Passion of Jesus Christ

"Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die" is a book I've decided to read every day for the rest of my life. Why? Because it keeps the wonder and awesomeness of the Cross ever present in my thoughts and soul. Sometimes we think, "I'm a Christian now. I've 'graduated' from the Cross and now I"ll go on to bigger things." This is simply not the truth at all. We need to be constantly reminded of all Christ did for us on the Cross. The Gospel is central to our Christian lives and has an answer for every problem we face. The realization of all that Christ did for us on the Cross brings us closer to His heart and helps us to know Him more intimately. The power of the Cross in our lives is crucial to any ministry in which we are involved. Each of the "50 Reasons" in Piper's book are only 2 pages in length, so they can easily be read daily. My husband and I have decided to read a chapter a day for the rest of our lives so that we never forget or put out of our minds the amazing Cross of Jesus Christ.

What John Piper has done in this book is take fifty of the results of Christ's death given in scripture and listed them for us as fifty reasons why Jesus came to die. That, of course, makes perfect sense because any results of Christ's death are intended purposes of Christ's death, since God has the power and wisdom to do things so that only exactly what He wishes is accomplished. This means that there are no unintended results from anything God does, only purposed results. And any purposed results are rightly called "reasons why." Each of the fifty reasons is allotted two pages of text. First, supporting scripture is given and then there are several paragraphs of explanation. This makes the book especially suited for devotional reading, two or three reasons at a time. Anything more than that might be too much, as there is so much reflect on in each little section. You'd think by now I'd know all there is to know about the purposes of Christ's death, but there were several in this book I'd never thought about before. For instance, one of the reasons Piper gives for Jesus coming to die is "to give marriage its deepest meaning." This is, of course, based in Ephesians 5. Our marriages were designed to picture Christ's relationship with his people, and Christ's suffering shows husbands (especially) how they should love their wives. And if Christ's death is an example of how we ought to love our spouses, then that's an important part of God's design for it. I'd call Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die an introductory level book--there's nothing difficult in it--and yet I'd say almost everyone will learn a thing of two from it. And who among us doesn't need a reminder of the infinite wisdom of God in the cross of Christ? Here are a few ways this book could be used: *It would make--dare I say it?--an excellent bathroom reader. *I'm going to use it as a universal gift book. There's nothing intimidating about it, the sections are short, and the information invaluable. Everyone needs to know what's in this book. I plan to order a few extra copies to have on hand whenever I need one to give away. *I recommend it for tucking in your purse to read while you're waiting in the supermarket check-out lines (or anywhere else for that matter.) That's how I read much of my copy. It sure beats the gossip magazines that I've been known to read while I wait. Not to mention how oh-so-right it is to be redeeming the time spent waiting to redeem your groceries (and maybe your coupons) by reading about the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. *It would be a very appropriate book to give to anyone who asks you about the meaning of the cross, something that I've had happen to me a couple of time so far this year. I gave a short answer--that's all I could do in an everyday conversation--but the whole multi-faceted answer is so much more glorious, and I wish I'd been able to say, "Here's a book you can have that explains it in much more depth." *It would be suitabl

The salvation offered in the gospel is so much more than simply the forgiveness of our sins. Salvation is Jesus Christ also includes our justification, union with Christ indwelling of the Holy Spirit, new nature and many other benefits. Lewis Sperry Chaefer, the first president of Dallas Seminary, once wrote that there are 33 things that are applied to you the moment you believe all based upon the work of Christ on the cross. While John Piper is not trying to demonstrate the truthfulness of Chaefer's thesis, his book "The Passion" does much the same thing. Piper unfolds for the reader many of the salvation benefits won for the believer by Christ death on the cross. One of the strengths of Piper's book is that he has written it for the average reader with easy vocabulary and short chapters. With skill and insight, Piper chapter explains why Christ died and how that effects the sinner. This is a GREAT book for a new believer. It also is a wonderful tool to use with a non-Christian who is wanting to know more about the gospel. It could be used as a study on the gospel, meeting weekly to talk through the nature of salvation offered in Christ's gospel. The only weakness of the book is that some of the chapters can seem redundant but this is only a very minor issue.

Why was Jesus Christ crucified? That is the question that John Piper addresses in this small book, consisting of fifty short devotional chapters. Each chapter begins with a Scripture verse giving a reason why Jesus Christ came to die followed by a short exposition of that verse. Piper begins with reasons associated more closely with the work of atonement specifically (such as propitiation, substitution, ransom, forgiveness, redemption, justification, and reconciliation), and then moves on to reasons that show how Christ's death affects our Christian walk (for example, #38: To Create a Band of Crucified Followers). This is a very Christ-centered, cross-centered, gospel-centered work. Like Paul's preaching to the Corinthians, John Piper's teaching in this small book knows "nothing... except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). As such, this book is well-suited for everybody. It presents the gospel plainly to the lost, and to believers it brings further appreciation for the wondrous work of Christ on the cross on our behalf.