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God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself
God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6 This book is a cry from the heart of John Piper. He is pleading that God himself, as revealed in Christ's death and resurrection, is the ultimate and greatest gift of the gospel. None of Christ's gospel deeds and none of our gospel blessings are good news except as means of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. Forgiveness is good news because it opens the way to the enjoyment of God himself. Justification is good news because it wins access to the presence and pleasures of God himself. Eternal life is good news because it becomes the everlasting enjoyment of Christ. All God's gifts are loving only to the degree that they lead us to God himself. That is what God's love his commitment to do everything necessary (most painfully the death of his only Son) to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying-namely, himself. Saturated with Scripture, centered on the cross, and seriously joyful, this book leads us to satisfaction for the deep hungers of the soul. It touches us at the root of life where practical transformation gets its daily power. It awakens our longing for Christ and opens our eyes to his beauty. Piper writes for the soul-thirsty who have turned away empty and in desperation from the mirage of methodology. He invites us to slow down and drink from a deeper spring. "This is eternal life," Jesus said, "that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." This is what makes the gospel-and this book-good news.
2 Corinthians 4:6 This book is a cry from the heart of John Piper. He is pleading that God himself, as revealed in Christ's death and resurrection, is the ultimate and greatest gift of the gospel. None of Christ's gospel deeds and none of our gospel blessings are good news except as means of seeing and savoring the glory of Christ. Forgiveness is good news because it opens the way to the enjoyment of God himself. Justification is good news because it wins access to the presence and pleasures of God himself. Eternal life is good news because it becomes the everlasting enjoyment of Christ. All God's gifts are loving only to the degree that they lead us to God himself. That is what God's love his commitment to do everything necessary (most painfully the death of his only Son) to enthrall us with what is most deeply and durably satisfying-namely, himself. Saturated with Scripture, centered on the cross, and seriously joyful, this book leads us to satisfaction for the deep hungers of the soul. It touches us at the root of life where practical transformation gets its daily power. It awakens our longing for Christ and opens our eyes to his beauty. Piper writes for the soul-thirsty who have turned away empty and in desperation from the mirage of methodology. He invites us to slow down and drink from a deeper spring. "This is eternal life," Jesus said, "that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." This is what makes the gospel-and this book-good news.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2005
About the author
John Piper
535 books4,170 followersJohn Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.
John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
June 26, 2017
Wonderful book. Full of seeds, sufficient to plant orchards.
As soon as I finished it in November 2010, I went back to the beginning and started over again, which I rarely (if ever) do. Just finished again, March 2011. And then Nancy and I read it aloud together, finishing in June 2017.
As soon as I finished it in November 2010, I went back to the beginning and started over again, which I rarely (if ever) do. Just finished again, March 2011. And then Nancy and I read it aloud together, finishing in June 2017.
April 1, 2022
Phew. Finished.
I know, I know, I promised myself I would never read another Piper book after the disaster of the last one, but it was given to me for free, and I never turn down free books.
I have to say that all in all this one was...better in some ways than Desiring God was. At the very least it made me think in ways I hadn't before and it actually made a couple of good points. On the other hand, I really, really, really don't like Piper. I find him to be intellectually superficial and hiding that superficiality using semantic and rhetoric tricks designed to confuse and make his reader feel stupid rather than bothering to engage with ideas deeply. He skips like a stone across the surface and most frequently never goes deeper than that first initial layer. I find his logic to be lacking. This book is full of instances where he says A is A, B is B, therefore A is B! No, that's not how that works. An example: "God created what is not God. Therefore it is good that what is not God exists." Those things do not follow. There is an entire structured flow of argument that is missing in the middle, Piper started out with idea A and then jumped to Z without covering any of the ground in between! I actually agree with his conclusion, but he never constructed an argument, he just made two assumptions that have no connection to each other. Granted if someone is well versed in orthodox theology, they can fill in all of the blanks and arrive at the conclusion along with Piper, but it is not as though the conclusion is self-evident. If it were, we wouldn't have centuries of theological discussion about it! The heresy of Gnosticism would never have arisen. This book does a disservice to believers by presenting theological conundrums in pat little nostrums.
To be honest, that's my problem with this book as a whole. It's marketed as a series of meditations. It's okay that they don't connect to each other at all, I mean the book of Psalms is a series of meditations and it can be argued that they don't connect to each other either, but there are overarching meta-narratives that bind the Psalms together. You can categorize them together: this is a praise Psalm, this is a lamentation Psalm. These over here are by David, these over there are by the Sons of Korah. There is no such overarching categorization scheme or meta-narrative for this book...except that it comes from the mind of John Piper. Here we dip into salvation, there we dip into grace, but never do we dip more than the tip of a single toe.
It makes me think that this book is directed to extremely new believers. Yet if it were directed to extremely new believers, it fails on every level because the writing style is so incredibly obtuse! I think his goal is to confuse half of the time. He starts with an idea and then gets side tracked and never returns to it. That or he cuts it off in the middle and says 'Go read this other book that I wrote that explains it in more detail.' Well then...why did you even mention it? Cut out that paragraph that doesn't make any sense anyway and have a suggested reading list in the back of the book! You have that reading list anyway! Why do you stick it in the middle? Schizophrenic, that's a great way to describe the structure of this book.
I know, I know, I promised myself I would never read another Piper book after the disaster of the last one, but it was given to me for free, and I never turn down free books.
I have to say that all in all this one was...better in some ways than Desiring God was. At the very least it made me think in ways I hadn't before and it actually made a couple of good points. On the other hand, I really, really, really don't like Piper. I find him to be intellectually superficial and hiding that superficiality using semantic and rhetoric tricks designed to confuse and make his reader feel stupid rather than bothering to engage with ideas deeply. He skips like a stone across the surface and most frequently never goes deeper than that first initial layer. I find his logic to be lacking. This book is full of instances where he says A is A, B is B, therefore A is B! No, that's not how that works. An example: "God created what is not God. Therefore it is good that what is not God exists." Those things do not follow. There is an entire structured flow of argument that is missing in the middle, Piper started out with idea A and then jumped to Z without covering any of the ground in between! I actually agree with his conclusion, but he never constructed an argument, he just made two assumptions that have no connection to each other. Granted if someone is well versed in orthodox theology, they can fill in all of the blanks and arrive at the conclusion along with Piper, but it is not as though the conclusion is self-evident. If it were, we wouldn't have centuries of theological discussion about it! The heresy of Gnosticism would never have arisen. This book does a disservice to believers by presenting theological conundrums in pat little nostrums.
To be honest, that's my problem with this book as a whole. It's marketed as a series of meditations. It's okay that they don't connect to each other at all, I mean the book of Psalms is a series of meditations and it can be argued that they don't connect to each other either, but there are overarching meta-narratives that bind the Psalms together. You can categorize them together: this is a praise Psalm, this is a lamentation Psalm. These over here are by David, these over there are by the Sons of Korah. There is no such overarching categorization scheme or meta-narrative for this book...except that it comes from the mind of John Piper. Here we dip into salvation, there we dip into grace, but never do we dip more than the tip of a single toe.
It makes me think that this book is directed to extremely new believers. Yet if it were directed to extremely new believers, it fails on every level because the writing style is so incredibly obtuse! I think his goal is to confuse half of the time. He starts with an idea and then gets side tracked and never returns to it. That or he cuts it off in the middle and says 'Go read this other book that I wrote that explains it in more detail.' Well then...why did you even mention it? Cut out that paragraph that doesn't make any sense anyway and have a suggested reading list in the back of the book! You have that reading list anyway! Why do you stick it in the middle? Schizophrenic, that's a great way to describe the structure of this book.
February 21, 2021
Brilliant book. The first book by John Piper that I have managed to finish. I appreciated the short sections and relatively short chapters. This book did exactly as the title suggests, reiterates clearly that the gospel reveals to us God. "Because this is the gospel - Seeing and savoring "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" The gospel gives us lots of things, but most importantly it gives us free access to God.
January 18, 2015
I love to listen to John Piper. I find him much more difficult to read. Whenever someone calls this guy or that guy from a hundred or two years ago "the last Puritan," I wonder if they've ever read a Piper book, 'cuz he sure writes like one -- very thorough, somewhat repetitive, and densely good. All three of those things combine to make such authors slow going for the likes of me. So...nearly four years later (including long periods of neglect), I'm finally done reading God is the Gospel.
Despite the fact that I have very little notion of what happened in the first half of the book, the last half, read in the past couple of weeks, is enough to garner five stars. And, as often happens, the timing was perfect. Piper's persistently pounded point -- that seeing and savoring the glory of God in Christ is the heart of the gospel -- paired perfectly with what I've been learning of late about repentance, sanctification, and suffering. I did a lot of underlining and hope I hit the right highlights so I can give myself a refresher course as needed without having to work my way through the whole book again.
Typesetting notes: 1) Rather than have the book title as the verso header, I'd have split the looooong chapter titles across both pages. 2) I'd have tried the looooong section headers in bold italic or some narrower font rather than small caps to avoid having so many of them going to two lines. 3) Italicizing long block quotes is unnecessary. It doesn't save a significant amount of space, and blocked text is already smaller, so italicizing just makes it even harder to read.
Despite the fact that I have very little notion of what happened in the first half of the book, the last half, read in the past couple of weeks, is enough to garner five stars. And, as often happens, the timing was perfect. Piper's persistently pounded point -- that seeing and savoring the glory of God in Christ is the heart of the gospel -- paired perfectly with what I've been learning of late about repentance, sanctification, and suffering. I did a lot of underlining and hope I hit the right highlights so I can give myself a refresher course as needed without having to work my way through the whole book again.
Typesetting notes: 1) Rather than have the book title as the verso header, I'd have split the looooong chapter titles across both pages. 2) I'd have tried the looooong section headers in bold italic or some narrower font rather than small caps to avoid having so many of them going to two lines. 3) Italicizing long block quotes is unnecessary. It doesn't save a significant amount of space, and blocked text is already smaller, so italicizing just makes it even harder to read.
May 1, 2020
A classic Piper book that uses well supported and Scripturally sound arguments to emphasize the point that all of God’s gifts, including justification and eternal life, “have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God in Christ, and by beholding become the kind of person who delights in God above all things, and by delighting display his supreme beauty and worth with ever-increasing brightness and bliss forever”.
Fav quote from the book: “All the enticements to God that are not God are precious and precarious. They can lead us to God or lure us to themselves. They may be food or marriage or church or miracles. All of these blessings bring love letters from God. But unless we stress continually that God himself is the gospel, people will fall in love with the mailman - whether his name is forgiveness of sins or eternal life or heaven or ministry or miracles or family or food.”
Fav quote from the book: “All the enticements to God that are not God are precious and precarious. They can lead us to God or lure us to themselves. They may be food or marriage or church or miracles. All of these blessings bring love letters from God. But unless we stress continually that God himself is the gospel, people will fall in love with the mailman - whether his name is forgiveness of sins or eternal life or heaven or ministry or miracles or family or food.”
March 14, 2024
Excellent book. God Himself is the all-satisfying gift of the Gospel and ultimate delight of our souls. He distributes various gifts associated with salvation, but we must not elevate them above the Giver.
March 26, 2020
Pleasant book. I'm a stickler for brevity, and I felt like Piper could have slimmed this book down.
The heart of it, however, is utterly convicting.
The heart of it, however, is utterly convicting.
May 19, 2020
Good, short book to relax over. Piper does a fantastic job of portraying the beauty of the Gospel in an easily digestible manner.
November 3, 2021
This review was originally posted over at my website.
Every now and then, a book comes along that will dramatically enrich your life. This was one of those books for me.
When Piper says that God is the gospel, what he means is that "the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gift would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment" (p. 13). In other words, the point of the gospel is not just that we're justified, but that justification allows us to be restored to fellowship with God! That the gift of justification (or redemption or imputation or expiation etc.) is ultimately the gift of being enabled to fellowship with God himself who is the giver of all gifts and without whom no gift would be good.
Piper exposes the man-centredness of a gospel which exists to elevate man; which brings joy in the gifts of the gospel while paying little attention to the gift of the gospel—God. "We are willing to be God-centred, it seems, as long as God is man-centred" (pp. 12, 13).
The ups
First, this book glows with God-centred, gospel-saturated, joy-filled theology. It's not shallow or sappy. It is rich and deep; theological and accessible; practical and devotional.
Second, if you're not familiar with Piper's theology and writing, this is probably an ideal introduction to his ideas. Though Desiring God is probably his defining work, it is fairly long and heavy. This book is quite accessible to the average layperson and will, I feel, give the reader a fairly good idea of what Piper believes. Chapter eleven could be viewed as a brief primer on Christian hedonism.
Third, this book helped me see clearly that the gospel is not the end, but rather the means to the end of glorifying God. It therefore helped me to understand more clearly how God and his gospel relate to each other and how to avoid preaching Christ's gospel without preaching the Christ of the gospel.
Fourth, Piper exposes the hypocrisy of those who preach that the cross proves the value of man. He quotes Jonathan Edwards: "They are pleased in the highest degree, in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. So that their joy is really a joy in themselves, and not in God" (p. 137). Piper rebuts this Hillsong-style gospel decisively.
I could give a dozen more...
The downs
Honestly, I have few concerns with this book at all, hence the five star rating. However, I'll point out a few minor things that raised questions for me.
First, there seems to be some confusion on p. 155 surrounding man's creation in the image of God and the effect of the curse on that image. Piper seems to suggest that our growth into the image of Christ in sanctification is directly related to our creation in the image of God in Genesis 1. This seems to me to confuse two separate issues.
Second, Piper suggests in reference to 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 that "The glory of God shone in the historical, bodily face of Jesus" (p. 70). I tend to think the term "face" here is synecdoche.
I'd be hard pressed to find even a minor third down. Those who know me well recognise this as little short of miraculous as I tend to be a very critical reader. But Piper is precise and he has laid out his words carefully.
Conclusion
After reading the introduction to this book, I scribbled the following: "Breath-taking! Sweet water to a thirsty soul. Amen! Amen! Amen... Amen... Amen."
I read this book with tears of delight. I hope you will do the same.
Every now and then, a book comes along that will dramatically enrich your life. This was one of those books for me.
When Piper says that God is the gospel, what he means is that "the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gift would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment" (p. 13). In other words, the point of the gospel is not just that we're justified, but that justification allows us to be restored to fellowship with God! That the gift of justification (or redemption or imputation or expiation etc.) is ultimately the gift of being enabled to fellowship with God himself who is the giver of all gifts and without whom no gift would be good.
Piper exposes the man-centredness of a gospel which exists to elevate man; which brings joy in the gifts of the gospel while paying little attention to the gift of the gospel—God. "We are willing to be God-centred, it seems, as long as God is man-centred" (pp. 12, 13).
The ups
First, this book glows with God-centred, gospel-saturated, joy-filled theology. It's not shallow or sappy. It is rich and deep; theological and accessible; practical and devotional.
Second, if you're not familiar with Piper's theology and writing, this is probably an ideal introduction to his ideas. Though Desiring God is probably his defining work, it is fairly long and heavy. This book is quite accessible to the average layperson and will, I feel, give the reader a fairly good idea of what Piper believes. Chapter eleven could be viewed as a brief primer on Christian hedonism.
Third, this book helped me see clearly that the gospel is not the end, but rather the means to the end of glorifying God. It therefore helped me to understand more clearly how God and his gospel relate to each other and how to avoid preaching Christ's gospel without preaching the Christ of the gospel.
Fourth, Piper exposes the hypocrisy of those who preach that the cross proves the value of man. He quotes Jonathan Edwards: "They are pleased in the highest degree, in hearing how much God and Christ make of them. So that their joy is really a joy in themselves, and not in God" (p. 137). Piper rebuts this Hillsong-style gospel decisively.
I could give a dozen more...
The downs
Honestly, I have few concerns with this book at all, hence the five star rating. However, I'll point out a few minor things that raised questions for me.
First, there seems to be some confusion on p. 155 surrounding man's creation in the image of God and the effect of the curse on that image. Piper seems to suggest that our growth into the image of Christ in sanctification is directly related to our creation in the image of God in Genesis 1. This seems to me to confuse two separate issues.
Second, Piper suggests in reference to 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 that "The glory of God shone in the historical, bodily face of Jesus" (p. 70). I tend to think the term "face" here is synecdoche.
I'd be hard pressed to find even a minor third down. Those who know me well recognise this as little short of miraculous as I tend to be a very critical reader. But Piper is precise and he has laid out his words carefully.
Conclusion
After reading the introduction to this book, I scribbled the following: "Breath-taking! Sweet water to a thirsty soul. Amen! Amen! Amen... Amen... Amen."
I read this book with tears of delight. I hope you will do the same.
February 24, 2022
Beautiful. I bought this years ago and strangely never felt the need to dive in until this fall. What a lovely exploration of the gospel. In a nutshell, John Piper explains the glorious truth behind the catechism question: “What is the chief end of man?” and its answer: “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” What does it mean to enjoy God? How is that possible, or interesting? Isn’t it all rather selfish of God to demand that we spend eternity giving Him glory and enjoying Him? No! Piper lovingly unpacks the truth of the good news, which is that when God gave the gospel, He gave Himself, and truly there is no greater gift.
July 26, 2011
The best Piper book I have read. He pounds home the idea that unless God is our ultimate aim then we have built our foundation upon sand. He also does a good job of not throwing our created things. Created things are good as long as we don't stop at them, but climb them up to God. It also adjusted my view on love.
I found it more exegetically dense than some of his other books, which may make it a harder read for some.
I found it more exegetically dense than some of his other books, which may make it a harder read for some.
August 17, 2021
Dans Dieu est l'Évangile, le sujet est plus simple que le titre: la bonne nouvelle, c'est Dieu!
John Piper décrit en quoi consiste l'objet de l'Évangile; l'amour de Dieu dans le don de lui-même.
Et c'est ça, la bonne nouvelle!
Discutant de la gloire de Dieu sous plusieurs angles, l'auteur expose pourquoi chaque chrétiens devrait trouver son plaisir en Dieu seul sur la face de Christ et en Christ seul qui est l'image de Dieu.
Tous et chacun saura trouver un bon moment de lecture avec ce livre
John Piper décrit en quoi consiste l'objet de l'Évangile; l'amour de Dieu dans le don de lui-même.
Et c'est ça, la bonne nouvelle!
Discutant de la gloire de Dieu sous plusieurs angles, l'auteur expose pourquoi chaque chrétiens devrait trouver son plaisir en Dieu seul sur la face de Christ et en Christ seul qui est l'image de Dieu.
Tous et chacun saura trouver un bon moment de lecture avec ce livre
January 26, 2023
Piper has written a real gem here. God is the Gospel is a magnificent book. Seeking to answer the question of why the Good News of the Gospel good, John Piper clearly shows that the Bible’s answer is because through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we don’t ultimately get something but someone: God Himself.
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
He spends lots of time unpacking this text, but after reading the book, it is clear that what he means by God is the Gospel is that the highest good and ultimate goal of the Gospel is to know the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Not primarily getting out of hell, or into heaven, or having sins paid for, or being happy, although those are all good gifts of the Gospel, but seeing Gods glory in the face of His Son is the primary purpose!
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
He spends lots of time unpacking this text, but after reading the book, it is clear that what he means by God is the Gospel is that the highest good and ultimate goal of the Gospel is to know the “glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Not primarily getting out of hell, or into heaven, or having sins paid for, or being happy, although those are all good gifts of the Gospel, but seeing Gods glory in the face of His Son is the primary purpose!
August 11, 2019
One key indicator that Christian hedonism is so near the heart of the gospel is how quickly we move on to other things. You think you know it until you reread a keystone writing, and all personal and ecclesial drift becomes startlingly clear.
This book was good, but I believe it would be more effective in a shorter, denser package. Considering picking up Edwards' Religious Affections next, as it was the, more or less, the source material for God is the Gospel.
This book was good, but I believe it would be more effective in a shorter, denser package. Considering picking up Edwards' Religious Affections next, as it was the, more or less, the source material for God is the Gospel.
July 28, 2020
Always good to be reminded that God is the best, most important part of the gospel. It's not good news if our relationship isn't restored with Him. We get so caught up in enjoying the gifts that it is easy to forget the Giver.
February 4, 2023
This is the final book in John Piper’s Desiring God Quadrology, consisting of:
1. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
2. The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God
3. Future Grace
4. God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself
I personally would also include the excellent When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy - as a very practical addition to Desiring God.
This was a very convicting book. Piper’s aim is to direct our satisfaction and joy to God himself as the infinitely satisfying and all glorious treasure of our hearts.
Often Christians glory and delight most in the gifts of God rather than the great giver. Complete and total forgiveness. The perfect imputed (gifted) holiness of Christ. Regenerating our desires to make us love him above all other delights. Sovereign care and ordering of all things for our good. And the amazing truth that through Christ, God not only saved us, but actually delights in us.
These gifts - and countless more, are absolutely astonishing, and are difficult not to glory in. But we must not put our ultimate affections on them - but rather on the giver of these gifts - who is infinitely more beautiful. Indeed, through them we see the glory of God himself. They are the pathways to - and merely echoes of, his wonder.
I found the book incredibly convicting throughout. But the last 50 pages or so were particularly striking in his passionate pleas and arguments for the reader. Piper then finishes the book in a very fitting way, with a series of hymns of worship to God that beautifully hone this very same concept that he has been developing - inviting the reader to worship God as the true delight and beauty of a believer's affections.
After reading Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections, I couldn't help but find much of it walking through these pages. I wonder if this is Piper's attempt to bring Edwards' treatise to a new generation.
Also - I had a sense that this and Words of Radiance had narrators that sounded very similar.. But had no idea that it was the same narrator! Turns out most of John Piper's and Brandon Sanderson's books are narrated by the excellent baritone voice of Micheal Kramer. Makes the experience of listening to these titles all the more glorious!
1. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
2. The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God's Delight in Being God
3. Future Grace
4. God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself
I personally would also include the excellent When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy - as a very practical addition to Desiring God.
This was a very convicting book. Piper’s aim is to direct our satisfaction and joy to God himself as the infinitely satisfying and all glorious treasure of our hearts.
Often Christians glory and delight most in the gifts of God rather than the great giver. Complete and total forgiveness. The perfect imputed (gifted) holiness of Christ. Regenerating our desires to make us love him above all other delights. Sovereign care and ordering of all things for our good. And the amazing truth that through Christ, God not only saved us, but actually delights in us.
These gifts - and countless more, are absolutely astonishing, and are difficult not to glory in. But we must not put our ultimate affections on them - but rather on the giver of these gifts - who is infinitely more beautiful. Indeed, through them we see the glory of God himself. They are the pathways to - and merely echoes of, his wonder.
I found the book incredibly convicting throughout. But the last 50 pages or so were particularly striking in his passionate pleas and arguments for the reader. Piper then finishes the book in a very fitting way, with a series of hymns of worship to God that beautifully hone this very same concept that he has been developing - inviting the reader to worship God as the true delight and beauty of a believer's affections.
After reading Jonathan Edwards' The Religious Affections, I couldn't help but find much of it walking through these pages. I wonder if this is Piper's attempt to bring Edwards' treatise to a new generation.
Also - I had a sense that this and Words of Radiance had narrators that sounded very similar.. But had no idea that it was the same narrator! Turns out most of John Piper's and Brandon Sanderson's books are narrated by the excellent baritone voice of Micheal Kramer. Makes the experience of listening to these titles all the more glorious!
January 10, 2010
I should start by saying that I find John Piper best live or on video. There's something about seeing him, animated and moving, that makes him both (1) easier to understand, and (2) more enjoyable. In fact, full disclosure, I find that he can be a bit repetitive for my tastes in print. Then again, he's unpacking these massive, earth-shattering, mind-altering truths that bear repeating, so it's hard to blame his style or repetition.
All that out of the way, "God is the Gospel" is a fantastic book. I'd say it might best be suited as an early read or even an introduction to Piper. He lays out much of his basic theology, and you can then move to "Desiring God" or "The Pleasures of God" easily, two of Piper's real masterworks. "God is the Gospel" is shorter (about 175) pages and about half of the chapters are easy to get through.
The other half of the chapters, though, are meaty and worth serious meditation and contemplation. Piper's basic thesis is that the gospel is not in fact just the means by which we are saved from hell, saved to heaven, gain eternal life, gain the Holy Spirit, etc. Rather, the gospel is the good news by which we may spend eternity getting God--spending time with Him, enjoying Him, worshiping Him, engaging with Him, being like Him, etc. This might seem pedestrian, until you think on it carefully. Even Protestant, conservative Evangelicalism rarely teaches this, and certainly not so plainly.
The church today is largely about the benefits of the gospel: all the things you get with a so-called profession of faith. How do we talk to children about God? Avoid hell; get to heaven. But this is not the gospel, Piper argues from Scripture; rather, the gospel is getting to God. God is the gospel.
You'll have to think to digest this, and if you can read this entire book without ever being challenged, then I'd daresay you've not read it well. Wonderful, well-documented with Scripture and quotations from giants like Edwards, Owen, and Warfield, and passionate; you won't regret this read.
Savor God and enjoy Him: this is Piper's message.
All that out of the way, "God is the Gospel" is a fantastic book. I'd say it might best be suited as an early read or even an introduction to Piper. He lays out much of his basic theology, and you can then move to "Desiring God" or "The Pleasures of God" easily, two of Piper's real masterworks. "God is the Gospel" is shorter (about 175) pages and about half of the chapters are easy to get through.
The other half of the chapters, though, are meaty and worth serious meditation and contemplation. Piper's basic thesis is that the gospel is not in fact just the means by which we are saved from hell, saved to heaven, gain eternal life, gain the Holy Spirit, etc. Rather, the gospel is the good news by which we may spend eternity getting God--spending time with Him, enjoying Him, worshiping Him, engaging with Him, being like Him, etc. This might seem pedestrian, until you think on it carefully. Even Protestant, conservative Evangelicalism rarely teaches this, and certainly not so plainly.
The church today is largely about the benefits of the gospel: all the things you get with a so-called profession of faith. How do we talk to children about God? Avoid hell; get to heaven. But this is not the gospel, Piper argues from Scripture; rather, the gospel is getting to God. God is the gospel.
You'll have to think to digest this, and if you can read this entire book without ever being challenged, then I'd daresay you've not read it well. Wonderful, well-documented with Scripture and quotations from giants like Edwards, Owen, and Warfield, and passionate; you won't regret this read.
Savor God and enjoy Him: this is Piper's message.
November 21, 2008
Actually, we are watching a DVD series based on this book. Piper says if you could be happy in a heaven full of all the good gifts from God, all of your loved ones and none of the bad of this world, but no Jesus -- you don't understand the Gospel. Jesus is more than just the ticket to heaven that gets tossed away once you get there. The good news of the Gospel is that our reward is God Himself. We will have intimate companionship with Jesus forever in eternity: "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.(Psalm 73:25)" Piper's preaching definitely stirs up a yearning in my heart: "Come, Lord Jesus, Come." He sums it up: "The point of all the Gospel events and Gospel effects is to enthrall us with Christ himself." I never tire of hearing these truths and seeing Christ more clearly.
August 17, 2015
The title is the book in a nutshell. A fantastic read. Although I think he errs in terms of the "God of this world" in 2Cor 4:4, his thesis still stands. God is to be treasured above every gift or escape from harm. Heaven would be hell if God was not there. But God would not be heaven or the gospel if we valued the benefits over the bestower. To see and enjoy as the Father enjoys the glory of God in the face of Christ is the end of the gospel. To enjoy the Son as does the Father and to enjoy the Father as does the Son is what the good news of the gospel in all its particulars is directed.
May 25, 2021
La thèse centrale du livre est biblique et percutante, et recentre nos pensées et nos affections sur Dieu. Je reste pas convaincu par 1) le titre 2) la traduction et fluidité de lecture 3) l'accessibilité pour chaque chrétien (livre parfois un peu complexe je trouve). Mais ça, c'est surtout parce que je suis un rabat-joie ;-) Lisez-le livre, appréciez-le, et je suis sûr que cela vous fera du bien !
July 14, 2020
Fabulous book.
John Piper's focus is re-finding the good in the Gospel, the true gift of the Gospel: God.
It is a very needed book, in a day when we are often more enthralled and enchanted with the "other gifts" of the Gospel, versus the Giver giving of Himself.
Lots of very strong, important things communicated here, don't miss it.
John Piper's focus is re-finding the good in the Gospel, the true gift of the Gospel: God.
It is a very needed book, in a day when we are often more enthralled and enchanted with the "other gifts" of the Gospel, versus the Giver giving of Himself.
Lots of very strong, important things communicated here, don't miss it.
June 19, 2013
The theme of this book is that Christians should love the Giver more than his gifts. Providentially, I picked up this book when I was miserably sick. It directed me away from my momentary discomfort to God's gift to me ... Himself.
June 15, 2012
This book was incredible. I devoured it. I really learned to focus on God rather than Gods Blessings. My reward is not entering into heaven, But Jesus himself!
July 20, 2016
This book was great! It was a great meditation for my heart!
December 22, 2019
Killer; in a good way!
May 15, 2021
Quel livre remarquable! À lire lentement pour comprendre toutes les perles qu’il contient. Un autre bijou écrit par un grand homme de Dieu.
May 1, 2009
As usual, Piper hit a home run. I honestly prefer his preaching, but his writing is worthwhile also. I was challenged with the idea that God Himself is the ultimate end and ultimate good of the Gospel and nothing else.
Poignant Quotes:
And not one gospel blessing will be enjoyed by anyone for whom the gospel’s greatest gift was not the Lord himself.
When I say that God is the Gospel I mean that the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gifts would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment.
The gospel is the good news of our final and full enjoyment of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
The gospel is the good news that because God did not spare Christ, he will not spare any omnipotent effort to give us everything that is good for us.
They [the gifts, rewards, and miracles:] have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God in Christ, and by beholding become the kind of person who delights in God above all things, and by delighting display his supreme beauty and worth with ever-increasing brightness and bliss forever.
God’s gifts are not the gospel…if God is treasured as the supremely valuable gift of the gospel, then all the other lesser gifts will be enjoyed as well.
Justification is not an end in itself. Neither is the forgiveness of sins or the imputation of righteousness. Neither is escape from hell or entrance into heaven or freedom from disease or liberation from bondage or eternal life or justice or mercy or the beauties of a pain-free world. None of these facets of the gospel-diamond is the chief good or highest goal of the gospel. Only one thing is: seeing and savoring God himself, being changed into the image of his Son so that more and more we delight in and display God’s infinite beauty and worth.
Forgiveness is simply a way to getting obstacles out of the way so that we can look at each other again with joy.
My point in this book is that all the saving events and all the saving blessings of the gospel are means of getting obstacles out of the way so that we might know and enjoy God most fully. Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven – none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him.
…in 2 Corinthians 4:4 the way Satan keeps people from seeing “the light of the gospel” is not by preventing preaching, but by preventing spiritual perception. The words of the gospel are heard. The facts are comprehended. But there is no “light.” What does this mean? It means that blinded persons consider the facts of the gospel but see no compelling spiritual beauty, no treasure, nothing supremely precious. They see facts.
If the glory of God in Christ were not given to us in the gospel for our everlasting seeing and savoring, the gospel would not be good news.
The greatest good in the gospel is the gift of seeing and savoring the glory of God in Christ forever.
In evangelism the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of sinners to see the glory of Christ who is faithfully preached in the gospel. If Christ is not preached and his glory not exalted, the Holy Spirit does not open our eyes, for there is no glorious Christ displayed for us to see. The Holy Spirit does not do his work apart from the gospel because his work is to open our eyes to see Christ displayed in the gospel, and until the gospel is preached Christ is not there to see.
One of the reasons that many Christians seem to have no thrill at being forgiven through the gospel is that they have not been brokenhearted over their sin.
What he [Jonathan Edwards:] is saying is that to bring people to the sorrow of repentance and contrition, you must bring them first to see the glory of God as their treasure and their delight.
If people are not awakened to the preciousness of God and the beauty of his glory in the face of Christ, the sorrow of their contrition will not be owing to their failure to cherish God and prize his glory.
The Christian never gets beyond the battle with indwelling sin. Life is not all joy above sorrow; life is a battle for joy in the midst of sorrow.
If Christ obliterated all demons now (which he could do), his sheer power would be seen as glorious, but his superior beauty and worth would not shine so brightly as when God’s people renounce the promises of Satan, trust in Christ’s blood and righteousness, and take pleasure in the greater glory of Jesus revealed in the gospel.
The truth I will try to unfold is that all the gifts of God are given for the sake of revealing more of God’s glory, so that the proper use of them is to rest our affections not on them but through them on God alone.
The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy – namely, himself.
How are they [tribulation, distress, etc:] benefits that are bought by the gospel? How are they part of the “all things” in Romans 8:32 and Philippians 4:13? The answer is that in the merciful sovereignty of Christ, empowered by his own blood, these suffering accomplish the greatest good of the gospel, a more pure and authentic and deeply satisfying seeing and savoring of God in Christ.
…the gospel is strange. Its goal is not my immediate ease. Its goal is my being so in love with Christ and so passionate about his glory that when my suffering can highlight his worth I will bear it “gladly.”
God wants you heart when you pray. God will not be a mere dispenser of gifts for those who have no delight in God himself.
…gratitude that is pleasing to God is not first a delight in the benefits God gives (though that will be a part of it). True gratitude must be rooted in something else that comes first – namely, a delight in the beauty and excellency of God’s character.
May he grant us to delight in him for who he is, so that all our gratitude for his gifts will be the echo of our joy in the excellency of the Giver!
Love gives us what is best for us, and what is best for us is knowing and enjoying God.
The highest act of love is giving of the best gift, and if necessary, at the greatest cost, to the least deserving. This is what God did. At the cost of his Son’s life, to the totally undeserving, God gave the best gift – the display of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.
The danger of eating is that we fall in love with the gift; the danger of fasting is that we belittle the gift and glory in our will-power.
…God himself is the ultimate good promised in the gospel. If we do not see and savor that greatest good above all others and in all others, we do not yet know why the good news is truly good.
“God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption.” – Jonathan Edwards
Beholding the beauty of God has always been the supreme desire of those who know him best (Psalm 27:4).
Christian conversion is the spiritual awakening of our souls to the glory of God as the ground of our joy.
Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever.
We must have his character and likeness in order to know him and see him and love him and admire him the way we ought.
We become like him…mainly to have a nature that is fully able to be in awe of him as the one who has “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18).
A PERSONAL TEST FOR WHAT IS ULTIMATE IN OUR HEARTS:
Do I want to be strong like Christ, so I will be admired as strong, or so that I can defeat every adversary that would entice me to settle for any pleasure less than admiring the strongest person in the universe, Christ?
Do I want to be wise like Christ, so I will be admired as wise and intelligent, or so that I can discern and admire the One who is most truly wise?
Do I want to be holy like Christ, so that I can be admired as holy, or so that I can be free from all unholy inhibitions that keep me from seeing and savoring the holiness of Christ?
Do I want to be loving like Christ, so that I will be admired as a loving person, or so that I will enjoy extending to others, even in sufferings, the all-satisfying love of Christ?
Becoming and beholding are a means to the end of delighting and displaying.
We exist by him, through him, and for him (Romans 11:36).
God’s highest act of love is giving us himself to love.
…the fight to become like Christ will be, as never before, a fight to see and savor Jesus Christ. When, for example, we try to help a teenage boy triumph over pornography, we will work and pray to help him see and savor the glory of Christ. We will not merely use accountability structures and filters and human reasoning. We will seek to saturate his mind and heart with the enthralling vision of the all-satisfying Christ. We will not assume it is easy.
Application:
Know and preach that God himself is the ultimate good of the Gospel!
Poignant Quotes:
And not one gospel blessing will be enjoyed by anyone for whom the gospel’s greatest gift was not the Lord himself.
When I say that God is the Gospel I mean that the highest, best, final, decisive good of the gospel, without which no other gifts would be good, is the glory of God in the face of Christ revealed for our everlasting enjoyment.
The gospel is the good news of our final and full enjoyment of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
The gospel is the good news that because God did not spare Christ, he will not spare any omnipotent effort to give us everything that is good for us.
They [the gifts, rewards, and miracles:] have come for one great reason: that you might behold forever the glory of God in Christ, and by beholding become the kind of person who delights in God above all things, and by delighting display his supreme beauty and worth with ever-increasing brightness and bliss forever.
God’s gifts are not the gospel…if God is treasured as the supremely valuable gift of the gospel, then all the other lesser gifts will be enjoyed as well.
Justification is not an end in itself. Neither is the forgiveness of sins or the imputation of righteousness. Neither is escape from hell or entrance into heaven or freedom from disease or liberation from bondage or eternal life or justice or mercy or the beauties of a pain-free world. None of these facets of the gospel-diamond is the chief good or highest goal of the gospel. Only one thing is: seeing and savoring God himself, being changed into the image of his Son so that more and more we delight in and display God’s infinite beauty and worth.
Forgiveness is simply a way to getting obstacles out of the way so that we can look at each other again with joy.
My point in this book is that all the saving events and all the saving blessings of the gospel are means of getting obstacles out of the way so that we might know and enjoy God most fully. Propitiation, redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven – none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him.
…in 2 Corinthians 4:4 the way Satan keeps people from seeing “the light of the gospel” is not by preventing preaching, but by preventing spiritual perception. The words of the gospel are heard. The facts are comprehended. But there is no “light.” What does this mean? It means that blinded persons consider the facts of the gospel but see no compelling spiritual beauty, no treasure, nothing supremely precious. They see facts.
If the glory of God in Christ were not given to us in the gospel for our everlasting seeing and savoring, the gospel would not be good news.
The greatest good in the gospel is the gift of seeing and savoring the glory of God in Christ forever.
In evangelism the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of sinners to see the glory of Christ who is faithfully preached in the gospel. If Christ is not preached and his glory not exalted, the Holy Spirit does not open our eyes, for there is no glorious Christ displayed for us to see. The Holy Spirit does not do his work apart from the gospel because his work is to open our eyes to see Christ displayed in the gospel, and until the gospel is preached Christ is not there to see.
One of the reasons that many Christians seem to have no thrill at being forgiven through the gospel is that they have not been brokenhearted over their sin.
What he [Jonathan Edwards:] is saying is that to bring people to the sorrow of repentance and contrition, you must bring them first to see the glory of God as their treasure and their delight.
If people are not awakened to the preciousness of God and the beauty of his glory in the face of Christ, the sorrow of their contrition will not be owing to their failure to cherish God and prize his glory.
The Christian never gets beyond the battle with indwelling sin. Life is not all joy above sorrow; life is a battle for joy in the midst of sorrow.
If Christ obliterated all demons now (which he could do), his sheer power would be seen as glorious, but his superior beauty and worth would not shine so brightly as when God’s people renounce the promises of Satan, trust in Christ’s blood and righteousness, and take pleasure in the greater glory of Jesus revealed in the gospel.
The truth I will try to unfold is that all the gifts of God are given for the sake of revealing more of God’s glory, so that the proper use of them is to rest our affections not on them but through them on God alone.
The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy – namely, himself.
How are they [tribulation, distress, etc:] benefits that are bought by the gospel? How are they part of the “all things” in Romans 8:32 and Philippians 4:13? The answer is that in the merciful sovereignty of Christ, empowered by his own blood, these suffering accomplish the greatest good of the gospel, a more pure and authentic and deeply satisfying seeing and savoring of God in Christ.
…the gospel is strange. Its goal is not my immediate ease. Its goal is my being so in love with Christ and so passionate about his glory that when my suffering can highlight his worth I will bear it “gladly.”
God wants you heart when you pray. God will not be a mere dispenser of gifts for those who have no delight in God himself.
…gratitude that is pleasing to God is not first a delight in the benefits God gives (though that will be a part of it). True gratitude must be rooted in something else that comes first – namely, a delight in the beauty and excellency of God’s character.
May he grant us to delight in him for who he is, so that all our gratitude for his gifts will be the echo of our joy in the excellency of the Giver!
Love gives us what is best for us, and what is best for us is knowing and enjoying God.
The highest act of love is giving of the best gift, and if necessary, at the greatest cost, to the least deserving. This is what God did. At the cost of his Son’s life, to the totally undeserving, God gave the best gift – the display of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.
The danger of eating is that we fall in love with the gift; the danger of fasting is that we belittle the gift and glory in our will-power.
…God himself is the ultimate good promised in the gospel. If we do not see and savor that greatest good above all others and in all others, we do not yet know why the good news is truly good.
“God himself is the great good which they are brought to the possession and enjoyment of by redemption.” – Jonathan Edwards
Beholding the beauty of God has always been the supreme desire of those who know him best (Psalm 27:4).
Christian conversion is the spiritual awakening of our souls to the glory of God as the ground of our joy.
Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God in Christ forever and ever.
We must have his character and likeness in order to know him and see him and love him and admire him the way we ought.
We become like him…mainly to have a nature that is fully able to be in awe of him as the one who has “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:18).
A PERSONAL TEST FOR WHAT IS ULTIMATE IN OUR HEARTS:
Do I want to be strong like Christ, so I will be admired as strong, or so that I can defeat every adversary that would entice me to settle for any pleasure less than admiring the strongest person in the universe, Christ?
Do I want to be wise like Christ, so I will be admired as wise and intelligent, or so that I can discern and admire the One who is most truly wise?
Do I want to be holy like Christ, so that I can be admired as holy, or so that I can be free from all unholy inhibitions that keep me from seeing and savoring the holiness of Christ?
Do I want to be loving like Christ, so that I will be admired as a loving person, or so that I will enjoy extending to others, even in sufferings, the all-satisfying love of Christ?
Becoming and beholding are a means to the end of delighting and displaying.
We exist by him, through him, and for him (Romans 11:36).
God’s highest act of love is giving us himself to love.
…the fight to become like Christ will be, as never before, a fight to see and savor Jesus Christ. When, for example, we try to help a teenage boy triumph over pornography, we will work and pray to help him see and savor the glory of Christ. We will not merely use accountability structures and filters and human reasoning. We will seek to saturate his mind and heart with the enthralling vision of the all-satisfying Christ. We will not assume it is easy.
Application:
Know and preach that God himself is the ultimate good of the Gospel!
May 2, 2019
In his usual refreshing style, Piper shows us the essential truth that the greatest gift that God gives us is his very self. As the title says, God is the gospel. He is what makes the good news good. When we don’t offer him, we really aren’t offering the gospel, but only a cheap knockoff.
This, naturally, should inform the methodology of preaching. Do we preach Christ himself, or just his benefits? Do we preach life transformation by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ, or just by will power? Do we speak about heaven without the one person who makes heaven heaven? These are searching questions every Christian, and especially every preacher, must wrestle with.
I highly recommend this book, especially for more seasoned (and possibly more jaded) Christians. It is an excellent and solid pointer back to the source of all life, the fountain of living waters, Jesus Christ who is God over all blessed forever.
This, naturally, should inform the methodology of preaching. Do we preach Christ himself, or just his benefits? Do we preach life transformation by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ, or just by will power? Do we speak about heaven without the one person who makes heaven heaven? These are searching questions every Christian, and especially every preacher, must wrestle with.
I highly recommend this book, especially for more seasoned (and possibly more jaded) Christians. It is an excellent and solid pointer back to the source of all life, the fountain of living waters, Jesus Christ who is God over all blessed forever.
November 9, 2019
Good devotional meditations on how the greatest gift God gives us in the gospel is himself.
Essentially a Piper-esque, textually grounded version of meditating on what older generations would have called the beatific vision—the goodness and blessedness of beholding God himself.
Essentially a Piper-esque, textually grounded version of meditating on what older generations would have called the beatific vision—the goodness and blessedness of beholding God himself.
December 22, 2021
“The gospel of Christ is the good news that at the cost of his Son’s life, God has done everything necessary to enthrall us with what will make us eternally and ever-increasingly happy—namely, himself.”
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