The Cross

The Cross: The Pulpit of God's Love by Iain Murray is such a refreshing treatment of the atonement. Unashamedly proclaiming the definite (limited) aspect of the atonement while trumpeting the universality of the invitation to be reconciled to God, Murray presents the atonement as what it is, the only hope for fallen mankind, purchased in time at the cross, applied to us when when we were impotent to do anything to save ourselves. The book is replete with quotes from the likes of John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, John Calvin, and other Puritans.

Murray challenges the reader to consider the atonement in the proportions and ways that the Bible speaks of it. He discourages logical wanderings and "what ifs" related to the atonement. To the degree that the Bible does not reconcile the universality of the invitation and the definite nature of the atonement, Murray encourages the reader to not speculate. Rather, we are to view the atonement as it exists, in action, by saving sinners. We are to see the preciousness of the cross that purchased this atonement.

At only 36 pages, the book is a very easy read and very accessible. Quotes, skillfully woven together, comprise about half of the book's content. Whether you believe and love the doctrine of definite (limited) atonement or are troubled by it, I would recommend this book to help you see this doctrine as the Bible speaks of it, no more, no less.