Christ Crucified: Understanding the Atonement

by Donald Macleod

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2014

Overview

How could the life, let alone the death, of one man 2,000 years ago be the salvation of the human race? The biblical explanation is the atonement: the crucified one was the Son of God, acting and suffering in cooperation with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is presented in all four Gospels, and occupies considerable space in the overall narrative. The death of this one person has universal, inclusive and cosmic significance, because in him the Creator acts and suffers. This is the primary answer to “the scandal of particularity.” There is also a special relationship between Christ and humanity—he was “with” us, and he was “for” us. The grandeur of the cross lies in the fact that the incarnate Son of God offered himself in our place, bearing the penalty for our sin.

Donald Macleod considers seven key words Christians have used through the centuries to describe what happened on the cross: substitution, expiation, propitiation, reconciliation, satisfaction, redemption and victory. No single one of these tells the whole truth, nor do all of them together exhaust the meaning of the cross. Macleod shows that these concepts are interrelated and interdependent, and that together they give a coherent picture of the salvation wrought by Jesus at Calvary.

Key Features

• Presents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as having universal, inclusive, and cosmic significance
• Explores the grandeur of the cross as the incarnate Son of God offering himself in our place
• Considers seven key, interrelated words to describe the meaning of the cross

Contents

• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Part 1: The way of the cross
• 1. A man of sorrows
• 2. From the third to the ninth hour
• 3. The divine paradox: the crucified Son
• Part 2: The word of the cross
• 4. Substitution: the man for others
• 5. Expiation: covering our sin
• 6. Propitiation: averting the divine anger
• 7. Reconciliation: God’s way of peace
• 8. Satisfaction: enough to justify forgiveness
• 9. No other way?
• 10. Redemption: setting the prisoners free
• 11. Victory: disarming the powers
• For further reading
• Bibliography
• Index of authors
• Index of Scripture references

Praise for Christ Crucified

This powerful book on the atonement is deeply informed by classic theological categories, but it lets biblical exposition take the lead. Macleod focuses on Scripture’s presentation of the death of Christ, and shows his readers—I nearly said audience, because this is the best sort of preaching—the full sense and significance of Christ crucified.

—Fred Sanders, professor of theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University

Those who have heard Donald Macleod preach or who have read his writings will know that the crucified Christ is, of all theological topics, his forte. He has dazzling insight matched by a way with words which together serve to bring out aspects of the person and work of Christ with memorable beauty. Thus it is a pleasure to be able to commend this book. If you are familiar with Donald’s work, you know what to expect and know that you will be challenged and edified. If you have never read him before, you are in for a treat.

—Carl R. Trueman, Paul Woolley Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological

Donald Macleod has written a welcome and convincing apologetic of the cross of Christ. He skilfully blends biblical exegesis and engagement with systematic theologians to produce a robust defense of the classic evangelical view of penal substitution which anticipates objections, places it in a wide framework and implicitly rebukes sloppy thinking. His clear style makes this book not only a ‘must-read’ on this topic but a joy to read and an educative treat.

—Derek Tidball, visiting scholar, Spurgeon’s College, London; author of The Message of the Cross

Product Details

• Title: Christ Crucified: Understanding the Atonement
• Author: Donald Macleod
• Publisher: SPCK
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780830840618, 0830840613
• Resource ID: LLS:CHRSTCRCFDTNMNT
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-11-05T20:38:20Z

About Donald Macleod

Donald Macleod (MA, University of Glasgow; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary), now retired, served as professor and chair of systematic theology at the Free Church of Scotland College in Edinburgh and also as the school's principal. He pastored Kilmallie Free Church for six years and also served at Patrick Highland Free Church, a bi-lingual congregation in Glasgow, Scotland. He is well known as a previous editor of The Monthly Record of the Free Church and as a columnist in the West Highland Free Press and The Observer newspaper.