Johnson, Terry L.
The Foot of the Cross (Winslow)
Books about the Cross are often just scholarly examinations of the various views or interpretations of that Cross instead of expositions of the Biblical doctrine of the Cross as a once-and-for-all propitiation for sin. That, however, is not the case with this devotional volume which points the reader back again and again to the redemptive work of God's Son on Calvary. Its purpose is to call believers to keep coming to the Cross of Christ for everything they need concerning personal faith and piety.
Various chapters speak of how precious the Cross has become to us as believers- of how it has revealed to us God's wrath upon our sin, thereby driving us to the Savior, and of how we have been reconciled to God by looking to Christ's atoning work upon it. However, as the book goes on to explain, in order to be further strengthened in our faith, we need to keep coming to the Cross. Not only our initial pardon but also our ongoing assurance of forgiveness is to be found in the Cross. It is at the foot of the Cross that we grow in the love of Christ. There we learn how to pray and are strengthened to pray, even during our most difficult times. When Satan creates doubt in our hearts, we are convinced once again of biblical truth by looking in faith to the incredible display of God's love on the Cross. At the Cross, we find spiritual healing from our sin and its accompanying miseries. These we learn how to bear our own cross in self-denial by the power of Christ. We find rest for our souls, victory over our spiritual foes, and unity with other believers, all by looking to the Cross, Christ's redemptive death in our place!
Author
Octavius Winslow (1808-1878) was born in London, England, and reared in New York. He was ordained as a pastor in 1833 and held pastorates in New York, Leamington Spa, Bath, and Brighton. A prolific author, his devotional writings exhibit his Reformed, experiential convictions and distinctive, warm, ardent style.