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Review – The Cross of Christ

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Recently, I completed the draft portion of my dissertation on John Stott’s understanding of evangelism and social responsibility.  The process of researching Stott was immensely fruitful.  His classic, The Cross of Christ, is one of the most influential reads of my life.

Addressing the theological importance of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross, Stott reminds his readers of God’s holy demand for justice.   Stott recognizes the centrality of the cross in God’s redemptive and forgiving plan.  He writes, “The crucial question we should ask therefore, is a different one.  It is not why God finds it difficult to forgive, but how he finds it possible to do so at all” (90).  The answer of course is Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross.  “Christ died for us.  Christ died instead of us” (149).  Ultimately, Stott emphasizes Christ’s death as our means of union with Christ and becoming God’s righteousness.

This classic is a must read for anyone seeking to understand Christ’s cross and his atoning work.

A Unique Privilege

Yesterday, at Mud Creek Baptist Church, we baptized 14 people! I had the privilege of baptizing each of these new members at our church. Uniquely, we baptized three generations in one family – a grandmother, daughter, and three children. Sometimes the tragedies, frustrations, and negative stories inundate our information intake. It can be a bit depressing to see the depravity within us and around us. However, the most real truth surrounding us is not our depravity, but God’s goodness and grace. God used this family to remind me that He is still redeeming, still showing grace, and still leading people of all ages to faith in Him. When the information around us indicates an abundance of bad news, remember that God is good and that He’s still at work. Three generations expressing faith in Him is proof of that!