The Cross: A fresh look at the meaning of the death of Christ

By James Philip and Sinclair B Ferguson

A modern classic. Intrigue and betrayal hung in the air at the Last Supper. After Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, a kangaroo court was convened in the middle f the night. It was an illegal farce. Why did the enemies of Jesus bother with atrial? Why not hire a hitman, or arrange a secret poisoning? His enemies had no power to take his life. He gave it willingly, or there could be no gospel.

'From time to time a publication appears — of modest size and author — its value greater than a whole bookshelf of bestsellers. "The Cross" falls in that category. The fine quality of James Philip's mind will be immediately obvious. But his writing is also full of pathos. He is at one with his subject, and has clearly been more deeply impacted by it than by anything else'

Sinclair B Ferguson in his Foreword.

Includes questions for study and reflection which could be used personally or in a group setting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dictum Press
• Release date: Feb 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9781915934024

Book preview

The Cross: A fresh look at the meaning of the death of Christ

Dictum Press, Oxford, UK

www.dictumpress.com

ISBN 978-1-9996621-1-0

EPub ISBN 978-1-915934-02-4

Adapted from a series of sermons preached in Holyrood Abbey Church, Edinburgh, first made available in print form in 1973 as Six sermons on the Meaning of the Death of Christ.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Such permission will not be unreasonably withheld.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The ‘NIV’ and ‘New International Version’ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica Inc. (Any italics in quoted Scriptures are the author’s emphasis.)

First published in the UK in 2008, as a Didasko File entitled The Glory of the Cross. Reprinted 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012. Revised and expanded 2013.

First published in the USA by Hendrickson Publishers 2016

First published by Dictum 2019

© 2008 William J U Philip

Royalties have kindly been donated to support the costs of further publishing by Dictum / EFAC.

Design by Chris Gander

CONTENTS

Foreword

Start here

The Last Supper

The Garden of Gethsemane

The just for the unjust

Justification and sacrifice

Our wonderful redemption

The glory of the cross

Jesus will return

For study and reflection

Notes

Recommended reading

FOREWORD

From time to time a publication appears, of modest size and author, its value greater than a whole bookshelf of contemporary bestsellers. The Cross falls in this category.

Its theme is so profound that a lifetime devoted to its study could not exhaust it. It is, essentially, a simple theme, the story of the passion of Jesus of Nazareth. But it is more than a story; it is an explanation of what happened, and why – and, indeed, why it needed to happen.

The fine quality of James Philip’s mind will immediately be obvious. But his writing is also full of pathos. He is at one with his subject, and has clearly been more deeply impacted by it than by anything else in the world.

Yet there is nothing sensational here, nothing esoteric. No hidden code is disclosed. But there is a spirit about these pages that makes the reader feel that they contain the deepest secret of all history. But how? And why? And what difference does it make? To discover that, you must read on.

I first heard James Philip when I was seventeen years and nine months old. The precision of the date in my memory is a measure of the impact he made upon me. My only regret in sounding a small fanfare for this wonderful little book is that you cannot share that experience in person. But these pages are the next best thing.

As you read them, slowly and thoughtfully, I hope you will begin to feel something of the same debt to their author that I have felt for more than four decades. And, as James Philip himself would wish, I hope that you