Sinclair Ferguson, His Life and Ministry with Kevin DeYoung

Always good to hear Ferguson on anything.

 

 

Author Spotlight: Sinclair Ferguson

Author Spotlight
Today we begin a new series of posts spotlighting Reformed authors. There is much we can learn from these authors, old and new. So, let's dig in. Our first author  showcase is Sinclair Ferguson.

About the author
Sinclair Buchanan Ferguson retired in 2013 as Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, and returned to his native Scotland. Prior to this he held the Charles Krahe chair for Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and served Church of Scotland congregations in Unst (Shetland) and Glasgow (St George s Tron). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen (1971).

Dr Ferguson retains his position as Professor of Systematic Theology at Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, Texas, and serves as a Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries. He continues to preach God's Word in churches and at conferences.

A few of his works

Devoted To God: Blueprints for Sanctification
In a series of Scripture-enriched chapters Sinclair B. Ferguson's Devoted to God works out this principle in detail. It provides what he describes as 'blueprints for sanctification' an orderly exposition of central New Testament passages on holiness. Devoted to God thus builds a strong and reliable structural framework for practical Christian living. It stresses the foundational importance of fundamental issues such as union with Christ, the rhythms of spiritual growth, the reality of spiritual conflict, and the role of God's law. Here is a fresh approach to an always relevant subject, and a working manual to which the Christian can turn again and again for biblical instruction and spiritual direction.

The Whole Christ
Since the days of the early church, Christians have wrestled with the relationship between law and gospel. If, as the apostle Paul says, salvation is by grace and the law cannot save, what relevance does the law have for Christians today?
By revisiting the Marrow Controversy—a famous but largely forgotten eighteenth-century debate related to the proper relationship between God’s grace and our works—Sinclair B. Ferguson sheds light on this central issue and why it still matters today. In doing so, he explains how our understanding of the relationship between law and gospel determines our approach to evangelism, our pursuit of sanctification, and even our understanding of God himself.
Ferguson shows us that the antidote to the poison of legalism on the one hand and antinomianism on the other is one and the same: the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ, in whom we are simultaneously justified by faith, freed for good works, and assured of salvation.

In Christ Alone
Noted theologian, pastor, and educator Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson explores aspects of the person and work of Jesus in his latest book, In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel-Centered Life. This collection of articles, published earlier in Tabletalk magazine and Eternity Magazine, is designed to help believers gain a better understanding of their Savior and the Christian faith, and to live out that faith in their day-to-day lives.
In fifty short chapters arranged in six sections, Dr. Ferguson shows that Christ, who is fully God, took on humanity that He might be the Great High Priest of His people as well as the once-for-all sacrifice; that He now ministers to His people through His Spirit, crowning them with great and precious blessings; and that believers are called to duty, from cultivating contentment to mortifying sin. In Christ Alone is packed full of nuggets of Scriptural truth that will spark and fan the flames of the believer's love for the Savior who is so beautiful in His person and so faithful in His work on behalf of His beloved sheep.

Discovering God's Will
There are few more important things in the Christian's life than discovering God's will. The assurance that we are in the centre of God's purposes brings lasting stability to our experience. But how do we discover the will of God for our lives? Sinclair Ferguson answers this question by showing how God's will is shaped by his ultimate purposes for us. It is made known to us through his Word. At times discovering God's will demands careful thought: it may require patience; it always demands a right attitude to God himself. Discovering God's Will draws out fundamental principles by which God guides us, applies them to practical situations like vocation and marriage, and underlines many important biblical counsels. It shows that the guidance God gives comes primarily through knowing, loving and obeying him.

From The Mouth of God
The Bible.
Why should we believe -- as Jesus did - that it is 'the mouth of God'?
When did it come into existence?
Is it inerrant?
What do we need to learn in order to understand it better?
How does its teaching change our lives?
In 'From the Mouth of God', Sinclair B Ferguson answers these and other important questions about trusting, reading, and applying the Bible.





 So, grab your favorite beverage and smoke and settle in for a good read with anything written by Ferguson. You'll be blessed.

Book Review: The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson

Have you ever heard of the Marrow Controversy? If so, have you studied it, worked out its implications? I had heard of it, wondered about it, but never took the time to dig into it. Now, with the publication of The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson we all have the means to comprehend and take hold of its significance. More importantly, to grasp its ramifications for the modern church. Sinclair Ferguson is well suited with the knowledge and expertise to write such a work.

To put it briefly, the issue at the heart of the controversy was how was the gospel to be offered and Thomas Boston was the key figure in this debate in the early 18th century.

To reduce the issue to simple terms: what do you say when you call people to come to Christ? On what grounds are they entitled to come? Several statements in The Marrow of Modern Divinity gave rise to this question.

And further

...Boston was in agreement with the intention of the Auchterarder Creed, that it is not sound to say that a man must first quit sin in order to be qualified for the offer of Christ. The offer of the gospel is to be made not to the righteous or even the repentant, but to all. There are no conditions that need to be met in order for the gospel offer to be made.

However

Boston felt the sheer graciousness of the Christ of the gospel was being stifled by a Calvinism that had developed a preaching logic of its own and had become insensitive to the style and atmosphere of the New Testament. In his view God’s particular election had too easily been distorted into preaching a doctrine of conditional and conditioned grace. That often goes hand in glove with a form of gospel preaching that is in danger of severing the elements in the ordo salutis from “Jesus Christ and him crucified” — that is, from Christ himself. 

The fallacy here? The subtle movement from seeing forsaking sin as the fruit of grace that is rooted in election, to making the forsaking of sin the necessary precursor for experiencing that grace. Repentance, which is the fruit of grace, thus becomes a qualification for grace. Sinclair B. Ferguson. The Whole Christ (Kindle Locations 591-653). Crossway.

And so began a lengthy debate involving Boston and his "Marrow Men" with their presbytery. But make no mistake, this is far more than a dusty run through of some old theological fine point. The same issues Boston was dealing with then are the same issues of grace the church today faces. They must be dealt with head on and Ferguson gives us the theological ammo. This is quite a fascinating and enlightening journey through the dispute which clarifies the position we should hold today.

Chapter titles reveal much about the level of detail.

1 How a Marrow Grew
2 Grace in the Gospel
3 Preparation, Distortion, Poison
4 Danger! Legalism
5 The Order of Grace
6 Suspicious Symptoms
7 Faces of Antinomianism
8 Causes and Cures
9 The Marrow of Assurance
10 How Assurance of Christ Becomes Assurance of Salvation
11 “Hindrances Strew All the Way”

Two points of special interest to me

Of particular importance and interest to me was Ferguson's clear explication of antinomianism and legalism and their relation to the proper offer of the gospel. Both would seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum and in one sense they are. Yet rather like brothers, they are similar, both errors in theology with more likenesses than one would think.

The errors in gospel presentation continue today and these are brought to the forefront.  Much of these past conflicts have direct bearing on our views and understanding of assurance today. Ferguson's writing on this subject exposes why so many believers don't have assurance, what it means to acquire it and indeed, enjoy it.

I enjoyed this book. It instructed me in both head and heart. It will be one I refer back to. It reminded me that "there is nothing new under the sun." We will always have theological error with us on this side of heaven. What may seem like simple semantics can and will have a great impact on Biblical theology and the gospel in particular. We need godly men like Boston and Ferguson to delve into these matters, expose them, and guide us to Biblical truth. Sinclair Ferguson has accomplished this in The Whole Christ.

Crossway has provided a complimentary copy of this book through Beyond the Page.

Union with Christ - Sinclair Ferguson