The Work of Christ

Contours of Christian Theology #2

by Robert Letham

In The Work of Christ Robert Letham shapes his discussion around the threefold office of Christ as prophet, priest and king. Within this framework he explores the issues of Christ and the Word of God, the nature and theories of the atonement, and the cosmic and corporate dimensions of the mediatorial kingship of Christ. At crucial points the viewpoints of significant Christian thinkers, from the church fathers to comtemporary theolgians and biblical scholars, are introduced and brought into the conversation.

Lucidly written and clearly presented, this is a soundly orthodox and engaging presentation of what Christ has done. It is a welcome starting point for students of theology.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christian, Christianity, Reference

284 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 1993

About the author

Robert Letham (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Aberdeen University) is professor of systematic and historical theology at Union School of Theology in Bridgend, Wales, and the author of a number of books, including The Lord's Supper and Union with Christ.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letham covers the offices of Christ, his union with his people, the nature of his work (especially the atonement), and the extent of redemption. He also surveys past and present alternative theories to Christ and his work. In all, this is a very helpful, readable, and edifying work.

I do, though, have a reservation about to degree to which he accepts the work of Sanders on how the Jews in Christ's time felt righteous.

Liked it a lot.

[Cliff Dailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and Rich. Letham leads to some helpful categories.

[Tom James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fleshing out of what Christ has done for His people in His life, suffering, and death. Highly recommended.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡Tremendo libro! Si quieres profundizar en el triple oficio de Cristo como profeta, sacerdote y rey, este es el recurso ideal. Robert Letham presenta una exposición clara, bíblica y profunda sobre la obra de Cristo en la redención. Es un libro imprescindible para todo aquel que quiera conocer mejor el corazón del evangelio. ¡Léelo y disfrútalo!.

[Graham Heslop · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most of the books in this series, Letham's work is uncomplicated and very helpfully laid out as a guide to the contemporary issues in Christology as well as the historical discussions. That being said, as with Macleod on the person of Christ, Letham's feels dated at points; this is unavoidable when writing theology, especially given the recent major debates at the intersection of Christ, second temple Judaism, and justification.

Letham works hard at developing our understanding of Christ's work as past, present, and future; union functions as the overarching theological point, and is unpacked well with relation to: election for salvation (covenant), atonement and justification, and finally resurrection. Initially I baulked at Letham's arrangement of his material under the rubric of Christ's threefold office - prophet, priest, and king - but it didn't overtly shape the theology, just the structure of the book.

This work is a great place to start when considering the work of Christ and the author cleverly summarises his larger approach briefly in each chapter meaning one can read chapters separately while seeing how they fit in with the greater system

[Paul Wichert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Emphasizes Christ's work as inseparable from his person, and the logical unity of the ordo salutis noting distinctions among its components. Includes the historical development of various views and models, along with interesting discussions of union with Christ, the Kingdom of God, and the intent of the atonement. Very readable, concise language, carefully defining terms.

[James Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book that was most suited to my recent meditating on Christ these past weeks. This book helped me think more clearly on all aspects of the work of Christ, but the parts that most ministered to my soul were the chapters on the atonement (what a surprise no!?). Oh how sweet it was to think and wrestle through what it means that Christ died for sinners! And while I say this book was very much an aid to my meditating on Christ and an encouragement to my soul, I must hasten to say that it is also a fairly academic work – and yes, a bit dry at times. Still though, I found this work most enlightening and not just in an intellectual way – it brought me closer to my Lord and filled my heart with joy and love as I considered what my God has done for me. The chapter at the end on the intent of the atonement was particularly cohesive and well written. The author did a fair job at grappling with various views of Christ’s work and attempting to give all sides a fair shake, but at the end of the day, his beliefs around Christ and his work hewed very closely to a traditional reformed view. There were a few elements of this that I slightly disagreed with (mostly the author’s statement’s on Christ’s kingdom work both now and in the future), yet still I cannot complain over much. This book brought me closer to my Lord and indeed gave me such joy as I meditated more and more these past days on His work for this world and yea, even for one such as me.

[Gwilym Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars really, but a slightly weary finish. The good: a simple writing style, solidly reformed theology, and a lot of sound conclusions. The less good: a slightly disjointed relationship between the first half of the book (good models for discussing soteriology that Letham chose not to adopt as his primary scheme) and the second; the limitations of the prophet, priest, king scheme as a way of capturing the biblical witness (a tendency to divide what ought to remain united, a therefore necessarily repetitious outline, and a loss of the drama of salvation); a writing style that is simple but pedestrian enough to lose interest; the absence of a clear beginning to end argument (and the attendant lack of any meaningful conclusion); a fairly distant relationship with the underlying exegesis.

In summary: nothing much here to get grumpy about, but I wasn't that excited either. Given the subject matter, that's a shame.

[Anthony Locke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid examination of the work of Christ through the lens of his offices - prophet, priest, and king. While the foundational chapters didn't do much (in my opinion) to bolster the rest of the work, it was a good survey of themes directly and indirectly tied to Christ's work. I thought his chapter on the atonement was particularly good - a succinct summary of the ThM seminar that I took last Fall. Somehow our book discussion ended up talking most about whether or not Christians are united to Christ in election ...

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letham discusses the offices that Jesus held, according to the Scriptures. He introduces Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King. He elaborates through prior theological principles, confirming or denying their stability. He shares the complexities of salvation, justification, atonement, union with Christ, the Word and Christ's kingship. It's super wordy, but the point is for the knowledge to translate in our hearts and understand the breadth of what Jesus did on the Cross.

The point of reading this should be to love Jesus more and to receive more of His love, don't read it to win a debate.

[Simon Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great content here from Prof Letham. I particularly enjoyed chapter 2 on Christ's work in connection to covenant theology as well as chapter 9 on the atonement and justification. This is a solid book on the work of Christ but not my top recommendation due to stylistic reasons rather than content.

[Nathan Chattaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible Christology. Letham writes in a natural modern way and is adept at clearly explaining complex concepts. His treatment of the intent of the atonement, included as an appendix, is worth the purchase price and deserves to become required reading for all students of theology.

[J Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really heart-warming exposition of all that Christ achieved in his life, death and resurrection. Comprehensive in scope.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good and encouraging overview, although theology is not something I enjoy. The author said he would avoid technical language, but did not.

[Jaden A · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, this is my second favorite book from the 'Contours of Christian Theology' series by InterVarsity Press, second to Sinclair Ferguson's 'The Holy Spirit.' One of the things that I appreciate is rather than solely focusing on the atonement proper, Letham writes of the work of Christ via the tripartite office of prophet, priest, and king.

I specifically found the sections on Christ as priest and king interesting, especially Christ's intercessory work as high priest. Letham makes the point that the theology of Christ as high priest was a fairly neglected doctrine for much of church history.

Letham also explores competing theories of the atonement and various arguments related to the extent of the atonement. The atonement was a cosmic event according to Letham, because God is reconciling all things to himself, through the propitiation of Christ's sacrifice (Col. 1:20), securing the renewal of all creation, having then began. While not stated explicitly, Letham hints at postmillennialism and views Christ's vicarious work on the cross not merely as a soteriological act but one that is deeply eschatological too.

Overall, this is a great introductory book for a thoughtful reader if one is interested in learning about the work of Christ.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't Letham's strongest work but it is a must read for anyone studying Christology. The focus throughout the book is on Atonement and Justification and how through the different offices Christ fulfills the mission of redemption.

Letham is a great communicator and this is another great example of his work.

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letham is a premier theologian who knows the historic and modern field well. This book engages with many of the errors which both ancient theology and modern theology have contracted in formulating the key doctrine of the Scriptures. One cannot read this volume without profit.

[Anthony Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this years ago, presents a strong Reformed perspective.

[Cbarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Structures the book on the three-fold mediatorial function of Christ: prophet, priest, king.