Saved from What? [Hardcover]

R. C. Sproul (Author), Lane T. Dennis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2002

Imagine that you approach someone who has never stepped inside a church or paused long enough on a religious channel to understand what the preacher was shouting about. This is the case for many Americans regarding the question, "Are you saved?" The initial response might be, "Saved from what?" It's a logical reply. Yet too many of us as Christians don't really know how to answer that question--for the ones we are trying to witness to, or for ourselves.

R.C. Sproul shows that what we are saved from is really a who--God Himself. That the glory of the gospel is that the One from whom we need to be saved is the very One who saves us. It is when we truly grasp who God is and who we are that we begin to understand the serious demands and joys of repentance.

Written for all Christians, Sproul's book uses word studies and biblical insight to challenge readers to fully give their hearts to their Savior.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

R.C. Sproul is known for his ability to communicate deep, practical truths from God's Word. He serves as distinquished professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (July 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581344171
• ISBN-13: 978-1581344172
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. R.C. Sproul is the founder, chairman and president of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education ministry located near Orlando, Florida. His teaching can be heard on the program Renewing Your Mind, which is broadcast on hundreds of radio outlets in the United States and in 40 countries worldwide. He is the executive editor of Tabletalk magazine and general editor of The Reformation Study Bible, and the author of more than seventy books and scores of articles for national evangelical publications. Dr. Sproul also serves as president of Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies and Reformation Bible College. He currently serves as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's in Sanford, FL.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saved From God's Wrath, June 17, 2005

By 

Philip S Roeda (Cook, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saved from What? (Hardcover)

Two Quotes from page forty-five:
"However, when the scripture tells us that God saves us, that salvation is of the Lord, we tend to forget that salvation is from the Lord."

"The last thing in the World the impenitent sinner ever wants to meet on the other side of the grave is God."

The book is titled Saved From What. The What is God. One does not want to suffer under the wrath of God. Man cannot understand God's Grace unless one understands God's Holiness; part of God's Holiness is His hatred of sin. God is a righteous god; He demands man be punished when he wrongs God. Yes, God seeks a contrite heart.

R.C. Sproul has written a complete text on the Holiness of God; he has written a complete text about man's shattered image since man's original sin; he has written several texts about God's Grace; in many text he has made clear the distinction between mercy and justice. Saved From What incorporates these concepts into explaining why God sent an innocent man to die for the guilty. Why did God the Father send His only Son Jesus to earth to live and suffer under the torments of fallen man, to be humiliated by fallen man, and to be executed by fallen man. Why did Jesus suffer as a sinner when He Himself knew not sin? Why was this all needed so repented fallen man may not receive eternal damnation. R.C. Sproul makes clear the impenitent have no part as adopted Children of God the Father.

I do not believe one can share one's Christian faith unless one has a clear concept of God, man's sin, and his need for forgiveness. This book aims to give a clear short explanation of the Good News. The Good News is not about curing physical illness or financial distress. It is about one's relationship with God. It is about being right with God, so one will not receive eternal punishment through the hand of God. R.C. Sproul explains how sin causes a debt to be paid by man, a ransom to be paid by man, and how sin caused man to be cursed. The author elaborates how the death of Jesus on the cross pays the debt, how the crucifixion pays the ransom, and removes God's curse. It is not enough that the punishment for sin is removed but the righteousness of God is imputed to the repentant sinner. Sproul further explains that the repentant believer become children of God. This brings the consequence of the Christian joining Jesus in Heaven. The book concludes with a beatific vision: an explanation of the regenerate man's perception of God and heaven, once he makes his final destination.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Save Us From Unbelief!, August 2, 2005

By 

David J. Emery "Gitman00" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saved from What? (Hardcover)

The mantra of the evangelical Christian is, "I'm saved." But how often do we actually think about that statement and what it really means? Saved from what? Saved from God. This is central to orthodox Christianity, yet it is something so many people either ignore, try to debunk, or just plain don't understand. Sproul, in this book, lays bare the great danger in which we find ourselves when we turn our backs on the God who saved us. Yes. He saved us. We are saved from God, we are saved by God, and we are saved for God. This concept is obviously a controversial and emotionally charged issue, as evidenced by another review I recently read. The reviewer is obviously offended by the very idea that God's justice demands payment for our sins, and punishment for our crimes. But if this isn't the case, then what does it mean to be saved? If Jesus' suffering means nothing, as this reviewer claims, then we are still under the law, still condemned, and still destined for hell. This is justice, because it's what we deserve.

When we understand how heinous our sin is, we can begin to realize how great the miracle of salvation by God, through His Son, really is. We can begin to fathom what it means to say that God is love. This book is not scripture in itself, but every claim that Sproul makes is backed by the Bible. God does not desire suffering for us. A good God does not want His creatures to suffer. But because God is good, and not just good, but HOLY, He cannot ignore evil because it offends His very goodness. Therefore, an appropriate companion to this book is another by Sproul, "The Holiness of God." When I read the aforementioned review, it made me cringe, because it showed just how little understanding many people have of God's holiness. Truth and scripture are eternal. The unwritten suggestion that we "modern" people know better than those who still believe in the archaic notion of God's wrath is tantamount to saying that we know better than God, who the Christian must agree is the ultimate Author of scripture.

Isaiah 53:10a states: "But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering". Christ's suffering does have value to God, no matter how many "modern" scholars say otherwise. This person left one thing out of their scathing yet ill-founded review. They don't answer the question. If you deny what R.C. Sproul defends, that we are saved from God's eternal, righteous wrath, then you need another conclusion to the question: "Saved from What?" Sproul is true to classical Reform theology, and true to scripture as he answers this question honestly and brilliantly.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful, June 14, 2004

By 

Amanda S. Killgore (houston, tx USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Saved from What? (Hardcover)

By now, you have probably at least HEARD about the Passion, and hopefully seen it as well. But for all the movie's merits, Mel never told us why those whips fell, or why the cross. Unless you knew the story from Genesis onward, the Passion of Christ would deserve the snide remarks about its excessive violence. It'd be just another gore flick. But, books like this one explain the why, what Jesus accomplished. It's concise and clear, straight to the heart ,and to the point. Like RC's radio program, it has a slight humorous slant, and is very informative. After reading this, you have a clear picture of grace.