Since the days of the early church, Christians have struggled to understand the relationship between two seemingly contradictory concepts in the Bible: law and gospel. If, as the apostle Paul says, the law cannot save, what can it do? Is it merely an ancient relic from Old Testament Israel to be discarded? Or is it still valuable for Christians today? Helping modern Christians think through this complex issue, seasoned pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson carefully leads readers to rediscover an eighteenth-century debate that sheds light on this present-day doctrinal conundrum: the Marrow Controversy. After sketching the history of the debate, Ferguson moves on to discuss the theology itself, acting as a wise guide for walking the path between legalism (overemphasis on the law) on the one side and antinomianism (wholesale rejection of the law) on the other.

Teaching Outline + Study Guide for The Assurance of Salvation

In this work Louis Berkhof explores the the history and theology of assurance of salvation through faith, showing how a Christian should be assured of their salvation through trusting Christ. This is a phenomenal book to read if you are doubting your faith.

With special attention to the academic context and sources of the Leiden debate, this book examines Jacobus Arminius's doctrines of salvation and the assurance of salvation, demonstrating the decisive role that assurance played in his dissent from Reformed theology.

For years, Robert A. Peterson taught about the assurance of salvation in seminary and Sunday school classrooms. He was concerned, however, to find that some people who, for a variety of reasons, were unable to grasp the certainty of their salvation. The Assurance of Salvation identifies these "troublers" of assurance and provides the remedy to diffuse insecurity. Peterson asserts that difficult backgrounds and experiences, intellectual doubts, tender consciences, habitual sins, and overconfidence that people face are the enemies of assurance. Through a competent handling of the Bible, he explains that by embracing three gifts from God--His Word, His Spirit, and His work in our lives--those who struggle with insecurity are able to personally experience the freedom of God's assurance.

Clarifying the basis of Christian assurance Examining it's effect on the life of a Christian Renowned author, speaker, pastor and theologian