In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life [Hardcover]

Sinclair Ferguson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2007

Noted theologian, pastor, and educator Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson explores aspects of the person and work of Jesus in his latest book, In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel-Centered Life. This collection of articles, published earlier in Tabletalk magazine and Eternity Magazine, is designed to help believers gain a better understanding of their Savior and the Christian faith, and to live out that faith in their day-to-day lives. In fifty short chapters arranged in six sections, Dr. Ferguson shows that Christ, who is fully God, took on humanity that He might be the Great High Priest of His people as well as the once-for-all sacrifice; that He now ministers to His people through His Spirit, crowning them with great and precious blessings; and that believers are called to duty, from cultivating contentment to mortifying sin. In Christ Alone is packed full of nuggets of Scriptural truth that will spark and fan the flames of the believer s love for the Savior who is so beautiful in His person and so faithful in His work on behalf of His beloved sheep.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is senior minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and a distinguished visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He has been an editor and a trustee with the Banner of Truth Trust publishing house. A prolific author, his published titles include The Holy Spirit, Grow in Grace, Let s Study Philippians, John Owen on the Christian Life, and, for children, The Big Book of Questions and Answers and The Big Book of Questions & Answers About Jesus. Dr. Ferguson and his wife, Dorothy, have been married for thirty-six years. They have four children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing (December 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567690890
• ISBN-13: 978-1567690897
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biblical Advice for Living Your Life, February 26, 2008

By 

Benjamin Potter "Loom & Wheel" (Mulberry Grove, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life (Hardcover)

A book entitled In Christ Alone should pique the interest of any Christ follower who truly wants to follow Christ. A resounding Foreword by Alistair Begg doesn't hurt in increasing desire to read the book by the Scotsman Ferguson. The subtitle is the final blow that makes you pick this book up and read it--Living the Gospel Centered Life.

Ferguson starts with a worthwhile study theologians like to call Christology. To truly live a life centered on the Gospel (or good news of Christ) this is the logical place to begin--answer the question "who is Christ?" Then a cursory glance at the table of contents reveals the journey on which the author takes you discussing what it means to follow Christ including addressing such topics as the Holy Spirit, Grace, and Wisdom along the way.

Stylistically, this book though over two hundred pages in length is rather easy to read because the author keeps the chapters to bite-sized morsels. The average length of a chapter being only three or four pages, and that divided into sections that allow the reader to chew over the material quite handily.

Ferguson runs back and forth between John and Hebrews for the biblical foundation for most of the material. His discussion of the advent and work of Christ draws heavily on John's gospel then he turns to the book of Hebrews as he discusses the humanity of the Savior. Then he turns to the book of Romans to discuss how we must "exchange" our old life for the new one.

The book has several high points that make it well worth your time to read. Especially interesting are the chapters on discernment, mortification of sin, and living in Christian liberty. I was particularly inspired by the four principles the author enumerated in the discussion of Christian liberty:

Christian liberty must never be flaunted.
Christian liberty does not mean that you welcome fellow Christians only when you have sorted out their views on X or Y.
Christian liberty ought never to be used in such a way that you become a stumbling block to another Christian.
Christian liberty requires grasping the principle that will produce this true biblical balance: "We . . . ought . . . not to please ourselves . . . For even Christ did not please himself."

The conclusion serves as an object lesson for the reader. In what appears to be a tribute to Ferguson's friend and colleague Al Groves whose life and death seem to have been an inspiration for the book, the author provides an example of one who spent his life putting into practice the advice held within the covers of the book. Namely, to live life "In Christ Alone."

I would recommend this book to any Christ follower who has a desire to walk "In Christ Alone." Even the attacks on society's accepted norms in Christian behavior (turning Christ in to more of a Santa figure than a savior, for instance) are made in such a way that Christ is glorified.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting Jesus, April 27, 2008

By 

Stephen A. Thomas (Arlington, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life (Hardcover)

In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life by Sinclair B. Ferguson, published by Reformation Trust (Lake Mary, FL: 2007), is a collection of articles originally published in Table talk and Eternity Magazine. The central theme of these articles is, obviously, our Lord Jesus Christ. I could perhaps title this review as Meeting Christ...Again, because this book introduces us to Jesus all over again. The chapters are short, just about four pages each, and are rather introductory level, but they tell us words about Christ that we need to be reminded of over and over again, no matter how far along we are in our Christian development. The chapters are arranged in six sections, each dealing with a different aspect of Christology.

The first section, titled "The Word Became Flesh" deals with the questions of the deity and humanity of Christ, and of His role as servant and conqueror. Due to the shortness of the chapters, you will not find an exhaustive apologetic defending the deity of Christ, or like issues, but you will be provided with many Scripture references to support the orthodox position, which Ferguson takes. Ferguson briefly answers the question of why Jesus had to be a man. Short as the answer is, it is fully Scriptural and satisfying. He does not engage in philosophical speculation but always refers the reader back to the Scriptures. This section serves as an excellent Biblical introduction of just who Jesus really is.

Part two, "The Heart of the Matter" goes from telling us Who Christ is in an introductory manner to telling us what He has done. An overview of the book of Romans explains reconciliation and justification in very clear, well-defined terms, showing how all of it is through Christ alone. Ferguson walks us through Hebrews, pointing out its Christ-glorifying messages on how Jesus is central in the history of redemption. Exposition is given on Jesus' roles as High Priest and King.

"The Spirit of Christ," the third section, moves to a discussion of the Holy Spirit, but in keeping with the Christological focus of the book, ties the Spirit to Christ. Dr. Ferguson explains about the Holy Spirit's relation to Christ and how the Spirit is given from Christ. He also tells us why knowing about such things matters. He says, "it implies that Jesus bore the Spirit throughout His life in order to give us the same Spirit He bore. The Spirit He gives to us is the very same Spirit who accompanied and sustained our Lord Jesus throughout the whole of His ministry" (p. 78). In this section, we learn about revival and spiritual gifts, all the while keeping the focus on Jesus.

In part four, we are shown "The Privileges of Grace". We learn of our union with Christ, and of the oft-neglected but very sweet doctrine of our adoptions as sons of God and co-heirs with Christ. We are pointed to Christ's words on the sovereign and modernistic work of God in regenerating our hearts. Ferguson teaches us of Jesus' fulfillment and perfection of all the Old Testament types and shadows. He instructs us on the nature and work of faith, and finally, of our total assurance which can only be gained by trusting in Christ alone.

Part five, "A Life of Wisdom," begins to look more at our practice as Christians. Part of Biblical wisdom is to "be what we are", that is, to live according to our professions and to be what God has turned us into. Ferguson shows us from the Bible how we are to live, to be discerning, and he tells us about our liberty in Christ, all of which are very practical issues. This section ends with an article on contentment, which is where wisdom leads us.

Finally, in section six, "Faithful to the End", Ferguson continues with more practical articles on our lives with Christ. I hate to use the word "practical" because all of the Bible is practical. But I use it in the technical sense of "pertaining to our actual practice". I am digressing from the summary a little bit to ride my own hobby-horse here, but I really, really refuse to say that any part of the Bible is not "relevant". I hate that word. And I'm sure Dr. Ferguson does as well, because he shows how doctrine is important to all of life. I don't know if that was his intention in what I'm referring to, but it came through nonetheless. After speaking of Satan's tendency to whisper to us that God doesn't really love us after all, he writes, "What is our defense? Here is Paul's: `God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Rom. 5:8). Let the cross silence the Devil's slanders and convince you of the wonder of God's love" (p. 199). The cross is so important for every reason. We must not think that the cross is just an elementary level topic and that we move on from there to bigger and better doctrines like how to get healthy and wealthy. We must always come back to the cross. Elsewhere in this section, Ferguson writes, "Only an understanding of how the gospel method works can provide an adequate foundation and pattern for dealing with sin" (p. 218), and "when we understand the 'glorious exchange' principle of the gospel of grace, then we begin to make some real advances in holiness" (p. 221). So we see that all doctrine is practical. And thus ends my digression. Back to the book (though my digression is a logical conclusion after reading this excellent work, so I wasn't straying too off-topic). Ferguson writes of the place of suffering for Christ, of the need for leaders to first be servants, and the nature of temptation. In a chapter on apostasy (specifically dealing with the apostasy passages in the book of Hebrews) Ferguson miraculously manages to say in just a couple pages what it takes most people to say in whole volumes. Here is a writer who knows how to choose his words carefully. There are no wasted phrases here; all is of benefit to the reader.

The book concludes with Sinclair Ferguson's account of a deceased friend of his who may or may not have inspired the title of this book with his life, which was lived in Christ alone. Thus Ferguson ends this excellent book with an encouragement to live our lives in Christ alone, in light of all that has been said.

For students of the Reformation, the title of this book is immediately recognized as being one of the five sola slogans, but this book is about more than just that one. All of the solas run throughout this work, and I would imagine that this was not intentional on Ferguson's part, but was just a natural byproduct of him being so thoroughly biblical in thought. Where we glory in Christ alone, we must necessarily glory in God alone. Much of the book is given over to grace and faith. And sola Scriptura is seen in Ferguson's constant use of and reliance on Scripture. And when speaking on mortification of sin, he writes, " The first thing to do is to turn to the Scriptures. Yes, turn to John Owen (never a bad idea!) or to some other counselor dead or alive. But remember that we have not been left only to good human resources in this area. We need to be taught from `the mouth of God' if the principles we are learning to apply are to carry with them both the authority of God and the promise of God to make them work" (p. 217). I would recommend that you read this book with the Bible in one hand so that you can look up and meditate upon all the references that he provides. I am sure that this will be a rewarding experience as you are reminded from Scripture of the gloriousness of Christ.

Speaking of that, this book would be excellent for a small group study, as I have recommended to my own Bible study group. A whole evening could easily be spent examining and discussing all of the Bible passages found in just one chapter.

The chapters of the book often end in applicatory questions or statements that cause the reader to think about what he has just read and apply it to himself. And these aren't just missiles sent into the consciences of those outside "our camp." These were written for Reformed audiences, so the questions zing at us. For instance: "Do you know the Christ of the Gospels? Or have you fallen into the trap to which Christians (especially, perhaps, Reformed Christians) who love doctrine and systematic theology are sometimes susceptible (unlike John Calvin, it should be said): fascination with dogmatic formula at the expense of love for the Savior's person?" (p.67). This isn't just choir preaching.

I can't really think of anything negative to say. I found nothing in the theology to disagree with. The writing style is very interesting and engaging, much the way R. C. Sprout speaks. If I were to offer any negative criticisms, I guess it would be that the chapters are just too short. Now I understand that this was intentional, as the chapters were originally just little magazine articles. Nevertheless, perhaps a bibliography at the end to lead the reader to more literature on the topics talked about would be very useful. Ferguson whet my appetite for more on just about everything he wrote about. So yes, I would ask for some sort of recommended reading list. Also, this book uses end-notes instead of footnotes, and I hate that. But I guess that is the publisher's fault and not the author's.

In all, I must say, what an excellent book! I am now eager to look for other works written by Ferguson, as this was my first substantial exposure to him. As Dr. Ferguson says of the atonement, so all of this book "is theology of the most exalted and mind-stunning nature" (p. 55).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Focusing on the Blessings of Life in Christ, February 27, 2009

By 

Rebecca Stark (Yukon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Christ Alone: Living the Gospel Centered Life (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of short essays which started as articles written by Sinclair Ferguson for Eternity Magazine and Tabletalk over the course of twenty years. There are fifty short chapters, none longer than four pages, grouped in six sections. The topics of the sections are

* the incarnation
* the different aspects of Christ's work on our behalf
* the ministry of the Spirit
* the privileges of grace
* the expression of the gospel in our lives
* the faithful life

I took In Christ Alone with me as I traveled recently. Since each short chapter stands alone, it was perfect for reading during the snippets of time I had before boarding a flight or during short delays. It would also be just right for tucking into a purse or pocket for reading during the supermarket check-out wait or any of life's other annoying line-ups and holdups.

This is a devotional book, but like all quality devotional books, it is firmly biblical and doctrinal. It is also very accessible. There is nothing here that any Christian reader would find difficult to understand, and at the same time, I'm willing to bet that almost any reader will see at least a few of the blessings we receive in Christ with fresh eyes.

Best of all, In Christ Alone will give the reader a thorough grounding in the gospel, which is essential for every believer, for, as Alistair Begg writes in the foreword, the gospel is "the A to Z of Christianity." Yes, more and more, I am learning that the key to living the Christian life is knowing and remembering what Christ has done and what we receive because of his work. Sinclair Ferguson has given us a book that will help us continue to preach this good news to ourselves so that we can center our whole lives around Christ and his work for us, in us, and through us.