Partner
  4. 11 min

    The Pastor’s Identity and Authority

    of the Apostle Paul is based on Jesus’ own word when He said to His disciples, “He who hears you hears me and he who rejects you rejects me.” When preaching is done in faithfulness to the Scripture and under the blessing of the Holy Spirit it is not only the minister’s voice but the voice of Christ.
    So the message of the gospel must be spoken with boldness (papponoia). Boldness is given the pastor by the risen Lord through the operation of the Holy Spirit. In terms of this boldness the Lord endows His pastors with a poise, a certainty of expression which is a peculiarly Christian boldness and which stands in sharp distinction from the ordinary dogmatism of the world. When people are offended by this boldness they are actually taking offense to the gospel itself and to the authority of Christ.
    Whenever the pastor sees himself as a herald of the infallible word he will have an identity which will give him confidence, joy, and fruitfulness in the ministry.
    Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in Soli Deo Gloria: Essays in Reformed Theology: Festschrift for John H Gerstner, ed. R.C. Sproul (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R Publishing, 1976).
    : Seward Hiltner, Ferment in the Ministry (Atlanta: Abingdon Press, 1969), 31-32.
    : Samuel W. Blizzard, “The Minister’s Dilemma,” Christian Century 73, no. 16 (April 25, 1956), 509.
    : Urban T. Holmes, The Future Shape of the Ministry (New York: Seabury Press, 1971), 140-141.
    : Arnold Come, Agents of Reconciliation (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971), 99-100.
    : Ephesians 4: 11, New American Standard Bible.
    : John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistle to Galatians and Ephesians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 282.
    : R. C. Johnson, The Church and Its Changing Ministry (Philadelphia: U.P.U.S.A. Office of the General Assembly, 1961), 17.
    : Hiltner, op. cit., 56.
    : For a refreshing critique see Holmes, op. cit., 167ff.
    : Clyde Reid, The Empty Pulpit (New York: Harper and Row, 1967), 102.
    : “In My Opinion,” Preaching Today 7, no. 1 (January and February, 1973), 3.
    : Blizzard, op. cit., 508.
    : Edmund P. Clowney, Called to the Ministry (Chicago: Inter Varsity Press, 1964), 146ff.
    : Cf. II Baruch 10: 18.
    : Clowney, op. cit., 147.
    : Quoted in R. C. Johnson, op. cit., 101.
    : Joel H. Nederhood, The Church’s Ministry to the Educated American (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961), 143.
    : John T. McNeil, The History and Character of Calvinism (New York: Oxford Press, 1954), 30-31).
    : For a further development of this point see Edmund P. Clowney, Preaching and Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961).
    : McNeil, op. cit., 31.
    : John Calvin, Commentary on the Epistle to Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 140.
    : For this and other information the author is indebted to John Richard de Witt and a speech given in March, 1974, to the National Presbyterian and Reformed Fellowship.
    : J. Schlier, ”IIapponoia” Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 5, 871-886.
    Jack White
  5. 4 min

    Work, Identity, and the Effect of Sin

    and give their all in the workplace—and this may involve some late nights and business trips. Of all men, Christians should work especially hard, giving more than an honest day’s work for a day’s wage._
    In thinking about how the need to work is hardwired into men’s souls, and the pleasure we can derive from work, I find it interesting that even many of the things we designate as hobbies are really forms of work. Some men like to relax through woodworking, which is, of course, a matter of working with wood. Other men like to work in the garden or restore cars. Some men like to go fishing, which is a kind of work, and others like climbing mountains, which seems like a lot of work. My love for following baseball involves detailed mathematics, which makes the pastime all that much more fun for me. Even in our leisure, we see that men are made for work.
    Daily Echoes of Genesis 2
    Have you noticed that, almost every time, the second subject that comes up when two men meet involves work? I sit next to a man on an airplane, and what does he ask? “What’s your name?” I answer, “I’m Rick Phillips.” The next question is amazingly consistent: “What do you do?” How we answer tells people what to think of us.
    There are a number of ways I can answer the question. I can say, “I’m an author,” in which case the man thinks I’m an interesting person with lots of insight. Or I can say, “I’m an educator.” Then he thinks I’m a person with specialized knowledge, and he questions me further to find out what that area of knowledge is. If I say, “I’m a preacher,” he starts looking out the window, afraid I’m going to hassle him about his sins. (Usually, the answer I choose to give depends on whether I am interested in talking or not.) The point is that the answer to “What do you do?” tells people most of what they want to know about a man.
    In a world in which God has called men to work, this should not be surprising. Do you see the theological tie-back here? In this mundane example, we catch a glimmer of the profundity of Scripture, the kind of glimmer we notice all the time if we’re paying attention. The simple who-is-this-guy conversations we have with strangers are not random events. They sprout from the theology of work and calling rooted in the garden and recorded in Genesis 2.
    Richard Phillips

  6. Finding Your Identity

    Several images are used in the Bible to describe the church: the body of Christ, the elect, the house of God, the saints. One of the most meaningful expressions the Bible uses is “the people of God,” the laos theon.
    The church, then, is people. The Roman Catholic Church once declared, “Where the bishop is, there is the church.” The Reformation declared, “Where the people of God are, there is the church—the church under the Lordship of Christ and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.”
    The church is neither a building nor the clergy nor an abstract institution—it is the people of God. When Martin Luther articulated his vision of the priesthood of all believers, he did not denigrate the legitimate role of the clergy. He understood that Christ has given pastors and teachers to His church, along with other offices, with specified tasks. What Luther was getting at, however, is that the priestly ministry of Christ is passed on in some measure to every believer.
    R.C. Sproul
  7. 25:52

    Identity and Freedom

    Many people feel lost in a swirl of identity confusion and chaos today, wondering who they are and where they fit in. In this panel discussion from Always Ready, Ligonier’s apologetics conference for middle and high school students, Eric Bancroft, Nathan W. Bingham, and Stephen Nichols address questions related to issues of gender and sexuality, where we can find a sense of being and belonging, and how to answer the question “Who am I?”
    Questions:
    1. What does the Bible teach us about identity? (1:39)
    2. How can we address questions about identity, gender, and sexuality in our local churches? (3:49)
    3. How can people find freedom from a wrong view of identity and related sins? (7:34)
    4. How can we identify the idols in our lives that negatively shape our identity? (14:59)
    5. What would you say to a Christian who is asking why identity issues matter? (19:58)
    Note: Answers given reflect the views of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Dr. R.C. Sproul and Ligonier Ministries. Here is our Statement of Faith.

  9. Where Do You Find Your Identity?

    In Luke 16, Jesus talks about a rich man and a man named Lazarus. It is interesting that Jesus gives us the name of one man—Lazarus­—but he does not give us the name of the other man. He simply calls the other man “a rich man.” We don’t know exactly why Jesus did this, but I think that Jesus wanted to express that the financial wealth that the rich man possessed was the main thing that could be said about him.
    Jesus tells us in verses 22–23 that when Lazarus died, he “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side,” whereas the rich man ended up in Hades. This is not to say that all wealthy people will end up in Hades. For even though Jesus says in Luke 18:25 that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God,” Jesus says right after that in verse 27 that “what is impossible with man is possible with God.”
    The Emptiness of Wealth
    By God’s grace, I have had the privilege of planting a church in South Munich, Germany, in a suburb called Gruenwald, which is financially the wealthiest place in all of Germany. Sadly, there are people in Gruenwald who find their identity only in their financial wealth. If they are successful financially, they feel like they are doing great and they feel important and special. However, when things go sour financially and they lose their financial wealth, there is not much left in terms of identity.
    I believe that this dynamic is why Jesus in Luke 16 just calls the man “a rich man” and does not even mention his name, for apart from his financial wealth there is utter emptiness in the man’s life.
    Our True Identity
    Where do you find your identity? Where do you find your strength and your hope? If you find your identity in anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ, then you will be in the end utterly forsaken. It is only in Jesus Christ and through a personal relationship with Jesus that you find true and lasting identity and value. All those who trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are already perfectly loved and accepted and valued on the basis of the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. Trusting in an idol eventually leaves you with emptiness and eternal despair, whereas trusting in Jesus provides an eternal and secure identity full of hope, faith, and love.
    It is important to remember in daily life that as believers, all that we have and all that we are is by God’s grace, and that as children of God, we are already perfectly loved by the One whose judgment truly matters: the Lord and King Jesus Christ.
    Having that firm foundation and identity in Christ liberates us to live our lives to the glory of God, no matter the ups and downs we face. Soli Deo gloria!
    Steffen Mueller

  10. Our True Identity

    Sin's tyrannical power over us is broken in our regeneration and conversion to Christ, and because we have received the Holy Spirit, wickedness can never again rule our deeds and affections as it does in those who do not know the Savior (Rom. 6:1–14; 8:9–11; 2 Peter 1:3–4). However, the New Testament does not teach perfectionism. God frees us from the reign of sin when we are united to Christ by faith, but He does not remove sin's presence from us entirely. His Spirit comes to dwell in us, to empower us to put our remaining sin to death, but until we are glorified, sin will be a part of our experience (1 John 1:8–9).
    This struggle between who we are in Christ and the remnants of who we were in sin is ongoing, intense, and marked by victories and defeats. Paul's depiction of this war in Romans 7:14–25 tells us as much. The Apostle speaks of a conflict between his desires and what he actually accomplishes, which can seem a little confusing at first. After all, do we not have a desire for sin when we sin? If there were no desire, why would we sin at all? The answer to this conundrum lies in understanding biblical anthropology (the doctrine of humanity). Scripture teaches that although the presence of sin remains in the converted, we are new creations in Christ: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). Sin is not who we really are, even though at times it seems like it is. By no means are we minimizing the reality that Christians can and do sin, and neither are we denying that believers are in some sense still sinners. As Martin Luther said, we are at the same time righteous (in Christ) and sinners (in practice). Still, sin does not define believers as it does non-Christians. When Paul speaks of desiring the good in Romans 7, he is referring to who we really are now that we are in Christ. The fundamental inclination of our hearts, now that we are Christians, is to please God. When we sin, we are acting like who we were in Adam and not who we truly are in Christ.
    We conclude today with Dr. R.C. Sproul's words on this matter from his commentary Romans: "Even though [Paul] is involved in this conflict, the new man is still what defines his personality. Despite the ongoing struggle and the failures into sin that mark his Christian life, Paul knows that he is a new creature. What God has done with him can be seen not in the remnants of his old man [remaining sin] but in the triumph that God gives him through his Holy Spirit in the new man [who we are in Christ]."
    romans 7:18–20

  11. Our Identity in Christ

    Remembering all the personal identification numbers, passwords, login names, ID cards, and the like that are a part of my everyday routine gets tiring. In order to conduct any business on the Internet, enter my residence, pay bills, access email, or enter my gym, I either enter a plethora of keystrokes or flash one of my various ID cards. Despite these little inconveniences, it is a relief to know that there are still a few places such as the homes of friends and family and the church where “secret handshakes,” ID cards, and special personal identification numbers are not required. In these places, my status as a friend or family member is the one thing that allows me access into each particular fellowship.
    For believers to fellowship with God, His Son — Jesus, had to suffer and die on the cross. After He breathed His last breath and yielded up His Spirit, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). This curtain referenced in Matthew and Mark probably refers to the inner curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (see also Ex. 26:31ff). On the Day of Atonement, only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. Here he would sprinkle the blood of a bull and goat on and in front of the mercy seat to atone for the sins of Israel (Lev. 16:14­­–15). However, once the curtain was torn in half, access to God was no longer for the high priest alone, but for all believers.
    Those who trust in Jesus Christ are essentially washed clean from their sins by the blood of Jesus. Not only that, but the benefits of Christ’s perfect life are imparted to the believer. As a result, we have a status as sons of God (Gal. 4:5). I know there are no cards for Christians that identify us as, “sons of God with full access to the Father,” but it might be a good reminder for some if we had them.
    It is a tremendous blessing to approach the throne of God in prayer and worship. Too often, however, we forget that the “clearance” we’ve been given came not of our doing but of Christ’s doing. His steadfast love for us meant the giving up of His life — a life lived in perfect obedience to God’s law — so that we would not experience eternal separation but everlasting fellowship with Him. The next time you type in a password or flash an ID card, think of the gift you have been given — full access to God the Father, Ruler over all things.
    Kevin Struyk
  14. Tabletalk
    Print Article : June 2025

    Gender and Identity

    During elementary school, one of my sons had a friend who frequently asserted his personal aspirations, his own version of the American dream: “When I grow up, I am going to be a lobster.” My opinions vacillated when hearing his single-minded vision. In contrast to the lazy myopia and aimless delirium generated by excessive video gaming, I welcomed the voicing of a clear and unwavering vision. At the same time, I and others winced at his low, manifestly odd, and, well, impossible ambitions.
    David Garner
    Tabletalk Magazine
  15. Tabletalk
    Print Article : June 2024

    Desire and Identity in Today’s Culture

    When I was in grad school for English literature, I took a course on science fiction. Only after registration had closed did I discover that the seminar was on a specific type of science fiction: lesbian science fiction. I hadn’t even known that there was such a thing. But I spent the next sixteen weeks trying to listen honestly, dodge certain portions of the reading, and agonize over how to contribute anything helpful. In class discussion, I took the strategy of the wise man—I shut up most of the time. When the conversation inevitably went to the evils of the Christian Bible, I would venture a defense of Scripture’s vision of women, sexuality, or relationships.
    Jeremy Pierre
    Tabletalk Magazine
  16. 1 min

    Watch Again: Gender and Identity

    We’re living in days of widespread confusion about gender and identity. How should Christians navigate these challenging times?
    Recently, Dr. Rosaria Butterfield joined Ligonier Teaching Fellow Dr. Burk Parsons and Ligonier President Chris Larson to discuss the Bible’s teaching about our identity in Christ and God’s unchanging design for gender and sexuality. Watch now as they encourage us to stand for the truth out of devotion to God and love for our neighbors.
    This special event streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. You can access the recording below. We encourage you to share this video with your family and friends.
    Ligonier Updates
  19. Tabletalk
    Daily Study

    Our Identity in Christ

    Remembering all the personal identification numbers, passwords, login names, ID cards, and the like that are a part of my everyday routine gets tiring. In order to conduct any business on the Internet, enter my residence, pay bills, access email, or enter my gym, I either enter a plethora of keystrokes or flash one of my various ID cards. Despite these little inconveniences, it is a relief to know that there are still a few places such as the homes of friends and family and the church where “secret handshakes,” ID cards, and special personal identification numbers are not required. In these places, my status as a friend or family member is the one thing that allows me access into each particular fellowship. For believers to fellowship with God, His Son — Jesus, had to suffer and die on the cross. After He breathed His last breath and yielded up His Spirit, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51). This curtain referenced in Matthew and Mark probably refers to the inner curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (see also Ex. 26:31ff). On the Day of Atonement, only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place. Here he would sprinkle the blood of a bull and goat on and in front of the mercy seat to atone for the sins of Israel (Lev. 16:14­­–15). However, once the curtain was torn in half, access to God was no longer for the high priest alone, but for all believers. Those who trust in Jesus Christ are essentially washed clean from their sins by the blood of Jesus. Not only that, but the benefits of Christ’s perfect life are imparted to the believer. As a result, we have a status as sons of God (Gal. 4:5). I know there are no cards for Christians that identify us as, “sons of God with full access to the Father,” but it might be a good reminder for some if we had them. It is a tremendous blessing to approach the throne of God in prayer and worship. Too often, however, we forget that the “clearance” we’ve been given came not of our doing but of Christ’s doing. His steadfast love for us meant the giving up of His life — a life lived in perfect obedience to God’s law — so that we would not experience eternal separation but everlasting fellowship with Him. The next time you type in a password or flash an ID card, think of the gift you have been given — full access to God the Father, Ruler over all things.
    Tabletalk
  21. Magazine

    June 2024 Tabletalk

    The June 2024 issue of Tabletalk will provide an overview of the biblical concept of identity. Modern notions of identity promote self-worship and fluidity. We are encouraged to find our identity in whatever makes us happy according to our ever-changing feelings and desires. But the Bible reveals that our identity has been established by God from the very beginning when He “created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures” (Westminster Shorter Catechism 10). The fall, however, has marred man’s capacity to reflect his Creator. Men and women, left to their natural conditions, now look to idols to define our identity. Yet in Christ, God is restoring His people to reflect His image as He originally intended. The Bible, therefore, calls Christians to consider ourselves “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ” (Rom. 6:11), using several images that describe who we are in Christ. This issue of Tabletalk will help readers understand the biblical teaching on human identity, including what it means to be made in the image of God, what the various identities are that are assigned to us by God according to His providence, and what it means for our identity to be “in Christ.” It will further explore contemporary issues of identity, including gender and sexual identity. Finally, it will emphasize the need for Christians to remember their true and objective identity, especially when subjective experience and the world urge otherwise. Contributors include Burk Parsons, A. Craig Troxel, Jonathan Landry Cruse, David Mathis, Jeremy Pierre, Sinclair B. Ferguson, Andrew M. Davis, Kara Dedert, Jonathan L. Master, R. Carlton Wynne, Robert Rothwell, Geoffrey Thomas, David Strain, Jacob Gerber, and Ben Shaw.
    +7
    $5.00
  22. Hardcover

    Crisis of Confidence

    Historic statements of faith—such as the Heidelberg Catechism, the Apostles’ Creed, and the Westminster Confession of Faith—have helped the Christian church articulate and adhere to God’s truth for centuries. However, many modern evangelicals reject these historic documents and the practices of catechesis, proclaiming their commitment to “no creed but the Bible.” And yet, in today’s rapidly changing culture, ancient liturgical tradition is not only biblical—it’s essential. In Crisis of Confidence, Carl Trueman analyzes how creeds and confessions can help the Christian church navigate modern concerns, particularly around the fraught issue of identity. He contends that statements of faith promote humility, moral structure, and a godly view of personhood, helping believers maintain a strong foundation amid a culture in crisis. This is a revised edition of Trueman’s The Creedal Imperative, now with a new section on the rise of expressive individualism.
    Carl R. Trueman
    $28.00$22.40
  23. Paperback

    Strange New World

    How did the world arrive at its current, disorienting state of identity politics, and how should the church respond? Historian Carl R. Trueman shows how influences ranging from traditional institutions to technology and pornography moved modern culture toward an era of “expressive individualism.” Investigating philosophies from the Romantics, Nietzsche, Marx, Wilde, Freud, and the New Left, he outlines the history of Western thought to the distinctly sexual direction of present-day identity politics and explains the modern implications of these ideas on religion, free speech, and personal identity.
    Carl R. Trueman
    $18.00$14.40
  24. Paperback

    Slave

    Best-selling author and pastor Dr. John MacArthur reveals one crucial word that revolutionizes what it means to follow Jesus.Throughout the Bible, followers of Jesus are commanded to submit to Him as their King. They are told to obey and follow, faithfully and without hesitation. Every time Christians utter the word Lord, they make a subtle yet profound declaration—that God is their Master and that they belong to Him. In fact, the Bible describes believers as His slaves. They have been bought with a price and now live for Christ as a people for His own possession.But go into most churches today, even flip through most Bible translations, and you won’t see or hear the word slave anywhere. That’s because it has been lost in translation. In this gripping book, Dr. John MacArthur uses deep Bible teaching and historical evaluation to expertly uncover the one forgotten word that restores the Bible’s definition of true Christian freedom.
    John MacArthur
    $16.00$12.80

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