Why Did Jesus Die?

Chapters

  • Preface

    Acknowledgements

  • Introduction

  • What the Bible says about the cross

    • Images of the cross from the Old Testament

    • The tree of life

    • The serpent’s fatal wound

    • Thorns–symbol of the curse

    • Our nakedness covered through the shedding of blood

    • A God who is prepared to die

    • The Father’s sacrifice

    • Passover – safe beneath the Lamb’s blood

    • Bitter waters made sweet

    • The smitten rock – God in the dock

    • Animal sacrifices

    • Day of Atonement – the rent curtain

    • The bronze serpent – look and live

    • Isaiah’s Suffering Servant

    • The Psalms

    • Death leading to resurrection

  • The cross in the Gospels

    • The emphasis on the passion and cross in the Gospels

    • Hints and clear references to the cross before its occurrence

    • The Last Supper

    • Gethsemane

    • The trial

    • The crucifixion

    • The burial

    • The resurrection

    • Between resurrection and ascension

    • The cross – the focus of prophecy

  • The cross in Acts

  • The cross in the New Testament letters

    • Christ’s death “for our sins”

    • The blood of Christ

  • The Cross in Paul’s letters

    • The cross and sin

    • The cross central in Paul’s preaching

    • Our identification with Christ in his death

    • Our identification with Christ in suffering

    • The cross and the wisdom of God

    • The cross and the challenge to godly living

    • Christ’s death and our death

    • The death of Christ and his exultation

  • Benefits of the cross

    • Forgiveness

    • Justification

    • Salvation

    • Reconciliation

    • Redemption

    • Sanctification

    • Propitiation

    • Adoption

  • The cross in Hebrews

  • The cross in Peter

  • The cross in 1 John

  • The cross in Revelation

  • Part 2

  • The cross and the Trinity

    The cross and the love of God

    The cross and the justice of God

    The cross and suffering

    Why Easter Saturday?

    God’s “Yes” of Easter Day

    The cross and history’s reversal of values

    Why the cross is not popular

    The cross and discipleship

    The cross and other religions

    The cross and our response

FORWARD

The cross is the centre and heartbeat of the biblical faith. It is the hallmark of evangelical orthodoxy that has empowered the Church throughout its history in worship and in times of persecution and is the central motif for world evangelisation. It is surprising, therefore, how few books on the cross have stood the test of time. During the twentieth century, James Denny’s Death of Christ (1903), Leon Morris’s Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (1955) and John Stott’s The Cross of Christ (1986) are among the few outstanding works.

Now in Dick Tripp’s Why Did Jesus Die? What the Bible Says About the Cross we have a work of outstanding and lasting worth – an amazingly comprehensive reference to all the biblical texts that point to Christ’s death, its meaning and significance for today’s Church.

In Part I he traces the progressive revelation of God’s saving work from Genesis to Revelation. He takes us through the images of the cross in the Old Testament from the tree of life to the Passover, to the bronze serpent in the wilderness, to the Day of Atonement, to Israel’s Suffering Servant in Isaiah and the Psalms.

Continuing in the New Testament, Dick Tripp takes us through the centrality of the cross in the Gospels, the Acts and the New Testament Letters and Revelation. Throughout, there is constant cross-reference to both Testaments, to the Church’s commentators throughout its history and to contemporary Christian writers – a mine of fact and interpretation to inspire the heart of any preacher and teacher of Scripture.

In Part II he relates the cross to the theme of the Trinity, the love and justice of God, to suffering and resurrection and to other religious Faiths.

Dick Tripp’s treatment of the cross as Christ’s atonement for sin brings together Christ’s identity with God his Father and with suffering and sinful humanity. He outlines the benefits of reconciliation and forgiveness, justification and sanctification, adoption and union with Christ in victorious living. For here the cross reveals both the character of God and the purpose of Christ’s incarnation – that ‘Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures’.

The Cross is shown to be the symbol of Christ’s saving act, universally recognised in every church and publicly displayed on the clothing of believers. Jesus promised that when he is lifted up he will draw all people to himself (John 12:32). Dick shows that the cross is a magnet drawing people of every culture by his redeeming love.

I unreservedly commend this book to pastors as a study guide for preaching on the cross and to all who seek to live out in daily life Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Rev. Dr Bruce J Nicholls was a career missionary in India working in theological education and in pastoral ministry with the Church of North India. He was also Editor of the Evangelical Review of Theology for 18 years and is now Editor of the Asia Bible Commentary series.