The Work of Christ (Contours of Christian Theology)

What did Jesus Christ come into this world to do? Make people feel better about themselves? Make those who believe in Him healthy and wealthy? Give people an eternal "fire insurance" policy? This book written by a true scholar goes in depth to unfold the biblical data concerning the work of Christ. Yet, it is written is such a manner that whether the reader is a lay person, minister, or scholar it is very profitable.

Very insightful and very well written. I have grown much because of this book.

Letham's book is a classic. This is an essential volume in an important series (Contours of Christian Theology). I have read a few other books in this series and each of them has proved helpful and enriching, including E. Clowney's The Church and S. Ferguson's The Holy Spirit. All three wonderful books.The Work of Christ is divided into four parts. In part one, Letham lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. Parts 2, 3, and 4 deal with Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King, respectively. The appendix "The Intent of the Atonement" is worth the price of the book. In it, Letham outlines the post-Reformation debate surrounding the doctrine of atonement.He highlights four distinct positions:1. Universalism, the view that all are saved; Christ died with the intention of atoning for all people without exception and that the outcome of his saving work is that all without exception are saved.2. J. Arminius' view that Christ died with the intention of saving all people without exception. Not all, however, are saved.3. Limited Atonement, the view that the efficacy of the atonement was limited to the elect; Christ died with the intention of atoning for the elect only.4. M. Amyraut's view of hypothetical universalism which maintains that Christ died for all without exception. God in his foreknowledge, however, recognizing that all would not trust Christ, decreed to save a certain number.Letham's book highlights what is at stake in the debate over the atonement: Who spends eternity with Christ and how?This book is not for beginners. This is a dense theological text. Yet this book serves as an essential volume for those serious students dealing with the intricacies of this all-important doctrine.

The bottom line is this, when your tired after a hard day doing whatever you do (in this reviewer's case pastoring) and you sit down to do your study in some aspect of theology, can you make sense of the book in front of you? In this case it is a resounding yes! I must admit to having really enjoyed reading sections of this book (not always the case where theological tomes are concerned) having found it really useful in my studies in 'Redemption'. That said, I've also found it very useful in my studies on the book of Hebrews as it has a very comprehensive section on the 'Priesthood of Christ'. Those of you who have read my reviews before know that I have an issue with what I see as theological writing that is over complicated by using too much theological jargon. That being the case they will realise that this must serve up its subject very well and very clearly to get a five-star review. But that it does, making even things that could be quite complex comparatively simple. O wouldn't it be great if all theology was like this to read!

Quick delivery, great price. Many thanks.

Very good