Virtual Book Club: "The Whole Christ"

Book reviews are good. They get the general gist of a book, but summaries by nature of their brevity fall short of grasping the plum-depths of the writings described. Reviews are a way to get your feet wet in a way; insight interest in others, but really nothing more than that.

Something I have wanted to do on “Homeward Bound” (but have lacked the patience) is to dive through a deep, good book chapter by chapter; where each chapter would have a post of its own. In this way I would hopefully reflect on a fuller picture of the book and reflect that picture to you. I would get a better conception of the information I have read by writing, and you would get more information than a cursory review. Everyone wins!

The book I plan to do this with is one that I have recently read and have been left grappling with. It is entitled The Whole Christ (2016) by Sinclair Ferguson. Alex Havrilla, a good friend of mine, recommended the book to me—and last Sunday I was thanking him that he had!

Why this book you ask? The Whole Christ is an important book because it explores the foundations of our faith as Christians:

• What is the heart of the gospel?
• How do we proclaim this gospel to others?
• What is the relationship between gospel and the law?
• How do we avoid espousing the subtle pitfalls of legalism (adding works to the gospel) and antinomianism (throwing out all law in the Christian life)?
• What is the role of assurance in the Christian life?

It is these questions and others like it that erupted an 18th century controversy in the Presbyterian church of Scotland (of all places). Ferguson does a brief history of what is known today as the “Marrow Controversy” and shows how those same issues then confronted need to be addressed in every generation, including our own. His writing is deep and nuanced, theological and precise; frequently when reading I simply had to slow down, rethink, and reread (sometimes aloud with added hand gestures) what was being communicated. But this topic is essential because as Christians we need to understand the gospel. If we err here, or even err so slightly we don’t notice—the consequences will be devastating.

As Paul writes to the church of Galatia, "Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!" Paul's righteous anger throughout the letter of Galatians reveals just how precious the gospel is, and any dilution of its message is not only serious, it is worth fighting over.

Today in 21^st century America nothing has changed since Paul’s letter. We still need to get the gospel right. We need to get the gospel right not only to ensure that proclamation of it to others is sound, but also that the structure of our Christian walk and Christian ministry is on solid ground. A small crack in the foundation will have serious repercussions for the structure that resides on it. 

Pastor Tim Keller writes in the forward of The Whole Christ: “The root of the dispute (Marrow Controversy) was the perennial difficulty of properly relating works and grace, law and gospel, not merely in our systematic theology but in our preaching and pastoral ministry and ultimately, within our own hearts…Against the background and features of that older dispute, (Ferguson) wants to help us understand the character of this perpetual problem—one that bedevils the church today. He does so in the most illuminating and compelling way I know of in recent evangelical literature” (loc 119). High praise from a similarly gifted theologian.

Feel free to purchase a copy if want to follow along at a deeper level with discussions in the comments. I may entitle the subsequent 11 posts in this "series" (for the 11 chapters) "virtual book club", as I have long desired to get into a book club where discussion and iron on iron sharpening can take place. But, regardless of whether you purchase The Whole Christ or simply want to follow along with the blog, feel free to add your own insights and impressions in the comment section below.

So prepare to go with me as hit the high points of an important book, chapter by chapter.

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Ferguson, Sinclair B. The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance: Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters. Crossway, 2016. Kindle Edition.