JRF's #40 - The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul

 

This short but potent book is an explanation and apologetic of the doctrine of the substituionary atonement of Jesus Christ.  It does a good job of being accessible and simultaneously profound.

As Sproul points out, "the words crucial and crux both have their root in the Latin word for 'cross,' crux, and they have come into the English language with their current meanings because the concept of the cross is at the very center and core of Biblical Christianity."

There's a lot packed into this little book.  I recommend it to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the necessity, meaning, and implications of the cross of Christ, from the new believer to the seminary student.

JRF's #5 - The Cross He Bore by Frederick S Leahy

One can never ponder the cross too much.  I'm always looking for books that will redirect my mind and heart back to the apex of history.  I first heard of this book when Tim Challies suggested reading it along with him in preperation for Easter.  I failed to do that but this year I finally got around to reading this excellent collection of meditations on Calvary.

Each chapter of this short classic looks at a different aspect of our Savior's suffering on our behalf.  Frederick Leahy does a magnificent job of stirring the readers affections and thoughts by weaving through the consideration of the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical sufferings of the King of Kings on that glorious, scandalous, beautifully horrific day.

I commend this book to your arsenal of Cross centered living.

"If we are to receive the crown of life, Christ must receive the crown of thorns."

"...not only did he submit to the injustice of his accusers, but also he submitted to the justice of God which he had come to satisfy."