Summary
Christian freedom is often misunderstood, and the results can be either bondage or license.
Samuel Bolton helps us see how grace frees us to obey God with a willing heart, while guarding us from both legalism and carelessness.
Why Should We Read This Resource?
Bolton clarifies the role of God’s law in the believer’s life. He shows that obedience is not the ground of acceptance, yet it is the necessary fruit of union with Christ.
The book is valuable for pastors because it gives careful categories for dealing with tender consciences, and for dealing with those who use grace as an excuse for sin.
It also helps with preaching, because it teaches us to press imperatives as gospel fruit, not as a ladder back to God.
Closing Recommendation
We recommend it for discipleship, especially where churches need clearer teaching on holiness and assurance.
Samuel Bolton
Samuel Bolton was an English Puritan pastor of the seventeenth century, writing from a Reformed tradition with a careful instinct for practical godliness.
He is best known for helping Christians hold together gospel grace and obedient living, guarding against both legalism and spiritual looseness. Bolton urges believers to prize Christ, to honour God’s law in its proper place, and to pursue holiness as the fruit of faith, not the ground of peace with God.
He remains valued because he is balanced, probing, and pastorally steady, giving counsel that strengthens consciences rather than confusing them. Recommended titles include The True Bounds of Christian Freedom, A Discourse of the True Happiness of Man, and his collected practical writings.
Theological Perspective: Reformed