The book “The Work of Christ” by Robert Letham, who is also known as “Contours of Christian Theology,” is a series of short introductory textbooks focus on the major themes of Christian theology, clearly written and clearly presented.

In this context, she explores themes of Christ and the Word of God, the nature and theories of atonement and cosmic dimensions and companies meditorial the kingdom of Christ.

Context of the author

Robert Letham is a scholar and the minister of the gospel. He is a former, a lecturer in Christian doctrine London Bible College, Pastor Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, Delaware.

Purpose of the book

Participate in the passion for this book was born of a puzzle to some important questions and answers the questions begin in Christianity, where the title “Contours of Christian Theology,” The work of Christ is really the most important realities, we can always cope. Questions like: How can we know God? How can we have a good relationship with God? How can we be forgiven? Can we know what lies beyond the grave? As the death of a man 2,000 years ago to help us today? How does our salvation with the ecological crisis, poverty and oppression, and cut a number of problems in politics and economy? And what does Jesus Christ have to do with it? These questions are not on the periphery of life. They influence our fate and that of the planet.

The core of the problem

According to Letham, “the work of Christ,” the term seems dry, heavy use of the term in the heart of the Christian faith. Christ’s death on the cross, His glorious resurrection, his surprising message of the kingdom of God is the dynamic power realities.

The person of Christ is central. We need the person of Christ, and we must also work. According to Campbell, theology, was the basic premise that God is love. In Jesus Christ, there is a double movement. There is a movement of God towards mankind, are revealed in his love and forgiveness of sin in his assessment. At the same time there is also a movement towards God answers our humanity in Christ by offering a perfect answer agents love and God’s Judgement. The work of Christ is in vain to us outside the person participate. Thus, one of the Incarnation of Christ in us, our humanity in union with Him.

So if Christ was not God, he could not have been the father. If he was not human, he could not provide us, he could not have made human obedience to God, nor suffered the punishment of divine justice on the sin of mankind. So Christ was and who was and is to save us. We can, in view of the above, that the incarnation and atonement can not tell each other only indispensable, they are definitely two sides.

Another problem is that Christ’s death was a sacrifice, as explained in this book. Apparently, the Church does not recognize the central importance of the cross. The cross was not totally eclipsed. Obedience to Christ repaired tree tree of disobedience of Adam. It’s a real quote. He also said that allegations of the early Church that the death of Christ was a ransom price of the devil. He was released from the power of the devil, through his resurrection, to ensure complete liberation of his people. Christ’s resurrection and exaltation of human salvation sure. This is about the work of Christ.

However, it is necessary to consider two statements. Christ was not at any time under the power of the devil, but man. Jesus gave his life to save others. Second, we can perhaps say that Christ’s death was a ransom to God and not the devil. The man was reconciled to God through Christ’s death. Jesus’ blood was the price that was paid for the forgiveness of sins.

As a result, the atonement is to be regarded as the work of God. God himself came into this world in Jesus Christ. The father gave it to Satan. Satan fell into the trap of thinking that Christ was in his grasp. The deity of Christ, but hidden from mankind, enabled him to Satan, and to rise from the dead to defeat, so he had the power of death to destroy the way are the people free from the power of Satan, and Satan himself is now subject to death and damnation.
The doctrine of election is another important theme in this book. Perhaps the stumbling block is the centrality of Christ in the choice of how Paul and already some scholar Charles Hodge, Louis Berkhof. Paul said that we are in Christ before the foundation of the world (EPHE 1:4) was chosen. Berth and Karl J.K.S. Reid, Christ is simply the exponent of a decision already taken an eternity.

However, Calvin describes Christ as the mirror of choice, so know that if we, if we wanted to have been elected, we should not continue to seek it. Aminus supralapsarianism react against the rationalist of his teacher, Theodore Beza, revision of the doctrine of election Christ-centered along a line. God was first elected to Christ as the foundation of choice. Then the decree to save all who repent and believe, and eventually to include all the deadlines are. Choice of Aminus was based on God’s providence of our faith. His views were rejected when the Synod of Dordrecht.
Letham said that our entire salvation in Christ is received, including the election. The union with Christ is zero at the location of our choice in eternity.

From the above, perhaps we can simply tell us that Christ and the election must be something separate. Thus, Christ is central to the biblical doctrine of federal and state elections.
“Kingdom of God” The issue was hotly debated. “Kingdom of Heaven” The expression is peculiar to Matthew, but also with “kingdom of God.” According to Letham, a comparison of the use of two terms, however, shows no fine distinctions between them. What can prove Theorem Mathew, is that the focus is not on an area in which the rule is applied, but the kingdom of God also in the whole world. Second, the preponderance of references belonging to the kingdom of the Father, or just God. What did Jesus mean when he says that the kingdom of God is near? Jesus says that all the preparation time has now come of age. The kingdom of God is not only to close. It was a present reality.

He further explained that Jesus spoke of the visit to the kingdom of God in power as a specific future event. Many speak of Jesus’ parables about the coming of the kingdom as a result of a long and imperceptible to the growth. So it seems that Jesus understood the kingdom of God as a powerful demonstration of God’s rule, in accordance with the Old Testament of his coming to deliver his people. In another sense, the end of the world would finally realize what is involved in the reality of the kingdom.

What then is the kingdom of God? It is nothing less than the kingdom of God in human affairs. The kingdom of God extends through the entire spectrum of human life. Thus, the ethical impact of empire on the inner life of man.

The humanity of Jesus Christ is another major problem that requires attention. Jesus did not assume the nature of angels, but human nature (John 1:1-3, 14). So our union with Christ on his association with us. The union with Christ we were in his incarnation. Perhaps we can say that no incarnation, it could be saved. Only one man could atone for the sins of mankind to.

Summary and Conclusion

The work of Christ by Robert Letham, although short clearly written and comprehensive. He took advantage of the views of many great scientists and therefore put a balanced argument. However, Letham discusses the threefold office of Christ: Prophet, Priest and King. He further explained that since Jesus Christ does not claim any of these offices will speak for itself and on behalf of Christ in relation to the offices is a serious mistake. I do not know what he really means by this statement, but I think the statement could not quite true, because Jesus showed any office or operating as a fulfillment of Scripture. It is true that Jesus did not say, but they do not work in all offices, so it do not claim the title that counts, but the fulfillment of Scripture or to show where the title is not as important as the owner of the title.

Another point of Letham increasing concern is the issue of payment of a ransom to the devil and the release of Jesus Christ the power of the devil, through his resurrection. Was the ransom paid to God or the Devil? This may be more appropriate to say that the ransom paid to God as the devil, and this man was under the power of the devil, but not Jesus. When man sinned, he fell into disgrace at the hands of the devil. When Christ died, he has the people to God, man, reconciled and delivered by the power of the devil. Devil has to return anything, he was a thief, the owner of a ransom and then Jesus Christ wants, he paid to God.

Finally, it is certainly true that this book would be huge, and the reader would have to pay for bankruptcy, if each is discussed in detail. However, the book is able to have a clear vision of what Christ has done has been to present. So I have to say that Christ came, like, died and rose again, with the intention to make atonement for His elect, while the value and extent of the atonement is sufficient for every person who ever lived. Of course, this remains the focus of this great work of noble Robert Letham.