How Jesus Saves: Atonement for Ordinary People

by Joshua M. McNall

"How does Jesus save us by dying on the cross?" One night, as Josh McNall was talking with his young daughter before bedtime, she asked him this seemingly simple question. How would you answer? The fact that "Jesus saves" is perhaps the most basic claim of Christianity. Theologians and scholars refer to the way Jesus saves us as the atonement. the follow-up question— How does he save?—demands the attention not just of theologians but of every Christ follower. How exactly does a brutal and shameful crucifixion bring salvation? Why does the Bible call it good news, and why should we? In How Jesus Saves , McNall—professor and host of the podcast Outpost Theology— answers common questions and resolves misunderstandings that many people have about the atonement. You'll explore questions Through Scripture, story, and real-life applications, McNall addresses this great Christian doctrine with simplicity without sacrificing the nuance it demands. Clear and readable, How Jesus Saves will deepen your faith and commitment as a Christian, giving you the comprehension and confidence you need to explain the atonement not only to your curious loved ones but also to skeptics who might challenge your faith. This book includes reflection questions at the end of each chapter.

Genres: Theology

160 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2023

About the author

Joshua M. McNall (PhD, University of Manchester) is associate professor of pastoral theology, ambassador of church relations, and director of the honors program at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

Reviews

[Joshua Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich and balanced theology while being accessible for any reader. This book gave deep, impossible to exhaust, yet understandable categories for beholding the work of Jesus. While aimed to be a beginners guide for the doctrine of atonement, and I think it succeeded in that task, what I loved most is that it read more like a father explaining the glories of the cross to his child than a dry professor recounting facts about the atonement.

[Dina Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard McNall speak at a conference and loved his Everyman approach to serious theology. He knows his stuff but has a storytelling sense about him rooted to today. He doesn’t seem to try to solve an atonement riddle, rather he highlights important explanations, setting the table for a richer understanding of God’s pathway for relationship.

[Sarah Krupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this a lot! could reread 12 more times and still be learning and blown away. connected so many thoughts, ideas, and concepts i didn’t even know i was lacking/ didn’t fully understand. taught me so much about Jesus’ character, sacrifice, and how i can life my life in the knowledge, freedom, and surrender because of His sacrifice and resurrection. Thank You God!!

[Zachary Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4/5

Medium: Audio 🎧

🎧 Audiobook Friendly? Yes! Read by the author and read well!

Reading Level: 2/5; Accessible. Book flows really well, successfully breaks down big concepts into a still deep but accessible package. The author is gueniuinly funny at times, though, not every joke lands.

Review: Mission Accomplished

How Jesus Saves, from what I understand, is a distillation of McNall's scholarly work on Atonement "The Mosaic of the Atonement". McNall's goal is to show that various "theories" of atonement have things to teach us and that there's not one atonement theory in the Bible. Different biblical authors talk about Christ's reconciling work in different ways. The same biblical author will even switch between different aspects of Christ's work. The total picture that emerges is a beautiful... wait for it...mosaic. The theories covered in the book are: Recapitulation, Substitution, Christus Victor, and Moral influence with needed emphasis on Spirit Empowerement. The books usefully shows how these atonement motifs interconnect and interdepend. The books succeeds in exactly what is sets out to do: introduce atonement to normal people. It's very accessible and helpful. I would put this book in the hands of teen and trust they'd have no issues understanding. I do have some disagreements but they're not overwhelming and the author gives nod to different ways of the thinking about certain things that I appreciated (I think just wanted some discussion beyond the scope of the book). I was pleasantly suprised by both how broad and deep this book felt being so short. A pleasant read with a lot of analogies that would translate well to teaching.

[Gretta Hug · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first! I read a book authored by a former student. This book was inspired by a seemingly simple question from the author’s daughter regarding how the death of Jesus saves us. In trying to think how I would have answered I instantly saw the complexity! The chapters break down the answer in a way that is accessible to those of us who are not religious scholars. While I made it through the book in a matter of days, this will be content that is digested more for weeks to come. Well done Josh McNall!

[Michael Wayne Gudka · Rating 4 out of 5]

While overall this book has sound theology, it can at times make leaps between connecting theological views, while not helping the "ordinary person" follow the line of reasoning. If you have a basic understanding of traditional or Biblical salvation theology, you will do just fine. If you don't have this basic theological understanding, you will need to do a little extra research outside of the text. I greatly appreciate how the author takes basic popular statements and asks the reader to go deeper. Thank you Joshua for writing the book.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and Quick read to start a journey with atonement theory

I loved it. Pithy arguments. Clear writing. Engaging arguments and detail. This is a great book to share with friends that want to ponder the atonement but are afraid of theology books.