John Piper

John Piper (1946 - Present)

is a Calvinistic Baptist Christian preacher and author currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His books include ECPA Christian Book Award winners Spectacular Sins, What Jesus Demands from the World, Pierced by the Word, and God's Passion for His Glory, and bestsellers Don't Waste Your Life and The Passion of Jesus Christ. The evangelical organization Desiring God is named for his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986).

In 1980, after what he described as an "irresistible call of the Lord to preach", Piper became Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has been ministering ever since. Piper hit the evangelical scene after the publication of his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986) and has continued to publish dozens of other books further articulating this theological perspective. In 1994, he founded Desiring God Ministries, which provides all of Piper's sermons and articles from the past three decades, and most of his books online free of charge, as well as offering for sale books, CDs, and DVDs and regularly hosting conferences.

John Stephen Piper is a Reformed and Baptist theologian, preacher, and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of numerous books.

Piper's motto in ministry, preaching, and teaching is: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." He calls those who live out this motto Christian Hedonists. Piper places a heavy emphasis on the objective and absolute nature of truth and is confident in the Christian's ability to grasp that truth through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“ignited and sustained by God. Indwelling sin provides us with marvelous proof of God’s sustaining grace.”

“whoever is truly humbled will not be easily angry, will not be positive and rash, will be compassionate and tender to the infirmities of his fellow-sinners, knowing, that, if there be a difference, it is grace that has made it, and that he has the seeds of every evil in his own heart; and, under all trials and afflictions, he will look to the hand of the Lord, and lay his mouth in the dust, acknowledging that he suffers much less than his iniquities have deserved. These are some of the advantages and good fruits which the Lord enables us to obtain from that bitter root, indwelling sin.32”

“True faith in Christ unites the soul to Christ, and this unity brings a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4:7) and a “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet. 1:8). Union with Christ teaches us that we are weak in ourselves, but strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (Eph. 6:10).6 Union with Christ connects us to God, binding us to our supreme pleasures.7”

“I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord GOD.” The reminder of our preatonement sin confounds us by grace, and we stop comparing ourselves to others. Or to use Paul’s words, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3).”

“But when, after a long experience of their own deceitful hearts, after repeated proofs of their weakness, willfulness, ingratitude, and insensibility, they find that none of these things can separate them from the love of God in Christ, Jesus becomes more and more precious to their souls.35”

“Hereby Christ is made more precious to us when our insurmountable evils encompass us about like bees—when we see them more in number than the hairs of our head; then, and then only, we are properly apprized both of the exceeding value and the absolute necessity of that better righteousness than our own, whereon our hope is founded.37”

“This is a perpetual theme in Newton’s writings. The more aware we are of indwelling sin and its vile nature, the more precious and beautiful Christ grows.”

“on the cross for our sins; we look to Christ who was raised victoriously on Easter; and we look to Christ in his eternal sovereign reign now in heaven. Newton kept in focus these three distinct markers in the progression of Christ’s life. Looking to Jesus was foundational.”

“Which is to say, our indwelling sin causes us to cherish the forthcoming day when it will be removed forever. The sense of our indwelling sin now entices our anticipation for the day we see Jesus, the day when every evil and every imperfection and every hindrance to full joy in Christ—every desire we have for sin—will be exterminated from our hearts. With the eradication of indwelling sin will come a full possession of eternal happiness to perfectly reflect the riches of God’s love for us and the sufficient work of Jesus. We will live in a curse-less creation, all will be made new, and all things will once again be freed from sin.41 But for now, indwelling sin is what sets our hope on this future day, prevents us from storing up treasures on earth, readies us for death, and keeps us in eager anticipation of our “glorious liberty” to come.42”

“in afflictions, imperfections, temptations, and desertions; yet he [Paul] says, always; which can only be practiced by those who see and keep in mind that they are complete in Christ; that he is all in all to them; their Righteousness, Wisdom and Strength; their Sun and Shield; their Friend and Representative before the throne; their Shepherd and their Husband.”

“And then Newton writes, “If I may speak my own experience, I find that to keep my eye simply upon Christ, as my peace, and my life, is by far the hardest part of my calling.”31”

“Simplicity is single-hearted obedience, as opposed to halfhearted eye-service (Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22).”

“Indeed, all of creation and human history are aimed at one simple end: to glorify the Creator (Rom. 11:36; 1 Tim. 1:17; Jude 25; Rev. 4:9–11).”

“I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3). Sin is the move away from simple devotion to Christ. Sin is spiritual complexity.”

“Simplicity is what protects us from living for two masters. We cannot serve God and money. Such distraction is unhealthy and unsimple (Matt. 6:24). Living for two masters is failure in the Christian life. Living for two masters is entrapment in a tangled knot of sin.”

“This prison visit is illuminating on three levels. First, Newton believed that the grace of God could reach anyone, no matter how dark or prevailing the sin, and he was living proof of it. Second, Newton found in 1 Timothy 1:15 a natural transition from his own life of sin to Paul’s claim on the title of “chief sinner.” Newton could make such a smooth transition because he genuinely believed that he was the worst sinner he knew—even in a room where he was circled by one hundred thieves and prostitutes. Third, sin is sin. No matter how squeaky clean the Christian appears in society compared with a burglar, a prostitute, a pickpocket, or any other social miscreant, in both resides a powerfully wicked bent called indwelling sin.2 Newton’s preaching, whether in a vile prison or from a varnished pulpit, always addressed those who were “criminals condemned already.”3”

“It is a life of single-focused glory, and not our own glory. We place our happiness in his favor and find our joy in his glory. In other words, our happiness and God’s glory have been inseparably bound together.9”

“We were created by God, we were created for God, and we find purpose for our lives when we resign ourselves to God’s disposal. We offer ourselves for God’s glory alone because God lives for his glory alone.10 Newton once counted every mention in the Bible where God acts so that “they shall know that I am the LORD.” He found the phrase seventy-three times.11 This biblical discovery is essential to all other reality and knowledge in the universe. God intends with his every act to honor his own name—it is his highest end, his aim in every act.12 He is the potter; we are clay, made in his image and created for his glory. And not only are we created for him; we have been redeemed from sin by him. Christ has paid the purchase price, and we are his by blood; therefore we can no longer live for multiple lords. We do not serve God and money, and we do not serve God and worldliness. Our bodies and souls have been created and redeemed for one ultimate end: to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:19–20).”

“Christ is the motto of the Christian life because Christ is the substance of the Christian life.”

“This includes all I can wish for my dear friends, that you may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Jesus. To know him, is the shortest description of true grace; to know him better, is the surest mark of growth in grace; to know him perfectly, is eternal life” (John 17:3).7”

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