It is so refreshing to read a book that exalts Christ on every single page and lifts the glorious doctrines of the substitutionary, vicarious, penal atonement of Christ from Scripture.  It seems these days that you have to dig to the bottom shelf at the back of your local Christian bookstore to find anything worth reading.

This excellent book, The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness by Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington, is an absolute joy to read.  The forward by Sinclair Ferguson, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church right here in my hometown of Columbia, SC is a magnificent read in itself.

Bridges & Bevington walk through the doctrine of the substitutionary death of Christ chapter by chapter by isolating it in different books of the Bible.  The book opens with a great introduction and overview of the doctrine then shows how the apostles themselves summarized the substitutionary death of Christ in their writings.  Following that is an excellent overview of Christ’s atoning cross-work as found in the Old Testament.

The authors then take you through a well written, theologically sound and very reformed overview of the substitutionary death found in the New Testament Scriptures as found in Romans, 1,2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1,2 Thessalonians, 1,2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews (which is an extensive chapter), 1 Peter, 1 John and Revelation.

The writing is engaging and written at a level that both the layperson and the well-read theologian will both admire.  From page to page is the exaltation of our Lord and Savior’s substitutionary death on the cross.  The writers take time to exegete Scripture well and provide great historical context from each book.

I found one particular line in the book so well put considering the flood of prosperity preaching in the world today that tries so blasphemously to turn the cross into a means for material, worldly riches:

“Jesus offers no prosperity gospel.  Christ is not a means to and end for the Christian - He is the end.”  (Page 154)

I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to read a lot of good Christian books - many of the reformed flavor and this is one that will remain in arms reach on my bookshelf.  Every Christian should read this book.  Pastors today need desperately to return to the correct, Biblical understanding of the cross and books like “The Great Exchange” are a welcomed addition to the back of the Christian bookstores!

Download a pdf of the Foreward, Preface and Introduction.

Head on over to monergismbooks.com to order your copy today!