“The Empty Hand of Faith” (What Does That Mean?)

(This is a re-post from October 2017) You may have heard someone talk about coming to Christ with an empty hand of faith.  What does this mean?  This phrase has a historical background.  In the 17th century, some Christian teachers were saying in order to be forgiven and justified a sinner needs to have repentance.  …

The Law and All Good Works Must Be Utterly Excluded… (Fisher)

After explaining the differences between the law and the gospel, Edward Fisher (in The Marrow of Modern Divinity) went on to relate these differences to the doctrine of justification. This section struck me again toady; I really appreciate it and wanted to share it. Here's what Fisher wrote: And now, knowing rightly how to distinguish …

The Characteristics of Christian Communion: The Fellowship of the Saints (Boston)

Historic Christian theology affirms the reality of the communion (or fellowship) of the saints. In the historic Creed we say, "I believe...the communion of the saints." It's a confession that we believe in the biblical truth that there's a deep bond among and between followers of Jesus. The NT word is fellowship (κοινωνία - koinonia). …

The Free Offer, Thomas Boston, and the Marrow Controversy

The Marrow controversy in the Church of Scotland (1718-1726) was an important event in church history. In fact, its importance goes well beyond the Church of Scotland. The controversy was sparked when Edward Fisher’s 1645 work, The Marrow of Modern Divinity was republished in Scotland in 1718. The main points of contention had to do …

Christ Loves You Therefore He Prays for You (Boston)

Volume one of Thomas Boston's Complete Works is basically a treatise on the main Christian doctrines (God, Scripture, creation, man, etc.). Each chapter gives the biblical teaching on these topics. In his chapter on Christ's priestly office, Boston gave seven reasons why Christ continually intercedes for his people. It's a comforting reality to know that …