Redemption Accomplished and Applied

Without a doubt, "Redemption Accomplished and Applied" is the best summary of Reformed sotierology I have ever found. Equally profound and digestible, this book will leave you in awe of God's grace and love but also lead you in new ways to practically apply the theological import of the ordo salutis in your daily life.

The first half on redemption accomplished is a straightforward defense of substitutionary atonement--a much maligned doctrine but a necessary one that is commensurate with God's character and mission. One cannot fathom the depth of God's love in Christ's sacrificial death until he soberly assesses the seriousness of his own sin. That Christ willingly offered himself on the cross to pay the penalty of sin on your behalf is show more a marvelous truth that the church must defend at all costs.

The second half on redemption applied is a step-by-step analysis of the ordo salutis as it is represented in Romans 8:30 and the Westminster Standards. Again, the emphasis is on God's divine activity on behalf of sinners dead in their trespasses. The sinner brings nothing to the table; his is a justification by faith alone in Christ alone. That does not excuse a kind of passive Christianity, but rightly characterizes faith as the instrument of salvation, not the grounds.

The author's commitment to orthodox trinitarianism is to be appreciated. Being rooted in Westminsterian theology, Murray is always quick to remind his reader that it is the Father who elects, the Son who saves, and the Spirit who applies--each person of the economic Trinity involves himself in your salvation which is both deeply mysterious and assuring. show less

A wonderful discussion of what the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross really (and fully) means. Murray makes the case methodically and wisely that we are helpless to save ourselves, that we deserve death for our sins, that these sins are serious and deserving of justice, and that Jesus took the punishment that God's children deserve for their sins upon himself on the Cross.

And then, in the second part, he explains how that redemption, already earned, is applied to us.

A wonderful volume. It is not easy reading, but I would encourage Christians to make the effort to understand it. That may be a frustrating process if you are unused to deep writing, but it is worthwhile.

I would give this five stars on content but three stars on readability. Not for the light reader but most definitely worth putting every effort into it. Read it two times through back to back - first quickly then slowly.

John Murray’s helpful book, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, has become over the last fifty years somewhat of a classic as a doctrinal synopsis of the death of Christ and the salvific blessings that flow from it.
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This is a Calvinistic approach on the work of Christ and how it is applied in the life of believers.

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