The Incomparable Christ

A Logos Association Best Book award winner

Everyone has something to say about Jesus.

Sorting through the numerous books of recent years, you may find yourself lost in a thicket of viewpoints, some troubling to faith, some puzzling to the intellect. But John Stott, one of the outstanding evangelical voices of the last half century, offers in The Incomparable Christ an enriching vision of Jesus that defies measurement.

In this newly Americanized, paperback edition Stott invites you to view Jesus from four perspectives:The Original Jesus: How the New Testament witnesses to Jesus in the Gospels, Acts and the LettersThe Ecclesiastical Jesus: How the church has presented Jesus historically, from Justin Martyr, Benedict and Anselm, to Thomas à Kempis, Martin Luther and Thomas Jefferson, to Gustavo Guitiérrez, N. T. Wright, and the Edinburgh and Lausanne missionary confessions of the twentieth centuryThe Influential Jesus: How people from St. Francis to Tolstoy, from Gandhi to Roland Allen, from Father Damien to William Wilberforce have taken inspiration from himThe Eternal Jesus: How he continually challenges today's men and women through ten visions from the book of Revelation.

This is the Jesus who is like no other--worthy of your worship, your confession and your obedience as you follow him into the future.

Foreword - Dr. George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury

Chairman's Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction
1. The Centrality of Jesus
2. History and Theology

Part I: The Original Jesus (or How the New Testament Witnesses to Him)
The Four Gospels
1. The Gospel of Matthew: Christ the Fulfillment of Scripture
2. The Gospel of Mark: Christ the Suffering Servant
3. Luke's Gospel and the Acts: Christ the Savior of the World
4. The Gospel and Letters of John: Christ the Word Made Flesh
5. The Fourfold Gospel
6. Jesus and Paul
The Thirteen Letters of Paul
7. A Polemical Letter (Galatians): Christ the Liberator
8. The Early Letters (1 2 Thessalonians): Christ the Coming Judge
9. The Major Letters (Romans, 1 2 Corinthians): Christ the Savior
10. The Prison Letters (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians): Christ the Supreme Lord
11. The Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy, Titus and 2 Timothy): Christ the Head of the Church
Three More Jewish Authors
12. The Letter of James: Christ the Moral Teacher
13. The Letter to the Hebrews: Christ Our Great High Priest
14. The Letters of Peter: Christ the Exemplary Sufferer
Conclusion: Diversity in Unity

Part II: The Ecclesiastical Jesus (or How the Church Has Presented Him)
Introduction: "Another Jesus"
1. Christ the Complete Fulfilment: Justin Martyr
2. Christ the Unique God-Man: The Early Councils
3. Christ the Perfect Monk: St. Benedict
4. Christ the Feudal Debtor: Anselm
5. Christ the Heavenly Bridegroom: Bernard of Clairvaux
6. Christ the Ethical Exemplar: Thomas à Kempis
7. Christ the Gracious Savior: Martin Luther
8. Christ the Human Teacher: Earnst Renan and Thomas Jefferson
9. Christ the Tragic Victim: John Mackay
10. Christ the Social Liberator: Gustavo Gutierrez
11. Christ the Jewish Messiah: N. T. Wright
12. Christ the Global Lord: Mission in the Twentieth Century
Conclusion: Authenticity Versus Accommodation

Part III: The Influential Jesus (or How He Has Inspired People)
Introduction: The Story of Jesus
1. The Bethlehem Stable: Francis of Assisi
2. The Carpenter's Bench: George Lansbury
3. The Ministry of Compassion: Father Damien
4. The Sermon on the Mount: Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
5. The Love for Children: Thomas Barnardo
6. The Washing of Feet: Samuel Logan Brengle
7. The Cross: Toyohiko Kagawa
8. The Resurrection: Joni Eareckson Tada
9. The Exaltation: Henry Martyn
10. The Gift of the Spirit: Roland Allen
11. The Second Coming: Anthony Ashley Cooper
12. The Last Judgment: William Wilberforce
Conclusion: The Radical Nature of Christ's Influence

Part IV: The Eternal Jesus (or How He Challenges Us Today)
Introduction: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ"
1. Christ Claiming to Be the First and the Last, and the Living One (Rev. 1)
2. Christ Supervising His Churches on Earth (Rev. 2--3)
3. Christ Sharing God's Throne in Heaven (Rev. 4--5)
4. Christ Controlling the Course of History (Rev. 6--7)
5. Christ Calling the World to Repentance (Rev. 8--11)
6. Christ Overcoming the Devil and His Allies (Rev. 12--13)
7. Christ Standing on Mt. Zion with His Redeemed People (Rev. 14:1--15:4)
8. Christ Coming Like a Thief in the Night (Rev. 15:5--19:10)
9. Christ Riding in Triumph on a White Horse (Rev. 19:11--20:15)
10. Christ Coming as the Bridegroom to Claim His Bride (Rev. 21--22)

Epilogue (Rev. 22:6-21)

Conclusion: One Book in Four Parts

Notes

Scripture Index

John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) has been known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Stott's best-known work, Basic Christianity, has sold two million copies and has been translated into more than 60 languages. Other titles include The Cross of Christ, Understanding the Bible, The Contemporary Christian, Evangelical Truth, Issues Facing Christians Today, The Incomparable Christ, Why I Am a Christian and Through the Bible Through the Year, a daily devotional. He has also written eight volumes in The Bible Speaks Today series of New Testament expositions.Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" and was named in the Queen?s New Years Honours list as Commander of the Order of the British Empire.In 1969, Stott founded the Langham Trust to fund scholarships for young evangelical leaders from the Majority World. He then founded the Evangelical Literature Trust, which provided books for students, pastors and theological libraries in the Majority World. These two trusts continued as independent charities until 2001, when they were joined as a single charity: the Langham Partnership. Langham's vision continues today to see churches in the Majority World equipped for mission and growing to maturity in Christ through nurturing national movements for biblical preaching, fostering the creation and distribution of evangelical literature, and enhancing evangelical theological education.

"John Stott's books are always eagerly awaited. . . . His books always penetrate to the heart of the matter being expounded and are expressed in clear, attractive prose and as simply as the subject allows. [The Incomparable Christ] is a gem."