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

~ (Author), (Author, Foreword), J. Ligon Duncan (Foreword), C. J. Mahaney (Foreword), R. Albert Mohler Jr. (Foreword)
Key Phrases: penal substitution model, internal grace, biblical gospel, New Testament, Jesus Christ, The Heart of the Gospel (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here is vintage J. I. Packer accompanied by some younger friends. The magisterial but too-little-known essay 'What Did the Cross Achieve?' is itself worth the price of the whole book. And there is much more besides. Here, then, are gospel riches, and In My Place Condemned He Stood marks the spot where the buried treasure lies. Start digging!"
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

"The essays in this volume by Packer and Dever are some of the most important things I have ever read. If you want to preach in such a way that results in real conversions and changed lives, you should master the approach to the cross laid out in this book."
Tim Keller, Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

"This book contains some of the finest essays that have ever been written on the death of Christ."
David F. Wells, Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"Every student and pastor should own this volume, for the contents are so precious that they deserve more than one reading."
Thomas R. Schreiner, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Writing with the precision of learned theologians and the passion of forgiven sinners, J. I. Packer and Mark Dever explain the meaning of atonement, substitution, and propitiation-not just as words, but as saving benefits we can only receive from a crucified Savior."
Philip Graham Ryken, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Description

An important anthology that reaffirms the classic doctrine of substitutionary atonement and counters the ongoing attacks against it.

If ever there was a time and a need for an enthusiastic reaffirmation of the biblical doctrine of substitutionary atonement, it is now. With this foundational tenet under widespread attack, J. I. Packer and Mark Dever's anthology plays an important role, issuing a clarion call to readers to stand firm in the truth.

In My Place Condemned He Stood combines three classic articles by Packer-"The Heart of the Gospel"; his Tyndale Biblical Theology Lecture, "What Did the Cross Achieve"; and his introductory essay to John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ-with Dever's recent article, "Nothing but the Blood." It also features a foreword by the four principals of Together for the Gospel: Dever, Ligon Duncan, C. J. Mahaney, and Al Mohler. Thoughtful readers looking for a compact classic on this increasingly controversial doctrine need look no farther than this penetrating volume.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (April 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433502003
• ISBN-13: 978-1433502002
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,090 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Collection of Essays on the Atonement, June 18, 2008

By	Rebecca Stark (Yukon) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Reading for Pastors, May 20, 2008

By	Erik Raymond "IrishCalvinist.com" (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Look On Him And Pardon Me, July 11, 2008

By	Jacques Schoeman (SA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.' pg 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.' pg 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.'
pg 109

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

Says Geerhardus Vos:
'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 pg 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