Reframing the Doctrine of the Atonement

Adam J. Johnson (Ph.D., TEDS) is the author of Atonement: A Guide for the Perplexed and God's Being in Reconciliation. He teaches theology and Western Classics in the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.Michael F. Bird received his PhD from the University of Queensland in Australia. He is a lecturer in theology and postgraduate research at Ridley Melbourne College. He is the author of several volumes of Bible commentary and theological studies. Michael Bird is also co-moderator of the New Testament blog http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion.

Some theological technicians know how to take a doctrine apart but not how to put it back together, much less put it back to work. Adam Johnson has the know-how for reassembly. This Snapshot has a lot less Aulén and a lot more Jonathan Edwards than we’ve become accustomed to in books on the atonement. By putting it against the background of God’s orchestrating attribute of wisdom, Johnson joins the irreducible complexity of atonement to the unsurpassable perfection of God. A worthy goal, worthily carried out.— Fred Sanders, author of The Deep Things of God and coauthor of Locating AtonementTaking his cue from Jonathan Edwards’s sermon series, “The Wisdom of God in the Way of Salvation,” Adam Johnson offers a short, clear, and accessible account of the work of Christ in atonement as the outworking of divine wisdom. The result is a terrific introduction to the doctrine of the atonement, from which students and their teachers are sure to profit.—Oliver D. Crisp, coauthor of Locating AtonementI know of no other theologian who has given themselves so fully to the doctrine of atonement, and I know of no other work that so helpfully introduces a constructive account for the church. Christ’s atonement truly is a work “by, of, and for wisdom.” Let Adam introduce you to Christ’s work anew and show you how Christ reveals the wisdom of God.—Kyle Strobel, author of Formed for the Glory of God and coauthor of Beloved DustMany books explore the cross of Christ in view of the mercy and justice of God. Adam Johnson changes the lens with this concise and clearly written book, offering a picture of Jesus’ saving work as the culmination of the same divine wisdom through which all things were created. Divine wisdom is not a rival attribute to justice and mercy, but that quality that enables God to be fully himself in finding the fitting solution that achieves all God’s purposes for a world fallen into folly. Johnson has written a helpful book that brings fresh air into well-trod doctrinal paths, to which grateful readers can only respond, “And behold, it was very good”!—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, author of Is There a Meaning in this Text? and The Drama of Doctrine