This Hideous Complaint
Only one person has truly understood the words that Christ said on the cross: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”, that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). That person was Christ himself. The rest of us…
Tag Atonement
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Romans 3:21-26 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is…
Unconsciously Paying the Ransom
In his remarkable book, The Suffering Savior, Frederick Krummacher made the astonishing observation that by Jesus’ prayer for mercy from the cross for those who crucified him, we can conclude that “while offering up the Lord Jesus, [those crying out for…
Love and Anger at the Cross?
Last week, Wyatt Graham published a post titled, “The Father Was Not Angry at the Son of the Cross,” in which he rightly explained that God the Father never stopped loving the Son–even when the Son hung on the cross.…
Standing Firm on the Slippery Slope
A few weeks ago, the editorial team at Ref21 asked me if I would be willing to write something regarding Fred Harrell (pastor of City Church, San Francisco) and his recent postings in which he attacked the doctrine of penal substitutionary…
Double Black Diamonds: Navigating the Slopes
In his helpful blog post “The Slippery Slope and the Jesus Box” Rev. Rick Phillips explains that there is indeed a slippery slope about which we must be concerned in theology. I say indeed, because many will be aware that…
The Slippery Slope and the Jesus Box
Over twenty years ago, while in seminary, I was present during a hallway conversation with a professor who then seemed to be moving toward liberal theology. A student asked how this man’s higher critical methods would enable him to remain…
Abelard & Anselm; or How to Throw Yourself in Front of a Bus
Leon Morris once suggested that “the atonement is the crucial doctrine of the faith” and that “unless we are right here it matters little . . . what we are like elsewhere” (The Cross in the New Testament, p. 5).…
Three Mistakes to Avoid in Good Friday Preaching
Preaching “Christ and him crucified” is core to the job description of any minister of the Christian gospel (1 Corinthians 2:2). Good Friday drives this home more than any other day in the church calendar. On that day, the preacher’s…
Is the atoning blood of Christ central?
Inter Varsity Press (UK) have made this announcement in the last couple of weeks regarding a merger with SPCK. It’s pretty depressing news, which appears, in many ways, to be driven by market forces and the need to survive. The…