The Prince's Poison Cup

Book Review

I recently read R.C. Sproul's book The Prince's Poison Cup. Meant to convey "deep biblical truths to children on their own level," this book presented a unique, easy to grasp retelling of the story of the gospel.

Starting with creation and working through the fall to redemption, I was happy to see a close parallel with the biblical accounts. Sproul keeps true to his reformed perspective throughout:

Total Depravity - "...their hearts turned to stone." (p. 15) "...they no longer felt any love for their king." (p. 15)
Unconditional Election - "...those whose hearts were changed..." (p. 34)
Limited Atonement - "Some people's hearts remained hard and cold..." (p. 34)
Irresistible Grace - "...they could not hold back." (p. 34)
Perseverance of the Saints - "...healed their stony hearts." (p. 35) "They no longer wanted to run and hide form the King." (p. 35)

R.C. Sproul has a masterful way with words, tying in elements of the Holy Spirit's role in redemption "...the wind blowing seemed to carry His words..." and the location of man's heart prior to salvation "...people watching from the shadows." There are many more great truths conveyed within this book, and to help relate the story to what the Bible says, the end of the book does a great job showing the scripture references.

As a father I greatly value this book's ability to take biblical truths and tie them beautifully into a story that any child could understand.

I highly recommend all add this book to their collection. Whether you have children or not, you will benefit from the simple wisdom of R.C. Sproul.


Note: FTC guidelines require me to state that I will be receiving a free copy of this book upon completion of this review. This is not contingent upon a positive review, merely an honest reflection of the content.