[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
----
The cross is the crux (I know, bad pun, but I mean it) of Christianity. It's the whole mechanism by which we can be saved. It's the definitive point in history when the battle was won, where sin was dealt with, where humanity was broken out of out imprisonment to death. For any Christian, understanding the importance and mechanism of the cross is essential. And John Chapman's 'Making the Most of the Cross' is a great place to start.

I really enjoyed this book; it isn't long, it isn't wordy. It's easy to read, and every time I was starting to feel like 'It would be really good if he had just explained this one thing', or 'if I was unsure about this, and was considering Christ, there's an ambiguity', I would turn the page, and the next short chapter would not disappoint.

This was particularly noticeable between Part I (The death of the Lord Jesus) and Part II (The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus). Chapman talks about 'The Cross' as 2 events which are tightly bound together, to the point of it being one event, the event of Jesus dealing with death and sin. Chapman explains in part I the concepts of substitution, of ransom, of propitiation, and the whole reason behind the death, what the deal with Jesus dying was. Just as it reached the end, however, I was thinking along these lines; 'Yes, but one of the main audiences of this book [which I pick to be most for the inquiring/interested non Christian, or new Christian] is going to want the story, the facts, the history, the basic explanation, laid out clearly.' I only had to wait until the next page to get it. It may just be that he thinks in a way very similar to my own thought process, but John Chapman had me at the same stage as he was the whole way.

This was a reasonably easy read; it was casual and not filled with jargon or 'Christian' language. It explained everything simply, and managed to delve into complicated or deep theological principles whilst still maintaining an easy readability. The reason this worked is because of the progression he took; every chapter was a short bite, in small steps. One of the things I loved was that if you lined up all the chapter titles, you would get a pretty solid framework of the gospel; the problem, the need for a solution, God's love and grace, the mechanism of substitutionary atonement and so on, in simple statements. The chapter text itself was rich with biblical reference; each chapter started with an extract from the scripture, and every chapter ended with a short prayer along the lines of the content. Anecdotally and in the tone of writing, I found Chapman very helpful. He explained (as said earlier) in a way that made complex things seem simple, used examples and logic that just fit. For someone with a historical and analytical mindset and approach (I am often unsatisfied with resources that do not engage with solid fact around Jesus, or historicity, or a logical understanding of faith as centred on Christ), this book was good because it managed to deal with some issues of credibility and historicity without getting off topic. Chapman speaks in a personal manner, and I found this meant he was easy to engage with, and allowed him both authority and humility; the fact that he even says, at one stage, that he cannot answer questions around how specific events will lead to the glorification of God, actually added to the book by modelling what it means to have faith beyond our comprehension.

As you may have picked up, I have pretty much only positive things to say about this book. It's informative and challenging; even for someone who has looked into the facts around the resurrection in reasonable historical depth and who has been a Christian for a reasonable amount of time this was highly informative. It was clear that Chapman's extensive experience alerted him to areas where people sometimes struggle with belief, assurance, or just uncomfortable thoughts, and worked to allay such doubts. For myself, there were a few little gems pulled out, particularly about how the pattern of the cross shapes our lives, which I will take away as great pieces of wisdom for service and teaching.

Negatives? I imagine some people would find his tone (casual, personal) slightly frustrating, and that those who read it as Christians who have a reasonably sound theology of the cross would find it not to be practical enough early on. In that sense, 'Making the Most of the Cross' put my expectation (something more aimed at a Christian audience, and full of practical ways to maintain passion for Christ) at odds with the reality. I was not disappointed, however, and would recommend this as a fantastic book for those who are seriously investig...

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
----
This John Chapman's second book since he retired to a nursing home! The old evangelist is still active; dedicating the book to the nursing home bible study. This makes his chapters about the Resurrection and our death all the more poignant. While the book itself is simple, short chapters and a direct writing style, I found being reminded of the theological consequences of Jesus' death and resurrection very refreshing.

Primarily it was good to see reinforced the idea that while the Crucifixion and the Resurrection "are two aspects of the same event" (p9) there are a number of different consequences from each. The book is basically a survey of those consequences. Jesus' death saves us from the "wrath that is to come" (1 Thess 1:10). It's a substitute for our death (1 Peter 2:24). The metaphor of ransom (Mk 10:45), echoing the imagery of the kinsmen redeemer, illustrates our powerlessness and the high cost of this substitution. God is propitiated by the Crucifixion of Jesus (1 John 2:1-2). An added consequence of Jesus' death is that the Devil is defeated (Col 2:13-15), in a sense filling out the rest of redemption metaphor, "we're free" (p39). The tension between God's justice and our guilt is resolved by God's declaration of righteousness because a substitute has redeemed us from bondage.

Although Chapman doesn't explicitly frame the next two chapters in this way, they are the relational and emotional consequences of the crucifixion. In chapter seven he writes: "If God accepts me because of the death of Christ then I expect you to accept me on the same basis. It is not that we are naturally drawn to each other, but that we are made acceptable to each other because of Christ" (p48). Then in the next chapter Chapman describes the interchangeable images of the Crucifixion resulting in our forgiveness/cleansing, our sin being cancelled or erased.

For the Resurrection to make any sense, Jesus needed to be really dead. An obvious point it seems but the one on which Christianity turns. Returning from the dead is highly unusual says Chapman and it'd be odd to concoct such a story, "what would you gain?" (p60) Many people die for various causes, but why would that original cohort die for a known falsehood? The first consequence of Jesus' return to life is that reveals him to be the eternal King (Acts 2:36 & 1 Chron 17:4-14). A King brings justice and judgement, and a living Jesus makes that a certainty. Resurrection is also proof Jesus paid the price of sin, death. In a very sharp observation from a man not far from death Chapman then writes in chapter thirteen: "The fear of death can lead us to do all sorts of wrong and evil thing. But Jesus tells us not to fear ... He has walked the path of death that we too must walk" (p79). He concludes with an expression I hadn't considered, we live in the twilight between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, upset by the Cross and not yet astonished by the Resurrection (p90).

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
----
Like all good evangelists John Chapman has a knack for making complex and profound truths sound simple and for exuding a real warmth as he communicates the message. Now aged 80, and having 'lost a couple of specialists' along the way, Chapman is still going strong and still burdened to explain the centrality of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the touchstone of true faith; in his words, 'The event in human history.'

In the first part of the book, Chapman looks at the significance and benefits of the death of Christ and in the second part he considers the implications of the resurrection. Part 3 looks at the death and resurrection of Christ as a pattern for all future judgement and of the Christian experience.

Each short chapter is only about 4-5 pages long, is based on an appropriate Scriptural text which is printed in full, and closes with a short suggested prayer. This lends itself to being a useful devotional book to be read thoughtfully, a chapter at a time, or even as an evangelistic tool to be given to a serious enquirer who is prepared to read a straightfoward explanation of the heart of the Gospel.

As you would expect from this author, this is a faithful explanation and application of biblical truth and highly commended as such.

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
----
John Chapman's book "Making the most of the Cross" explains a series of important truths which come out of the belief that Jesus did die and rise again. Chapman's argument through his book, is that if Jesus actually did die on the cross, and rise again from the dead, then His death and resurrection is the most important and most life changing event in the whole of history.

I really enjoyed reading this book and being reminded of many truths that I hold firm to because I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. In particular, I was able to ponder and marvel at the fact that Jesus took my sins (rebellion against God the creator) away on the cross by dying in my place, and He rose again to prove that death had no hold of Him. I was also able to think through the whole concept of Jesus' substitutionary sacrifice and again praise God for His love and mercy.

One thing that I found great about this book was that it seemed very sensitive to those who may be reading and learning about Jesus for the first time. The text in the book is written in a very simple manner, without much Christian jargon, but packed with many real life and personal illustrations, which allows it to be a good resource for those who may be new Christians or those trying to find out more about Jesus. The book is less than 100 pages long, which made it a very easy read.

If you're looking to be reminded of the importance of the Cross of Christ, or you are trying to find out more about this history changing event, or you want to give your friends who are interested in religion something to think about, I would very much recommend this book to you!

[Note] This review was transferred from our old online store which did not give ratings. But this new store requires ratings. So in order to transfer them we have tried to give a rating which reflects the content of the review. So you may prefer to ignore the rating and just read the review.
----
Making the Most of the Cross by John Chapman is an excellent overview of the many facets of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, with a tantalising glimpse of the consequences it has for the Christian life. Although its title suggests that it is a comprehensive exploration of each facet of the cross, the book itself acts more as a guide from which one may deeper explore each individual facet of the cross.

The book's greatest strength lies in the fact that it is an excellent guidebook. It is neatly compartmentalised into three parts (Jesus' death, resurrection and implications for Christian living). It is simple in its explanations of doctrinal concepts such as 'propitiation', 'justification' and Jesus' 'substitutionary' death; profound in its ability to so concisely explain how Jesus' death and resurrection fulfils and allows each of these facets to work and be powerful.

Perhaps this book's most significant contribution is its emphasis upon the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection as forming our understanding of the cross. As Chapman emphasises, the cross can only be complete with Jesus' resurrection, for if Jesus' death was the defeat of death, then we should expect it to end in life. In this way, Chapman successfully brings his readership to a more complete understanding of how Jesus' resurrection works hand in hand with his death to fulfil God's promises. As such, this book reminds us that it is the completion of this task, the crucifixion and resurrection, which lies at the centre of Christ's relationship with his father.

Sadly, Chapman does not then link how or why the cross is so central to Jesus' relationship with the Father. While one may argue that this is not necessary to the cross, the Bible selections Chapman makes himself include passages where Jesus uses his relationship with the Father as the model for, and, indeed, the reason for our interactions with each other, most notably when he uses 1 John 4:7-12 to explain how Jesus' death and resurrection unifies all Christians.

It is at points such as these that the strength of Chapman's book (its neat, compartmentalised layout) becomes its very weakness. By focusing merely on one aspect of the cross in each chapter, Chapman limits his ability to fully draw the depth of meaning within the Bible passages he draws from. In so limiting himself, Chapman is unable to do what his book title so strongly implies it will do- provide a comprehensive exploration of all the facets of the cross, how they interact, and what impact the cross will then have on our lives as Christians. In fact, it is this last point which left me most wanting: apart from tantalising glimpses of unity, and a changed life, there is little in this book that explores the empowering nature of the cross to change life, both for the individual Christian and for the corporate body of the Christian church.

In the above criticism, however, I am aware that I am unduly harsh on what is a very sound guide to approaching the cross. After all, books and sermons do not exist to provide 'comprehensive' answers, but the best books propel us further into the Bible itself, to explore and wrestle with God's word in a very intimate and personal manner.

Ultimately Chapman's Making the Most of the Cross is a highly accessible, encouraging and challenging reminder of the heart of Christianity. What we take from the book to our daily lives is that Jesus is the Christ, that he has so been proclaimed because of his death and resurrection, and through his act of dying on the cross and rising to new life, we who were far away have been brought near to God. That knowledge, and a deep thirst and desire to read more of the Bible and know more of the cross, in all its glorious facets, for ourselves.