Sermon of the WeekGetting to the Marrow

This week it's the mellifluous Sinclair Ferguson - another Scot - preaching about an old battle from the history of the church, from which we all need to learn, so that we don't fall into the same trap.

In the early 18th Century there arose a controversy in the Scottish Church which became known as the "Marrow Controversy". At stake was the very nature of the grace of the gospel and the character of God.

Making a long story short, suffice it to say that much of Reformed and Calvinistic leadership in the church of the time had lost the essence of God's free grace, even though they preached it. Their theology was "just so" but their practice lacked something. The preached the free grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ without necessarily having experienced it. And they virtually made grace conditional upon upon some act of hearer before it could be extended to him.

This may have appeared to be a subtle distinction at first, but the true importance of it was seen by Thomas Boston and others, who undertook to reset the course.



On a personal note, Sinclair Ferguson's accent alone is worth the price of admission to me. But he is also a man full of grace and with sound Reformed theology (except in matters of ecclesiology and baptism [/smile]). And I like to get a good dose of somebody like Ferguson right after I listen to somebody like Paul Washer and others like him.

I'm not necessarily criticizing Paul Washer, but I am rather criticizing myself. So easy do I find it to fall off one side of the horse or the other that I need to hear both sorts of preaching to keep me roughly centered.


The Marrow Controversy Part 1 - Historical Details



Sinclair B. Ferguson


Play in your default mp3 player

For those who are interested, here are the other two Ferguson sermons on the subject.

Part 2 - Danger of Legalism

Part 3 - Danger of Antinomianism