The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction

I have long had concerns regarding the predestination debate, but Sinclair Ferguson has deftly and wisely and beautifully described the Sovereignty of God and our full and blessed assurance of salvation without rendering the character of God wrongfully or inaccurately, especially when discussing "Who is the elect?" Ferguson doesn't try to explain away the mystery that is ours when mortals look upon the eternal plan of an eternal God, and that is the greatest blessing of his book. He helps us wend our way toward God while accepting and embracing that beautiful mystery, but with solid feet on solid promises God has given us. If you have had a hard time with reformed theology explanations you will be immensely gratified with this doctrinal explanation. Of course, the book discusses all essential doctrine, not just the debatable parts, however for me this has been its greatest value and it has indeed set my feet on solid ground where predestination is concerned. It has closed the gap for me that has long been a serious personal puzzlement when counseling others.The other value of this book is that it is a personal and intimate sharing of these great and wonderful truths of God in conversational tone. In other words, Ferguson makes basic essential doctrine easily accessible. If you want to sample Sinclair Ferguson before purchasing this book, you can check out his teachings on YouTube, especially his panel discussions with other reformed pastors such as Alistair Begg (Baptist) and R.C. Sproul and John MacArthur. But in this book, Ferguson is far more personal. The title sounds very scholarly, and it is, but the tone is far from being spiritually elitist or preachy. It is a missive from one who truly and personally wants to share the beauty of God's plan with the reader (any reader). It was required reading in a counseling course I took, but it has been a delight and a treasure is one I shall keep and re-read often as it inspires fresh worship upon every reading.

Most believers (including myself early in my walk with Christ) somehow believe that doctrine divides, that it is unimportant, or that it is only necessary for the "professionals" of the faith! As Sinclair Ferguson writes in his excellent, understandable, and practical book, The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction, "The conviction that Christian doctrine matters for Christian living is one of the most important growth points of the Christian life." (pp.2). Ferguson breaks down some key doctrines in relatively short, easy to follow chapters that are filled with straightforward explanations of Scripture. If you think that doctrine and theology are too hard, give this book a try! You don't even have to read it straight through. You can simply read a chapter as a reference (for instance on Justification).Ferguson writes, "We may have to rethink our personal response to doctrine in order to integrate it into the very warp and woof of our spiritual experience. For too many Christians for too long, `doctrine' has been thought of as impractical, stodgy and relatively useless. But we cannot obediently hear our Lord (surely the most practical man who ever lived), if we turn away from his doctrine. For he teaches doctrine in order to fill our lives with stability and grace." (pp. 4).I've actually "field tested" this book at my last church. A small group was having some battles on predestination. I photocopied the chapter on Election from this book and gave it to one man who was struggling to both grasp and explain the issue. He found it very clear, helpful and faith-confirming. I hope that you will find it the same and your walk with the Lord will be richer and more joyous as a result.

This Spring, I took a distance education course through CCEF. There was quite a lot of reading required for the course including various articles and books written by David Powlison, the lecturing professor. The one reading, however, that was not authored by Powlison was The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction, by Sinclair Ferguson (1981).I was initially puzzled why a book on doctrine would be required for a course on Biblical Counseling, though Ferguson makes clear that "Christian doctrine matters for Christian living." Too often, it seems to me that we miss the link between right living and right beliefs, between orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Even in the contemporary blogosphere, writers seem to fall to one side or another. It seems on the one side, people are able to defend the minutiae of theology with surgical precision, yet lack any real connection with life. On the other side, there are those who run out the door to tell people about Jesus, but don't really know the Jesus they are telling about.In this book, written 30 years ago, Ferguson outlines the importance of sound beliefs in informing sound practice. He sees God's word and even theology as practical for our worship of the one true God. It is certainly a worthwhile read, though I tend to prefer Dug Down Deep (Josh Harris) or Death by Love (Mark Driscoll) for books that deal with the practicalities of doctrine.

Written in perhaps a style that would be considered 'old fashioned' in parts, this book is a treasure. Pure gold. Easy to read. Biblically sound and lays out what salvation is and what it looks like in a life lived for Christ. Really excellent exposition of what it means to belong to Jesus. Should be on every new and maturing Christian.

Very easy to understand, yet powerful in depth and truth. Every Christian should read and study this book. Well done!

A nice summary of Christian doctrine

it was a little used, but satisfied.