A Book Review by Dr Stanley Jebb!

When Stanley Jebb recommends a book everyone would do well to take notice particularly if he thinks well of it, for Dr Jebb taught us from when we were children that the "unexamined opinion is hardly worth holding". One of the main reasons I enjoy taking "Evangelicals Now" newspaper is to see if Dr Jebb has reviewed any book (as he does every now and then). I was not disappointed this month. He reviewed "Atonement Matters" by Tom Barnes.

Here it is:

John Piper on our One Hope

I've just started reading; "Pierced for Our Transgressions" by Jeffery, Ovey, and Sach. I've resisted reading this mainly due to my bad attitude towards how the church culture I was in presented the Gospel. Substitutory atonement has been something I've always taken for granted and saw no reason why Steve Chalke or anyone else should persuade me otherwise. However in light of my recent passion for learning more about true grace and imputed righteousness in our justification - I saw it on special offer and thought it would be an excellent read seeing as I've finished all my Christmas books.

John Piper wrote the foreword and instantly my eyes fell to an excellent quote;

"There was only one hope for us - that the infinite wisdom of God might make a way for the love of God to satisfy the wrath of God so that I might become a son of God".

Only ONE hope! I'm still thinking and re-thinking the previous blog post from this morning and what God revealed to Joseph Prince. What is wrong with us Gentiles if the Roman centurion and the Caananite had no feeling of disqualification thanks to the law - yet we do? Why is it not said of us that we have "great faith"? I think it is because the mixed gospel of law and grace has led us to the distinct desire to "add" something to the only answer to our great need. Yes we have been justified and the righteousness of Jesus Christ has let us in - but now it must be our holiness, and our righteousness and our works that take us on.

Well that sounds pretty blasphemous to me. So the righteousness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ was good enough to commence us in the Christian life but not good enough to take us through gloriously to that moment when we will "meet Him in the air and be like Him"? John Piper is clear. "One hope". There was only "one hope" when we came to Christ and there still is only ONE hope for us now! That the love of God has satisfied the wrath of God! And that love is STILL abounding now and we can call Him "Abba! Daddy!" because are His SONS!!