THE CROSS OF CHRIST BY JOHN STOTT

 

I don't really have any of the older theological classics in my library, but I do have several more recent books that could easily be counted as classics. One is this very readable and informative 1986 book published by InterVarsity Press. Rather than attempting to summarize the main points that Stott brings out, I decided to take a brief quote from each chapter to give you a flavor of what the book is all about.

The Centrality of the Cross:

“The fact that a cross became the Christian symbol, and that Christians stubbornly refused, in spite of the ridicule, to discard it in favor of something less offensive, can have only explanation. It means that the centrality of the cross originated in the mind of Jesus himself...Despite the great importance of his teaching, his example, and his works of compassion and power, none of these was central to his mission. What dominated his mind was not the living but the giving of his life.”

Why Did Christ Die?:

After reviewing all those who were directly responsible for Jesus' death such as Judas, Pilate, and the Jewish authorities, Stott concludes: “We may try to wash our hands of responsibility like Pilate. But our attempt will be as futile as his. For there is blood on our hands. Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance).”

Looking below the Surface:

“For the time being we must be content with this preliminary fourfold construction, that Christ died for us, for our good; that the 'good' he died to procure for us was our salvation; that in order to procure it he had to deal with our sins; and that in dying for them it was our death that he died.”

The Problem of Forgiveness:

“In particular, our insistence that according to the gospel the cross of Christ is the only ground on which God forgives sin bewilders may people. 'Why should our forgiveness depend on Christ's death?' they ask. 'Why does God not simply forgive us, without the necessity of the cross?'...If anyone imagines...that God can simply forgive us as we forgive others, that person has not yet considered the seriousness of sin...similarly: 'You have not yet considered the majesty of God.' It is when our perception of God and man, or of holiness and sin, are askew that our understanding of the atonement is bound to be askew also.”

Satisfaction for Sin:

“Here,then, are five ways in which theologians have expressed their sense of what is necessary before God is able to forgive sinners. One speaks of the overthrow of the devil by 'satisfying' his demands, others of 'satisfying' God's law, honor or justice, and the last of 'satisfying the moral order of the world'. In differing degrees all these formulations are true. The limitation they share is that, unless they are very carefully stated, they represent God as being subordinate to something outside and above himself which controls his actions, to which he is accountable, and from which he cannot free himself....Atonement is a 'necessity' because it arises from within God himself.”

The Self-Substitution of God:

“How then could God express simultaneously his holiness in judgment and his love in pardon? Only by providing a divine judgment and the sinner the pardon...The vital questions which must now occupy us are these: who is this 'Substitute'? And how are we to understand and justify the notion of his substituting himself for us? The best way to approach these questions is to consider the Old Testament sacrifices, since these were the God-intended preparation for the sacrifice of Christ.”

The Salvation of Sinners:

“Why did God take our place and bear our sin? What did he accomplish by his self-sacrifice, his self-substitution? The New Testament gives three main answers to these questions which may be summed up in the words 'salvation', 'revelation' and 'conquest'. What God in Christ has done through the cross is to rescue us, disclose himself and overcome evil.”

The Revelation of God:

“The gospel of the cross will never be a popular message, because it humbles the pride of our intellect and character. Yet Christ crucified is both God's wisdom (I Cor. 1:24) and ours (1:30). For the cross is God's way to satisfy his love and justice in the salvation of sinners. It therefore manifests his power too, 'the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes' (Rom. 1:16).”

The Conquest of Evil:

Stott discusses the importance of Colossians 2:13-15 with these words: “First, it is surely significant that Paul brackets what Christ did to the cheirographon [debt] (canceling and removing it) with what he did to the principalities and powers (disarming and conquering them). The bond he nailed to the cross; the powers he defeated by the cross. It does not seem necessary to insist on the latter being any more literal than the former. The important point is that both happened together. Is not his payment of our debts the way in which Christ has overthrown the powers?”

The Community of Celebration:

“Now that He has acted in his love to turn aside his anger, we have been justified by him, redeemed for him and reconciled to him. And our reconciliation includes the concepts of 'access' and 'nearness', which are aspects of our dynamic knowledge of God or 'eternal life' (Jn. 17:3). This intimate relationship to God, which has replaced the old and painful estrangement, has several characteristics.” He discusses these under the categories of boldness, love, and joy.

Self-Understanding and Self-Giving:

“Granted this fundamental fact about all who are in Christ, namely that we have died and risen with him, so that our old life of sin, guilt and shame has been terminated and an entirely new life of holiness, forgiveness and freedom has begun, what is to be our attitude to our new self? Because our new self, though redeemed, is still fallen, a double attitude will be necessary, namely self-denial and self-affirmation, both illumined by the cross.”

Loving Our Enemies:

“On the cross, by both demanding and bearing the penalty of sin, and so simultaneously punishing and overcoming evil, God displayed and demonstrated his holy love; the holy love of the cross should characterize our response to evil-doers today.”

Suffering and Glory:

“Biblical teaching and personal experience thus combine to teach that suffering is the path to holiness or maturity. There is always an indefinable something about people who have suffered. They have a fragrance which others lack. They exhibit the meekness and gentleness of Christ...I sometimes wonder if the real test of our hunger for holiness is our willingness to experience any degree of suffering if only thereby God will make us holy.”

The Pervasive Influence of the Cross:

“The gospel according to Paul in Galatians...focuses on the cross. Indeed the letter contains seven striking affirmations about the death of Jesus, each of which illumines a different facet of it. When we put them together, we have an amazing comprehensive grasp of the pervasive influence of the cross.” These seven involve:

    The cross and salvation (Galatians 1:3-5)

    The cross and experience (Galatians 2:19-21)

    The cross and preaching (Galatians 3:1-3)

    The cross and substitution (Galatians 3:10-14)

    The cross and persecution (Galatians 5:11; 6:12)

    The cross and holiness (Galatians 5:24)

    The cross and boasting (Galatians 6:14)