All posts tagged: The Cross of Jesus Christ

Best Easter Books The-Best-Books-on-The-Cross-of-Jesus-Christ

The cross of Jesus Christ is of first importance for the Christian faith.

The cross is where Jesus took the sins of the world upon himself and defeated death by rising from the dead. The cross is where Jesus struck Satan with the fatal blow promised in Genesis 3:15:”I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

The cross of Jesus Christ marks the climax of God’s salvation story told in the Bible. The Old Testament story leads up to the cross, the Gospels tell the life of Christ leading up to the cross, and Acts through Revelation documents the transforming effects the cross had in the lives of the apostles and the church.

The recommended books below on the cross of Jesus Christ will help you prepare for Easter and better understand the full extent of the Savior’s love for you.

Our Savior’s Cries from the Cross by Charles Spurgeon

The words of a dying person are often dramatic and insightful, serving as a window into their soul.

The importance of the dying words of Jesus Christ are only amplified when realizing how all of history led to the cross and how the cross changed everything to follow.

Our Savior’s Cries from the Cross shares sermons by Charles Spurgeon on six of Christ’s cries from the cross. As you open this volume, our prayer is that your heart would be broken and warmed; broken by your sin that nailed Christ to the cross, and warmed by knowing that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross51m96Ba9R7L by Colin S. Smith

What if you woke up one morning knowing that it was your last day on earth? That’s what happened to the thief on the cross, who died a few feet from Jesus. Heaven, How I Got Here is his story, told in his own words, as he looks back from Heaven on the day that changed his eternity, and the faith that can change yours.

The Cross He Bore: Meditating on the Sufferings of the Redeemer by Frederick Leahy

Frederick Leahy spent a lifetime in the ministry of the Word. In these pages, preacher, pastor and theologian come together in a happy unity. No words are wasted. There is nothing of the frothy and insubstantial. Here is satisfying truth, painstakingly quarried and crafted for the needs of God’s people. A judicious selection of gems from the writings of others provides further enrichment and stimulus to thought.

The Cross of Christ by John Stott

The work of a lifetime, from one of the world’s most influential thinkers, about the heart of the Christian faith.

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. . . . In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?” With compelling honesty John Stott confronts this generation with the centrality of the cross in God’s redemption of the world in a world now haunted by the memories of Auschwitz, the pain of oppression and the specter of nuclear war.

Can we see triumph in tragedy, victory in shame? Why should an object of Roman distaste and Jewish disgust be the emblem of our worship and the axiom of our faith? And what does it mean for us today?

Now from one of the foremost preachers and Christian leaders of our day comes theology at its readable best, a contemporary restatement of the meaning of the cross. At the cross Stott finds the majesty and love of God disclosed, the sin and bondage of the world exposed. More than a study of the atonement, this book brings Scripture into living dialogue with Christian theology and the twentieth century. What emerges is a pattern for Christian life and worship, hope and mission.

Destined to be a classic study of the center of our faith, Stott’s work is the product of a uniquely gifted pastor, scholar and Christian statesman. His penetrating insight, charitable scholarship and pastoral warmth are guaranteed to feed both heart and mind.

The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul

book cover the truth of the cross r.c. sproul ligonier ministriesDr. R.C. Sproul surveys the great work accomplished by Jesus Christ through His crucifixion the redemption of God s people. Dr. Sproul considers the atonement from numerous angles and shows conclusively that the cross was absolutely necessary if anyone was to be saved. Opening the Scriptures, Dr. Sproul shows that God Himself provided salvation by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross, and the cross was always God s intended method by which to bring salvation. The Truth of the Cross is an uncompromising reminder that the atonement of Christ is an absolutely essential doctrine of the Christian faith, one that should be studied and understood by all believers.

Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D.A. Carson

scandalous-the-cross-and-resurrection-of-Jesus-D.A.-Carson-review-coverHow are Christians to approach the central gospel teachings concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus? The Bible firmly establishes the historicity of these events and doesn’t leave their meanings ambiguous or open to interpretation. Even so, there is an irony and surprising strangeness to the cross. Carson shows that this strange irony has deep implications for our lives as he examines the history and theology of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Scandalous is the latest addition to the Re:Lit series, which highlights important theological truths in accessible and applicable ways. Both amateur theologians and general readers will appreciate how Carson deftly preserves weighty theology while simultaneously noting the broader themes of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through exposition of five primary passages of Scripture, Carson helps us to more fully understand and appreciate the scandal of the cross.

Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper

The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God’s Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.

The central issue of Jesus’ death is not the cause, but the meaning. That is what this book is about. John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons in answer to the most important question that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney

Have the extremities taken over and left the core of your faith forgotten? Do you get confused by what you feel versus what is real? Let dynamic pastor C. J. Mahaney strip away the nonessentials and bring you back to the simplest, most fundamental reason for your faith: Jesus Christ. This book is packed with powerful truth that will grip your heart, clear your mind, and invigorate your soul. Chapters include “Breaking the Rules of Legalism,” “The Cross Centered Day,” and “Assurance and Joy.” Get ready to behold a breathtaking view of what God intends to accomplish in and through you every day. You’ll discover how embracing this cross centered life is both our highest privilege and greatest responsibility.

Do you desire more passion for Jesus Christ? Return to the very essence of your faith—the cross of Christ. Here, the deepest truths of Calvary will stir your passion for Him into an unquenchable fire.

“Never lay it aside. Never move on,” says C. J. Mahaney, who shows you how to center every day around the life-giving reality of the gospel and how to escape the pitfalls of legalism, condemnation, and feelings-driven faith.

The Cross and Christian Ministry: Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians by D.A. Carson

The Cross and Christian Ministry by D.A. Carson Book Cover ReviewIs the cross truly the center of your ministry?

Today we commonly see images of the cross adorning churches, dangling from necklaces, and gleaming from lapels. Yet the image that is so sanitized for us today was grotesque and abhorrent to those living in the first century. It was a symbol of evil, torture, and shame. It is this realistic and horrifying view of the cross that should call us to Christian ministry and compel us to share the Good News of Christ’s triumph over death.

Through his exposition of 1 Corinthians, D. A. Carson presents a comprehensive view of what the death of Christ means in preaching and ministering to God’s people. He confronts the issues of factionalism, servant-leadership, shaping “world” Christians, and the source of knowledge in order to help Christian leaders learn principles for dynamic, cross-centered worship.

The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross by Leon Morris

apostolic preaching of the cross Leon MorrisLeon Morris writes a scholarly level defense of New Testament teaching regarding the cross of Jesus Christ. This is not a devotional style book nor meant for the average churchman, but will give pastors and theologians a clear view of the content of the apostolic message.

Description: To understand the significant terms used in New Testament teaching about Christ’s death–for example, redemption, covenant, propitiation, justification–Morris sets these words against the background of the Greek Old Testament, the papyri, and the Rabbinic writings as a basis for an examination of them in their New Testament setting.

What are your favorite books on the cross? Share in a comment!

(Descriptions Courtesy of Amazon.com)

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