Ligonier Ministries Blog

1. 28% of UK Evangelicals Are New to Church: The State of Theology

   More people are entering the doors of churches in the United Kingdom. This year’s State of Theology survey reveals an encouraging trend in church attendance: 28% of UK evangelicals say they began attending Sunday church services for the first time as adults within the past two years. This flood of new visitors should be met with joy and gratitude. But ultimately, attendance is not the same as conversion. And the findings from the State of Theology survey reveal that these new attendees are confused about core doctrines of the Christian faith. 71% of ‘new evangelicals’ believe God accepts the worship of all religions 57% of ‘new evangelicals’ believe that the Bible, while helpful, is not literally true The need for faithful teaching and discipleship is clear. As congregations welcome newcomers, they have a responsibility to proclaim the whole counsel of God, call sinners to repentance and faith, and help believers grow in the knowledge of God’s Word. Download the Free Study Guide What can we learn from these survey results? Gather a group and download the free digital study guide for The State of Theology UK. Each section includes discussion questions and biblical insight to guide your conversation. More Resources on the Church R.C. Sproul founded Ligonier to help Christians know who God is and who they are. Here are several of our resources addressing the Bible’s teaching on Christ’s body, the church. The Bride of Christ teaching series with R.C. Sproul The Church in a Changing World teaching series with W. Robert Godfrey “The Marks of a Church” article by W. Robert Godfrey “Remembering Sundays” article by Paul Levy Welcome to a Reformed Church book by Daniel Hyde

2. 5 Things You Should Know About John Calvin

   1. John Calvin was ousted from his church, ministry, and home. Less than two years after beginning his ministry in Geneva, a twenty-nine-year-old John Calvin (1509–64) found himself ousted from his church, ministry, and home, with two days’ notice to quit the city. No doubt as he and William Farel traveled away from Geneva that April, they wondered what would come next. Their thoughts were on a looming ecclesiastical battle in response to this bitter experience; they were planning how they could persuade Zurich and Bern to work to reinstate them in Geneva. Yet, unknown to Calvin, the Lord in His providence would thwart their attempts. Instead, He was arranging a season of pastoral training that would prove foundational for Calvin’s future pastoral labors. 2. John Calvin experienced ministry failures. While those who have some familiarity with Calvin’s life story know of his early efforts in Geneva to implement a faithful observance of the Lord’s Supper through church discipline, fewer know the story of how the Lord changed Calvin through this failure. Once in exile, Calvin initially settled in Basel, but then was invited to come to Strasbourg by Martin Bucer (1491–1551). Bucer, who was almost twenty years older than Calvin, not only opened up ministerial opportunity in the city, but also warmly befriended Calvin, welcoming him into his home, and in time assisting with the purchase of a neighboring home for Calvin. This was despite the fact that the year before, Calvin had written him a confrontational and arrogant letter—which Bucer had met with a patient, loving response. In Bucer, Calvin met the mentor and pastor he needed. 3. John Calvin served as pastor to refugees. The year that Calvin arrived in Geneva (1538) was also the year that Bucer was completing the manuscript of his “little book,” Concerning the True Care of Souls. No doubt in their mealtime conversations, the two spoke extensively about pastoral ministry and the life of the church. Bucer had long experienced obstacles in ministry in Strasbourg, and his writing was part of his patient effort to bring Christ-centered growth to the church and her ministry. In God’s kind providence, Calvin’s opportunity for ministry in the city went beyond teaching; he served as the pastor of the French refugee congregation. While there were many encouragements in the work, Calvin also experienced sorrows. His close friend and cousin, Pierre Robert Olivétan, who had been instrumental in his conversion, died. An old friend from France, Louis du Tillet, who had sheltered him from persecution and provided resources for the first draft of The Institutes of the Christian Religion, returned to Roman Catholicism. A new joy came through his marriage in 1540 to Idelette de Bure, “the best companion in my life.” 4. John Calvin willingly returned to the church that ousted him. The same year of Calvin’s marriage, in the midst of the new work in Strasbourg, a time he called “the happiest years of my life,” a most unexpected call came. Geneva wanted him to come back and serve as pastor again. He hesitated, stating “there is no place under heaven I am more afraid of . . . I would rather submit to a hundred other deaths, than to that cross on which I would have to perish a thousand times every day.” Yet, it was not only Geneva that had changed—Calvin had as well in these few short years. With Bucer’s encouragement, and his own trepidation, Calvin yielded to the call. In some respects, the city had changed and was more welcoming to a Reformation direction in the church and community. In other ways, it was the same. It would take fourteen long years of ministry before the issue of the faithful administration of the Lord’s Supper would be resolved. While he continued to grieve the weaknesses of the church, Calvin, in part due to the Lord’s instrumental use of Bucer’s ministry in his life, had a much longer vision and a more patient love for the church. 5. Through joys and trials, John Calvin looked for God’s providences. Nine years later, well into his renewed ministry in Geneva and just months after burying his dear wife, Calvin taught on Paul’s words to the Thessalonians: “Paul does not ascribe merely the beginning of our salvation to the grace of God . . . the whole progress of our salvation is nothing but the grace of God.” Through joys and trials, he had learned more profoundly that behind both pleasant days and what seem frowning providences is the smiling face of the Savior who continues to shape us for service and glory. : Martin Bucer, Concerning the True Care of Souls, trans. Peter Beale (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2009), 1-218.

3. How Did We Get the Westminster Confession of Faith?

   Have you ever started a project with a specific goal in mind, only to realize along the way that the final product would look very different from what you’d originally planned? If so, then you can understand something of how the Westminster Confession of Faith came to be. How It Came to Be The creation of the Westminster Confession represents the crescendo of a century of political and religious upheaval on the British Isles. Beginning in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy, whereby Henry VIII declared himself to be the head of the Church of England, English Christianity underwent considerable change. Thanks to the reforms of Henry’s Protestant son, Edward VI (reigning 1547–1553), and Protestant daughter, Elizabeth I (reigning 1558–1603), the Church of England adopted the Book of Common Prayer for its worship and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion as its confession of faith, which was Reformed in character. Though these represented a positive shift away from the theology of Rome, there were still those within the Church of England who desired further reform, namely the Puritans. Their primary objections were to the fixed liturgy of the Book of Common Prayer, clerical vestments, and rule by bishops (episcopacy). Charles I (reigning 1625–1649), together with the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, ratcheted up tensions even further. Charles, a firm believer in the divine right of kings, ruled without the consent of Parliament for eleven years (also known as Personal Rule). Laud disregarded Puritan concerns and espoused Arminian theology, prioritized the Lord’s Supper over preaching, and insisted on the divine right of bishops. After trying to impose the Book of Common Prayer upon the Scottish Church in 1637, the Scottish Covenanters rebelled against the Crown in the First Bishops’ War (1639). Charles had no choice but to call Parliament with the hope that it would raise taxes to fund the war effort. Charles’ hopes were frustrated when Parliament sought instead to limit his powers as king. The ensuing conflict between Charles and Parliament eventually led to the English Civil War (1642–1651). On the one side were the Royalists who supported Charles I and the religious status quo, and on the other the English Parliament and Scottish Covenanters who desired reformation of the Church of England along Presbyterian and Reformed lines. To that end, Parliament moved to abolish rule by bishops in 1642 and appointed 151 men to assemble in Westminster Abbey on July 1, 1643, to reform the church’s government and liturgy according to the Word of God and to defend the reformational theology of the church. The divines’ original assignment was to clarify and defend the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. But after signing the Solemn League and Covenant (1643) wherein England vowed to pursue religious uniformity together with Scotland (which was Presbyterian), plans changed. The Thirty-Nine Articles were set aside and the assembly began its work on a new confession of faith. What It Continues to Be In surveying the historical context of the Westminster Confession, we are given fresh reasons to praise the sovereignty and wisdom of our God. What arose out of a period of political and religious division, God has used as one of the most unifying theological confessions in the world. Today there are men and women, boys and girls, on every continent who point to the work of the Westminster divines as the confession of their faith. The confession is further unifying in its unwavering commitment to the doctrine of sola Scriptura. As the assembly neared completion of the confession in 1646, Parliament requested that the divines provide Scripture references to support their claims. The next year, the assembly presented no less than 2,500 proof-texts, demonstrating their commitment not to doctrines and commandments of men but to the authoritative Word of God. Charles Spurgeon once said of John Bunyan: “Prick him anywhere; and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God.” If you read the Westminster Confession of Faith, I expect you will feel the same way. You’ll find it to be overwhelmingly bibline; its soul is full of the Word of God. And that is a confession worth believing, indeed. : Charles H. Spurgeon, The Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon: Compiled from His Diary, Letters, and Records by His Wife and Private Secretary, vol. 4, 1878–1892 (Curts & Jennings, 1900), 268.

4. What Was the Reformation All About?

   The Protestant Reformation is a story of transformation—a transformation from hate to love, from slavery to freedom, and from blind faith to a glorious discovery of the truth in Jesus Christ. In this short video, Dr. R.C. Sproul summarizes the main catalyst for the Protestant Reformation and the mission of Ligonier Ministries more than five-hundred years later. This video is also available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. You’ll find below several other resources that explain what the Reformation was all about. Books The Beauty of Divine Grace by Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer This book introduces readers to the five solas of the Protestant Reformation—Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and the glory of God alone—explaining their biblical foundations and their significance for Christian faith and life. Dr. Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer devotes a chapter to each of the five solas, tracing their roots in Scripture and their development through church history addressing common misunderstandings surrounding each doctrine, such as the nature of faith as an instrument rather than a cause of salvation, and the inseparable connection between the sufficiency of Scripture and the finished work of Christ. The Heart of the Reformation: A 90-Day Devotional on the Five Solas by Ligonier Ministries Sometimes one word is all that stands between the truth and a lie. During the Reformation, that word was sola: “alone.” That word made all the difference during the Reformation, and the same is true today. This devotional covers the five solas of the Reformation, helping readers to better understand the core biblical truths that display the reliability of God’s Word and the depths of His mercy. Reformation Women: Sixteenth-Century Figures Who Shaped Christianity’s Rebirth by Rebecca VanDoodewaard Just as Deborah, Esther, and the New Testament Marys helped shape Biblical history, so the women of the Reformed church have helped to make its history great. In this book Rebecca VanDoodewaard introduces readers to twelve sixteenth-century women who provide Christians today with examples of strong service to Christ and His church. These influential, godly women were devoted to Reformation truth, provided support for their husbands, practiced hospitality, and stewarded their intellectual abilities. This book can help readers better understand church history and how God used women to further the Reformation through their work and influence. The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation by Michael Reeves Burning pyres, nuns on the run, stirring courage, and comic relief: the Protestant Reformation is a gripping tale, packed with drama. But what motivated the Reformers? And what were they really like? In this book, Dr. Michael Reeves, brings to life the movement’s most colorful characters (Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, the Puritans, and others), examines their ideas, and shows the profound and personal relevance of Reformation thinking for today. Podcasts Luther in Real Time with Barry Cooper Covering events that occurred more than five hundred years ago, this podcast invites listeners to walk in Martin Luther’s footsteps at the dawn of the Reformation. Hear in Luther’s own words the powerful story of his journey from heresy charges to his famous stand for the authority of God’s Word at the Diet of Worms. Renewing Your Mind Renewing Your Mind delivers daily Bible teaching to listeners worldwide. R.C. Sproul launched this outreach in 1994 to help people gain a deeper understanding of who God is as their minds are renewed according to His Word. Tune in during the month of October for Reformation-themed broadcasts. Film Luther: The Life and Legacy of the German Reformer by Stephen McCaskell Discover the story behind the man who sparked the Protestant Reformation. Told through a seamless combination of live-action storytelling and artistic animation, this film presents Martin Luther’s daring life in extensive detail with commentary from R.C. Sproul and other teachers. Teaching Series Luther and the Reformation by R.C. Sproul Centuries after his death, Martin Luther is celebrated as an intellectual giant, a brave opponent of corruption, a shaper of culture, and indeed one of the most significant figures in Western history. Many people, however, are unaware of the events of Luther's life that led him to make a courageous stand for the gospel in the sixteenth century. In this series, Dr. R.C. Sproul provides a thorough introduction to the life and thought of Martin Luther. With an eye to the lessons we can learn today, Dr. Sproul traces the major events of Luther's life and explores the gospel recovered by Luther and the other Protestant Reformers. This teaching series (also available as a book) discusses several crisis moments in the life of Martin Luther that led to his recovery of the gospel as revealed in Scripture. Justification by faith alone was a liberating truth for Luther and the other Protestant Reformers, and it is still good news for God’s people to cherish today. Justified by Faith Alone by R.C. Sproul How do we answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” The doctrine of justification by faith alone is at the center of Reformation theology and remains critical for all believers today. This doctrine is continually under assault, yet without it, there is no gospel. In this lecture series, Dr. R.C. Sproul explores the doctrine of justification historically and theologically. He carefully defines each term in the phrase “justification by faith alone” while pointing to the imputation of a perfect righteousness found only in Jesus Christ. The Necessity of Reforming the Church by W. Robert Godfrey What if the priorities of the church and the priorities of God’s Word were worlds apart? This realization launched the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, as men such as Martin Luther and John Calvin worked to bring the church back under the authority of Scripture. Slowed by opposition, Calvin wrote to defend the necessity of reforming the church. In this teaching series, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey gathers insights from Calvin’s treatise to ask penetrating questions for Christians and congregations today as the work of reforming the church continues. Reformation Truths with Michael Reeves Some people dismiss the Reformation as a peculiar chapter of history with little relevance to contemporary life, but nothing could be further from the truth. In this eight-part teaching series, Dr. Michael Reeves explains that the Reformation still matters because the gospel still matters. This series surveys the beliefs of Roman Catholics and Protestants, revealing that these two traditions hold very different views on salvation—one relies on our performance, while the other rests on Jesus’ righteousness alone. For Kids The Woman Who Helped A Reformer by Rebecca VanDoodewaard What does Katharina Luther do with an old monastery, lots of children, a busy husband, many guests, and little money? Work very hard! In this board book, take a peek at Katharina Luther’s days looking after it all out of thankfulness to God. These simple stories, written with toddlers in mind, have beautiful, engaging illustrations that will have your children asking you to read them over and over! Martin Luther: Christian Biographies for Young Readers by Simonetta Carr In this volume for children, Simonetta Carr tells the compelling story of Martin Luther, the monk who wrote ninety-five questions, hoping to start a discussion about sin and repentance. The book traces Luther’s quest for peace with God, his lifelong heroic stand for God’s truth, his family life, and his numerous accomplishments. The Reformer’s greatest accomplishment, Carr writes, was “his uncompromising emphasis on the free promise of the gospel.” Reformation Heroes by Joel Beeke and Diana Kleyn The Reformation did not happen instantaneously. Rather, it was something that God in His providence arranged over a number of years. This book looks at how the Lord used various individuals to plant the seeds of church reform long before Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses. Readers will learn about figures including John Knox, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Zacharias Ursinus, and Willem Teellinck, who contributed to the Reformation. Also included are chapters covering the Anabaptist and Counter Reformation movements. Faithfulness Under Fire: The Story of Guido de Bres by William Boekestein The life of Guido de Bres teaches us that we can find enduring hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ, even during persecution. Author William Boekestein sensitively tells the story of de Bres for children, guiding them through his turbulent life and times—from his birth in 1522 in a small Belgian town, to his call to the ministry and study under Reformers such as John Calvin and Theodore Beza, to his authorship of the Belgic Confession, to his life of suffering and his martyr’s death in 1567. Skillfully crafted illustrations and an easy-to-understand narrative combine to capture the entire family’s interest in—and admiration for—this amazing Reformation hero. Collections Browse more curated content on our website and mobile app by selecting the following Reformation-themed collections. What Are the Five Solas? by Various Authors The English Reformation by Various Authors New to Reformed Theology by Various Authors

5. What Is Predestination?

   We must start by asking a seemingly simple question: What is predestination? There appear to be as many different definitions of predestination as there are doctrines of predestination. Since the Bible was not written in English, we don’t find the English word predestination, yet multiple Greek words convey the concept, so we look to these Greek words to inform our understanding of what predestination means. One example is the Greek word proorizō. The prefix pro- corresponds to the English prefix pre-, meaning something that takes place in advance, in front of, or before something else that follows later, while orizō means “to appoint, designate, assign.” Therefore, proorizō refers to ordaining or designating something beforehand. Without being fatalists, thinking that everything that happens falls out according to some impersonal guiding principle, we can say that we each have a destiny. In God’s providence, that destiny is in His hand and in His eternal plan. Before any of us were born, our destinies were written by God before the foundation of the earth. With respect to salvation, the doctrine of predestination does not include the concept that every detail of our lives is foreordained and predestined by God. Rather, this doctrine deals with our ultimate destiny. Certainly, every detail of our lives is foreordained by God, but that truth belongs more properly to the doctrine of God’s providence. The doctrine of predestination, in its initial form, does not include these particular elements in its scope (though they are true). It simply concerns our final destiny and where we will go when we die. Most Christians will agree that God is not simply a spectator of human events, but that He does, at least in some ways, decide things in advance. Most would affirm that in at least some sense, God has what we call foreknowledge, as this concept is deeply rooted in the pages of Scripture. God knows all things in advance, and He knows them perfectly. But as soon as we begin to probe the extent of that foreknowledge and the grounds for that foreknowledge, Christians divide into opposite camps and the philosophical debates erupt. Though all churches and Christians don’t agree about the nature of predestination, one point can be agreed on: God, in His sovereignty, in some way predestines who gets to heaven and who does not. That’s the simplest definition of predestination. The focal point of predestination is the doctrine of election we find in the New Testament, and that has to do with God’s choosing and making a decision about heaven or hell. Virtually all Christians believe that much about predestination. But exactly how God makes the decision in advance about our ultimate destiny is by no means a matter of universal agreement among professing Christians or in the historic creeds. There are many different doctrines of predestination. While delving into all the subtle nuances and peculiarities of the various views is beyond the scope of this book, we must mention the two most common views of predestination that we find in church history. The first of these most common views—and perhaps the majority view in the Christian world today—is the prescient view. Prescience is simply a synonym for foreknowledge. The prescient view of predestination holds that God, from all eternity, looks down the corridors of history and knows in advance who will and will not respond positively to the invitation of Christ and His gospel. He knows that some will say yes to Christ and others will say no. From all eternity, God ordains that every person who says yes to the gospel will go to heaven. He chooses them for heaven based on their foreseen faith. The Augustinian view, also called the Reformation view, holds that God, from all eternity, not only predestines those who will believe to be saved, but He also predestines those who will believe to believe. In other words, apart from God’s predestinating grace, no one would ever believe. People are not predestined to heaven because they believe or because God knows that they will believe; they are predestined to believe that they might go to heaven. The Augustinian view maintains that from the foundation of the world—before anyone was born or did anything—God decided who would be brought to faith and who would not. Eternal destiny is rooted and grounded in God’s predestinating grace. Those who are not predestined from the foundation of the world will not come to faith, and their destination will not be heaven. These two views are very different. In the first view, the decisive factor regarding a person’s destiny rests with the individual. In the second view, the decisive factor rests with God. Those who take the latter view must respond to questions about God’s fairness and justice and about man’s free will. Those who take the first view must answer the question of why is it that some people say yes and others say no. Is it because some people are more righteous, intelligent, or meritorious than others? Studying predestination forces us to ask and answer hard questions, and if nothing else, it forces us to look more closely at the character of God and at our own sinfulness. We can never spend too much time studying the character of God. There is no such thing as a “too developed” understanding of the grace of God or the greatness of God. Nor is it harmful to us to explore the depths of our own human weakness. Virtually all of the errors that plague the church and her doctrine relate to one of two errors: either an underestimation of the greatness of God or an overestimation of the greatness of man.