SALVATION BY CRUCIFIXION
By Philip Graham Ryken
Christian Focus. 96 pages. £5.99
ISBN 978 1 781 913 079
This book is based on a series of short evangelistic talks on the cross of Christ given by Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, Illinois.
Over seven chapters he explores the necessity, offence, peace, power, triumph, humility and boast of the cross. His purpose is to ‘show how multi-dimensional the cross is’. Naturally he addresses the saving work of this momentous event, what it does in reconciling sinners to God through the atonement it achieves. But he also explores the way in which the sacrifice of God’s son at Calvary sets a tone for Christin living, laying before us a non-negotiable template of servanthood to which all believers must conform.
Slim but weighty
What makes this book so useful is its compactness and brevity. The volume is attractively slim so as not to put off non-Christians from taking it on. Yet it is still weighty and profound in the way it deals with this critical subject. References to popular culture are present without being tacky or superficial; appeals to church history are useful, not sentimental. All in all this is an excellent introduction to an event that could rightly be called the heartbeat of the gospel. Having said this, Christians would also benefit from this book, as Ryken’s often powerful, sometimes moving, descriptions of our Lord’s sacrifice are certain to nourish faith, love and hope in them.
