LIGON DUNCAN III
Ligon Duncan is the Chancellor/CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary and the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology. Ligon was born in Greenville, SC, and reared in the home of an eighth generation Presbyterian ruling elder. A 1983 graduate of Furman University (B.A. History), he received the M.Div. and M.A. (Historical Theology) from Covenant Theological Seminary. He earned the Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh, New College, Scotland, in 1995 (under the supervision of renowned Reformation and Patristics scholar, David F. Wright). While in Scotland he also studied Systematic Theology at the Free Church of Scotland College (now Edinburgh Theological Seminary) with Professor Donald Macleod. Ligon’s pastoral experience began in his twenties, while in seminary. At the age of 24, he was licensed to preach by Calvary Presbytery (PCA) and since then he has preached in Presbyterian, Dutch Reformed, Baptist, Congregational, Anglican, Methodist, and Independent churches (including PCA, ARP, EPC, OPC, RPCNA, PC(USA), CRC, RCA, URCNA congregations, churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention as well as various Reformed Baptist and evangelical Anglican groups). While in Britain, Duncan supplied pulpits in Church of Scotland and Free Church of Scotland congregations, as well as Presbyterian Association of England churches (now called The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales). His pastoral ministry now spans three decades and four congregations: The Covenant Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, Missouri; Trinity Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Miss.; First Presbyterian Church, Yazoo City, Miss.; and historic First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Miss., where he served almost 18 years.
At 28, Ligon was elected to the faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). In 1990, Duncan was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and began to teach at RTS, Jackson, Miss., where he eventually became chairman of the department of systematic theology, and the John R. Richardson Professor of Theology. Over time at RTS he has lectured regularly at three of the campuses (Jackson, Charlotte, and Orlando) and he has taught all of the core Systematic Theology courses, Pastoral/Social Ethics, Apologetics, History of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Covenant Theology, Patristics, Evangelism, Worship, Church History, Philosophical Theology, Scottish Theology, Contemporary Theology, and Theology of the Westminster Standards. He left his full-time position at RTS to become Senior Minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church (1837) in Jackson, Miss., in 1996 and served until 2013, while continuing to teach at RTS as adjunct. He returned to the regular faculty of RTS in 2012 and became Chancellor/CEO of RTS in 2013.
Ligon has authored, co-authored, edited or contributed to more than 35 books including, The Underestimated Gospel (B&H, 2014), The Unadjusted Gospel (Crossway, 2014), Gospel Clarity: Challenging the New Perspective on Paul (with Bill Barcley) (Evangelical Press, 2011), Children and the Lord’s Supper (Mentor, 2011), Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Crossway, 2011), Entrusted with the Gospel (Crossway, 2010), Perspectives on Christian Worship (B&H, 2009), Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? (P&R, 2009), Fear Not (Christian Focus, 2008), Women’s Ministry in the Local Church (Crossway, 2006), Should We Leave our Churches (P&R, 2004), The Westminster Confession in the 2lst Century: Essays in Remembrance of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, (Mentor, 2003, 2004, 2009), Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, (P&R, 2003), The Genesis Debate, (Crux Press, 2000), and Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer, (Christian Focus Publications/Christian Heritage, 1994).
At 28, Ligon was elected to the faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). In 1990, Duncan was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and began to teach at RTS, Jackson, Miss., where he eventually became chairman of the department of systematic theology, and the John R. Richardson Professor of Theology. Over time at RTS he has lectured regularly at three of the campuses (Jackson, Charlotte, and Orlando) and he has taught all of the core Systematic Theology courses, Pastoral/Social Ethics, Apologetics, History of Philosophy and Christian Thought, Covenant Theology, Patristics, Evangelism, Worship, Church History, Philosophical Theology, Scottish Theology, Contemporary Theology, and Theology of the Westminster Standards. He left his full-time position at RTS to become Senior Minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church (1837) in Jackson, Miss., in 1996 and served until 2013, while continuing to teach at RTS as adjunct. He returned to the regular faculty of RTS in 2012 and became Chancellor/CEO of RTS in 2013.
Ligon has authored, co-authored, edited or contributed to more than 35 books including, The Underestimated Gospel (B&H, 2014), The Unadjusted Gospel (Crossway, 2014), Gospel Clarity: Challenging the New Perspective on Paul (with Bill Barcley) (Evangelical Press, 2011), Children and the Lord’s Supper (Mentor, 2011), Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Crossway, 2011), Entrusted with the Gospel (Crossway, 2010), Perspectives on Christian Worship (B&H, 2009), Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? (P&R, 2009), Fear Not (Christian Focus, 2008), Women’s Ministry in the Local Church (Crossway, 2006), Should We Leave our Churches (P&R, 2004), The Westminster Confession in the 2lst Century: Essays in Remembrance of the 350th Anniversary of the Westminster Assembly, (Mentor, 2003, 2004, 2009), Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, (P&R, 2003), The Genesis Debate, (Crux Press, 2000), and Matthew Henry’s Method for Prayer, (Christian Focus Publications/Christian Heritage, 1994).
Feb 1, 2023: Madison County Journal: Rep. Ford co-sponsors transgender legislation
Speakers included Dr. Ligon Duncan, CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, House Speaker Philip Gunn, Meeke Addison of American Family Radio, Matt Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom, Dr. Mike Artigues, President-Elect of the American College of Pediatricians, Xandra, a de-transitioner, Ford, and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gibson.
Speakers included Dr. Ligon Duncan, CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, House Speaker Philip Gunn, Meeke Addison of American Family Radio, Matt Sharp of Alliance Defending Freedom, Dr. Mike Artigues, President-Elect of the American College of Pediatricians, Xandra, a de-transitioner, Ford, and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gibson.
Jan 18, 2021: Kentucky Today: Mississippi flag change influenced by SBC resolution
Ligon Duncan, chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, also issued a statement at Gunn’s request.
Apr 1, 2015: Youtube:The Inerrancy Summit - General Session 05 - Ligon Duncan
Ligon Duncan, chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, also issued a statement at Gunn’s request.
Apr 1, 2015: Youtube:The Inerrancy Summit - General Session 05 - Ligon Duncan
J Ligon Duncan III
The first thing I would like for you to see in verses 1-3 is the encouragement that he gives to us in our struggle for sanctification. What he is talking about in this whole chapter is a call to us to work to apply ourselves to, to purpose ourselves to growing as Christians. One of the vows of membership that we take at this church says, "Do you now resolve and promise in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit that you will endeavor to live as becomes Christians?" That is exactly what he is calling us to. He is saying, I want you Christians to endeavor to live as Christians.
But what that is going to involve is you warring against the remaining sin in your hearts, you warring against the temptations which the world holds up before your eyes and your hearts. You have got to be prepared to struggle for that sanctification.
It is very interesting, that in the New Testament two things are stressed about how we grow. One aspect is that it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to grow. We can never grow in Christ on our own. That is why that beautiful third question of membership is so precisely phrased. It says, "Do you now resolve and promise that you will endeavor to live as becomes Christians?" How do you do it? You endeavor by the grace of the Holy Spirit to live as becomes Christians.
So there is this stress in the New Testament that it is the grace of God, it is the Spirit of God who enables us to grow up and be more like Christ.
But there is this other stress in the New Testament and you find it in Paul and you find it in John and you find it in Jesus and you find it right here in the author of Hebrews, that we ourselves must apply ourselves to growing in grace. And the author of Hebrews is saying let me give you some encouragement for why you ought to join this struggle, join this battle for growth in grace, for holiness, for sanctification. And he basically is reminding us here, that we have got to purpose ourselves to grow in grace. We will not just accidentally grow in grace. We have got to purpose to grow in grace. It has got to be something that we aim for. It is not something that we do in our own strength. But it has got to be something that we aim for. It has got to be a goal in our own hearts.
And he gives us encouragement because he knows this is not easy. And the encouragements come first interestingly. You might think that he would give us the exhortation and the encouragement last. But he starts with the encouragements. And maybe that tells us how hard a job this is. He's got to encourage us to even get us out of the block.
So in the first three verses here are the encouragements. Look at what he says. First, he pictures the Christian life here in terms which are emphatically not passive. You know, we often hear people tell us things like well you know the way to grow in the Christian life is you let go and you let God. Well, it is very interesting that you couldn't find a bit of that theology in this passage. It is strive, it is purpose, it's lay aside every encumbrance. It's run the race ahead of you. It's strive against sin. There is no passivity here. We are to be actively involved in the Christian life.
And so the author is calling us here to run. And by the way, that image of run is commonly used by authors in the Greco Roman world to illustrate the moral quest. The Stoic philosophers have used this. But the author of Hebrews is taking this imagery from the arena, from the race tracks of the day, the Olympic racetracks where the runners would strip themselves down to prepare to run the race. And he is using it and applying it to his moral contest that is Christianity. He knows that Christianity entails a commitment to holiness, a life of holiness, and he compares this struggle against sin, this life of holiness to a race. We're to run that race and we're not to quit until we get the prize.
And so the author calls us here to a struggle for sanctification by reminding us of two things. We will see these in verses 1 and 3. First, he says, "I want you to remember you have a great cloud of witnesses." One of the things that happens when we are called to be different from the world, when we are called to be strangers in a strange land and that is what we are called to be as Christians, is we immediately feel like, "Oh my, we are the only ones who have ever had to do this." And the author of Hebrews wants us to be aware, he wants it to be part of our conscious experience, that we are simply part of a great cloud of witnesses who have been faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular belief, though we are called to be strangers in our own time, in our own worlds, in our own land. There is a great multitude, a multitude that no man can number that has gone this same way and has been faithful. So, our charge is far from unprecedented, even if we feel alone sometimes when we are called to be faithful. We may be actually alone in our place of work. We may be the only practicing Christian in our place of work. And yet, we are far from alone. There is a great cloud of witnesses who have been faithful. And so the author says I want you to remember that. I want you to remember that you are not alone. This is just like the prophet when the Lord told him "there are 7,000 who have not yet bowed the knee to Baal." He thought he was the only one left in the land. But no, there are 7,000 who have not bowed the knee.
So that is the first encouragement. You are not alone in this. And then in verse 3 he goes on to say that we need to consider Jesus. Here he is reminding us that we have a reigning Savior who has already endured things that we cannot imagine. And there are several things that he tells us about that savior in verses 2 and 3. Look at them with me briefly.
First, he says that the joy that was set Jesus died was a significant source of His ability to persevere even in the cross. The fact that Jesus had His focus on what the Father had promised to Him from the foundation of the world, enabled Him to endure the cross and not simply to endure the shame, but look at the word, He endures the cross, but what did He do to the shame? He despises the shame. The shame is not worth comparing to the glory that is before Him.
And so here's the first clue to our own perseverance. If the Lord Jesus persevered to the cross, looking to the joy that was set before Him, is that not also how we ought to persevere? We've got the prize before our eyes. That is why Jonathan Edwards spent 20 minutes every day meditating on Heaven. Because this life tricks us into thinking that this all there is and that these are the ultimate blessings. So we have to consciously work to realize that the blessings of this life cannot measure to what the joy is set before us.
If you look again in verse 2, Jesus, we are reminded, is in fact right now sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. All that He has endured has resulted in His being crowned in majesty. And if we believe the New Testament, the New Testament says that all of us as saints will participate in that glory with Him. That majesty with which He is crowned is something that we as His children share with Him. Look again at verse 3. Here, Christ in His earthly life and ministry endured every manner of hostility from sinners. There is no hostility that we can experience, for our faithfulness to God that the Lord Jesus has not experienced Himself. Even so, He reigns now.
Finally in verse 3, we are told to consider Jesus. Why? So that we will not lose heart. When we consider that He set the glory of God's joy before Him and He endured the cross, despising the shame, when we realize what He went through in terms of the hostility of sinners, when we realize that He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father in glory, it gives us strength to face the trials that we must face.
Furthermore, if you look at verse 1, two specific exhortations are given. It's not just that He gives us this encouragement, but He gives us two specific challenges. He says "lay aside every encumbrance," and he says "let us run with endurance." This is sort of the negative and the positive. On the one hand we are to set aside anything that gets in the way of our quest for glorifying God through Jesus Christ. It is interesting that he doesn't just say get rid of sin. He says to get rid of sin and every encumbrance. It may be something legitimate. But if it encumbers us in our quest for glorifying God through Jesus Christ, it's got to go. So on the one hand we are to lay aside everything that gets in our way for this quest for glorifying God through Christ, and on the other hand he says we are to run with endurance. In other words, we are to run without quitting this race for grace-empowered transformation of our lives. It's very clear in this passage that the race the author is talking about is this battle against sin. ---J. Ligon Duncan III
But what that is going to involve is you warring against the remaining sin in your hearts, you warring against the temptations which the world holds up before your eyes and your hearts. You have got to be prepared to struggle for that sanctification.
It is very interesting, that in the New Testament two things are stressed about how we grow. One aspect is that it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to grow. We can never grow in Christ on our own. That is why that beautiful third question of membership is so precisely phrased. It says, "Do you now resolve and promise that you will endeavor to live as becomes Christians?" How do you do it? You endeavor by the grace of the Holy Spirit to live as becomes Christians.
So there is this stress in the New Testament that it is the grace of God, it is the Spirit of God who enables us to grow up and be more like Christ.
But there is this other stress in the New Testament and you find it in Paul and you find it in John and you find it in Jesus and you find it right here in the author of Hebrews, that we ourselves must apply ourselves to growing in grace. And the author of Hebrews is saying let me give you some encouragement for why you ought to join this struggle, join this battle for growth in grace, for holiness, for sanctification. And he basically is reminding us here, that we have got to purpose ourselves to grow in grace. We will not just accidentally grow in grace. We have got to purpose to grow in grace. It has got to be something that we aim for. It is not something that we do in our own strength. But it has got to be something that we aim for. It has got to be a goal in our own hearts.
And he gives us encouragement because he knows this is not easy. And the encouragements come first interestingly. You might think that he would give us the exhortation and the encouragement last. But he starts with the encouragements. And maybe that tells us how hard a job this is. He's got to encourage us to even get us out of the block.
So in the first three verses here are the encouragements. Look at what he says. First, he pictures the Christian life here in terms which are emphatically not passive. You know, we often hear people tell us things like well you know the way to grow in the Christian life is you let go and you let God. Well, it is very interesting that you couldn't find a bit of that theology in this passage. It is strive, it is purpose, it's lay aside every encumbrance. It's run the race ahead of you. It's strive against sin. There is no passivity here. We are to be actively involved in the Christian life.
And so the author is calling us here to run. And by the way, that image of run is commonly used by authors in the Greco Roman world to illustrate the moral quest. The Stoic philosophers have used this. But the author of Hebrews is taking this imagery from the arena, from the race tracks of the day, the Olympic racetracks where the runners would strip themselves down to prepare to run the race. And he is using it and applying it to his moral contest that is Christianity. He knows that Christianity entails a commitment to holiness, a life of holiness, and he compares this struggle against sin, this life of holiness to a race. We're to run that race and we're not to quit until we get the prize.
And so the author calls us here to a struggle for sanctification by reminding us of two things. We will see these in verses 1 and 3. First, he says, "I want you to remember you have a great cloud of witnesses." One of the things that happens when we are called to be different from the world, when we are called to be strangers in a strange land and that is what we are called to be as Christians, is we immediately feel like, "Oh my, we are the only ones who have ever had to do this." And the author of Hebrews wants us to be aware, he wants it to be part of our conscious experience, that we are simply part of a great cloud of witnesses who have been faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. Contrary to popular belief, though we are called to be strangers in our own time, in our own worlds, in our own land. There is a great multitude, a multitude that no man can number that has gone this same way and has been faithful. So, our charge is far from unprecedented, even if we feel alone sometimes when we are called to be faithful. We may be actually alone in our place of work. We may be the only practicing Christian in our place of work. And yet, we are far from alone. There is a great cloud of witnesses who have been faithful. And so the author says I want you to remember that. I want you to remember that you are not alone. This is just like the prophet when the Lord told him "there are 7,000 who have not yet bowed the knee to Baal." He thought he was the only one left in the land. But no, there are 7,000 who have not bowed the knee.
So that is the first encouragement. You are not alone in this. And then in verse 3 he goes on to say that we need to consider Jesus. Here he is reminding us that we have a reigning Savior who has already endured things that we cannot imagine. And there are several things that he tells us about that savior in verses 2 and 3. Look at them with me briefly.
First, he says that the joy that was set Jesus died was a significant source of His ability to persevere even in the cross. The fact that Jesus had His focus on what the Father had promised to Him from the foundation of the world, enabled Him to endure the cross and not simply to endure the shame, but look at the word, He endures the cross, but what did He do to the shame? He despises the shame. The shame is not worth comparing to the glory that is before Him.
And so here's the first clue to our own perseverance. If the Lord Jesus persevered to the cross, looking to the joy that was set before Him, is that not also how we ought to persevere? We've got the prize before our eyes. That is why Jonathan Edwards spent 20 minutes every day meditating on Heaven. Because this life tricks us into thinking that this all there is and that these are the ultimate blessings. So we have to consciously work to realize that the blessings of this life cannot measure to what the joy is set before us.
If you look again in verse 2, Jesus, we are reminded, is in fact right now sitting at the right hand of the throne of God. All that He has endured has resulted in His being crowned in majesty. And if we believe the New Testament, the New Testament says that all of us as saints will participate in that glory with Him. That majesty with which He is crowned is something that we as His children share with Him. Look again at verse 3. Here, Christ in His earthly life and ministry endured every manner of hostility from sinners. There is no hostility that we can experience, for our faithfulness to God that the Lord Jesus has not experienced Himself. Even so, He reigns now.
Finally in verse 3, we are told to consider Jesus. Why? So that we will not lose heart. When we consider that He set the glory of God's joy before Him and He endured the cross, despising the shame, when we realize what He went through in terms of the hostility of sinners, when we realize that He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father in glory, it gives us strength to face the trials that we must face.
Furthermore, if you look at verse 1, two specific exhortations are given. It's not just that He gives us this encouragement, but He gives us two specific challenges. He says "lay aside every encumbrance," and he says "let us run with endurance." This is sort of the negative and the positive. On the one hand we are to set aside anything that gets in the way of our quest for glorifying God through Jesus Christ. It is interesting that he doesn't just say get rid of sin. He says to get rid of sin and every encumbrance. It may be something legitimate. But if it encumbers us in our quest for glorifying God through Jesus Christ, it's got to go. So on the one hand we are to lay aside everything that gets in our way for this quest for glorifying God through Christ, and on the other hand he says we are to run with endurance. In other words, we are to run without quitting this race for grace-empowered transformation of our lives. It's very clear in this passage that the race the author is talking about is this battle against sin. ---J. Ligon Duncan III