I get excited anytime I see a book dedicated to helping people more clearly understand, value, and articulate Christ’s atonement. So as you can imagine I was eager to get my hands on The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington. For those who love the gospel and enjoy time basking in its glorious truth this book is a treasure. The writing style of Bridges and Bevington is clear and engaging. Furthermore, they write as men who are impressed with Christ and his atonement. This passion is catchy as you read the book.
From the preface: “…our goal is to declare the whole counsel of God in the gospel and to show how every aspect can be traced back to its substance in the substitutionary atonement. Our book is not about us; it is not our story. We aim to disappear now and display Christ and him crucified as the treasure of all time. We pray that you, too, will become self-forgetful as you turn these pages, because what you see here is God in Christ doing something that is truly larger than life, namely, providing an all-sufficient substitutionary atonement for us by his perfect, obedient life in the flesh and his perfect sacrificial death in the flesh. Herein you will find the meaning of the Great Exchange, the monumental reality that in the gospel: ‘Four our sake [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in [Christ] we might become the righteousness of God’ (2 Cor. 5.21).”
The book is divided into two parts, Part One deals with the overview and context of the atonement of Christ. Of particular encouragement to me was the time the authors spent in the Old Testament unpacking and explaining the historical and theological context of the atonement. Of great value is the writers’ analysis of the components of the sacrificial system in general and The Day of Atonement in particular. I highly recommend these chapters.
In the second half of the book, which makes up the majority of the work, the writers walk through the Apostle Authored Scripture on a study of the atonement of Christ. These chapters become a useful tool to any pastor, teacher, Bible study leader, Christian, whoever, in their pursuit of a better understanding of the atonement in the various New Testament books.
I highly recommend this book as a great tool to stir your own appreciation of the work of Christ. You cannot but be affected by such a glorious study.
You may pick up your discounted copy of The Great Exchange at The Westminster Bookstore.
