When I saw The Cross: The Pulpit of God’s Love on the Westminster Bookstore website, I knew I had to read it. Not only do I greatly appreciate the writing of Iain Murray, but it deals with that subject which I cannot learn enough about — The Cross! This book did not disappoint in drawing my thoughts to the cross.
From the second sentence Murray writes, “The purpose of gospel preaching is to make known what God has done in the cross of Christ.” He then goes on with powerful succinctness to lay out how the atonement proclaims God’s love. It is this love the author urges the reader to proclaim.
The main thrust of the book is to encourage gospel ministry and the center of this work is the cross. While Murray faithfully demonstrates how we learn about who God is through the death of Christ on the cross, he also calls ministers to proclaim this message practically to all. He says, “the good news of a provided forgiveness is to be as universally proclaimed as is the command to repent.”
It is clear Murray believes in particular redemption, but in the conclusion from the book Murray makes it clear how it is dangerous when the doctrines of grace become more theoretical than practical. God displaying His divine love through the cross should spur us on to tell others. If we are to do so in such a way that is convincing, the truth of the cross must be impressed daily upon our own hearts.
I highly recommend The Cross: The Pulpit of God’s Love for anyone wanting to continue to understand what the cross of Christ is all about and how it should encourage us to spread the gospel. It will be particularly helpful for any in or seeking full-time ministry as it focuses on that which is at the heart of gospel ministry. I was impressed with the depth of content in this short book (about 40 pages). I hope the little time invested in reading this will continue to have an effect on how I think about the cross, ministry, and evangelism.
Excerpt:
Persuading men of God’s love is the great calling of the Christian ministry. It is part of preaching ‘to root out all the secret reserves of unbelief concerning God’s unwillingness to give mercy, grace and pardon to sinners.’ It cannot be done without conviction in the preacher that this love is a wonderful reality, and that it is to be pressed on all his hearers.
Next Book Review: The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
Well, another read to add to my growing list. I can’t keep up with you! This review was very timely. I just had a discussion tonight about how to persuade an unbeliever that God loves them when they’ve just learned that they have life threatening cancer. Point them to the cross . . .
JCS