The Death of the Saviour – A Review by Bob Thomas
This is a book* which draws the reader in as it outlines and analyses all the events and elements of the crucifixion, which he sees as the central event of all Scripture. In so doing he relates these events back to Old Testament prophecies and forward to New Testament fulfillments and outcomes in the Early Church.
The book began life as a series of sermons preached in the author’s church, Second Presbyterian in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, and to some extent begs the question of whether or not sermons should be put into print. I’m one of those who welcome sermons being put into print, largely as preached and with a minimum of tidying up. Phillips however has given his original sermon series a comprehensive makeover to the extent that unless we were told what had happened we would never have guessed at the original genre. I think that’s why, for me, this book is slow to take off. Nevertheless, as it gathers momentum it becomes evident that a vast amount of material has been gathered and refined into a really helpful book.
The cross is, of course, central to all of Scripture. Possibly the most helpful sections of the book are those outlining the various views of the atonement before settling on penal substitutionary atonement as the correct one, and the work of Christ as finished on the cross. These doctrines reside in troubled waters thanks to Romanism on the one hand and liberalism on the other, and our author steers us into the clear waters of orthodoxy first charted by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, in his book Cur Deus Homo?
An abundance of quotes from many sources show something of the volume of work undertaken in writing this book and in themselves represent added value to an already valuable book.
The author’s prayer is: ‘May God bless these brief studies to magnify Christ’s saving achievements in our minds, and inspire us to a more fervent adoration of Christ from our hearts . . . May he who died but lives forever be glorified through God’s Word.’ It will surely be granted ‘beyond all (he) can ask or imagine.’
Notes
- id=”note-1″>
The Death of the Saviour
Studies in John's Gospel
price From: £5.60Description
This is a book* which draws the reader in as it outlines and analyses all the events and elements of the crucifixion, which he sees as the central event of all Scripture. In so doing he relates these events back to Old Testament prophecies and forward to New Testament fulfillments and outcomes in the Early […]
Taken with permission from Australia’s online magazine New Life, September 15, 2012, edited by Bob Thomas.
Latest Articles
The Greatest Story Ever Told 10 June 2022
In Exodus 18 Moses spends a whole chapter on his father-in-law Jethro. I think it’s safe to assume that Moses didn’t promise to give him a prominent spot in his book in order to win brownie points with the in-laws! So why then is this chapter here? One of its main purposes is to do […]
The Lord has Given You the. . . 6 May 2022
Do you find yourself constantly surprised by the things that God says are important as you read through Scripture? I found this, yet again, just a couple of weeks ago when I came to preach on Exodus 16 and was confronted by a whole chapter about manna. More space is given to it in Exodus […]