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In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of Atonement

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The publication of this book resulted from the collective reasoning of Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, Mark Dever and C.J. Mahaney, who all agreed that it would be useful to have three classic essays on the atonement by J.I. Packer included in one book. These three pieces--"The Heart of the Gospel," a chapter from the classic book Knowing God; "What Did the Cross Achieve?: The Logic of Penal Substitution," originally a Tyndale Biblical Theology Lecture; and "Saved by His Precious Blood," the well-known introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ--along with Mark Dever's article, "Nothing but the Blood," first published in Christianity Today, make up the heart of this book.

Since this book is a collection of essays, I've decided to go through it chapter by chapter, giving a short summary of each and, when I think it'd be useful, my evaluation of it.

* Foreword: The story and reasoning behind the publication of this book told by Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, Mark Dever and C.J. Mahaney.

* Preface: A short discussion by both Packer and Dever of recent unorthodox thought on the atonement found in evangelicalism, an error they have dubbed anti-redemptionism. It is this error that makes these essays particularly useful as "a composite tract for the times."

* Introduction: Penal Substitution Revisited. Written by J.I. Packer, this is an overview of the doctrine of penal substitution, explaining briefly what it is, what are some of the reasons for viewing the atonement this way, and how embracing this view of the atonement should shape our personal faith. It's a short piece, but valuable as an introduction for the essays that follow. It includes, by the way, that uniquely Packerish phrase, "smartypants notions."

* The Heart of the Gospel by J.I. Packer. This is chapter 18 in the must-read Packer book, Knowing God. It discusses propitiation--what it is, where it's found in the Bible, how Christ's death accomplishes it, and how a proper understanding of propitiation is necessary for a proper understanding of many of the key elements of true Christianity. I've read this piece several times while reading and re-reading Knowing God, but I was surprised to find that my experience of it was different when reading it as part of a book about the atonement rather than a book about the nature of God. It's always been my favorite chapter in Knowing God and I think it's my favorite chapter here, too, so I'm glad it's included in this book of essays on the atonement.

* What Did the Cross Achieve?: The Logic of Penal Substitution by J.I. Packer. This is the only one of the four main essays that I hadn't read through before, although I'd read parts of it. It is definitely the most difficult essay in the book, written on a more scholarly than popular level, but it's worth the work it takes to get through it.

One of the more interesting point Packer makes is that there are three main ways in which Christ's death has been explained in the church. The first way sees the cross as primarily dealing with humankind's failure to understand God's love for us, and thus sees the whole purpose of the atonement to work a change in our attitude toward God. The second way of explaining Christ's death sees the work of the cross as chiefly the defeat of hostile spiritual forces. The third way of looking at the cross sees it, first of all, as having it's effect on God himself, propitiating him, and on the basis of that, turning humankind toward him and overthrowing the nasty forces-that-be. In other words, the third view, the one which includes penal substitution, incorporates the other views within it and gives a basis for them. The first two views, then, are wrong because they are incomplete, treating "half-truths as the whole truth" and "rejecting a more comprehensive account."

* Nothing but the Blood by Mark Dever. This piece was included at the insistence of Packer. It's probably not a timeless piece in the same way that the three by Packer are, but it is very helpful in that it places the defense of penal substitution within the context of the current criticisms made of it.

* Saved by His Precious Blood: An Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by J.I. Packer. At it's core, this is a defense of Calvinism in general and limited atonement in particular. I read this many years ago, and, although the biggest factor in pushing me over the edge on that fifth and hardest point of the five points of TULIP was Hebrews 2, this essay was influential, too. This piece is well-regarded for very good reason: the explanations and arguments are impeccable. I can't say much more than that. If you haven't read this one, you really must.

* Epilogue: Christ-Centered Means Cross-Centered by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever. This is a short summary essay explaining the necessity of Christ-centeredness and cross-centeredness for healthy Christianity, and asserting that true Christ-and-cross-centeredness comes only "by facing up to the reality of Christ's blood-sacrifice of himself in penal substitution for those whom the Father had given him to redeem."

* Books on the Cross of Christ by Ligon Duncan. I'd pay full price for this book just to get these reading lists. Included are lists of recommended reading on Christ's work: a top ten list, an introductory list, a list of sermons, a list of systematic theologies and more.

* Annotated Bibliography by Ligon Duncan. Here you'll find background on the books and authors recommended in the lists above. I loved this almost as much as the book lists themselves.

If you've read this far, you probably don't need me to tell you that I highly recommend In My Place Condemned He Stood. The question someone might have, I suppose, is "Why would I pay for this book when so much of the material is available elsewhere and I've already read it there?" To be honest, that was my own question as I worked my way through it. Now that I'm done, I'm really glad to have a compact volume that includes all these essays. It's a very good thing to have them in a book I can hold, a book I could mark up as I read, and a book I can refer back to as needed.

Last week I received a copy of In My Place Condemned He Stood in the mail. And, as is my habit, I read the introduction and the endorsements; my only problem was, I could not put it down. The forward is by Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, Mark Dever and CJ Mahaney. They explain in their piece that upon a series of lengthy discussions on great books and articles on the atonement they dreamed together about a book that would gather together some of J.I. Packer's most helpful articles on Christ's work. Following some further deliberation and collaboration with the folks at Crossway and Packer himself this book was quickly put together.

The book includes the following chapters by Packer:

The Heart of the Gospel

What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution

Saved by His Precious Blood: An Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ

The introduction into John Owen's The Death of Death is worth the book. This is simply fantastic. He not only succeeds in being intensely biblical he also serves us by connecting the necessary dots; he brings out the theological realities of the atonement of Christ for his sheep. This is truly invaluable for our souls. When I read these chapters I feel like I'm watching a major leaguer take batting practice; every sentence is precise, power packed, and a solid hit, Packer is just flat out good in these essays.

In addition to Packer's articles, the book includes Mark Dever's essay on the atonement that appeared in Christianity Today back in 2006. As Dever indicates in the introduction, this inclusion was per Packer's insistence and despite his own reluctance. Packer and Dever also unite on a chapter entitled Christ-Centered Means Cross-Centered.

Another positive of this book is the thoughtful and thorough bibliography by Ligon Duncan. Duncan highlights great books that are available to us on the work of Christ. This is truly helpful.

I have heard folks say that these essays by Packer are mandatory reading for pastors. I have to agree. Now they are far more readily available for us all.

As JI Packer warns, 'Since one's belief about the atonement is bound up with one's belief about the character of God, the terms of the gospel, and the Christian's inner life, the intensity of the debate is understandable. It remains so, as liberalism keeps reinventing itself and luring evangelicals away from their heritage.' p 21

Saved From Sacrifice must be one of the most damaging books to the atonement to appear in recent years. The denial and outright rejection of Christ's vicarious death by that author is in truth a denial and rejection of the biblical atonement model, and may well be sufficient evidence of him being an enemy of the cross, as he purports a different gospel. And Steve Chaulke is calmly rebuked by JI Packer when he corrects him in saying 'smartypants notions like 'divine child abuse' as a comment on the cross are supremely silly and as irreverent and wrong as they possibly could be.' p 22 In answer we have this timely reverential remembrance, in which Christ does fulfill the Law's demands.

Mark Dever exhorts, 'Any biblical understanding of the atonement must take into account our having being united to Christ by faith, adopted and regenerated in Him.'
p 109

Ephesians 2
13 'But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.'

Decades ago James Denney made the point that Christ as our penal representative is not accurately the NT teaching - but much more: 'The fundamental fact of the situation is that, to begin with, Christ is not ours, and we are not one with Him...we are without Christ...a Representative not produced by us, but given to us, not chosen by us, but the elect of God, is not a Representative at all in the first instance - but a Substitute.' The Death of Christ p 195

Geerhardus Vos reflected on a biblical analogy of redemption:
'In connection with the laying on of hands transmitting sin, the slaying of the sin-bearing animal could scarcely have any other purpose than to signify that death is the penalty of sin, vicariously inflicted in sacrifice.' Biblical Theology p 163

The pages of the Bible are splattered with the blood of sacrifice. Not just the OT prototypes, but the biblical account of the Lamb who reconciled us to our Father and propitiated for our sins, and by those who by their good works have followed and have added to this testimony, from that day to this, with their very lives.

Nothing could be simpler. Read this and be enthralled.

'Men will tell you they could believe Christianity if it were not for the atonement; that is to say, if Jesus will come down from the cross, modern scoffers will believe in Him, just as the ancient ones tauntingly promised to do.'
Spurgeon, The Sure Triumph Of The Crucified One

When it comes to understanding the essence of salvation clarity is a rarity nowadays.

Christians (even us preachers) speak often and casually of "being saved", of having been "washed in the blood", or of "trusting Christ"; but many times, these are spiritual-sounding phrases void of any real meaning and depth.

The result of our modern, prepackaged presentations of the gospel (such as The Four Spiritual Laws) is that we have gained much in terms of convenience and brevity, but we've paid a high price in terms of understanding and appreciation. In an attempt to simplify the gospel, we have made the gospel simplistic.

In other words, we emphasize the "A, B, C's" of becoming a Christian but, once people do, we often neglect to emphasize the "D, E, F, G's" of being a Christian. This, in turn, puts added pressure on churches to "perform" and "entertain" a shallow audience rather than preach and edify a thoughtful congregation. It is a dizzying and unfortunate cycle.

If you were to ask the average Christian "What does it mean to be `washed in the blood'?" you would likely get a blank stare or fumbled answer in return. This is unfortunate. Our problem is not that the church suffers from believing in a limited atonement, but that the church today suffers from a limited understanding of the atonement. Both of these distress the church; but the latter does far more.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the treasure chest of Christianity, but, sadly, many believers have merely a pocket change's worth of understanding. It is precisely for this reason that J.I. Packer and Mark Dever's book In My Place Condemned He Stood is so needed today.

This 188 page book, published by Crossway, is filled to the brim with a robust theology of the atonement, that, when properly filtered, will fuel a robust doxology of praise. This compilation of articles (primarily from Packer's previous works) provides a thoughtful, consistent look at the atonement and its meaning for the church. Those who want to dive deep in understanding the richness of Christ's death on their behalf will want to read this book, and do so with a highlighter in hand.Allow me share my analysis of this book, in terms of: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

THE GOOD

1. This book sounds a resounding call to place God, once again, at the center of the gospel, not man.

Listen to the average Sunday morning church invitation, and it's easy to see that man is now on the throne instead of God. We are bent on giving people what they want, rather than giving them what they need. And what they need is to understand that wrath and judgment awaits every sinner, and the only hope of escape is found in the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. This book reminds us that God, not man, must be high and lifted up in our preaching, worship, and churches if the gospel is going to be effective and life-changing.

2. This book offers a convincing defense of substitutionary atonement as a historical, Biblical, and absolutely essential doctrine of the faith.

This is probably the best part of the book. The idea of a "substitutionary atonement" is a foreign concept to many Christians, when, it should be a comfortable, old friend. In chapter two, Packer gives a thorough Biblical explanation that at the heart of the gospel lies in two parts: Christ dealing with His Father on our behalf (by His death quenching God's wrath for sin) and Christ dealing with us on His Father's behalf (giving to us forgiveness and an "alien righteousness", as Luther called it.) Packer takes the complex theological ideas of propitiation, expiation, and substitution and makes them understandable. He asserts that Jesus did not live and die merely as our example but, instead, as our only hope. As the old saying goes, "We owed a debt we could not pay and Christ paid a debt He didn't owe." The book rightly affirms, as the old hymn says,

"Because the sinless Savior died, My guilty soul is counted free, For God is the just is satisfied, To look on Him and pardon me."

This is the glory of the atonement that every Christian should celebrate.

3. This book highlights many of the theologically rich (and more importantly, theologically accurate) hymns and songs of Christian worship.

This was one of the most enjoyable, unanticipated portions of the book. With so many bad Christian worship songs today, it's refreshing to hear good ones. The book is sprinkled throughout with excerpts from many well-known (and some, not so well-known) hymns of the church that express an accurate appreciation for Christ's death. Hymns by Watts, Wesley, and other great writers add a poetic and refreshing escape from what is often a theologically dense read. If we would sing and meditate on the words of these rich songs, we would fulfill God' command to teach one another through songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. (Colossians 3:16) This is a very nice touch to this book.

4. This book includes an extremely useful and diverse bibliography for further study.

I don't usually make it my practice to read bibliographies, but the last chapter of this book, compiled by Ligon Duncan, includes a very profitable bibliography. What I particularly like about it is that it includes a wide range of categories, such as: Short, Popular Introductions, Sermons, Systematic Theologies, and Pastoral Applications. Furthermore, Duncan includes a "Top Ten List" of popular, devotional writings about the atonement. So, whether you are a layman, minister or seminary professor; there are recommendations that anyone could benefit from. In addition, there is a chronological listing of major works on the atonement as well as a collection of historical confessions and creeds about the atonement (with website addresses). It is quite possibly one of the most unique, diverse, and helpful bibliographies I've ever read. I wish more books would learn a lesson from Duncan's approach.

THE BAD

1. The overly technical and highly philosophical discussion of the "didactic thought models" of Scripture on pages 54-68 is more confusing than helpful.

Before Packer launches into his defense of a substitutionary atonement, he gives a rather technical explanation of some of his theological underpinnings. This section seems out of place to me. I certainly understand what Packer is saying here, I just do not see the need for it in this book.

Packer discusses, at length, what he calls the "methodological preliminaries" that explain and govern how he has come to his conclusions about the atonement. It would be like asking someone, "Do you want ice cream?" and they respond with a 30 minute explanation of how that question, when spoken from your lips, vibrated the air which echoed in their ear canal, being reinterpreted by their brain as concepts which, in turn, the brain assigned specific meaning which was then processed and reorganized in such a way that, having factored their current appetite and intended eating schedule, was analyzed to an extent that they responded in a refusal of the offer which was being made - when in fact all they had to say was, "No." This section is a theological rabbit trail of the most complex kind that adds little to the overall thrust and point of the chapter (or book).

That isn't to say it's an altogether unprofitable section to read. In fact, one of the most stunning and memorable statements of the entire book is found in these pages. Packer is explaining how, even Paul, saw God and Christ's work at Calvary as a great mystery that we will never comprehend, but should seek to appreciate. He writes,

"...even when working under divine inspiration as Paul did, is to recognize that he is, as it were, gazing into the sun whose very brightness makes it impossible for him to fully see it; so that at the end of the day he has to admit that God is much more to him than theories can ever contain, and to humble himself in adoration..."

Nuggets like that make this section worth reading, but the reader should be warned that it is a tedious section through which to trudge.

THE UGLY

1. Packer's portion of this book sets forth an unwavering insistence that anything less than a full-robust, allegiance to 5-Point Calvinism is not the true gospel.

This is my biggest "beef" with this book.

I knew, coming into it, that it would undoubtedly have strong Calvinistic moorings (which, is not always a bad thing); however, I wasn't prepared for how unwavering Packer is on his insistence in it. He asserts that unless 5-Point Calvinism is understood and believed in the mind of the preacher, no matter how he presents the gospel, he is presenting a sub-gospel. In fact, speaking about a less than 5-Point approach, Packer expressly says,

"this set of half-truths is something other than the Biblical gospel."

Being Amyraldian (sometimes commonly called a "4-Point Calvinist"), I had a hard time swallowing statements like this. It seems that Packer is a slave to the system. He even writes that

"Calvinism is thus theism, religion, and evangelicalism; all in their purest and most highly developed form."

I mean no disrespect to Dr. Packer, but that sounds like theological snobbery to me.

It's true that Calvinism is a coherent and consistent system in which each point hinges on the previous idea and gives logical rise to the following one. Calvinism is like a theological chain, each link is connected to the other links. The problem with this is that our allegiance should be to the Bible and not a system. Our beliefs should rise and fall with the landscape of Scripture, not logic. The Bible teaches that the atonement is limited in the sense that people do indeed die and go to hell. However, the Scripture undeniably affirms that

"He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but also for those of the whole world." (1 John 2:2).

Given Packer's lengthy discussion of what propitiation means, he conveniently skips this verse altogether in the book. Packer argues that it is logically inconsistent to believe, as I do, in an atonement that is available to all but efficacious only to those that believe. But that is what the Bible teaches, and I would rather be a Biblicist with theological mystery than a Calvinist with "all the answers".

OVERALL CONCLUSION: A-

In My Place Condemned He Stood is a very good book. It's not a great book (given what I've mentioned above), but it is a thoroughly good one that will be beneficial to those that take the time read and digest it. In short, reading this book is like eating watermelon. Sure, the occasional Calvinistic seed needs to be spit out, but for the most part, it's juicy, sweet, and thoroughly satisfying. (Of course, I will concede that if you are a Calvinist brother or sister...you will thoroughly enjoy EVERY aspect of this book!)

While the great doctrines of redemption fill the bottomless ocean that is salvation, most Christians have merely dipped their toes into the froth of its tide. What we need to do, instead, is immerse ourselves, that is, dive deep and see the colorful and beautiful landscape that lies underneath the surface of our salvation. We truly need to "celebrate the glory of the atonement" and this book will help any Christian do just that.

I finished In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement by J.L. Packer & Mark Dever which is a collection of essays defending the penal substitution model of the atonement. This very conservative book was free at the Kindle store. I liked it very much but for one essay which basically turned into a defensive and biting Calvinist rant. The first essay particularly was excellent.

I thank J.I Packer for his timely , cogent & relentless defense & presentation of the substitutionary & propitiatory death of Christ on the cross. It is refreshing to know that there are scholars that are committed to Christ on the highest levels of scholarship. Thank The Lord that they don't simply keep it to themselves but share it with the world.

robertmiller12000@yahoo.com

Several Christian Scholars got together and were talking about how to write a book on the Gospel that would be a good primer for the laity of the church. As they discussed how to go about writing the work they realized that the material had actually already been written and presented in several other places.

Each of the men realized that J.I. Packer had done a great defense of the Gospel in several articles and lectures that he had given at other times. Also Mark Dever had an article he had presented that fit well with the flow of what they felt should be presented.

So they contacted J.I. Packer and asked him to submit his articles and do any revamping that he felt necessary. He agreed and those three articles appear in this work along with an article from Mark Dever.

The main emphasis for this work is to "offer an aid and encouragement to Christians who want more deeply to understand the nature and accomplishments of Jesus' death and thus to be lost in wonder, love, and praise to the gracious Father who gave and delivered up his only begotten Son on our behalf, and to the Son who loved us and gave himself for us, by the Holy Spirit, who alone enables us to say truly, "Jesus is Lord."

Through these articles you will learn the difference between expiation and propitiation. You will discover excellent discussions on why "Penal Substitution" is a necessary issue for the Christian to understand and believe in.

Further there is a wonderful article that will deal with the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism an why it is important for you to understand those differences and see how each of them relates to the Gospel message of the Bible.

Finally, the Gospel message will be expressed in the most Biblical of manners so that there is no equivocation on what The Gospel Is!

Then at the end of the book there are two chapters presented by Ligon Duncan on, "Books on the Cross of Christ," and an "Annotated Bibliography." These two chapters give you a very exhaustive listing of books that will further solidify your thoughts on the Gospel Message and help you to develop your defense of your faith.

This book is a must read for all of us who proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Lord and Savior.

Enjoy!

Contained in this book are some of the greatest arguments for the victorious (aka limited)atonement of Christ. You're going to want to keep this as a reference as you engage in discussion about this topic. Packer is simply at his best, and Dever finishes with a very pastoral but enlightening essay. Well worth the money.

The doctrine of the penal substitutionary atonement is falling on hard times. Modern day theologians, pastors, and people in the pew view the idea of penal substitution as something completely horrific and foreign to the teachings of Scripture. To think that God had to punish Christ in our place is something that seems strangely outside the teaching that God is love. Yet, at the heart of the Scriptures is the teaching that man has spurned God and now is not able to pay the penalty for his sin and therefore needs someone to pay the penalty for him. Only God can pay the penalty of sin that was committed against God. Therefore Christ must come and take our place. He is our substitute. This is the very heart of redemption.

J. I. Packer and Mark Dever have done the church a favour with this helpful collection of pieces on the topic of the atonement. Packer is the Board of Governors' professor of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver and Dever is senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington. Both men have contributed much for the cause of Christ in their years. Now, some of Packer's best teaching on the atonement, and Dever's highly acclaimed piece on the topic, appear together in one attractive and well priced book. Crossway should be commended for this release.

The genesis of this book comes out of that evangelical powerhouse foursome of Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, Mark Dever, and C. J. Mahaney. These men are well known individually and as those at the heart of Together for the Gospel. Commenting on how important Packer's writing on the topic of the atonement had been in their lives, it was thought that these works needed to be released again for a new generation. Dever approached Packer on this and Packer agreed as long as Dever's article on the topic from Christianity Today was also included. He agreed, and In My Place Condemned He Stood was born.

Packer introduces the book with a brief look at atonement, penal substitution, and redemption and sets the stage for the other treatises in the book. In "The Heart of the Gospel" (originally a chapter from Packer's Knowing God) looks at the issue of propitiation ("averting God's anger by an offering") sets the stage for the need for penal substitution with the reality that God is angered at man and that anger needs to be appeased. It needs to be atoned for.

Packer goes on in "What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution" (originally the Tyndale Biblical Theology Lecture in 1973) to survey approaches to viewing the death of Christ in the church. He concludes, that penal substitution is necessary and logical, because God's wrath needs to be appeased. Therefore the cross is directed at propitiating God first, and then second turns humankind toward Him. Penal substitution is completely logical when you look at the reality of sin and the sinner's relationship to God.

Next Dever looks at criticisms of penal substitution in "Nothing But the Blood." Dever's chapter is quite important to the book as a whole because it deals with the current issues and debates surrounding the atonement. It is good to interact with opposing views and identify where the current trends are going on a theological issue so one can better present the Scriptural teaching.

Finally, Packer's "Saved by His Precious Blood: An Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ," is probably worth the price of the book. This was originally written as an introduction to Owen's book on the topic of limited atonement. Owen, and Packer, defends vigorously the teaching that Christ died for the elect. This article by Packer has been used in many a questioning mind to bring them fully over to the Calvinistic understanding of the atonement. It is a fitting look at how that penal substitutionary atonement is applied.

Dever and Packer conclude by expressing the reality that to be Christ-centered one must be cross-centered. Ligon Duncan rounds out the book with annotated reading lists on the topic of the atonement.

At the heart of the ministry is the atoning work of Christ. As Paul said, we preach Christ and Him crucified. No pastor, ministry leader, or Christian for that matter, can afford to not think through the scriptural teaching on the atonement. Particularly we need to see the reality of the death the unbeliever is in. Our synergistic approach to salvation, so prevalent in today's society, needs to be eradicated from our thoughts. Dead means dead. The unbeliever has no power to save himself or even to participate with God in saving him. He is dead in trespasses and sins. He has angered God and that anger needs to be appeased. The ultimate sacrifice necessary to appease the anger of an infinite God is in the matchless death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stood in our place condemned so we could be redeemed. He paid the penalty in our stead. This is the very foundation of salvation.

These issues are not abstract and scholarly. They are at the very heart of the Gospel message. As the Bliss wrote in his hymn, "Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He; `Full atonement! Can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!" Hallelujah for the great lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world through his death on the cross. Praise the Lord that He stood in my place condemned so I might have salvation.

Packer and Dever have done an incredible service to the church. All believers no matter the theological persuasion need to read this book and meditate on the reality of the penal substitutionary atoning work of Christ. Cannot be more highly recommended!

This book was really a love/hate relationship. I also knew that this would probably be the case heading into me reading it though as well. It is really 4 essays about the atonement of Christ. I found 3 of 4 to be very good and the one I figured I would find lacking is exactly the one that was lacking.

Here are the four different essays:

The Heart of the Gospel (J.I. Packer; taken from chapter 18 of Knowing God; 1973)

This is really a longer intro to the book as a whole. It speaks of the different aspects of the cross, such as propitiation, God's love, expiation, substitution and God's glory.

What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution (J.I. Packer; first appeared in Tyndale Bulletin; 1974)

This is really a defense of understanding both words used here, penal and substitution. Packer does a very good job in rendering that logic can only take someone so far before they have to bow the knee to the omnipotent and omniscient God. He does a good job in the defense of the use of the term, "Penal Substitution." I very much liked this chapter even though it was a very tough read to get through.

Nothing But the Blood (Mark Dever; Reprint from Christianity Today; 2006)

This was very short and really marked a way for the modern reader to try and understand why we still need to make sure we speak of the bloody atonement. Why it was necessary and why it still is necessary as far as our focus within God's love. I liked this short article, although I found some of it to be repetitive to Packer's What did the Cross Achieve.

Saved by His Precious Blood: An Introduction to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. (J.I. Packer; 1958)

This chapter I really didn't like. I found that the work of Owen was really put up on a pedestal and said many times that there was no way for it to be refuted. This seems like words that should only be held up to the light of Scripture, not to a man's work with no inspiration of the Holy Spirit. J.I. Packer defends the understanding of a strict view of limited atonement in this article and says that those who don't believe in this view are not preaching the gospel. He says that preaching limited atonement is the biblical gospel, that if you preach otherwise you are preaching self esteem, that those who don't preach a strict view of the atonement are just trying to helpful to man and not concerned with the glory of God.

I still can't believe that he says some of this stuff. So, if I don't hold to a strict view of the atonement I don't preach the biblical gospel, I preach self esteem and are little concerned with the glory of God?

What I find interesting is that this comes after a quote in this very book by Martin Luther where Luther preaches an atonement that is more than limited, or particular. This is found on page 85 in the footnotes:

All the prophets did foresee in spirit, that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc. that ever was....for he being made a sacrifice, for the sins of the whole world, is not now an innocent person and without sins....Our most merciful Father...sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him the sins of all men, saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blashphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged on the cross; and, briefly, be thou person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for them. Here now cometh the law and saith: I find him a sinner...therefore let him die upon the cross.
Martin Luther(found at Galatians, ed. Philip S. Watson (London: James Clarke, 1953), 269-271; on Gal 3:13)

Notice there is not the particular in view here. But the understanding of the sins being laid on the Messiah and not of just some, but of the whole world. And Luther continues and says that Christ be thou person which hath committed the sins of all men.

I just really found this work to be lacking and very over the top with such arrogance in the understanding of the atonement. Although, I do believe that Christ did die for the whole world, he also died specifically, or especially, for the elect. So, it is a both/and statement in regard to the atonement, not an either/or.

I just find it funny that Packer has his arrogant statements in this book right after he quotes Luther saying just the opposite of what Packer would like him to say.

So, this book is a quandary for me. The first three-fourths of the book was very well done, but the last chapter on the Death of Death by Owen was just terrible. So, I am not sure what I would do with this book besides tell others to read it with caution, but shouldn't we do that with every book we read? Recommended (with caution)