In this book R. C. Sproul surveys the great work accomplished by Jesus Christ through his crucifixion, the redemption of God's people. He considers the atonement from numerous angles and argues conclusively that the cross was not one possible means of salvation among others but absolutely necessary if anyone was to be saved at all.

Opening the Scriptures, Sproul works through the vocabulary the New Testament actually uses - propitiation, expiation, satisfaction, ransom, substitution - and explains each in the plain terms that made him such an effective teacher. For readers who believe in the cross without being able to say what it accomplished, which is a larger number than most churches assume.