Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 27:3 (Fall 2023)
Article: Editorial: Reflecting On The Glory Of The Cross
Author: Stephen J. Wellum

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Editorial: Reflecting On The Glory Of The Cross

Stephen J. Wellum

Stephen J. Wellum is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. He received his PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and he is the author of numerous essays and articles and the co-author with Peter Gentry of Kingdom through Covenant, 2nd edition (Crossway, 2012, 2018) and God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology (Crossway, 2015); the co-editor of Progressive Covenantalism (B&H, 2016); the author of God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of the Person of Christ (Crossway, 2016) and Christ Alone—The Uniqueness of Jesus as Savior (Zondervan, 2017); the co-author of Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ (Zondervan, 2018); and the author of The Person of Christ: An Introduction (Crossway, 2021).

In this issue of SBJT, our focus is on the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. Trying to capture all that our Lord Jesus achieved in his glorious work without being reductionist is not easy. We cannot reduce Christ’s work simply to one aspect of his life and ministry. Included in our Lord’s redemptive work as our mediator is his incarnation, entire obedient life as our new covenant head, his cross, resurrection, ascension, and his pouring out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, along with his present rule over the world and his advent to come. John Calvin sought to grasp the comprehensive nature of Christ’s work by the famous munus triplex—Christ’s threefold office as our mediator—prophet, priest, and king. What Calvin sought to avoid, along with many faithful theologians before him, was reductionism in our theological formulations.

However, although there is a danger in prioritizing one aspect of our Lord’s work above others, we can also lose what is central in Christ’s work. As we read Scripture, it does stress the centrality of Christ’s priestly office

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and his sacrificial death for our sins (Matt 1:21; 1 Cor 15:3–4). It was never enough for Christ to be merely with us in his incarnation, to teach us in his prophetic role, and even to rule over us as our king. To redeem us, and to undo the damage of the first man, Christ had to act for us in his life, death, and resurrection. Apart from his cross-work, namely, his death for us as substitute, we have no redemption, no justification before God, and ultimately no hope in the world. In this sense,...