Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-277) and index.

The big picture -- The importance of the cross -- A useful distinction -- A caution -- The righteous God of holy love -- The divine perfections: a righteous holy love -- The theological conversion of P.T. Forsyth -- The cross as revelatory of the character of God -- Is divine love in conflict with divine wrath? -- The glory and garbage of the universe -- The glory of creation: Imago dei -- The primeval rupture -- The primeval sin -- The dominical diagnosis -- The Pauline elaboration -- The C.E.M. Joad story -- The great need: peace with God, with one another, and for the cosmos -- The problem of sin -- The problem of wrath -- The problem of judgment -- The problem of the human other -- The problem of the God of this world -- The problem of the groaning creation -- Foundations and foreshadowings -- Foundations in the love of the Triune God -- The foundational promise: the protoevangelium -- The Abrahamic framework -- Foreshadowings: the back story of God and Israel -- The faithful Son -- Irenaeus: a pioneering contribution -- The faithful/faith-filled Son -- The scorn at the cross -- The witness of Hebrews -- The witness of revelation -- The Pauline witness: Christ's faithfulness or faith in Christ? -- The faith/faithfulness of Christ or the obedience of Christ? -- Jesus faithful life and Atonement -- The death and vindication of the faithful Son -- Sacrifice -- Divine victory through sacrifice -- The idea of satisfaction -- Satisfaction of divine holiness through sacrifice -- Satisfaction of divine righteousness through sacrifice -- Satisfaction of divine love through sacrifice -- What kind of sacrifice? -- Covenant-making through sacrifice -- The vindication of the faithful Son -- The peace dividend -- Peace with God for the individual -- Peace between Jew and Gentile: the one new man -- Peace for the cosmos: Reconciliation and pacification -- Life between the Cross and the coming -- Eschatological location -- Living by faith, not by sight -- Faith appreciates the price -- Faith lives for Him -- Faith walks worthy of the Gospel -- Faith suffers for the name -- Faith resists the devil -- Faith offers a living sacrifice -- An eschatological community: mercy-showing and Shalom-making -- Telling and defending the story of the project -- The role of the spirit -- Excursus: the three commissions lifestyle -- The grand purpose: glory -- Scripture's narrative unity -- Little Christs -- Glory the goal -- Debate about the centrality of penal substitution -- Debate about the morality of penal substitution -- Are moral influence and exemplarist theories Atonement theories? -- Healing in the Atonement -- The Holy Saturday debate -- Non-violent Atonement theories -- Father, Son and Spirit.