It Is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement

by Mark Dever, Michael Lawrence

The idea of Christ's substitutionary atonement for sinners is central in both the Old and New Testaments—from the Passover to the prophets to the words of Jesus and the apostles. In It Is Well, pastors Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence demonstrate how the atonement is clearly taught throughout Scripture.

Starting with Exodus 12 and moving through other key Old Testament passages into the Gospels and the epistles of Paul and Peter, the authors offer careful expositions on fourteen crucial texts. As they speak to important issues such as what happens when there is no substitute for sin, why God forsook Christ, Jesus' perspective on his substitutionary work, and the necessity and benefits of the atonement, they show how much the doctrine applies to the Christian life.

It Is Well not only encourages pastors to preach this essential doctrine for the strengthening of the church, but it helps individual believers understand and exult in the richness of God's love in Christ.

Part of the 9Marks series.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Faith, Christian Living

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Mark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.

In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.

Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I intentionally took up this book during Passion Week to help focus myself on the cross. This book is built out of sermon series delivered by Mark Dever in which he focused on the doctrine of Christ's penal substitution (a doctrine that has fallen on hard times in some evangelical circles). I enjoyed the style. I especially appreciated the regular application of the various texts/truths to both Christians and nonChristians.

[Jennifer Spiegel]

Book #13 in My Project! I A Faith-oriented book/month (BUT I DID 13!). My personal self-help thing. I'm anti-cheese, Bono-esque in my beliefs, sometimes terribly old-fashioned, oft-repugnant to my fellow religious folk. Here's book 13/12

I guess I'd say that I took a deep-ish dive into theology, having been negligent for a while. After reading this, I'd suggest that if one holds that the Bible is infallible, substitutionary atonement is indisputable. If the Bible is fallible, substitutionary atonement is disputable.

These authors did their work.

[Tim Franks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read on a crucial topic of our faith. It felt a little choppy and most likely a sermon series put into a book. Penal substitutionary atonement is a pinnacle point of our beliefs. We don’t have salvation without Christ atoning for our sin on the Cross and rising again on the 3rd day. Our Living Hope resides in the Lord Jesus Christ. One major strength of this book is the apologetic nature throughout.

[Nick Basile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rich, glorious truth, well written, and in a gentle yet confident pastoral tone. Deep, foundational truth written in an engaging way. Not at all dry, as some may expect from a title containing the word, "Expositions." Dever and Lawrence take bedrock, universal truth of Christianity, and show that it is personally applicable to every believer, and they plead with every unbeliever to pay attention and listen to it.

[Trevor Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on the atonement and the substitutionary nature of it. 14 what amount to sermons which give you a biblical theology of the topic. So good I am contemplating a sermon series on the same subject.

Only downside was that there seemed to me to be a disproportionate amount of time spent in Romans, others may enjoy that but I didn’t especially.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview of “substitutionary atonement” - or how Christ died on the cross as payment for our sins so that we may live. Dever and Lawrence unpack this by walking through different passages of the Bible (one per chapter). I think each was originally based on sermons delivered at their church. I quite liked it - meaty without being heavy.

[Tyler Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear, practical book on penal substitutionary atonement. Both authors exhaust very important biblical passages that reflect imagery of substitution and the penalty of sin and how Jesus fulfills this expectation on the cross for sinners like you and me. Each chapter is written like a sermon and are very easy to read.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of reflections on substitutionary atonement. This started out as a series of sermons, which have then been turned into a book with minimal editing. I think more thorough editing would have made it a more engaging book. And the resulting repetition means this is something to read bit-by-bit rather than straight through. But the content is, of course, wonderful.

[Sean Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book of essays tackling the important topic of the substitutionary atonement. The Dever essays are stronger than the Lawrence ones, but this is still a well written, and thought out book, which is vital for all Christians to understand.

[Travis Agnew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a collection of sermons focused on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus. Within the pages are rich theological truths, as if from a faithful commentary, as well as evangelistic pleas to repent and believe.

[Charles Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter (or sermon) stands alone, at the same time being all driven by a common theme makes for an interesting sense of cohesion, it also can make it tedious. My suggestion read these singly or individually across a spread-out timeframe. Let it soak in, and then pick up the next one down the road.

[Brian Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains some excellent expositions on substitutionary atonement. The following quote from the book is a good summation of the general tenor of the book:

"The idea of a substitute for sinners is at the very center of the story of the Bible. In fact, it's hard to think of a major event or institution in the Old Testament that isn't teaching us about our need for someone to take our place, to stand in our stead, to do what we cannot do. We see it in the seemingly endless sacrifices offered in the temple as day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, century after century, countless animals are offered as sacrificial substitutes for the people's sin. We see it other places as well. Joseph is sold into slavery, as good as dead, but that "sacrifice" of one son results in the unexpected deliverance of the entire family. Abraham is about to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac, but God stops him and provides a ram as a substitute instead. The Passover lamb is killed so that the firstborn of Israel are not [killed]. It may even be that the very first substitute in the narrative of Scripture was the animal God killed in order to clothe Adam and Eve the day they fell into sin."

Authors Dever and Lawrence did an excellent job in this book discussing the reality of penal substitution, and more specifically Christ as our willing substitute. Their exposition of scripture is definitely Holy Spirit-led. Your heart will leap for Christ as you read this dynamic work about His dynamic work, and you will be inspired to share these wonderful truths with the unsaved.

Read it and be blessed!

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Analyzing 14 key texts from across both testaments, this book makes a phenomenal case for the substitutionary view of the atonement of Christ. Dever and Lawrence each take certain passages, providing a biblical theological perspective to each. The exegesis is really of a very certain character, so exegetes of historical or socio-critical perspectives will not likely be convinced, but the heart of atonement theory doesn't lie in these exegetical realms anyway. This is an issue of theology, and an important one at that. This book makes an excellent homiletical contribution.

[Tanwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good expository on Penal Substitution. The uniqueness of this book is that Dever and Lawrence use biblical themes to explain the substitutionary atonement. Starting from Exodus on the account of Passover, the day of atonement in Leviticus, to the New Testament.

Overall, this is a very solid book that covers all bases on substitutionary atonement. If you want to learn about this doctrine, this book would be my number one recommendation. This is also a good book if you want to have a refresher on the doctrine.

4 out of 5

[Garth]

This book is above my reading level, so I have been going back and forth with it. It is extremely deep and dry, but is intently wrapped around the cross. It is amazing to see how often subsitutionary atonement is referenced or used in the old testament compared to the new testament, and how often God said man needs it. It makes me more and more thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays on The Atonement is very helpful for understanding why Jesus' sacrifice for our sins is the SUPERIOR sacrifice. Great help to read alongside the book of Hebrews and a good resource for teachers.

[High Pointe Baptist Church]

This edited, accessible collection of sermons on the cross is an excellent way to grow in your understanding and application of the doctrine of Christ's substitutionary sacrifice to God for us.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive look at select expositions on the substitutionary atonement of Christ.

[Seth Channell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not too big on sermons turned books.

[Stephen Willcox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book on the atonement.