we paused to consider that theme in Psalm 67. That the nations would be blessed has been a central hope of the church ever since the covenant of grace was confirmed with Abraham. All the way back in Genesis the purpose of the believer is to glorify God by being a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12:2-3). The Prophets constantly long for the day when the Gentiles, the peoples, the nations of the earth, would come to Mt. Zion and worship the true and living God (e.g., Isaiah 11:9-10, 49:6, 60:1-3).

The Psalmists constantly sing of this hope and teach us to do so as well (e.g., Psalm 67:3-4). Jesus’ commission to his church, that we make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:19) is, thus, rooted in this Old Testament hope. And so, having been saved by his love and grace, our heart’s desire becomes to see a day when the nations, all the nations, will revel in that same love and grace. In short, we want the nations to be glad, in and through a saving knowledge of him!

As we noted Sunday morning, Psalm 67 contains a thanksgiving, two petitions and an acknowledgment that would change your life if you would embrace them. Verses 1-3 show us that the Believer longs for God’s glory to be served through the salvation of people from every tribe, tongue and nation. “God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us – That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.” This is both a prayer of thanksgiving and petition that God’s blessing to his people would be for the sake of the peoples. Derek Kidner says: “If a psalm was ever written round the promises to Abraham that he would be both blessed and made a blessing, it could well have been such as this. The song begins at home, and returns to pause there a moment before the end; but its thought always flies to the distant peoples and to what awaits them when the blessing that has reached ‘us’ reaches all.” The initial prayer of the psalmist is one of adoration and thanksgiving, an expression of gratitude and dependence, but it overflows to petition, a prayer that God’s favor to his people would lead to his knowledge and salvation being experienced among and by the nations. This becomes a missionary petition and psalm. This is a great and daring prayer and petition that all the peoples would come to a saving knowledge of God and praise him! But all along the ultimate goal is God’s glory! God bless us, so that they will be blessed, so that you will be praised! My friends, until we are devoted to the cause of God’s glory, we’ll never have a zeal for missions.

Verses 4-5 remind us that the Believer longs for God’s glory to be served through the rejoicing of the nations over Him. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth. Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.” This is a prayer that the nations would rejoice at God’s just judgment and sovereign providence. It asks the Lord to grant that the nations would rejoice at two doctrines that pagans usually hate: judgment and providence! Now the only way the nations will ever rejoice at those things is if they have bowed the knee to God and trusted Christ! But again, all of this is ultimately for God’s glory. We want his judgment and providence acknowledged. The ultimate reason for desiring the salvation of the nations is that God’s will, salvation, judgment and providence may get glory from the nations. The believer has a burning desire that God would be known and honored as he is!

Finally, in verses 6-7 we saw that the Believer longs for God’s glory to be served through the temporal blessings given to us. “The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. God blesses us, That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” This is an acknowledgment that God’s temporal blessing of his people is unto the goal of his spiritual blessing of the peoples. We find ourselves here at the harvest. The farmer looks at his yield and thanks God and acknowledges that God gave it to him. But he does not stop there. He goes on to acknowledge that God gave it to him in order that all the peoples might know and fear and love God! Not simply does all you have come from him, but all you have is meant to serve his glory and spread it to earth’s end. This means viewing your resources as God’s for missions, because your chief goal and joy in life is to glorify him and see him glorified.

Join me in praying that these realities would become characteristic of us, here at First Presbyterian.

Your friend,

Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Being Circumspect in Dress

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Being Circumspect in Dress”
First Published: October 16, 2001

The spiritual welfare of our families is always on the minds of our staff and elders, and I pass along these two items for your edification in that area. The first piece has to do with an entrenched cultural myth (a myth that needs to be exploded for all of our good). The second treats a touchy issue that has hit home hard right in our own backyard. Read on.

First, regarding, self-esteem, many of you have heard of Ken Canfield of the National Center for Fathering. He recently sent out a newsletter in which he asked : “Can an enlarged self-esteem have negative effects on a child's behavior?” Then he commented: “That’s what Laura L. Smith and Charles H. Elliott assert in their recent book, Hollow Kids: Recapturing the Soul of a Generation Lost to the Self-Esteem Myth. They believe that ‘by bending over backwards to make kids feel good about themselves, educators, the media, and well-meaning parents have created a generation of hollow kids who lack the fundamental understanding of who they are and what they can accomplish.’ To support their claims, they point to these characteristics in ‘hollow kids’: (1) narcissistic behavior–which contributes to aggression, violence and delinquency; (2) a distorted self image–which leads to body piercing, tattoos, and anorexia; and (3) an insatiable quest to feel good–rooted in materialism, substance abuse and promiscuous sex. It’s time to challenge youth to take responsibility by ‘joining a cause, volunteering for service, and working hard during tough times.’”

Second, regarding modesty, I have been approached recently by a number of godly women in our congregation who have, independently of one another, expressed their concerns to me about the lack of modesty in the clothing of many of the girls and young women in our own church. Now, I realize that fools rush in where angels fear to tread, but allow me to venture a few comments.

Current styles of dress are not exactly helping our young people in the direction of modesty. The headmaster of our Day School spoke to our Session Monday night and spoke in passing of the “Britney-ization” of our girls (referring to the famous pop icon, singer/dancer, and pin-up girl – Britney Spears). Of course, this is nothing new. Fashion has always posed certain challenges for Christians. However, we seem to be in a phase of particular, acute and widespread compromise.

I saw a column by Terry Johnson (Senior Minister of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia) a few weeks ago addressing this issue in his own congregation. He said: “I remember long ago reading Eric Segal’s description of the heroine in Love Story (through the thought of her ‘preppie’ suitor) that there had never seen so much as an additional button left unbuttoned on her blouse. This was Segal’s way of describing her modesty. She exposed nothing! Somehow I can’t imagine a novel today having such a line. Our culture is so far gone in the direction of immodesty that Jennifer (no puritan herself) seems quaint, almost Jane Austenish. The spandex revolution has taken its toll. In addition to shorts and skirts that are way too short (what’s wrong with the top of the knee?), and necklines that plunge way too low, we must now contend with tops and bottoms that are ridiculously too tight.”

Elisabeth Elliott has raised a timely point abut modesty in her newsletter. She quotes a letter from a listener: “Where are the men? Why are they so passive on this issue? I’m speaking particularly of husbands and fathers who allow their wives and daughters to appear publicly in an inappropriate and immodest fashion. This issue is close to my heart because we have been blessed with three sons and three daughters. My heart’s desire is to teach them the responsibility that goes with purity and abstinence, to appear and behave in such a way that God is honored. But what do we say to our children when many of the Christian girls they meet and with whom they interact do not practice modesty? Though they profess the name of Christ, their appearance certainly causes godly young men to strive valiantly with their thoughts. I thank God for a godly husband, who guards and gives guidance to our daughters and to me. May our children have the strength to respond in a godly way in spite of the tremendous pressures to compromise. I realize this is not a popular issue to talk about, but it is a concern that is close to my heart and I believe close to the heart of our Heavenly Father.” (From Gateway to Joy, May 24, 2001).

Brothers and sisters, let us strive to glorify God even in the way we dress.

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan
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Gleanings from the Pastor's Perspective: Far from the Sermon on the Mount

The Pastor’s Perspective
“Far from the Sermon on the Mount”
First Published: September 25, 2001

Our hearts are still very much preoccupied with the situation that our nation is in. Many are calling this “America’s New War” and it may be just that. Whatever the case, this is a time for prayer and I want to urge you all not only to be faithful in your private and family prayer for our nation and its leaders, but also to gather with God’s people on Wednesday evenings at First Church for corporate prayer in the sanctuary.

If you haven’t been to prayer meeting in a while you may not know that attendance is at an historic high, and that the season of prayer of late has been rich. Many are talking aloud right now of our land experiencing something of a spiritual renewal. Whether that is the case or not, we certainly ought to be praying together for it. The role of prayer in the Christian life and the life of the Church cannot be over-stressed. We ought and need to be praying with one another. Now’s the time to renew your commitment to it. Perhaps God will use this general concern for our nation to draw us back to himself in prayer.

Derek Thomas’s Wednesday evening messages are incredibly timely. He’s teaching us through 1 Peter, a book that aims to help Christians under enormous burdens and trials. Come yourself and invite a friend. It will prove to be time well-spent.

Now during the last few days we have heard a lot of gibberish from the politically correct crowd about how all religions are the same, about how we all worship the same God but call him by different names (Jesus, Allah, etc.), and the like. The bottom line is that this is utter rubbish. A couple of comments are in order.

First, for instance, to tell an orthodox Muslim that he worships the Trinitarian God of Christianity but simply under a different name or in a different way would be, from his perspective, blasphemy against Allah. The Muslim believes Allah to be one, absolutely one, an undifferentiated monad. The Muslim also believes, because the infallible Mohammed told him to believe it, that the Christian is a polytheist (because of the doctrine of the Trinity). Thus, he is perfectly clear that he does not believe in the same God in whom you and I trust.

Second, this means that the way to engender peace and tolerance and mutual understanding amongst peoples of different religious backgrounds is NOT to claim that all the differences are superficial and that deep down we all agree. They are not and we do not. Rather, the way to peace and cooperation is to acknowledge the real and substantial differences between us at the outset, and then to identify common concerns and go from there.

By the way, this is a good time for Christians to start learning more about Islam, the second most popular religion in the world. Many pundits have devoted themselves to vindicating Islam from the aspersions of the terrorist activity of September 11, 2001. But there are didactic portions of the Qur’an that are hard to explain away: “Fight for the sake of Allah those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. Allah does not love the aggressors. Kill them wherever you find them...if they attack you put them to the sword...Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme...If any one attacks you, attack him as he attacked you” (Sura 2:190-4). “Fight for the cause of Allah” (Sura 2: 244). “The true believers fight for the cause of Allah, but the infidels fight for idols. Fight then against the friends of Satan” (Sura 4: 76). “Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good reward; but far richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him...” (Sura 4: 96). “Unbelievers are those who declare: ‘Allah is the Messiah, the Son of Mary’” (Sura 5:17). “When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them...” (Sura 9: 5). “...[M]ake war on the leaders of unbelief...' (Sura 9: 12). “...the Christians say the Messiah is the son of Allah. Such are their assertions, by which they imitate the infidels of old. Allah confound them! How perverse they are! They worship...the Messiah the son of Mary, as gods besides Allah; though they were ordered to serve one God only. There is no god but Him. Exalted be He above those whom they deify beside Him!...It is He who has sent forth His apostle with guidance and the true faith to make it triumphant over all religions, however much the idolaters may dislike it” (Sura 9: 30-3). “If you do not fight He will punish you sternly and replace you by other men...” (Sura 9:39). “Whether unarmed or well-equipped, march on and fight for the cause of Allah, with your wealth and your persons” (Sura 9: 41).

Needless to say, this is a far, far cry from the Sermon on the Mount!

Your friend,


Ligon Duncan
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