JESUS IS BOTH GOD AND MAN
By Stuart Olyott
Evangelical Press. 175 pages. £7.95
ISBN 0 85234 431 7
This book was first published in 1984 under the title Son of Mary, Son of God and now appears under this new title with a Foreword by David Wells of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
There are no real changes to the text although the author has made minor corrections and changes for this new edition. The nine chapters are equally divided between three major sections: 'The Lord'-his deity, 'Jesus'- his humanity and 'Christ' - his unipersonality. In his usual clear and methodical style Stuart Olyott takes the reader through these vital facets of the person of Christ, always pointing to the testimony of Scripture in support of the orthodox Christian view. This is a book that is thorough and thought-provoking, but would be easily read by most people.
But why would anyone want to read this book-why should the ordinary Christian make time in a busy life to better understand this subject? There are two reasons that this is a timely re-issue of this title.
The first is the perennial problem of the cults that have their representatives knock on our doors, put their literature in our hands and now use TV advertising to attract new converts. Almost all of these - the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Christadelphians etc. - are unorthodox on this point. Most Christians perhaps know that of the Jehovah's Witnesses at least. But time spent with Stuart Olyott's book will make the reader aware of why these cults are wrong and will also establish in the reader's mind the overwhelming Scriptural evidence for the orthodox view. It is one thing to know that someone else is wrong, and quite another and more valuable thing to be sure of why one believes what one does.
The second reason that this book is so valuable is that we sadly live in a day when not only liberals and modernists, but now even those claiming to be Reformed, think it wise to attack and undermine the Creed of Chalcedon. With the lack of a sense of history now endemic in our culture, this is a soft target: after all, why should a church council decision made in October 451 be relevant today? If you are serious about the Christian faith, buy this book and find out now!
