The most precious truth in the Bible
James de Costabadie
| 01 May 2008
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Why Did Jesus Die? What the Bible says about the cross by Dick Tripp (Dick Tripp Publications, RD 1, Lyttelton, and Castle Publishing) $22 plus p&p ..
Dick Tripp’s latest book is an impressively comprehensive survey of the biblical material relating to the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The author’s aim is ‘to let the Bible speak for itself’, and this he does by tracing relevant bible verses, interlacing succinct expository comments with illustrative stories and pertinent quotations from a range of people.
Early on, Tripp distances himself from historic positions on the cross, which seems a little odd as it is inevitable he will draw conclusions himself in the end, as he indeed he does. Primarily, he demonstrates that Jesus died as representative and substitute to take the curse of God’s righteous anger to enable those who trust him to be given a righteous standing with God. This is the old, old story of the gospel: to the sceptic it remains foolishness (and Tripp makes no pretence of launching a fullscale defence of the doctrine) but to the believer it is the most precious truth in the Bible.
The real strengths of the book lie in two areas. First, the range of biblical verses covered in the first section, which are interspersed with apposite comments. For example, Tripp shows how the different offerings in the sacrificial system find fulfilment in the death of Jesus: the burnt offering points to the totality of his offering, the peace offering points to the peace he established, the sin and guilt offerings point to the load which Jesus would bear for his people. His death is not merely the finest example of innocent suffering but a truly sin-bearing death.
Secondly, there is a mine of preachers’ treasures in the shape of examples (did anyone else know that J.P. Morgan, the banker, entreated his children in his will to defend at all costs personally the ‘blessed doctrine of the atonement through the blood of Jesus Christ…alone’?), illustrations and a considerable bank of quotations (from Barth to Yancey, Denney to Bonhoeffer, Cowper to Stott, Moltmann to David Watson).
There are a number of minor irritations: quotations generally are not referenced, there’s no index of verses, and the author has an unusual way of referring regularly to his own works elsewhere (at least 13 times!). More serious questions might be raised about his treatment of Christology (p220) which appears at risk of misunderstanding Chalcedon’s distinction between the person and natures of Christ.
But this should not detract from the great truths clearly laid out – that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself through Christ’s sacrificial death. It was another retired clergyman who said that ‘dead is the soul that has ceased to be amazed by calvary’ – this book will greatly help the soul to be reawakened in amazement at God’s great love for us.
James de Costabadie is priest in charge of St Saviour’s, Sydenham, in Christchurch.
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