If People Do Not Know the Bible, They Cannot Know God
You’ve noticed it, haven’t you? It’s hard to miss.
Whether in movies, TV programs, or music, we rarely see people and stories from the Bible referenced as often as we once did. Even among unbelievers, it used to be respectable, even desirable, to quote positively from the Bible. Just think about how many times Shakespeare quoted from the Geneva Bible.
But no more. It’s out of fashion. Christians understand this because we know that in their fallen condition, people do not want God in their thinking.
Yet, what is thoroughly perplexing is the prevailing biblical illiteracy we find among those who profess the name of Jesus.
Oddly enough, I even hear this from seminary professors who tell me that each year, their students—the pastors and teachers of tomorrow—know less Scripture than the students who began their studies the previous year. There’s a stunning lack of biblical preaching in the evangelical church. Funny stories, self-help programs, entertaining stunts, and slick talks from self-appointed gurus have taken the place of the teaching of God’s Word in too many churches. Our bi-annual State of Theology survey consistently reveals this disastrous trend.
The impact of this problem can’t be overestimated. As Dr. Sproul and other pastors and theologians have recognized throughout history, if people don’t know their Bibles, they can’t know God. And if they do not know God, they will not have eternal life.
I love serving with you in this great ministry of Ligonier because we strive by God’s grace to turn the tide on biblical illiteracy. We are Bible-centered. May we always remain so. There is nothing more important to us than seeing as many people as possible grow in their understanding of Scripture. The Word of God is what the Holy Spirit uses to awaken us to new spiritual life and sustain us in Christ. Changed lives for the glory of God is the goal. Just as R.C. faithfully ran the race of his ministry, teaching and preaching in season and out, let us redouble our efforts to boldly proclaim, “Thus says the Lord.”
Ligonier brings trustworthy Bible teaching to millions in an easily understood way, using every available media possible. Yours is an essential part of our global outreach.
R.C. captured this Bible emphasis well: “If we want to love God more, we have to know Him more deeply. And the more we search the Scriptures, and the more we focus our minds’ attention on who God is and what He does, the more we understand just a tiny little bit more about Him and the more our souls break out in flame.”
That vision is our heartbeat. Let’s expand our outreach to come alongside Christians at every age and stage of their lives to deepen their knowledge of the Bible, helping them to love God more as they know Him through His revealed Word.
Ligonier is actively expanding our library of Bible-teaching resources and seeking new ways to get them into the hands of people everywhere. We’ve recently added teaching series on the Great Commission, the Lord’s Prayer, the Upper Room discourse, Deuteronomy, Job, the Psalms, and the book of Judges. We are currently developing new series on the book of Galatians and on the benedictions and doxologies of Scripture. With your continued support, we want to introduce a youth edition of the Reformation Study Bible and many other exciting projects. We’re also continuing and expanding the daily Bible teaching found in Tabletalk magazine, Renewing Your Mind, our various podcasts, and more.
We’re doing this work not only in English, but we also aim to get this vital discipleship material into other languages as well—thirty-six and counting. For instance, we have recently launched dedicated outreach in Arabic, lifting up the person and work of Jesus Christ among Muslims throughout the Middle East and North Africa. R.C.’s classic Bible overview series Dust to Glory will be available online and through other channels to the Arabic-speaking world. Farsi will also be launching this year, penetrating through satellite TV into Iran and Afghanistan.
Speaking of Dust to Glory, this classic series is the single most-demanded Ligonier video teaching resource internationally. As you know, it is incredibly difficult in many countries to access trustworthy biblical teaching, and we’re committed to helping reverse this. Now is not the time to slow or pause our outreach.
Dust to Glory takes a panoramic view of Scripture, examining its major themes and figures in order to assist people in seeing the unity of God’s plan and purpose from Genesis to Revelation. It’s a core Ligonier resource, and Dr. Sproul regarded it as one of the most important projects he ever took part in.
If you do not have a copy or would like an extra one to share with a friend, we’ll expedite these 57 messages to you when you give a gift of any amount to strengthen Ligonier’s Bible-teaching outreach this month. You’ll receive the special edition Dust to Glory series on DVD with accompanying study guide. And your gift will help sustain and grow Ligonier’s worldwide ministry of equipping believers with sound, Scripture-centered teaching.
Thank you for your support of Ligonier.
Offer ends December 31, 2019. U.S only.