The Application of Redemption

The title above comes from the fifth chapter in Thomas Watson's magnificent and best-known book: A Body of Divinity. I have been reading this book through for a second time now (the first time feels like ages ago) a few mornings a week when faith is flagging in order to fan the flame. And this second time through for me is far more invigorating than the first (which is not to say that the first was without benefit and appreciation, but more years have a way of clarifying a lot of things). My esteem for Thomas Watson and for this work in particular continues to grow.

Just a brief bit of background and then I'll jump right in to a series of posts pertaining to the aforementioned chapter on the application of redemption. Watson was an English Presbyterian Puritan minister who lived circa 1620–1686. His Body of Divinity, published posthumously in 1692, comes from a series of sermons he preached to his people on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. This series of sermons numbered 176. Many of these fed into the Body of Divinity, but not all. The rest fed into Watson's books The Lord's Prayer and The Ten Commandments. These three books together make up a trilogy on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. (See Meet the Puritans by Beeke and Pederson for the chapter on Thomas Watson, from which I refreshed my memory of this background information.)

The first section in the chapter "The Application of Redemption" from Watson's Body of Divinity is on faith. He begins by citing Gal. 2:20 (in the king's English, of course): "The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God." And he asserts that it is the Spirit who "applies to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us" (Watson, Body of Divinity, 215). And then, before getting into the kinds of faith that people may possess, Watson speaks a short pithy word that packs the punch of the profound pastoral theology for which Watson has became known and loved. Here is trademark Watson: "Christ is the glory, and faith in Christ the comfort, of the gospel" (215). Christ is indeed the glory of the Gospel. And faith in his name is indeed its comfort. Amen, pastor Watson. 

I'll end this brief introductory post here on this simply yet profoundly stated note. In the next post I shall cover something of what Watson teaches about what justifying faith is. I hope this present post has whet your appetite for more. Lord willing, in the posts to follow, as here, I shall be citing and summarizing from the Banner of Truth's revised edition of Watson's book. Which reminds me: Banner of Truth books ought to be part of any disciple's diet these days, and perhaps my mentioning one of them here in glowing terms will set you going to get a meal from that market.