Focusing on the Cross this Easter

Over the last 6-7 years or so, Rachel and I have tried to increase our focus at Easter on Good Friday, something that neither of us observed in great detail growing up. Easter Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and rightly so, but it is Christ's substitutionary atonement on Friday that makes any sort of celebration on Sunday possible.

We've done this in various ways, and if you're interested I'll tell you about them. But one of the ways I have been trying to increase the depth of my understanding of the cross is by using this time before Easter to read one of the many excellent books that are being written lately that focus on the cross. I don't always get to do this, but I'm trying to make it a personal tradition. Just glancing over my shoulder at my bookcase I see several:

The Cross of Christ, John Stott (This one is particularly good.)

In My Place Condemned He Stood, J.I. Packer and Mark Dever (Read this last year.)

The Great Exchange, Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington

The Future of Justification, John Piper

The Passion of Jesus Christ, John Piper (Contains 50 reasons why Christ suffered and died!)

The Cross and Christian Ministry, D.A. Carson (I took Dr. Carson's course in which much of this material was taught.)

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen (This is one is daunting, but at some point I'll take on the challenge.)

And there are others. Many, excellent others. But this year I am reading Pierced for Our Transgressions, by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach. It focuses on the glory of penal substitutionary atonement. Over the next few weeks leading to Easter, I will share interesting bits with you.

It is absolutley essential for growth in Christ to ponder and plumb the depths of the cross. I encourage you to use this time before Easter to do just that. Live the cross.