Ligonier Ministries Blog

1. The Cosmic Conflict

   The moment that started this cosmic conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man occurred in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3 records the temptation and fall of the human race. The account begins, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made” (Gen. 3:1). Nearly everything that precedes Genesis 3:1 is positive. It speaks of God’s original, transcendent, majestic work of divine creation. Everything proceeds with divine benediction as God looks at the work of His hands and calls it “very good” (Gen. 1:31). The one exception is the declaration that it is “not good” that the man be alone, a situation soon remedied by the creation of the woman (Gen. 2:18–25). Genesis 3, however, introduces an ominous note of foreboding that we can sense with the opening phrase, “Now the serpent.” The Serpent’s Deception The crafty and cunning serpent appears for the first time. He is on a mission of seduction. We could also call it a mission of enlistment, for the serpent is trying to gather troops to accompany him in his declared war against heaven. Before the fall of man took place, conflict already existed in the universe because of a civil disturbance in the heavenly host. Some of the angelic beings who had been created by God to serve in His army defected. They rose up in cosmic insurrection against their Creator, and as a result, they fell from heaven. Now, after man has been made in God’s own image, the leader of that cosmic rebellion comes in the form of the serpent to recruit soldiers for his army. > He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" (Gen. 3:1–3) At the center of this discussion is a law delivered by the King of the universe. A single prohibition has been issued. God has graciously offered Adam and Eve a smorgasbord of delectable fruit from all the various trees of the garden, saying: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:16–17). Next comes the direct assault: “But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Gen. 3:4–5). God has warned, “If you eat it, you will die.” But the serpent says, “If you eat it, you will not die.” The serpent directly contradicts the word of God. The first volley fired against the authority of God is an assault on His truthfulness, and it is intended to incite rebellion against God and over His inherent authority over His creation. The serpent is saying, in so many words: > Your Creator has lied to you. The King has betrayed you. He told you that if you eat of that fruit, you will die. I’m here to tell you that that’s not true. The reason that God told you not to touch that fruit is not for your protection or well-being, but that He is jealously guarding His own dominion and kingdom. He knows that if you eat of that fruit, you will awaken to a new dimension of knowledge that heretofore in your naïveté you haven’t penetrated at all. If you eat of that tree, you will know and understand good and evil. Once you have achieved that level of insight and knowledge, you will be like God. The First Credo of Humanism Protagoras, an ancient Greek philosopher, is sometimes called the father of humanism. He coined a phrase that was later translated into Latin as homo mensura, which literally means “man the measure.” Protagoras’ thesis was that man is the measure of all things—man, not God, is ultimate. Yet Protagoras didn’t invent humanism. It began much earlier than in ancient Greece. It began in the garden of Eden. Of course, the great irony is that the author of humanism isn’t even human. A serpent, not a man, gives the first credo of humanism. The original creed is not homo mensura but eritis sicut dii, “You shall be as gods.” That’s the seduction. From a theological standpoint, what really provokes the fall? The temptation that seduces the entire human race is an offer of autonomy. Someone who seeks to be autonomous seeks to be a law unto himself, accountable to no higher authority. The serpent suggests to Adam and Eve that they are free to decide for themselves what is best. Why should they live under the authority of someone else? This lie continues to be told today. It might sound something like this: “As long as there is one restriction on your freedom, you’re not truly free.” Since Genesis 3, the promise has been held out to man to be his own god, to create his own kingdom, to build his own city, and to throw off the kingdom and rule of God. The temptation is a test of obedience, and once the serpent’s suggestion is acted on, the cosmic war begins. As a result, conflict enters human experience.

2. Help Equip More Pastors like Moses

   I want you to meet Pastor Moses. 1200x675 September eLetter Pastor Moses In the small West African country of Togo, he serves at the only gospel-preaching church in his village. Many members of his congregation have come out of generations of animism and voodoo. To this day, ancestral worship and other idolatry shape daily life in the surrounding community. In the face of so much spiritual darkness, Pastor Moses seeks to shine the light of Christ. Yet as he labors to proclaim God’s Word and disciple his congregation, he faces a challenge shared by millions of pastors worldwide: Many Christians in the church have never even owned a Bible. Trusted theological resources are scarce and financially out of reach. Meanwhile, the influence of false teaching is rampant. By God’s grace, Ligonier recently supplied Pastor Moses and his church with the Reformation Study Bible and other trusted discipleship tools. His congregation is now better prepared to stand as a beacon of light in a sea of darkness. Yet in many places around the world, falsehood threatens to drown out the true gospel. The global church needs our help. I’ve seen it firsthand. We thank God for the supporters who share Ligonier’s commitment to strengthen His people. Will you join us to bring trusted Bible teaching to even more Christians? Your donation today can help equip pastors for a lifetime of faithful ministry and spread the light of God’s Word among the nations. A pastor like Moses carries a calling of eternal weight. Day after day, he sacrificially shepherds God’s people: admonishing the idle, encouraging the fainthearted, and helping the weak. He must give an account for every soul under his care and for every word he teaches them (Heb. 13:17; James 3:1). All his labors will prove fruitless if they do not rest on the authoritative Word of God. Yet today, of the roughly five million pastors worldwide, 95 percent lack formal theological training. Most pastors have limited access to trusted resources to help them study and teach the Bible. They’re unprepared to form disciples who can grow strong in the faith amid an unbelieving world. All the while, false teaching abounds; the darkness is rising. These challenges are not new to our time. Five centuries ago, the church was shrouded in another cloak of spiritual darkness. When preachers and teachers courageously took up God’s Word and proclaimed it faithfully, the Protestant Reformation dawned. God dispelled the darkness in many places, delivering hearts from sin, hopelessness, and superstition. Post tenebras lux. “After darkness, light.” This Reformation rallying cry sounds through the Bible-teaching outreach of Ligonier Ministries as we seek to spread the light of God’s truth throughout the global church. Dr. R.C. Sproul led the charge when he launched Ligonier’s study Bible distribution to pastors in need. He understood that a renewal of the historic Christian faith starts with leaders thoroughly equipped for the work of the Word (2 Tim. 3:14–17). When a pastor receives the Reformation Study Bible, he gains a trusted, lifelong companion to enhance his teaching ministry through: Exhaustive verse-by-verse commentary from 75 distinguished scholars, Dr. Sproul’s clear and precise notes covering the whole scope of theology, And two millennia of historic Christian creeds and confessions of faith. And when pastors are better equipped for their calling, the whole church benefits from the light of God’s Word. We seek to equip 500,000 pastors with the Reformation Study Bible by 2035. God has blessed this outreach; our pace is quickening, and we’re already 40 percent of the way to this goal. Last month alone, Ligonier’s supporters enabled the equipping of tens of thousands of church leaders throughout Africa. I was privileged to see their profound gratitude and renewed encouragement firsthand. Yet I also glimpsed the depth of the problem. Prosperity preachers are flooding Africa with containers filled with false teaching. The cults are there too. Darkness remains across the continent. To counteract this, we must accelerate the distribution of study Bibles to spread the light of God’s truth. Reaching our goal to equip half a million pastors still requires significant funds. Your support today can accelerate this outreach while fueling multi-year translations of the Reformation Study Bible into Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and other major languages. All of Ligonier’s outreaches exist to serve the global church, from our newly upgraded app, to the expansion of RefNet, to YouTube and satellite TV broadcasts, to Tabletalk Bible studies and translated books, to conferences and training events around the world. Your prayerful and financial support can further each of these outreaches and strengthen pastors to shine the light of God’s truth. Dr. Sproul said of Ligonier’s study Bible outreach, “We’re talking about an investment that has long-lasting impact in the lives of people.” Your gift today will help place study Bibles in the hands of pastors like Moses and accelerate worldwide Bible-teaching outreach. Thank you for joining Ligonier to strengthen the church, equip the saints, and proclaim God's holiness among the nations.

3. What Does the Bible Say About Friendship?

   Christian friendship is essential for the Christian life. Following Jesus was never meant to be done alone. It was never meant to be lived out in shallow, transactional relationships. Living out God’s purposes for us in Christ is tied to close, honest, meaningful relationships with others. So, let’s start with a basic definition of friendship affirmed by the principles of Scripture: Friendship is an intimate relationship of love, trust, and loyalty. Throughout the pages of Scripture, we find different kinds of relationships that meet this definition. We should begin with Genesis and the first marriage of Adam and Eve. In the opening chapters of the Bible, we see that in God’s design it was not good for man to be alone. This was not simply referring to closeness in marriage but to a necessary companionship as a pre-fall design that embodied love, trust, and loyalty. Moving further into the Old Testament, we find the brothers Moses and Aaron, and we see a lifelong friendship between these two servants of God’s people. Despite moments of conflict between them, they strengthened and supported one another over four decades of life and ministry. Fast-forward to the New Testament, where we find Paul and Barnabas. These two men were called by God and placed together in the providence of God not just to support one another in missionary work but also to be company and companions in the work. Perhaps the best model of friendship that captures the biblical spirit of this idea of love, trust, and loyalty is the relationship between David and Jonathan. This moving friendship is best seen in the throes of King Saul seeking to kill David. This caused David to run for his life, and the narrative of 1 Samuel 23 finds this conflict at its height. Despite God’s using David to help save the people of Keilah, David continued to flee from Saul’s pursuits. In 1 Samuel 23, David was weary, discouraged, and hiding out in the wilderness from the king when an unexpected companion arrived. Jonathan, Saul’s son, sought and found David hiding, and the author picks up the dramatic scene here: > David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. (1 Sam. 23:15–18) Jonathan arrived at the perfect, providential time when David needed a friend. In this moving account, the writer captures both a template of biblical friendship and some of the benefits of friendship that we need too when it seems the world is against us. Like David, it is a close, safe, trusted friend that we need most. Consider six benefits of Christian friendship: 1. Presence (1 Sam. 23:16) Let us never underestimate the power of presence: “Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David.” Often, friendship begins with simply the presence of someone else. 2. Strength (1 Sam. 23:16) What did Jonathan do that was so significant? Jonathan “strengthened [David’s] hand in God.” We don’t know exactly what that meant, but it is clear that God uniquely used Jonathan’s presence, pursuit, and words to strengthen David to continue to trust God. 3. Comfort (1 Sam. 23:17) Jonathan said, “Do not fear.” Apparently, Jonathan saw that David was afraid. Any of us would be afraid if the king was seeking our life. And yet, sometimes we need a comforting voice to remind us that we are not alone. We need a message from a friend who says: “Do not fear. I’m here with you, and God is with you.” 4. Protection (1 Sam. 23:17) Jonathan said, “The hand of Saul my father shall not find you.” How could Jonathan say this? He couldn’t prevent Saul from finding David, but this was a statement from Jonathan that he would protect David. It was as if Jonathan were saying, “If my father comes after you, he must go through me to get to you.” Sometimes when we feel deeply alone, we need someone to declare, “They have to come through me to get to you.” 5. Providence (1 Sam. 23:17) Jonathan reminded David of God’s purposes. He said, “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you.” Sometimes in crisis, we need a friend to remind us of truth we already know but have forgotten. Jonathan, the rightful heir to his father’s throne, reminds David that God’s purposes are to make David king—not Jonathan. And yet, as his friend, Jonathan will be with him. 6. Promise (1 Sam. 23:18) To seal this moving commitment of friendship in this crucial moment in their lives, Jonathan and David “made a covenant before the Lord.” This was a promise between these two men that was binding between them and before God. Based on these words of Jonathan, it was a commitment that said, “I will always be for you and with you.” The relationship between David and Jonathan is a beautiful example of biblical friendship for Christians to pursue and experience. It is never good for man or woman to be alone. We need each other. We need friendships full of love, trust, and loyalty.

4. My Joy and Crown: New Teaching Series from Sinclair Ferguson

   We all long for the church to be marked by joyful unity. But what should we do when division, rivalry, and discouragement threaten genuine gospel fellowship? In Sinclair Ferguson’s new video teaching series on Philippians, discover how Christ’s example of humility can renew our churches with steadfast faith, joyful fellowship, and unity in the gospel. Get complete streaming access when you order the series today. In My Joy and Crown, Dr. Ferguson explores the theology and pastoral wisdom in Paul’s affectionate letter to the Philippians. Start studying today to discover how the gospel provides a firm foundation for Christian living and fellowship with other believers. 12 Messages, Including: A Joy and Crown Congregation Lessons on Prayer The Wonder of God’s Providence The Secret of Humility How to Think as a Christian And More Watch the first message for free to start your study. Several Teaching Series Formats Available Digital download Ligonier Connect course Digital study guide Preorder the DVD Edition and Study Guide You can also be among the first to receive the DVD edition and paperback study guide for My Joy and Crown when they become available. Preorder Dr. Ferguson’s DVD teaching series and study guide for yourself or a loved one today. Watch Now as a Ministry Partner Did you know that Ligonier’s Ministry Partners get streaming access to our entire teaching series library? Unlock My Joy and Crown, along with Ligonier’s entire catalog from dozens of teachers, when you partner with Ligonier today. Your prayers and monthly donation will help fuel gospel outreach so more Christians worldwide can benefit from this biblical teaching.

5. Loving God with All Your Mind

   We are called to love God with the totality of our being. That is the point of the Great Commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). Mark’s gospel adds “strength” (Mark 12:30, see also Deut. 6:5). We should not overly stress the subtle distinctions between heart, soul, mind, and strength. Collectively, they refer to the whole person. That said, given your calling as a student, let’s unpack some of what it means to love God with all our minds. Take Every Thought Captive By the Holy Spirit’s power, we are to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Sin begins in the mind with the belief that our greatest good lies outside the bounds of God’s commands. Sexual sin begins with lust. Murder flows from anger. Gossip arises from pride. We indulge in practice what we first nurture in our minds. Conversely, we mortify sin and grow in grace by dwelling on what is true and pushing out the lies that tempt us toward things that can’t satisfy—cisterns that hold no water (Jer. 2:13). It is not enough to reject evil thoughts. We must cultivate godly thoughts. Thomas Chalmers once explained in his sermon “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection” that superior affections have the power to displace inferior ones. It’s easier to say no to extra French fries if you remember that a great dinner is coming, provided you don’t ruin your appetite. Similarly, when intrusive thoughts of self-pity or anger wash over us due to some slight, it’s easier to push them out by recalling how good it is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), to know that vengeance is the Lord’s (Rom. 12:19), and that all things must work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). It puts the affairs of our life into perspective. We must require that our thoughts submit to Christ’s lordship. To this end, Scripture intake and prayer are excellent protection for daily battle. Ask the Lord to continually renew your mind so that you’re bringing a distinctly God-centered orientation to your responsibilities and circumstances. You will thereby grow in resilience to deal with the setbacks of student life, which can feel all-consuming in the moment. A bad grade, a souring relationship, an internship that falls through—these will still sting. But we need not grieve as those without hope, if we take every thought captive. Grow in Discipline and Attentiveness We live in an age of shortened attention spans. The College Board has reduced the reading and writing portions of the SAT exam by up to five-hundred words. Professors who used to assign whole books now require mere chapters, excerpts, or articles. Time-use studies of college students point to fewer hours per week spent cracking the books and more time spent on leisure. But the Christian student seeks to be a good steward of the opportunity to grow intellectually. The brain is like a muscle. It can be strengthened by regular use. Apply yourself with diligence to your studies. Turn off your phone for lengthy periods of time to facilitate concentration. Whether reading a chapter, writing a paper, or completing a problem set, the greater the focus, the greater the quality of the work produced. Don’t let fear of a bad grade be your motivator. Instead, aim for the joy of discovery, of nurturing whatever level of academic talent the Lord has entrusted to you. When love of the learning process replaces anxiety about the grading process, the results often take care of themselves. If faithfulness is your aim, the grade can never determine the final impact. The B- of a faithful student is more praiseworthy in God’s eyes than the A- of a lazy or unethical student. The former will also make a better employee. Christian character is often the seedbed of professional success. Make Intelligent Use of Artificial Intelligence It’s the elephant in the room: How does using AI relate to loving God with our minds? First, we will not be loving God with our minds if we resort to AI to flee the mental strain that education requires. Don’t outsource the mental or creative work to the detriment of your own learning. If it helps, outsource the busy work. But the development of critical thinking, and the ability to connect ideas together, these skills can only come from deliberate practice. This article was written because I was willing to first stare at a blank page. And I’ve cut twice as many words as I’ve included. Similarly, don’t let AI do your math or science problems for you without doing the necessary learning that math and science require. Instead, you can use AI to write math or science problems for you, or to check your solutions, or have the chatbot quiz you about whatever it is you’re trying to master. Loving God with all our minds means leaning into the intellectual growth process. It means that to the extent we use AI, we use it as a tool to help us think, write, and solve complex problems better. We make AI our tool and we don’t let the tool become our master. Dear Christian student, join me in the lifelong process of learning to love God with all your mind. It won’t always be easy, but it’s a journey filled with reward. : Michael Torres, “The SAT’s Trust Fall: Legacy standardized-testing firms are cutting rigor to please students,” The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, June 18, 2025, https://jamesgmartin.center/2025/06/the-sats-trust-fall/.