God the Peacemaker: How Atonement Brings Shalom
in New Studies in Biblical Theology
Pages
296
Publisher
IVP Academic
Published
12/1/2009
ISBN-13
9780830826261
What does God intend for his broken creation?
In this book Graham A. Cole seeks to answer this question by setting the atoning work of the cross in the broad framework of God's grand plan to restore the created order, and places the story of Jesus, his cross and empty tomb within it. Since we have become paradoxically the glory and garbage of the universe, our great need is peace with God and not just with God, but also with one another. Atonement brings shalom by defeating the enemies of peace, overcoming both the barriers to reconciliation and to the restoration of creation through the sacrifice of Christ. The "peace dividend" that atonement brings ranges from the forgiveness of sins for the individual to adoption into the family of God.
Reviews
What a title right? Graham Cole says this of the title, “[The title] attempts to capture this important biblical perspective on what God intends for His broken creation.”6 Cole, a respected theologian, sets out to write a Biblical theology on atonement (quite the task), and he hits a biblical-theological-doxological home run. The first three chapters tell the story of the world’s problem while the next three chapters tell the story of God’s solution...
[Full Review]