State of Discipleship

The State of Discipleship

The 2022 Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology survey conducted by LifeWay Research reveals that evangelicals (i.e., those who believe that Christ is the only way of salvation) have a profound misunderstanding about God, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, the church, and the Bible.

Some of the findings:

• 73 percent agree with the claim that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.
• 58 percent believe that God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• 44 percent say that Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.
• 55 percent believe the Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.
• 55 percent agree that everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.
• 53 percent disagree with the claim that even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.
• 29 percent agreed with the statement that God learns and adapts to different circumstances.
• 71 percent said that everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.
• 21 percent strongly disagree that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.

Obviously, we are living in a time of misinformation and deception. For most evangelicals, communicating and imparting biblical truth from the pulpit, in small groups, and in discipleship groups is paramount.

One way to help believers understand what the Bible says is to use statements from the survey and teach what the Bible says about each statement. As an example:

True or False?

Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.

False. Scripture says that Jesus is God (John 1:1; 8:58; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1–4).

“These results convey the ongoing need for the church to be engaged in apologetics, helping unbelievers by providing a well-reasoned defense of the Christian faith, and helping believers by strengthening their clarity and conviction regarding why they believe what they do,” Ligonier Ministries commented. “Additionally, the people of God must continue to obey the Great Commission by communicating the whole counsel of God in biblical evangelism and discipleship. The need is great, but the power and promises of God can equip the church to bring truth and light to a deceived and dark world.”