The title The Cross, and the subtitle ‘The reality of the cross for today’, leaves us in no doubt about the purpose of this little book – it is to explain the necessity of Christ’s crucifixion to atone for the sins of fallen people like you and me.
Peter Jeffery takes us on a succinct journey, progressing from God’s set purpose and plan to send his Son to be the propitiation for our sins; through certain key Old Testament ceremonies and prophecies; to their fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Each chapter is brief and can be used devotionally but the book is especially directed to the unbeliever and the young Christian. They will discover how the Day of Atonement, the Passover and the sprinkled blood were all symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice for us. They pointed forward to Gethsemane and Calvary – the significance of which are most helpfully explained.
In this short review I cannot rehearse the wide variety of scriptures and themes covered, but suffice it to say that Peter Jeffery has crammed a lot of truth into a very few pages. He quotes mainly from the NIV.
More experienced Christians might want certain statements explained in more detail, but that desire can be met by books like John Murray’s Redemption Accomplished and Applied. However, The Cross is an excellent aid in understanding the gospel message of Jesus Christ and him crucified. It is also a significant evangelistic tool.
In an age when certain influential church leaders mistakenly view Jesus Christ’s offering and death on the cross as ‘an act of vulnerable love’ rather than an atoning sacrifice, Peter Jeffery proclaims the age-old gospel that characterises Christ’s true Church. And that gives his book a most important role.
