Ligonier Ministries Blog

1. Watch Again: Santo Domingo Conference

   Recently, we hosted our 2024 Santo Domingo Conference in the Dominican Republic. This conference considered why the gospel must remain at the center of our lives before the Lord. Studying Romans 5 together, we immersed ourselves in the life-giving truth at the heart of the Christian faith. SESSIONS: Peace with God by Miguel Núñez The Grace in Which We Stand by Burk Parsons Questions & Answers with Ferguson, Parsons, Michelén, and Núñez The Purpose of Suffering by Sinclair Ferguson God’s Great Display of Love by Burk Parsons Panel Discussion with Cruz, Dominguez, Ramirez, and Sánchez Saved by the Life of Christ by Sugel Michelén The Disobedience of Adam by Javier Domínguez The Obedience of Christ by Sinclair Ferguson This event was streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, and X. We encourage you to share these recorded sessions with your family and friends on social media. FRIDAY STREAMS SATURDAY STREAMS

2. Yet Not Crushed

   This past year, my family relocated from the mountains of North Carolina to the coast. Yet a piece of my heart will always be in the Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina. Reading reports of the lives lost and seeing photos of the physical devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has made my heart ache for the place I once called home. My family lived in Boone, North Carolina, for almost eight years, and some of our most cherished memories were made there. Southern Appalachia is a special place with wonderful people, churches, and institutions. Appalachians are resilient people who need prayer and support during this difficult time. Tragic situations often prompt big questions such as, “Why would God allow this?” or “Where is God?” These questions wrestle with God’s sovereignty and the nature of suffering, death, and pain in this life. Speaking on suffering, Dr. R.C. Sproul comments, “The apostle said he was ‘hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed.’ He made no attempt to mask his pain in a fraudulent piety. The Christian is not a Stoic. Neither does he flee into a fantasy world that denies the reality of suffering. Paul freely admitted the pressure he experienced.” The people of Southern Appalachia are being hard pressed on every side. The pain of this world is staring them right in the face. There’s no time for “fraudulent piety” or “denying the reality” of pain and suffering. Many are without power and clean water and are cut off from the rest of the world due to collapsed roads. While Paul doesn’t suppress the reality of pain and suffering, the echo of hope is present even in the darkness when he says that we are “not crushed.” Paul acknowledges that when we are suffering, we feel “hard-pressed.” It’s as though the circumstances of life are literally squeezing us and we will soon be crushed under the weight. For our brothers and sisters in Christ, two little words make all the difference. “Not crushed” breaks out amidst the suffering, testifying to the love and grace of God. Pain and suffering don’t need to be suppressed when hope bursts forth from the grave as our Lord Jesus conquered sin and death. “Not crushed” testifies that for the Christian, our circumstances do not have the last word. Jesus does. The Christian is never fully crushed. Instead, we are called to cast all our burdens on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Notice that Peter doesn’t suppress suffering; rather, he tells us to bring our burdens to Jesus. Our Lord is not ashamed of us when we bring our pain and suffering to Him. Instead, He invites us to bring that pain and suffering to Him: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). The burdens and suffering of Southern Appalachians are real and heavy, but they are not too heavy for Jesus. His wounds and scars say otherwise, as does the resounding hope of the empty tomb. Times of crisis also prompt questions such as, “What can we do?” or “How can I help?” Scripture teaches us that “if one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Cor. 12:26). Despite geographical distance, the church shares a unity with its hurting brothers and sisters as one body, and we are called to serve and love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). Christians aren’t called to be Stoics, but burden bearers. “Not crushed.” May these words from Scripture and the physical help of God’s people begin to lighten the load of despair and provide hope to those suffering in Southern Appalachia under the weight of this world.

3. Broadcasting Truth for 30 Years on Renewing Your Mind

   On this day 30 years ago, R.C. Sproul broadcast the first edition of Renewing Your Mind. We give thanks to God that He has graciously sustained this daily Bible-teaching outreach since October 3, 1994. Listen today to that very first message as Dr. Sproul describes his life-changing encounter with the holiness of God. You’ll also hear a bonus interview with Dr. Sproul featuring reflections on the mission of Ligonier Ministries to proclaim God’s holiness to as many people as possible. Share the Podcast The Lord calls all of His people to be transformed by the renewing of their minds according to His Word (Rom. 12:2). Share Renewing Your Mind with your friends to encourage and equip them in our shared pursuit of spiritual growth by God’s grace. There are many ways they can listen to each day’s teaching, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and now YouTube. This Week’s Special Offer For your donation of any amount, you can receive R.C. Sproul’s book Everyone’s a Theologian plus five digital teaching series and study guides: Chosen by God, Dust to Glory, The Holiness of God (original and expanded editions), Knowing Scripture, and What Is Reformed Theology? Thank you for listening to this daily podcast and for your support so more people in more places can benefit from this teaching. Tune in all week as we air classic messages from Dr. Sproul with extra features in each episode.

4. A Renewed Mind, a Transformed Life

   Did you know that Romans 12:2 is regularly one of the most shared Bible verses across the entire internet? If you have been familiar with Dr. R.C. Sproul’s ministry for some time, it wouldn’t surprise you to learn that Romans 12:2 is a frequently discussed verse at Ligonier as we think through new ways to serve Christians who are pursuing renewed minds. When he named Ligonier’s daily radio broadcast in 1994, Dr. Sproul turned to Romans 12:2 to describe the broadcast’s purpose: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” From this verse, our farthest-reaching ministry initiative, Renewing Your Mind, was launched. Dr. Sproul explains: > God gives us the revelation of sacred Scripture in order for us to have our minds changed so we begin to think like Jesus. Sanctification and spiritual growth [are] all about this. If you just have it in your mind and you don’t have it in your heart, you don’t have it. But you can’t have it in your heart without first having it in your mind. We want to have a mind informed by the Word of God. In another exhortation from his classic book, The Holiness of God, Dr. Sproul wrote: > The key method Paul underscores as the means to the transformed life is by the “renewal of the mind.” This means nothing more and nothing less than education. Serious education. In-depth education. Disciplined education in the things of God. It calls for a mastery of the Word of God. We need to be people whose lives have changed because our minds have changed. There can be a temptation for some Christians to take a verse like Romans 12:2 and turn it into a “Just Do It” Nike-style battle cry of transformational sanctification divorced from the previous eleven chapters penned by the Apostle Paul. Yet the imperative of Romans 12:2 flows from the “mercies of God” outlined in Romans 3:21–12:1. This undeserved favor for redeemed sinners, given through the grace of God in Christ, provokes an outpouring of gratitude and a life of joyful duty. Romans 12:2 is a vital hinge on the door of biblical truth. On one side, we have the breathtaking vista of doxology found in Romans 11:36: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” On the other side of the door, in Romans 12:3–21, we have flesh-and-blood illustrations of godliness. The character of the Christian is marked by kingdom-minded, humble service. The triumphant indicative of the gospel leads to new life marked by a new pursuit for the mind of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15). Merely imparting information to a human mind is insufficient. From interactions with the most learned scholars of his day in Israel and Greece—and even from reflecting on his own life before conversion—Paul knew that knowledge divorced from love puffs up. To be sure, the gospel is good news about Jesus. But God’s Word also explains how the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit makes that news effectual in our lives as we repent of sin and believe the truth as it is found in Jesus. Romans 12:2 also stands in stark contrast to the truth suppression of Romans 1:18–32. Unsurprisingly, the darkened mind continually shifts the boundaries of ethical norms and slips further into darkness. Along the way, unbelief clamors for everyone’s approval, enlisting public shaming and legal force in its cause. No one can deny this is happening everywhere. The treasonous revolution against the Creator is in full swing. Self-appointed, self-determined rights in the pursuit of dignity and liberty supposedly trump any outside influence, wisdom, or authority. Lost is the truth that men and women are image bearers of God, created in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Perhaps the Word of God has something to say about how we ought to live? The painful tragedy of the darkened mind is evident as those we dearly love self-destruct in sinful labyrinths of their own making. We grieve when righteousness is cast aside because of the harm it can mean for our families and our neighbors (Ps. 119:136). Through tearful pleas, we warn that their feet will slip in due time (Deut. 32:35). Dr. Sinclair Ferguson explains further the relationship between the gospel and godliness: > Jesus wants His disciples to understand the significance of what He came to do for them, and then to make connections between what He has done and what they are to do. Understanding, the key to transformed Christian living, lies here—not primarily in our affections, or our emotions, or our instincts, or even our will. Christ will gradually transform all these. But He does so through our understanding of the gospel. As its truth affects the way we think, it begins to change the way we feel; that in turn affects what we want, and the way we behave. Thus the gospel fuels the way we live. This is the principle enunciated in Rom. 12:1–2. The transformation of our lives takes place by means of the renewal of our minds. Most of all, the renewed mind is marked by a reliance on the Bible, the only infallible rule for faith and practice. It is sufficient. Through the light of Scripture, we begin to understand God’s holy character and realize our sinfulness—learning all that was lost in Eden, and discovering why we long to return from exile to the Father’s fellowship. That leads us to turn in repentance and look with joy to the redemption found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. Peace with God is now possible (Rom. 5:1). Rejoice! Being found in Christ and living by His revealed Word brings true human dignity and liberty. A renewed mind leads to a transformed life.

5. What Is the Fruit of the Spirit?

   The fruit of the Spirit is a list of nine virtues provided by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22–23. They come in response to a long list of sinful vices (“the works of the flesh”) that paint a dismal and grisly picture of human existence—things such as anger, dissension, and envy (Gal. 5:19–21). In contrast to this, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” This succinct list has direct bearing on the totality of who we are and what we do as Christians. There are virtues that describe our relationship to God (love, joy, peace), those that speak to our relationships with others (patience, kindness, goodness), and even those that describe our internal disposition (faithfulness, meekness, self-control). Of course, there is significant overlap in these categories, though it can be helpful to consider how different virtues have different emphases. In short, the fruit of the Spirit highlights the ways we are to feel, think, speak, and act that are distinct from and different than the world. Perhaps a more pressing question than what these virtues are, however, is to ask how they work. To answer that, we should examine more closely the two key words employed to describe these graces: Spirit and fruit. First, and most important, we must appreciate that the Apostle Paul calls these qualities the fruit of the Spirit. These are realities that the Spirit of God produces in us, not standards that we are expected to live up to in our own strength or by our own effort. The fruit of the Spirit is not a to-do list. It’s not God’s demand upon believers as much as it is God’s declaration to believers of what is true of them when they have the Spirit of Christ. The declaration comes even more clearly in the verses immediately following the fruit of the Spirit, when Paul writes that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). In other words, the fruit of the Spirit is a call to enjoy the victory Christ has won for us at the cross, where He destroyed the works of the flesh and brought us to share in His own holiness. The Spirit brings to life in the hearts of believers the sanctification found in Christ alone. Interpreting the fruit of the Spirit in any other way can lead to a torturous works-based relationship with God. It is the fruit of the Spirit, not the works of the Christian. The metaphor of fruit also teaches us important lessons about sanctification. First, it’s worth noting that when Paul employs the metaphor of fruit, he avoids the word “fruits,” instead using the collective noun, which is singular in form but plural in meaning. What’s the significance here? The individual graces that God instills and forms in us belong to a greater whole—namely, conformity to the one Son of God (Rom. 8:29). Therefore, no Christian will have some of these virtues but be void of others. Though we know people who are perhaps more loving or more kind than others, believers will have all these graces to some degree or another because they have Christ, who is the fullness and fulfillment of all of them. We don’t get a partial Christ, but a whole Christ. It could be helpful then to consider these virtues not as distinct jewels in a crown, but as various facets of a diamond, each side and angle adding glimmer and beauty to the single jewel. To have the Spirit is to have Christ (Rom. 8:9), and to have Christ is to start to look like Him—all of Him. There is at least one other lesson to learn from this metaphor. If you wanted to grow apples, you would not plant seeds in your backyard and come out the next morning hoping to find a full orchard ripe for picking. In the same way, we should not expect immediate results in our sanctification, but rather steady growth over time. The idea of God’s graces as fruit in our lives should instill two things in the earnest believer: grace and hope. First, we should be gracious to ourselves and other believers when we do not see what we know God expects from us. We are all works in progress, called to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, emphasis added). That will take time. Second, we should have hopeful expectation that what we see lacking in our lives will one day be put in place. Through reliance on God’s Spirit and the means of grace, we will change, because “He who began a good work in you will see it to completion” (Phil. 1:6). The seeds that God plants always come to fruition. The fruit that He cultivates never dies on the vine.