Salvation Belongs to Our God: Celebrating the Bible's Central Story

by Christopher J.H. Wright

A great multitude that no one could count . . . cried out in a loud "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Every phrase in Revelation 7:10 resonates with significant themes in the Old and New Testaments. Christopher Wright views the story of God's salvation through the lens of this verse to show the great breadth of God's saving the character and purposes of God, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the redemption of all creation, the joy of Christian experience, and the responsibility of Christian mission. This clear, deep and warm-hearted exposition enriches our grasp of the Bible's multifaceted teaching about salvation.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Christian

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Christopher J.H. Wright, (born 1947) is a Anglican clergyman and an Old Testament scholar. He is currently the director of Langham Partnership International. He was the principal of All Nations Christian College. He is an honorary member of the All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, UK.

Reviews

[Todd Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wright walks his way through Scripture analyzing the Bible’s narrative presentation of salvation. His organizing principle is Rev 7:9-10. It is written for the pew level and he does a great job of unpacking what salvation is. He looks at many different issues that are sticky - what about those who have never heard (he brings some strong clarity to this then backs away from it, I believe, when he lands in an agnostic inclusivist position), salvation in other religions, assurance of salvation, prosperity gospel, etc. The only disappointing part of the book are his inclusivist conclusions.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, short read on the overall message of Scripture with some very well-written sections. In a couple of places he unhelpfully pits doctrine against story, making an either-or where I think a both-and is more appropriate. Clearly articulated doctrine and the story of what God has done in Christ are not mutually exclusive camps. Other than that, a very good read.

[James Boyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a helpful exposition on the Biblical theme of salvation, focused through the verse Revelation 7:10. He shows that Salvation belongs to God and thus is not something to be meted out by humans, is holistic over all creation, is even better than we expect because of the just and good character of God, and is represented perfectly through Jesus, the lamb of God who took on the sin of the world and rules over all creation. The best parts of the book were his excellent connection between several New Testament texts about Jesus and their Old Testament roots and the final chapter. I highly recommend it for anyone looking into what salvation entails and how it relates with the work of YHWH through the Old Testament and Jesus in the New, reaching its climax in the great multi-ethnic scene of Revelation 7.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 reads: #48
Rating: 4 Stars

Taking Revelation 7:9-10 as its control text, this book explores salvation from different angles. Many of the insights are worth celebrating as Christopher Wright guides the reader into a deeper understanding of the grace of God revealed in Christ, and therefore lifts the heart and mind to reflect on wonderful things that are revealed in the grand-story of the Bible.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. We’ll written overview of the biblical story using Rev 7:10 as the guiding verse

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" That is the cry of the multitude from every nation who stand before God in worship in Revelation 7. Wright argues this is no mere incidental story, but the direction of all of history, and indeed, the Bible's Central story. Wright spends the book breaking down this cry to its components and exploring how all of scripture tells this one story.

Wright's book is both simple and layered. It's a book I would encourage young Christians, even inquirers to pick up and it's a book that would serve any pastor well. Wright gives us eyes to see God's purposes from the first pages of scripture to the last. The pages come to life as we see the beauty and power of the multi-ethnic salvific purposes of our sovereign self-sacrificing God.

My only hesitation in the book are Wright's conclusions about the potential inclusivity of this salvation for those who haven't heard the gospel. Wright doesn't bend on the way in which the gospel is accomplished and he accurately represents both sides of the debate, but ultimately he takes a position I wouldn't endorse.

Regardless, the book is excellent and a must-read.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to the cohesive story of Scripture. If you struggle with how the whole thing fits together, this is a really good read. If you have already been introduced, and are looking for some deeper insights, it might not be as revolutionary. But it is still a solid book.

Wright begins with Revelation and the scene in chapter 7 when men and women from every tribe, tongue, and nation cry out, "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Treating this as the consummation of one central story, he works backward to demonstrate how the who Scripture from Genesis 1 are working toward that still future reality.

[Philippe Montuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les différents aspects du salut dans la Bible sont magistralement étudiés par l'auteur qui prend pour base le verset du livre de l'Apocalypse, chapitre 7.10.
Le lecteur pourra trouver des points importants pour baser sa foi dans le salut accompli par Dieu en Jésus-Christ, mort à la croix, ressuscité et élevé à la droite de Dieu.
"Le salut est à notre Dieu qui est assis sur le trône." (Apocalypse 7.10).

[Justin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about all aspects of salvation found in the Bible.

[Kendra Mikols · Rating 2 out of 5]

He has some good points but I did not like his writing. He often repeated himself or rambled. This book could have easily been 100 less.

[Christopher Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

He reigns