DIVINE SUBSTITUTE

Description

IAN J SHAW & BRIAN EDWARDS

‘God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.’ But why was there need for a ‘Divine Substitute’? Why did he have to die such a terrible death upon the cross? Was there no other way? What purpose did the physical, mental, and spiritual sufferings of Christ play in God’s plan of salvation?

This book explores the very heart of the Christian gospel—the belief that Christ died in the place of sinners, bearing their sin and guilt and the just and holy punishment that they deserved from God. This doctrine has become the subject of intense debate, and it has been claimed that it is a recent invention of the church. The book demonstrates that the understanding of the death of Christ as a work of penal substitution is the principal way—though not the only way—in which the Bible views the death of Christ, and that far from being a recent teaching, it has been taught at every period in the history of the church.
Here is a challenge to a deeper biblical and historical understanding of the atonement, and an encouragement to proclaim and live out the message of the cross with renewed faithfulness and courage.

Review

‘Ian and Brian have performed a very valuable service for the church at this time. I admire the spirit in which they carefully and faithfully present both the doctrine of the atonement and the history of this belief in the Church. It is a vital contribution to recent controversies. The eight lessons presented in the final pages are a model of how we should understand and proclaim this doctrine so central to our faith.’
—Peter Maiden, International Director of Operation Mobilisation and Chairman of the Keswick Convention

About the Author