The Marrow of Certainty: Thomas Boston's Theology of Assurance

Before the Marrow Controversy, Thomas Boston, a prominent Scottish theologian-pastor, emphasized assurance as a central aspect of his theology. Chun Tse's The Marrow of Certainty offers the first comprehensive study of Boston's theology of assurance across six dimensions: trinitarian, covenantal, Christological, soteriological, ecclesiastical, and sacramental. It challenges the notion that Boston's theology solely follows Calvin, the Scots Confession, the Marrow, the Westminster Standards, and Scottish federalism. Boston holds that assurance is an intrinsic gift from God's sovereignty in election, while also emphasizing self-examination as a human responsibility. This distinctive doctrine of assurance stems from his belief that Christ died for the elect alone, but all-elect or not, have the warrant to receive Christ. Assurance, therefore, combines divine gift and human endeavor. Boston's theology remains influential and relevant in addressing the enduring issue of assurance, rooted in the person of Christ, whom he sees as the covenant itself.

Format: Hardback
Length: 302 pages
Publication date: 12 June 2023
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co KG

Before it became a central issue in the Marrow Controversy, assurance was a significant concern for the renowned Scottish theologian-pastor Thomas Boston. Chun Tse offers the first comprehensive examination of Boston's theology of assurance in six dimensions: trinitarian, covenantal, Christological, soteriological, ecclesiastical, and sacramental in his book, The Marrow of Certainty. This study not only provides the first intellectual biography of Boston in his Scottish context and controversies but also compares his theology to that of the Marrow of Modern Divinity, along with his notes. The research contends that Boston's assurance doctrine is centered on union and communion with Christ, the foundational principle of his theology. The book challenges the prevailing notion that Boston's theology merely adheres to Calvin, the Scots Confession, the Marrow, the Westminster Standards, and Scottish federalism. Boston, most notably, maintains a tension between assurance as an intrinsic aspect of faith, a gift from God's sovereignty in election, and self-examination as a human responsibility. This distinctive feature of his assurance doctrine stems from his assertion that Christ died for the elect alone, but all-elect or not, have the warrant to receive Christ. As a result, assurance is both a divine gift and a human endeavor. Certainty, therefore, exists both externally and internally. Boston, as this study demonstrates, possesses a powerful and enduring ability to address the perennial issue of assurance, rooted in the person of Christ, whom he regards as the covenant itself.

ISBN-13: 9783525560907