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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Rick Smith’s The Scapegoat explains the biblical concept of Jesus as a substitute who takes on humanity’s guilt and punishment, using the metaphor of a scapegoat. He details how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, leading to humanity’s separation from God and a legacy of inherited guilt. Smith traces key biblical events, such as Cain’s murder of Abel, the flood in Noah’s time, the covenant with Abraham, and the Exodus, leaning into humanity’s ongoing struggle with sin and divine justice. He explains the Law’s role in defining sin and demanding atonement, yet shows that no one can fully obey it, thus needing a perfect sacrifice. Jesus is presented as that perfect, sinless sacrifice who fulfills the Law once and for all. Smith describes Jesus’ life, miracles, temptation resistance, and crucifixion as essential to this role, emphasizing faith in Jesus as the means to forgiveness and eternal life.
The Scapegoat by Rick Smith is a thoughtful deep dive into Jesus’s unique role in spiritual atonement with clear and precise writing that invites readers to consider significant theological ideas. Smith’s careful articulation of Jesus as both sacrificial offering and scapegoat draws attention to the intentionality behind these biblical concepts, and does so in a manner that is accessible and well-organized. Smith’s style is the perfect mix of scholarship and comfortable, straightforward language, making even some of the more complicated ideas approachable. The most interesting to me is Smith's perspective on the transformation from ritual law to faith and mercy as the moral and spiritual shifts that bring forward the new covenant. In this, his treatment of judgment, mercy, and repentance ties together the relationship between personal beliefs and actions. Overall, this is an extremely insightful composition with an authoritative but encouraging and respectful tone, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in understanding Jesus’s distinctive role in forgiveness and salvation.
