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Available
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Publication
Reformation Trust Publishing (2007), 185 pages
Description
Until we understand what Jesus accomplished on the cross, we will not understand the Christian faith. God is holy, so He cannot simply overlook our sin. That means we all stand condemned before His righteous judgment. In order to find deliverance from the wrath we deserve, we must look to the Savior who has paid the penalty of sin for those who trust in Him. In this book, Dr. R.C. Sproul surveys the Bible's teaching about the cross of Christ and the grace of God in redeeming His people.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Anika_Qing
"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans
This is only one of the many verses in our Scriptures that present the glorious truth of our Saviour who died for our sins. Despite the fact that we did not deserve one iota of what He accomplished, He poured out His blood as an offering for our sins.
What can be more glorious? As Christians, we echo the words of Paul who determined to "know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified," (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). But to the eyes of those who have not yet come to repentance, this gospel is mere "foolishness" at best and "disgusting" at worst.
Simply put, the world does not see the necessity of Christ's atonement. Even setting aside the atheists who would deny the very existence of God, the majority of people see no need for getting right with God. As R.C. Sproul insightfully puts it:
"The prevailing doctrine of justification today is not justification by faith alone. It's not even justification by good works or by a combination of faith and works. The prevailing notion of justification in Western culture today is justification by death. It's assumed that all one has to do to be received into the everlasting arms of God is to die," (Sproul, 2007, p. 10).
The Christian view of the atonement, however, is that it was vitally necessary if anyone was ever to be saved. God is loving, but He never forgives contrary to His justice which we all have badly violated. Sin is a debt; a state of enmity and a crime. For it, we deserve an eternal hell.
But this is where Jesus steps in so that God "might be just and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus," (Romans 3:26). He pays the debt, reconciles us to God and suffers the punishment for the crime:
"God says: "Justice will be done. The debt will be paid in full. The crime will be punished." He does not negotiate His justice at all. The fact that my debt is paid, the demands of reconciliation are met, and the punishment for my crime is given to my Substitute shows that in the cross we see perfect justice with perfect mercy. In the substitution that took place at the cross, we see the glorious grace of God- the very heartbeat of the Christian faith," (ibid., p. 48).
Being the perfect God-man, Christ could and did pay the price. Sproul continues on to say that we were ransomed or set free from the slavery of sin by Christ's death and Christ was cursed and forsaken so that we may be blessed and never be forsaken.
Sproul also provides a helpful summary of limited atonement for those Christians who believe that Christ died for the whole world. The last chapter is also devoted to different questions that may arise from reading the book.
While this book won't tell you very much more that you haven't already heard, it is a wonderful reminder of the truth of the cross.
// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //
Some more quotations:
"In the ransom that Christ pays, He works as a Kinsman-Redeemer for His people. As our elder brother, He pays the indebtedness that we have incurred before God. He buys us out of indentured servitude by paying the price for our freedom, thereby restoring us to our inheritance in the Father's kingdom," (ibid., p. 64).
"Christ's supreme achievement on the cross is that He placated the wrath of God, which would burn against us were we not covered by the sacrifice of Christ. So if somebody argues against placation or the idea of Christ satisfying the wrath of God, be alert, because the gospel is at stake. This is about the essence of salvation- that as people who are covered by the atonement, we are redeemed from the supreme danger to which any person is exposed. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a holy God Who's wrathful. But there is no wrath for those whose sins have been paid. That is what salvation is all about....if you take away the substitutionary atonement, you empty the cross of its meaning and drain all the significance out of the passion of our Lord Himself. If you do that, you take away Christianity itself," (ibid., pp. 79-80).
"The Old Testament Scriptures clearly point to the atonement. They show that it was always God's intention that His Son should come into the earth in human form, live as a man under the Law, and die a substitutionary death for His people. The Gospels, in turn give a faithful record of the events of the crucifixion, and the epistles of the New Testament then provide an inspired interpretation of the work of the Substitute, repeatedly looking back to the Old Testament. And so, by God's grace, we have at our fingertips the facts and the interpretation of those facts by which we may reach, with the Holy Spirit's enlightening aid, a true understanding of what the cross was all about," (ibid., p. 117).
// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //
Sproul, R.C. 2007, The Truth of the Cross, Reformation Trust Publishing, Lake Mary, Florida.
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5:6-8This is only one of the many verses in our Scriptures that present the glorious truth of our Saviour who died for our sins. Despite the fact that we did not deserve one iota of what He accomplished, He poured out His blood as an offering for our sins.
What can be more glorious? As Christians, we echo the words of Paul who determined to "know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified," (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). But to the eyes of those who have not yet come to repentance, this gospel is mere "foolishness" at best and "disgusting" at worst.
Simply put, the world does not see the necessity of Christ's atonement. Even setting aside the atheists who would deny the very existence of God, the majority of people see no need for getting right with God. As R.C. Sproul insightfully puts it:
"The prevailing doctrine of justification today is not justification by faith alone. It's not even justification by good works or by a combination of faith and works. The prevailing notion of justification in Western culture today is justification by death. It's assumed that all one has to do to be received into the everlasting arms of God is to die," (Sproul, 2007, p. 10).
The Christian view of the atonement, however, is that it was vitally necessary if anyone was ever to be saved. God is loving, but He never forgives contrary to His justice which we all have badly violated. Sin is a debt; a state of enmity and a crime. For it, we deserve an eternal hell.
But this is where Jesus steps in so that God "might be just and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus," (Romans 3:26). He pays the debt, reconciles us to God and suffers the punishment for the crime:
"God says: "Justice will be done. The debt will be paid in full. The crime will be punished." He does not negotiate His justice at all. The fact that my debt is paid, the demands of reconciliation are met, and the punishment for my crime is given to my Substitute shows that in the cross we see perfect justice with perfect mercy. In the substitution that took place at the cross, we see the glorious grace of God- the very heartbeat of the Christian faith," (ibid., p. 48).
Being the perfect God-man, Christ could and did pay the price. Sproul continues on to say that we were ransomed or set free from the slavery of sin by Christ's death and Christ was cursed and forsaken so that we may be blessed and never be forsaken.
Sproul also provides a helpful summary of limited atonement for those Christians who believe that Christ died for the whole world. The last chapter is also devoted to different questions that may arise from reading the book.
While this book won't tell you very much more that you haven't already heard, it is a wonderful reminder of the truth of the cross.
// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //
Some more quotations:
"In the ransom that Christ pays, He works as a Kinsman-Redeemer for His people. As our elder brother, He pays the indebtedness that we have incurred before God. He buys us out of indentured servitude by paying the price for our freedom, thereby restoring us to our inheritance in the Father's kingdom," (ibid., p. 64).
"Christ's supreme achievement on the cross is that He placated the wrath of God, which would burn against us were we not covered by the sacrifice of Christ. So if somebody argues against placation or the idea of Christ satisfying the wrath of God, be alert, because the gospel is at stake. This is about the essence of salvation- that as people who are covered by the atonement, we are redeemed from the supreme danger to which any person is exposed. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of a holy God Who's wrathful. But there is no wrath for those whose sins have been paid. That is what salvation is all about....if you take away the substitutionary atonement, you empty the cross of its meaning and drain all the significance out of the passion of our Lord Himself. If you do that, you take away Christianity itself," (ibid., pp. 79-80).
"The Old Testament Scriptures clearly point to the atonement. They show that it was always God's intention that His Son should come into the earth in human form, live as a man under the Law, and die a substitutionary death for His people. The Gospels, in turn give a faithful record of the events of the crucifixion, and the epistles of the New Testament then provide an inspired interpretation of the work of the Substitute, repeatedly looking back to the Old Testament. And so, by God's grace, we have at our fingertips the facts and the interpretation of those facts by which we may reach, with the Holy Spirit's enlightening aid, a true understanding of what the cross was all about," (ibid., p. 117).
// // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // // //
Sproul, R.C. 2007, The Truth of the Cross, Reformation Trust Publishing, Lake Mary, Florida.
Show Less
LibraryThing member wiseasgandalf
The cross.
Most of us have read the story, seen the pictures, & heard the sermons about the cross since childhood.
But do we deeply and thoroughly understand the truth of the cross? Why did Jesus have to die in that way? What does the atonement really mean? Are we really enemies of God & criminals in
Honestly, most of us without theology degrees don’t thoroughly understand the truth of the cross. And frankly, there is no more important truth in the universe to understand & embrace with all our heart and mind. In this book Dr. Sproul does an excellent job of stepping through all the glorious truth of the cross point by point, giving us solid answers, solid hope, & solid joy. Every Christian should read this book to deepen their knowledge of the cross and their love for the Savior.
Most of us have read the story, seen the pictures, & heard the sermons about the cross since childhood.
But do we deeply and thoroughly understand the truth of the cross? Why did Jesus have to die in that way? What does the atonement really mean? Are we really enemies of God & criminals in
Show More
His eyes? Why did Christ have to lead a sinless life? What is the significance of the shedding of blood at the cross? How do the Old Testament covenants explain the cross?Honestly, most of us without theology degrees don’t thoroughly understand the truth of the cross. And frankly, there is no more important truth in the universe to understand & embrace with all our heart and mind. In this book Dr. Sproul does an excellent job of stepping through all the glorious truth of the cross point by point, giving us solid answers, solid hope, & solid joy. Every Christian should read this book to deepen their knowledge of the cross and their love for the Savior.
Show Less
LibraryThing member joshrskinner
Very good. Basic overview of atonement theology. The Q&A chapter at the end is excellent! Great gift for new believers or those showing interest and a good reminder for all!