The Whole Christ by Sinclair B. Ferguson argues that legalism and antinomianism are not true opposites, but two errors that spring from the same failure to understand the grace of God in Christ.
Using the eighteenth-century Marrow Controversy as his framework, Ferguson shows that the Christian life cannot be reduced either to law-keeping for acceptance with God or to a grace that makes obedience unnecessary. The answer to both errors is the same: the whole Christ, freely offered in the gospel and received by faith.
Ferguson’s central concern is that believers must not separate the benefits of Christ from Christ himself. In union with him, the Christian is justified, sanctified, and brought into the assurance of God’s fatherly love. True obedience therefore flows from grace rather than competing with it.
With pastoral warmth and theological precision, The Whole Christ is a powerful study of law and gospel, assurance, sanctification, and the nature of saving grace. It will benefit every sincere Christian that engages with its contents.
