The Cross and Salvation

When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.

-Titus 3:4-6

On the human side no person can come savingly to God by the power of their own initiative or on the basis of their own merits, as the Titus text just cited indicates. but men and women, enable by the Spirit’s gracious working, perform their own necessary work.

- Bruce Demarest

I just started a book called The Cross and Salvation by Bruce Demarest after leaving it on the shelf for a while. The book came off intimidating at first because of the cover and the fact that it is a systematic theology book, however the theme of the cross and of salvation, being central to the Gospel, lured me to finally get the book started for the summer.

I’m only done with the first chapter so far, but in what I learned and profitted from in the first chapter, I can say have gained more than most books that I read in whole. I will try to post more on what I am learning throughout the next couple weeks, but this is a book I thoroughly recommend as it has been magnifying the cross that Christ carried by motive of obedience to the Father and of clemency toward an undeserving people.