Gospel Mystery of Sanctification Outlines Now Available

Last year I taught through Walter Marshall’s classic work, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification. The outlines of each chapter are now online and available for download (Gospel Mystery of Sanctification Outlines).

The outlines are based on the 1692 version published by Sovereign Grace Publishers, Inc. (2001) and the modern English version, edited by Bruce McRae along with my own editorial insertions.

In Marshall’s original version, he did not use a refined style of writing and at times his prose can be difficult for the modern reader to follow. The goal of these outlines is to help make Marshall’s book more accessible to the Evangelical world and to aid readers to a better understanding of his work. They can be used in conjunction with one’s own personal reading or in a Sunday School or small group Bible study discussion.

The great theme of Marshall’s book is to help Christians grow in obedience by the power of the Gospel and not in their own strength. Because believers are in union with Christ, their sanctification flows from this union, not from their own efforts. Thus, the Gospel is essential for growth in holiness.

In Direction 12, Marshall writes,

“Right now I want to tell you how to live by faith so you can keep the law of God. This is the whole purpose of my book, to show you how God has told you to live by faith to live a holy life…I am telling you to act according to your state in Christ. Obey God and do the works of the law by gospel principles and means. This is the rare and excellent art of godliness, in which every Christian should be a skilled expert,” (p. 167).

The message of Marshall’s book desperately needs to be heralded and heard in Evangelicalism today. May the Lord use the Gospel message of Marshall’s book to awaken a new generation of Gospel-Driven believers who long to see Christ and His Good News reign in all the earth!