Saturday, February 23, 2008

"In My Place Condemned He Stood"

Some endorsements for the forthcoming book, In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement, by J. I. Packer and Mark Dever:

"A 'must read'—a tract for the times to call Christians to be Bible-based, Christ-centered, atonement believing and understanding, God-adoring people. Here is vintage J. I. Packer accompanied by some younger friends. The magisterial but too-little-known essay, 'What Did the Cross Achieve?' is itself worth the price of the whole book. And there is much more besides. Here, then, are gospel riches, and In My Place Condemned He Stood marks the spot where the buried treasure lies. Start digging!"
—Sinclair B Ferguson, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

"The essays in this volume by J. I. Packer are some of the most important things I have ever read. I'm delighted to see them united in one volume and supplemented by other excellent chapters and studies on this crucial topic. If you want to preach in such a way that results in real conversions and changed lives, you should master the approach to the cross laid out in this book." —Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City

“This book contains some of the finest essays that have ever been written on the death of Christ.”
—David F. Wells, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

"What a joy and encouragement to have the three classic essays on the cross of Christ by J. I. Packer published in one volume. Furthermore, Mark Dever pierces to the marrow of the matter in his wonderfully clear essay on penal substitution. This book unpacks the significance of the cross so that we understand why we should glory only in the cross. Every student and pastor should own this volume, for the contents are so precious that they deserve more than one reading."
—Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"At a time when many are again questioning biblical fundamentals regarding atonement, secured for us by the death and resurrection of Christ, it is wonderful to see reprinted these four essays—each of which has proven to be enormously edifying to those who first read them. Putting them together in this way was a brilliant idea. I heartily recommend the widespread distribution of this little book.
—D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"In a time of spiritual decline and doctrinal confusion, it is desperately important for us to be clear about the cross. Writing with the precision of learned theologians and the passion of forgiven sinners, Mark Dever and J. I. Packer explain the meaning of atonement, substitution, and propitiation—not just as words, but as saving benefits we can only receive from a crucified Savior."
—Philip Graham Ryken, Senior Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia

"It is common knowledge that J. I. Packer's introduction to John Owen's 'The Death of Death in the Death of Christ' is worth the price of the book itself. But what a boon to have that same masterpiece bound in a single volume with his classic essays 'What Did the Cross Achieve' and 'The Heart of the Gospel'—forming a theological treasure trove on the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. The addition to this magnificent theological triptych of Mark Dever's winsome and penetrating "Nothing but the Blood" constitutes a mighty call to a Christ-centered, cruciform life. This is a book for our time—a galvanizing bulwark against today's attack upon the gospel of the cross of Christ."
—R. Kent Hughes, Senior Pastor Emeritus, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois

"This edition is a splendid expression of the biblical doctrine of the atonement. Those who deny a personal penal substitution cannot account for the immense suffering of Christ or for the justification of the redeemed."
—Roger Nicole, Professor of Theology Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary

"Given the current rebellion in many evangelical quarters against the biblical understanding of atonement, it is a great pleasure to see these classic essays of J. I. Packer once more in print, along with a new article by Mark Dever and a robust commendation by the four men behind Together for the Gospel. All those tired of the childish and therapeutic babble that passes for evangelical thought on the atonement these days will find this book to be an oasis in a dry and barren land."
—Carl R. Trueman, Academic Dean and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

"J. I. Packer and Mark Dever have done a superb job in pulling together into one volume some of the most critical doctrinal issues facing the church today. No one in the West or in developing countries who wants to preach or teach the heart of the gospel should miss reading, and re-reading, these courageous articles on Christ's atonement for our sins. My prayer is that many copies of this book will come into the hands of those who preach and teach in Africa where doctrinally enlightening material such as this is scarce. It could go far in strengthening the church in Africa as it becomes the epicenter of Christianity."
—Rosemary Jensen, Founder and President, Rafiki Foundation