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John Piper (theologian)
Encyclopedia
John Stephen Piper is a Christian
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, including 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).
, to Bill and Ruth Piper. His father was an evangelist who traveled and built churches. As such he was raised largely by his mother. She was killed in a bus wreck in December 1974 in Israel (John Piper's Candidating Testimony
January 27, 1980). When he and his older sister were still young, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina
, where he spent the rest of his youth and graduated from Wade Hampton High School. His father died on March 6, 2007. Piper has written a tribute to his mother in the booklet, What's the Difference? (Crossway Books, 1990) which is also chapter one of the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway Books, 1991).
On January 11, 2006, Piper announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer
. According to a letter sent to his church, he and his doctors believed that the cancer was fully treatable. Piper's reaction to his diagnosis was: "This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet." Piper underwent successful surgery on February 14, 2006.
He married Noël Henry in 1968, and together they have four sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren.
Piper attended Wheaton College
(1964–68), where he majored in literature
and minored in philosophy
. Studying Romantic
Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated the poetic side of his nature, and today he regularly writes poems to celebrate special family occasions as well as composing story-poems (based on the life of biblical characters) for his congregation during the four weeks of Advent
each year.
In college he originally subscribed in the Pre-med program, only to be called to ministry during a bout of sickness. Following college, he completed a Bachelor of Divinity
degree at Fuller Theological Seminary
in Pasadena, California
(1968–71). While at Fuller, he took several courses from Daniel Fuller
and through him discovered the writings of Jonathan Edwards.
Piper did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Germany
(1971–74) under Leonhard Goppelt. His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press
and Baker Book House
. Upon completion of his doctorate, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel University and Seminary
in Saint Paul
, Minnesota, for six years (1974–80).
According to Piper, Desiring God Ministries exists to "spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ," which is also his personal motto. Piper calls those who live out this motto Christian Hedonists
. He 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.
On March 28, 2010, Piper announced that he would take an eight-month leave of absence from his ministry effective May 1.
and teaches that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" and that God's highest pursuit ("his glory") and man's deepest and most durable happiness
come together in one pursuit – namely, the pursuit of joy in God. He was awakened to this notion in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Blaise Pascal
, and C. S. Lewis
, among others, and then found it throughout the Bible, for example ; ; ; among others.
was co-editor of one of the bedrock books in this area called Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
. One of the chapters has been reprinted several times as an independent short book called What's the Difference?
.
is Calvinist
, and his ecclesiology
is Baptist
. He affirms the distinctively Calvinist doctrine of double predestination, which includes "unconditional reprobation" or damnation as a corollary to the Augustinian
doctrine of unconditional election
, and he subscribes to the Leibnizian
view that God decreed this universe to be the best of all possible universes
.
Piper believes in justification by faith alone
apart from any works, and his teachings emphasize the need for the active and inevitable perseverance of the believer
in faith
, sanctification
, and enduring sufferings, which he believes is evidence of God's saving grace. According to Piper, a once-professing Christian who does not faithfully persevere until the end demonstrates that he was mistaken about his election and was never a true believer in the first place.
. That is, he believes that supernatural gifts such as prophecy
, miracles, healing
s, and speaking in tongues have not ceased and should be sought by the church, in particular with regard to missions
and evangelism
. He does believe, however, that the office of apostle has ceased and that the gift of prophecy in the church is not the same as the inspiration of scripture. While he believes that God's supernatural revelation in the N.T. gift of prophecy is without error, he says that today, outside the Biblically recorded Word of God, the prophet's perception, understanding and delivery of that revelation is imperfect and fallible, thus modern prophecies within the church are subject to sifting.
view of the second coming
of Jesus
. Because of this belief, he maintains that Romans 11 teaches that a mass in-gathering of ethnic Israel will be saved when the hardening of their hearts is removed at Jesus' second coming. He therefore advocates the importance of hoping in the resurrection of the dead
at Christ's return.
, and closest to Covenant Theology
, or a New Covenant Theology
in matters of the Law
and covenants
, but agrees with the dispensationalist belief that there will be a millennium. He says that the Law
was meant by God to reveal sin
and show man's inability
to live up to God's righteous standards. Christians, living under the New Covenant
, are not under the Old Covenant
law but able to fulfill its intent through faith in Jesus Christ.
Piper teaches that God has only one covenant people, mostly believing Jews in the Old Testament
, and now that relationship has been superseded
by the Church
. Thus, the Church is rightful inheritor of all the promises made to ethnic Israel (land, kingdom, etc.), and Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah
have no divine right of claim on those promises.
The complete text of most of Piper's books can be accessed free of charge at Desiring God.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
preacher and author, currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. He is the author of numerous books, including 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
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
organization Desiring God is named for his book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (1986).
Biography
Piper was born in Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, to Bill and Ruth Piper. His father was an evangelist who traveled and built churches. As such he was raised largely by his mother. She was killed in a bus wreck in December 1974 in Israel (John Piper's Candidating Testimony
January 27, 1980). When he and his older sister were still young, the Pipers moved to Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, where he spent the rest of his youth and graduated from Wade Hampton High School. His father died on March 6, 2007. Piper has written a tribute to his mother in the booklet, What's the Difference? (Crossway Books, 1990) which is also chapter one of the book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway Books, 1991).
On January 11, 2006, Piper announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
. According to a letter sent to his church, he and his doctors believed that the cancer was fully treatable. Piper's reaction to his diagnosis was: "This news has, of course, been good for me. The most dangerous thing in the world is the sin of self-reliance and the stupor of worldliness. The news of cancer has a wonderfully blasting effect on both. I thank God for that. The times with Christ in these days have been unusually sweet." Piper underwent successful surgery on February 14, 2006.
He married Noël Henry in 1968, and together they have four sons, a daughter, and several grandchildren.
Piper attended Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
(1964–68), where he majored in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and minored in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. Studying Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
Literature with Clyde Kilby stimulated the poetic side of his nature, and today he regularly writes poems to celebrate special family occasions as well as composing story-poems (based on the life of biblical characters) for his congregation during the four weeks of Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...
each year.
In college he originally subscribed in the Pre-med program, only to be called to ministry during a bout of sickness. Following college, he completed a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree at Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
(1968–71). While at Fuller, he took several courses from Daniel Fuller
Daniel Fuller
Daniel P. Fuller is professor emeritus of hermeneutics at Fuller Theological Seminary where he taught from 1953 to 1993 and served as Dean of the School of Theology from 1963 to 1972. In addition, he served as president of the Gospel Broadcasting Association and the Fuller Evangelistic Association....
and through him discovered the writings of Jonathan Edwards.
Piper did his doctoral work in New Testament Studies at the University of Munich, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1971–74) under Leonhard Goppelt. His dissertation, Love Your Enemies, was published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
and Baker Book House
Baker Book House
Baker Publishing Group is an evangelical Protestant Christian book publisher based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has six subdivisions: Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books, Baker Academic, Chosen and Brazos Press.-Identity:...
. Upon completion of his doctorate, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel University and Seminary
Bethel University (Minnesota)
Bethel University is a Christian higher education institution with approximately 6,000 students from 36 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs...
in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, Minnesota, for six years (1974–80).
Ministry
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 was catapulted onto 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 today 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.According to Piper, Desiring God Ministries exists to "spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ," which is also his personal motto. Piper calls those who live out this motto Christian Hedonists
Christian hedonism
Christian hedonism is a Christian doctrine current in some evangelical circles, particularly those of the Reformed tradition. The term was coined by Reformed Baptist pastor John Piper in his 1986 book Desiring God...
. He 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.
On March 28, 2010, Piper announced that he would take an eight-month leave of absence from his ministry effective May 1.
Christian Hedonism
Piper advocates Christian hedonismChristian hedonism
Christian hedonism is a Christian doctrine current in some evangelical circles, particularly those of the Reformed tradition. The term was coined by Reformed Baptist pastor John Piper in his 1986 book Desiring God...
and teaches that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" and that God's highest pursuit ("his glory") and man's deepest and most durable happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
come together in one pursuit – namely, the pursuit of joy in God. He was awakened to this notion in the writings of Jonathan Edwards, Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, and C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, among others, and then found it throughout the Bible, for example ; ; ; among others.
Gender roles
Piper holds to a complementarian view of gender roles. This view says that the Bible teaches that a husband is called to lovingly lead, protect and provide for his wife and family, and that the wife should joyfully and intelligently affirm and submit to her husband's leadership. He also says that the Bible teaches that men are to bear the primary responsibility to lead the church and that therefore only men should be elders. Piper along with Wayne GrudemWayne Grudem
Wayne A. Grudem is a Protestant theologian and author. He was born in 1948 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin and married Margaret White on June 6, 1969 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin...
was co-editor of one of the bedrock books in this area called Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is collection of articles on gender roles, written from a biblical perspective, and edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. Crossway Books published the book in 1991 for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood...
. One of the chapters has been reprinted several times as an independent short book called What's the Difference?
What's the Difference?
What's the Difference? is a book on gender roles from a biblical perspective, written by John Piper. It was first published by Crossway Books in 1990. It has been reprinted several times since, most recently in March 2008. In 1991 it formed the first chapter of Recovering Biblical Manhood and...
.
Calvinism
Piper's soteriologySoteriology
The branch of Christian theology that deals with salvation and redemption is called Soteriology. It is derived from the Greek sōtērion + English -logy....
is Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
, and his ecclesiology
Ecclesiology
Today, ecclesiology usually refers to the theological study of the Christian church. However when the word was coined in the late 1830s, it was defined as the science of the building and decoration of churches and it is still, though rarely, used in this sense.In its theological sense, ecclesiology...
is Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
. He affirms the distinctively Calvinist doctrine of double predestination, which includes "unconditional reprobation" or damnation as a corollary to the Augustinian
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
doctrine of unconditional election
Unconditional election
Unconditional election is the Calvinist teaching that before God created the world, he chose to save some people according to his own purposes and apart from any conditions related to those persons...
, and he subscribes to the Leibnizian
Gottfried Leibniz
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher and mathematician. He wrote in different languages, primarily in Latin , French and German ....
view that God decreed this universe to be the best of all possible universes
Best of all possible worlds
The phrase "the best of all possible worlds" was coined by the German polymath Gottfried Leibniz in his 1710 work Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l'homme et l'origine du mal...
.
Piper believes in justification by faith alone
Sola fide
Sola fide , also historically known as the doctrine of justification by faith alone, is a Christian theological doctrine that distinguishes most Protestant denominations from Catholicism, Eastern Christianity, and some in the Restoration Movement.The doctrine of sola fide or "by faith alone"...
apart from any works, and his teachings emphasize the need for the active and inevitable perseverance of the believer
Perseverance of the saints
Perseverance of the saints, as well as the corollary—though distinct—doctrine known as "Once Saved, Always Saved", is a Calvinist teaching that once persons are truly saved they can never lose their salvation....
in faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, sanctification
Sanctification
Sanctity is an ancient concept widespread among religions, a property of a thing or person sacred or set apart within the religion, from totem poles through temple vessels to days of the week, to a human believer who achieves this state. Sanctification is the act or process of acquiring sanctity,...
, and enduring sufferings, which he believes is evidence of God's saving grace. According to Piper, a once-professing Christian who does not faithfully persevere until the end demonstrates that he was mistaken about his election and was never a true believer in the first place.
Spiritual gifts
Regarding spiritual gifts, Piper is a continuationistContinuationism
Continuationism is a Christian theological belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued to this present age, specifically the sign gifts such as tongues and prophecy...
. That is, he believes that supernatural gifts such as prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
, miracles, healing
Healing
Physiological healing is the restoration of damaged living tissue, organs and biological system to normal function. It is the process by which the cells in the body regenerate and repair to reduce the size of a damaged or necrotic area....
s, and speaking in tongues have not ceased and should be sought by the church, in particular with regard to missions
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and evangelism
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
. He does believe, however, that the office of apostle has ceased and that the gift of prophecy in the church is not the same as the inspiration of scripture. While he believes that God's supernatural revelation in the N.T. gift of prophecy is without error, he says that today, outside the Biblically recorded Word of God, the prophet's perception, understanding and delivery of that revelation is imperfect and fallible, thus modern prophecies within the church are subject to sifting.
Eschatology
Piper describes himself as an "optimistic premillennialist" and holds a post-tribulationPost Tribulation Rapture
In Christian eschatology, the Post-Tribulation Rapture doctrine is the belief in a combined Resurrection and Rapture of all believers coming after the Great Tribulation.-Doctrine and implications:...
view of the second coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Because of this belief, he maintains that Romans 11 teaches that a mass in-gathering of ethnic Israel will be saved when the hardening of their hearts is removed at Jesus' second coming. He therefore advocates the importance of hoping in the resurrection of the dead
Resurrection of the dead
Resurrection of the Dead is a belief found in a number of eschatologies, most commonly in Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Zoroastrian. In general, the phrase refers to a specific event in the future; multiple prophesies in the histories of these religions assert that the dead will be brought back to...
at Christ's return.
Law and covenant
Piper does not don any of the typical hermeneutical frameworks, but claims he is furthest from dispensationalismDispensationalism
Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants.As a system,...
, and closest to Covenant Theology
Covenant Theology
Covenant theology is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall flow of the Bible...
, or a New Covenant Theology
New Covenant Theology
New Covenant Theology is a Christian theological system which teaches that the Old Testament Laws have been fulfilled and abrogated or cancelled with Christ's death, and replaced with the Law of Christ of the New Covenant. It shares similarities and yet is distinct from Dispensationalism and...
in matters of the Law
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
and covenants
Covenant (biblical)
A biblical covenant is an agreement found in the Bible between God and His people in which God makes specific promises and demands. It is the customary word used to translate the Hebrew word berith. It it is used in the Tanakh 286 times . All Abrahamic religions consider the Biblical covenant...
, but agrees with the dispensationalist belief that there will be a millennium. He says that the Law
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
was meant by God to reveal sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
and show man's inability
Total depravity
Total depravity is a theological doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concept of original sin...
to live up to God's righteous standards. Christians, living under the New Covenant
New Covenant
The New Covenant is a concept originally derived from the Hebrew Bible. The term "New Covenant" is used in the Bible to refer to an epochal relationship of restoration and peace following a period of trial and judgment...
, are not under the Old Covenant
Old Covenant
The Old Covenant was the name of the agreement which effected the union of Iceland and Norway. It is also known as Gissurarsáttmáli, named after Gissur Þorvaldsson, the Icelandic chieftain who worked to promote it. The name "Old Covenant", however, is probably due to historical confusion...
law but able to fulfill its intent through faith in Jesus Christ.
Piper teaches that God has only one covenant people, mostly believing Jews in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, and now that relationship has been superseded
Supersessionism
Supersessionism is a term for the dominant Christian view of the Old Covenant, also called fulfillment theology and replacement theology, though the latter term is disputed...
by the Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
. Thus, the Church is rightful inheritor of all the promises made to ethnic Israel (land, kingdom, etc.), and Jews who reject Jesus as Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
have no divine right of claim on those promises.
Books
- Love Your Enemies: Jesus' Love Command in the Synoptic Gospels and the Early Christian Paraenesis (Cambridge University Press, 1980; Baker, 1991).
- The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Romans 9:1-23 (Baker, 1983; 2nd edition 1993).
- Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (Multnomah, 1986; 2nd edition, 1996; 3rd edition, 2003; 4th edition [25th Anniversary], 2011).
- The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Baker, 1990, 2nd edition, 2003).
- The Pleasures of God (Multnomah, 1991; Expanded edition, 2000).
- Recovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodRecovering Biblical Manhood and WomanhoodRecovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is collection of articles on gender roles, written from a biblical perspective, and edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem. Crossway Books published the book in 1991 for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood...
(Co-editor) (Crossway, 1991). Online copy. - Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions (Baker, 1993, 2nd Edition 2003).
- The Purifying Power of Living By Faith In Future Grace (Multnomah, 1995).
- A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer (Crossway, 1997).
- A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (Multnomah, 1997).
- God's Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards (Crossway, 1998).
- The Innkeeper (Crossway, 1998).
- A Godward Life, Book Two: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (Multnomah, 1999).
- The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (Crossway, 2000).
- The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd (Crossway, 2001).
- Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ (Crossway, 2001, 2nd edition, 2004).
- The Dangerous Duty of Delight: Daring to Make God the Object of Your Desire (Multnomah, 2001).
- What's the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible (Crossway, 2001, reprint 2008).
- The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God (Crossway, 2002).
- Brothers, We Are not Professionals: A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002).
- The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce (Crossway, 2002).
- Counted Righteous in Christ: Should We Abandon the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness? (Crossway, 2002). Several chapters are available online for free.
- Beyond the Bounds (co-editor) (Crossway, 2003).
- Don't Waste Your Life (Crossway, 2003).
- Pierced By the Word: Thirty-One Meditations for Your Soul (Multnomah, 2003).
- The Prodigal's Sister (Crossway, 2003).
- The Passion of Jesus Christ (Crossway, 2004). Also released under title 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die
- When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy (Crossway, 2004).
- Life As a Vapor (Multnomah, 2004).
- A God Entranced Vision of All Things (Co-editor; Crossway, 2004).
- Sex and the Supremacy of Christ (w/ Justin Taylor, Crossway, 2005).
- Taste and See: Savoring the Supremacy of God in All of Life (Multnomah, 2005).
- God is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself (Crossway, 2005).
- Contending for Our All: Defending Truth and Treasuring Christ in the Lives of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen (Crossway, 2006).
- Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (Crossway, 2006).
- Suffering and the Sovereignty of God (Crossway, 2006).
- What Jesus Demands from the World (Crossway, 2006).
- When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God—and Joy (Crossway, 2007)
- Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce (Crossway, 2007).
- The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World (co-editor w/ Justin Taylor, Crossway, 2007)
- Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure (Multnomah, 2007)
- The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright (Crossway 2007).
- Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ (Crossway, 2008).
- John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God (Crossway, 2008).
- The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd (Crossway, 2008).
- Finally Alive (Christian Focus, 2009).
- This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence (Crossway, 2009)
- Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ: The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton (Crossway, 2009).
- A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God (Crossway 2010).
- Jesus: The Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved? (Baker, 2010).
- Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Crossway, 2010).
- The Gadarene (Desiring God, 2010)
- The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor (Crossway, 2011).
The complete text of most of Piper's books can be accessed free of charge at Desiring God.
External links
- Desiring God - 27 years of sermons for free (manuscript, audio, and video), plus articles, books, and more
- Desiring God Blog - where updates on new sermons, articles, and blogposts may be found
- John Piper: God's Glory His Passion, by Tim Ellsworth (Southern Seminary Magazine)
- Desiring God Radio - Piper's official radio broadcast
- Piper's columns in WORLD Magazine