Blog Posts by Ligon Duncan

Walter Marshall's Directions 4-9 from Gospel Mystery of Sanctification emphasize that in the pursuit of holiness the order is Gospel then godliness, not godliness then Gospel. Direction Four The means or instruments by which the Spirit of God accomplishes our... continue

So far, as we have pointed to some highlights of Walter Marshall's justly lauded book, "Gospel Mystery of Sanctification," we have learned the following from him about growth in grace in the Christian life: 1. Those who have been saved... continue

In our first highlight from Walter Marshall's "Gospel Mystery" we saw no antipathy to the ideas of the believer's duty or to the believer's aspiration to holiness or to the believer's endeavor to obey the moral law. Marshall says, to repeat,... continue

John Murray famously commended Walter Marshall's "Gospel Mystery of Sanctification" as the best book ever written on the subject. Recently, however, some sound divines have become suspcious of the work, in part because of who is citing it and because... continue

"It is of great importance in preaching the Gospel, to discriminate between the different characters to whom we deliver our message, and to separate the precious from the vile. If this be neglected, the wicked will hold fast their delusions,... continue

Charles Simeon says: "In forming our estimate of men, we are apt to look at their actions only; and even our own characters, also, we try by that standard. But it is the habit of the mind that chiefly marks the... continue

Terry Johnson, the Senior Minister of the historic Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia, has for many years produced an annual calendar of hymns and psalms for the use of his congregation on the Lord's Day. You will find... continue

Stephen Prothero, world religion prof at Boston University, not an evangelical Christian, offers an interesting observation on our generation's reluctance to engage in serious, but respectful disagreement about religion. Having said that he works hard to foster "respectful arguments" in his... continue

Some readers of ref21 may know that Derek Thomas, the Editorial Director of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, who also serves at the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson and Minister... continue

"In a comparatively sound church life, it is possible to assume that as a rule the children of the covenant will be born again in their youth and come to faith and conversion 'in stages and gracefully.' But when the... continue