Ligonier Ministries Blog

1. Help Equip the Church in the Battle for Truth

   A battle for the truth rages in a world influenced by ignorance and false teaching. This crisis extends inside the church, where 95% of pastors globally lack essential resources to study and teach God’s Word. As a result, their congregations are left vulnerable to the world’s lies—especially younger Christians. Please watch this message from Ligonier’s president as he shares how you can help spread God’s truth to the global church and the next generation. Dr. R.C. Sproul founded Ligonier Ministries to serve the church by producing trusted discipleship resources anchored in the historic Christian faith. At year’s end, we need your financial support to help strengthen Christians worldwide with the truth of Scripture. Let’s work together to reach as many people as possible with life-changing truth. Your year-end donation today can help equip pastors for fruitful ministry and provide age-specific Bible teaching to the next generation.

2. Does the Bible Contain Contradicting Genealogies of Jesus?

   Several times the New Testament declares Jesus to be the heir of King David and, thus, the descendant of Abraham (e.g., John 7:42; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 5:5). But only twice do we get a lengthy genealogy tracing the steps down to Jesus: Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38. Without ancestry.com and 23andme.com, it is not surprising that these two genealogies differ. Some differences are mere spelling variations. But sometimes they involve whole sections of names. It may be surprising to learn that the genealogies in Matthew and Luke align for only approximately seventeen names out of one hundred. But do such differences mean that the genealogies contradict each other? Are there errors, or can the genealogies be reconciled? Skeptics have attacked Scripture on this point since the AD 200s (e.g., Porphyry and Julian the Apostate), and theologians have responded with various solutions (e.g., Clement of Alexandria, Julius Africanus, Ambrose, and Augustine). No comprehensive solution has won the day, but that does not mean there is none. It just means we must keep working at it. To that end, keep in mind four things when navigating the genealogies. Intention of the Authors A genealogy is a compact narrative. The names bring with them the stories. If so, then both Matthew and Luke have authorial freedom in how to tell the genealogical story: Matthew uses descending order ending with Jesus (A “begat” B), while Luke uses ascending order starting from Jesus (B “son of” A). Matthew selects Abraham as the starting point, while Luke starts back at Adam. Matthew places his genealogy at the beginning (Matt. 1), while Luke places it after Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3). Matthew organizes the names in a 14/14/14 scheme (Matt. 1:17), while Luke may be adopting a subtle 11x7 scheme. These choices are not contradictions. They simply reflect how the two evangelists have different goals. Matthew, for instance, stresses the Abraham–David–Jesus linkage (Matt. 1:1), while Luke stresses Jesus as “son of God” via Adam (Luke 3:38). Lineal Principle: Royal or Blood Line A major choice when compiling a genealogy in antiquity is whether to offer the legal/royal lineage or the actual birth/blood lineage. The two are not the same: the legal heir may not reflect physical birth order (illustrated by Julius Caesar’s notoriously complex genealogy). The most common theory is that Matthew on the whole offers the royal lineage, while Luke may largely trace actual birth descent. A telltale sign is this: Matthew 1:6–12 David → Solomon → . . . Shealtiel Luke 3:27–31 David → Nathan → . . . Shealtiel Nathan was the third son of David (2 Sam. 5:14) and older brother of Solomon, but the throne passed to the latter. Jesus, then, would have blood ties to David via Nathan and legal ties via Solomon. Adding further complexity, birth descent could be traced through the father or mother, though the former was more common. Adoption Practices Extending the prior point, it was not uncommon, [even among Jews], for a father to adopt someone who was not his birth son to be legal heir. Such fusing of lineages via adoption may help explain other complexities: Matthew 1:12 Jeconiah → Shealtiel → Zerubbabel Luke 3:27 Neri → Shealtiel → Zerubbabel God’s curse of Jeconiah involved Jeconiah’s offspring not receiving the throne (Jer. 22:30). Perhaps Neri was the biological father of Shealtiel, who was then—via adoption—grafted into the royal line of Jeconiah. Compression Lastly, the compiler of a genealogy may choose to skip generations, just as one could summarize, “Prince William is heir of Elizabeth I,” omitting several steps in between. Matthew 1:8 compresses the genealogy from Joram to Uzziah (skipping Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah). Compression may also help explain why the genealogy of Matthew 1:12–16 from Zerubbabel to Jesus is so much shorter (nine names) than Luke 3:23–27 (nineteen names). Putting it Together Let’s apply some of these principles to a final difference in the genealogies: Matthew 1:15–16 Matthan → Jacob → Joseph → Jesus Luke 3:23–24 Matthat → Heli → Joseph → Jesus From a human perspective, who was Jesus’ grandfather? One option is that Matthan/t (if the same person) had two sons, Jacob and Heli. One of them had Joseph as a son, but the other adopted him upon his birth father’s death. Another option is that Jacob was Joseph’s father, but Heli was Mary’s father (implying that Matthan and Matthat are not the same person). Heli is listed by Luke as the closest physical male ancestor of Jesus and/or the adoptive father of Joseph (if, say, Heli had no male offspring). There are other options, but these two illustrate the possibilities. So What? It can be intimidating to try to wrap our heads around the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. We should not ignore the differences. But we also should avoid the trap of automatically assuming that such differences are unsolvable contradictions or errors. With various tools or principles in place, plausible explanations are out there. But amid the effort of reconciling the genealogies, let us not lose sight of what they both teach: Jesus Christ is the miraculously conceived son of a virgin yet is also—through Israel’s winding history—heir of the kingdom of David and the promises of Abraham. This article is part of the Responding to Apparent Contradictions collection and was orignally published May 23, 2022.

3. Looking for a 2025 Devotional?

   To grow as Christians, we must set aside intentional time to reflect on God, His Word, and His gracious work in our lives. Ligonier has released two new devotional books to help you grow: The Power of the Gospel by Dr. R.C. Sproul Things Unseen by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson In 2025, incorporate these books into your daily walk with the Lord or give them to a friend. Order your books today in time for Christmas. The Power of the Gospel This daily devotional lets you spend a year in Romans with Dr. Sproul as your guide. The fruit of deep study and decades of teaching, his sermons are presented here in a unique format with accompanying applications from each reading. Order today. Things Unseen In this yearlong devotional based on the popular podcast, Dr. Ferguson brings his signature warmth and wisdom to daily meditations on the Christian life. Each week’s reflections follow a theme to help Christians look to the Lord and live by faith. Order today. Looking for Christmas gifts? These books could make a thoughtful gift for a friend or family member. Order your copies today. Do you live in Canada? Ligonier Ministries partners with Reformed Book Services as our preferred Canadian distributor, offering you the lowest shipping rates available. Order through Reformed Book Services to save on shipping to Canada.

4. What “Sheol” Means in the Bible

   Interpretive wisdom is needed when Scripture speaks of death and the afterlife. Some aspects of the afterlife are clear: death is a result of sin (Rom. 6:23); those who die in Christ are with Him immediately in paradise (Luke 23:43); those who die apart from Christ immediately experience God’s just judgment (Luke 16:22–26). Some of the biblical language used to describe death, however, is more challenging. The word Sheol is one of those challenging terms. Most Christians learn of this difficulty when comparing Bible translations. For example, Psalm 16:10 speaks of David’s soul not being left in Sheol. The KJV translates: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Since this is applied to Christ in Acts 2:27 and 31, does the Bible teach that Christ went to hell, the place of eternal punishment? Wasn’t God’s wrath complete at Christ’s death when He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30)? Readers are left to wonder. More recent versions have adjusted the translation of Psalm 16:10. Now, the word hell is replaced by words like “grave” (NIV 1984), “realm of the dead” (NIV 2012), or most commonly, the word “Sheol” itself (see NKJV, ESV, NASB, CSB, NET). But is this correct? Theologians and translators usually propose three different ways of interpreting the word Sheol in its various occurrences in the Old Testament. 1. Some interpret Sheol literally as hell. A significant problem with this view is the fact that both the godly and the ungodly go there (Ps. 16:10; 18:5; 30:3; 49:15; 86:13). Furthermore, those crying out to the Lord seek deliverance from Sheol, something not possible for hell itself (as Luke 16:26 indicates). While the parable in Luke 16:26 takes place in hades (v. 23; a word the Greek Septuagint regularly used to translate Sheol), the Greek work hades in the New Testament is a broader term than Old Testament Sheol. 2. Some scholars view Sheol simply as the grave. This makes sense of the language of descent into Sheol (Job 7:9; 17:16; Ps. 55:15) and other passages where being delivered from Sheol is described as being brought up (Ps. 30:3) or somehow removed from the depths of Sheol (Ps. 49:15; Prov. 15:24). One problem, however, is that Hebrew has other words it usually uses for the grave: Hebrew qever or words for pit (like bor or shahath) usually in poetic parallelism as a synonym for the grave (Isa. 14:19; Ezek. 32:23, 24; note that Ps. 16:10 pairs Sheol with shahath). In spite of some strengths, treating Sheol merely as a word for the grave misses other connotations of the word. 3. Some scholars view Sheol as an abstract way of describing the state of death. This state of death includes the separation of body and soul, although scholars admit that most often this abstract state is still described concretely as the realm of the dead. This is a step in the right direction. Since Sheol nearly always occurs in biblical poetry where word meanings often pivot back and forth, this combination of abstract and concrete ideas is no surprise. “State of death” or “realm of the dead” is a useful translation for places where “grave” is too limited (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 1 Sam. 2:6). Regardless of the passage referring to Sheol, one common feature is an expression of extreme duress. Jewish scholar Shaul Bar helpfully suggests that Sheol is associated with “bad death,” a bitter, premature death from which the godly seek to be delivered. Thus, when the lives of the godly are threatened, crying out for deliverance from Sheol is a profession of faith, rightly viewing sin and death as an intrusion into God’s good creation and viewing God as the God of life who has a plan for His people’s flourishing and ultimate well-being (Ezek. 18:23, 32; 1 Cor. 15). Sheol passages can get too narrowly tied to debates concerning the doctrine of the intermediate state. While they do relate to this doctrine, we are best served when we also consider how Christ is the victor over death, the One who was delivered from Sheol, to whom Christians are united in death, resurrection, and ultimately glorification (Rom. 6:5; 8:17).

5. Thinking about Vocation

   A few years ago, I made a mid-afternoon pastoral visit to an unmarried couple living in our city. Sitting on the floor of their dark apartment, surrounded by ashtrays, prescription bottles, and piles of clothes, I learned that the couple’s daily routine revolved around smoking cigarettes and watching their one movie on their thirteen-inch T.V. As the visit concluded, I gently asked this question: “Do you believe that God created you to live for a purpose?” After a long, thoughtful drag on her cigarette, the clearly bewildered and defeated woman responded honestly, “Sir, if we have a purpose, we have no idea what it is?” Perhaps your life story sounds different from that of this couple. Nonetheless, many of us lack a clear sense of purpose. Some of us live to hear others laugh at our jokes. Others live for the weekend, or to pay off a mortgage, or to retire. By contrast, all of us have a calling to live according to a grand design. Understanding Vocation Vocation (Latin for “calling”) refers to the unique way in which God has chosen you to fit into His great plan. Prior to bending the knee to Christ, many people lack that sense of purpose which can only be found in vital union with God (Rom. 8:28). In other words, there is a connection between what is known as God’s effectual call and His call to a vocation. When God effectually calls a man or woman by changing their heart He also gives them a life-calling; He enlists them in His service. After conversion, for example, an accountant does his work with a different master and a different motive (Luke 3:10-14). He is now owned by God and works for His glory. John Calvin was one of the first people to work out this concept. Calvin objected to the prevalent thinking that only “religious workers” had a calling. First, he asserted that all of life is religious. We are all religious workers because all of our actions are expressions of our incurably religious hearts. Second, Calvin taught that the gospel is for all of life. When Christ saves a man He saves his whole person. He cleanses his mind, renews his heart and activates his hands. Third, work itself has inherent dignity; it is not a necessary evil. After laying down a perfect pattern of work by forming and filling the world, God charged Adam to take his unique abilities and apply them to a particular plot of ground (Gen. 2:15). Vocation is taking your skills and applying them to the plot of life God has given you. The plots of our lives vary but our purpose is the same: To bring the principles of God’s kingdom to bear in every area of life. If this is so, the next logical question is, “How do I find my vocation?” Finding a Vocation In finding our vocation we should consider three levels of questions. Level One: Am I living for God’s glory? Answering this question is like drafting a master plan for your life. Vocational living requires that all our choices flow from our chief desire to promote the honor of Christ. Sooner or later, most people face huge decisions including college, career, and family. Depending on the circumstances, choices in any of these areas could be legitimate provided they are made to promote God’s fame. Level Two: What is the greatest thing I can do for God? All legitimate work should be viewed as a calling. At the same time, Scripture encourages us to prioritize between many good options. We must “. . . earnestly desire the greater gifts” (1 Cor. 12:31). Commenting on this passage, Calvin says Christians must “apply themselves the more diligently to those things which are most conducive to edification.” For Calvin, being a magistrate was “by far the most honorable of all callings in the whole life of mortal man” (Institutes, 4.20.4). Calvin drew this conclusion because a magistrate has the potential to wield great influence for Jesus. When Jabez prayed that the Lord would enlarge his territory (1 Chron. 4:10) he is at least praying for greater vocational opportunities to glorify God. Given the relative freedom most of us have in selecting a vocation, we should begin by setting a high bar. Level Three Then there are a host of tertiary questions that should be asked when trying to find our own place to glorify God: Where do my strengths lie? I cannot do all things equally well. As best I can, I should find a calling that exploits my strengths and tolerates my weaknesses. 2\. Where are the great needs? Where are the problems worse? Where are the workers few? 3\. How will this vocation affect my Christian walk? Is there a nearby church in which I could give and take nourishment? Are the temptations manageable? With whom would I work? 4\. How useful is the work I’m considering? How necessary and healthy are the goods or services I would help provide? Will I be fairly compensated for my labors? 5\. How smoothly will my proposed career gel with family? How will certain career choices affect my ability to marry, raise children, or care for aging parents? Sadly, many people don’t ask difficult questions about decisions that will chart out much of the rest of their lives. Living My Vocation After understanding vocation and how to find our own, we need to begin living out the callings God gives us. Focus on the Kingdom Every vocation is really a sub-vocation. Our chief calling is to walk rightly before the face of God as citizens of His kingdom. The talents God has loaned each of us are meant to build up God’s kingdom, not our own (Col. 3:17). Think Transformationally Adam cultivated God’s garden and watched latent plant life flourish (Gen. 2:4-9). Likewise, Christians today should push back against the status quo that easily invades every arena of life. Work Christianly It’s a sobering reality: For most of us, our work will have a far shorter legacy than the way we work. The process of our work is at least as important as the product. Fidelity to God in our work will adorn the doctrine of our Savior (Titus 2:9-10). Regard the Community In the Christian life occupations must serve the commonwealth. Or, as Paul put it, “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good . . .” (Rom. 15:2; Cf. Eph. 4:28). If we are working only for ourselves (or even for our nuclear families) we are not thinking vocationally. Live Holistically We must discharge our vocation as if God were a Savior of whole people, because He is. Our devotion to God’s cause should shine in worship, while transacting business, or engaging in political or social activities. Life as a whole must be God-directed; no sphere may be excluded. Without vocational thought and activity Christians lose valuable influence in this world (Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 86). If the church today is anemic it is not because of a lack of congregations, programs, or resources, but because Christians are not living according to divine purpose. Louis Berkhof has rightly said that, “. . . If all those who are now citizens of the Kingdom would actually obey its laws in every domain of life, the world would be so different that it would hardly be recognized.” Begin thinking vocationally, not only to avoid ending up like the couple in my opening illustration, but to experience the fulfillment of seeing Christ’s lordship steadily applied to every area of your life.