One of my joys during the sabbatical last spring in Cambridge was meeting with two of the authors of the upcoming book Pierced for Our Transgressions by Mike Ovey, Steve Jeffery and Andrew Sach. Their vision for the truth of what Christ achieved for us and what the needs are in British and American Evangelicalism were so compelling that I agreed to write the foreword for their book. I recommend the book to you. If you share the belief that we lose the gospel if we lose the substitutionary, wrath-averting triumph of the cross (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13; Isaiah 53:4-6) then you may want to order the book and visit their web site.

On December 21, 2005 when I was told to get a biopsy for prostate cancer the most precious word was 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him." How do I move from being a "child of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3) to being free from wrath? It is not because God is not a God of wrath. it is because he was "pierced for my transgressions" (Isaiah 53:5).

This is not a mere academic dispute. Our present peace and our eternal life hangs on this work of Christ.