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 …

Accepted Freely by God (Boston)

In a sermon on 2 Corinthians 8:12, Thomas Boston (d. 1732) explained in detail what it means to be accepted before God. He used other Scripture to show that a sinner is accepted by God freely, apart from works, by grace - through faith in Christ and his perfect work. Here's one section of this …

The Corruption of the Affections (Boston)

One of Thomas Boston's most well-known works is "Human Nature in Its Fourfold State." In this book he explained from Scripture these four states: "The State of Innocence," "The State of Nature," "The State of Grace," and "The Eternal State". The second part ("The State of Nature") is a summary from Scripture on the fallen …

Why Does God Allow Sin to Remain in His Children? (Boston)

 (This is a re-post from May 2016). "Why do I keep struggling with the same sinful thoughts?"  "Why can't I just gain victory over lust and pride?"  "Why in the world does God allow sin to remain in his people?"  These are questions Christians ask from time to time.  We think of how nice it …