Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ

by John Piper

John Piper delivers powerful biblical reassurances to bolster readers' trust in the sovereignty of God and the supremacy of Christ when evil and tragedy come.

If God governs the sinful acts of men, then does the devastation caused by those terrorists, dictators, murderers, cheats, and abusers discredit Jesus' words: "All authority in heaven and earth belongs to me"? When heart-rending news comes of the latest accident, illness, or natural disaster, can we really believe that in Jesus, "all things hold together"?

Though God has not answered all of our questions about sin and suffering, there are things he wants us to know, things he declares in his Word-such as what's at stake in the "spectacular" sins of others and the horrible tragedies of this life; their global purpose, both historically and today; and what these events say to us personally.

As John Piper works through these biblical truths, this book will bolster readers' trust in the utter sovereignty of God such that they'll be less timid in their witness and less afraid of whatever may come. It is also a joy-infused declaration that because everything occurs through Christ and for Christ and his glory, they are forever secure in him.

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Hardcover, 121 pages

Published September 1st 2008 by Crossway Books

tags: theology, faith, christianity, religion, nonfiction, christian living, christian

Book Quotes

“It seems to me that Christians in the West are being coddled. We suffer little in the name of Christ. Therefore, we read the Bible not with a desperate hunger for evidences of God’s triumph in pain, but with a view to improving our private pleasures.”

― John Piper

“It isn't the size of the window that determines how much you see. It's which way the window is facing, and how close you are, and whether the glass is clear.”

― John Piper

“It is only a matter of time till the reality of the rest of the world comes home. And all the while we are called by Christ to go to them, love them, sacrifice for them, bring the gospel to them. The Great Commission is not child’s play. It is costly. Very costly.”

― John Piper

“God did not just overcome evil at the cross. He made evil serve the overcoming of evil. He made evil commit suicide in doing its worst evil.”

― John Piper

“Christians in the West are weakened by wimpy worldviews. And wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians.”

― John Piper

“The Apostle “Paul’s antidote for wimpy Christians is weighty doctrine. . . .everything that exists—including evil—is ordained by a holy and all-wise God to make the glory of Christ shine more brightly. We don’t make God. He makes us. We don’t decide what he is going to be like. He decides what he is going to be like. He decides what we are going to be like. He created the universe, and it has the meaning he gives it, not the meaning we give it. If we give it a meaning different from his, we are fools. . . . our eternal joy and strength and holiness depend on the solidity of this worldview putting strong fiber into the spine of our faith. Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. And wimpy Christians won’t survive the days ahead.”

― John Piper

topics: Divine Providence, Glory Of God, Sin

“Therefore, we read the Bible selectively. We pick a text here and there to fit our felt needs. This is like a doctor who forgets how to write prescriptions for the best antibiotics because every- body seems healthy, and he has spent the last decades tweaking good health with hip-hop exercise videos, unaware that pestilence is at the door. It’s like the soldier who forgets how to use his weapons because the times seem peaceful, and he has spent the last decades doing relief work and teaching the children how to play games.”

― John Piper

“He died for me, who caused His pain-- For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love, how can it be That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me”

― John Piper

“The cure for wimpy Christians is weighty doctrine!”

― John Piper

“I exist to magnify Jesus Christ. That is, I am on this planet for one ultimate reason: to do whatever I can to make Jesus Christ known and treasured—a knowing and a treasuring that accords with his infinite beauty and immeasurable worth.”

― John Piper

“The gospel of the glory of Christ spreads better and flourishes more because of 6,500 languages, not in spite of them.”

― John Piper

topics: Gospel, Languages

“So when I say that everything that exists—including evil—is ordained by an infinitely holy and all-wise God to make the glory of Christ shine more brightly, I mean that, one way or the other, God sees to it that all things serve to glorify his Son. Whether he causes or permits, he does so with purpose. For an infinitely wise and all-knowing God, both causing and permitting are purposeful. They are part of the big picture of what God plans to bring to pass.”

― John Piper

“That is not just the story of Israel. It's the story of humanity. It's the story of my life and your life.”

― John Piper

“Put the ballast of biblical truth in the belly of our little boats, lest the crashing waves of calamity of these changing times cause us to capsize in the sea of trouble”

― John Piper

“May our light shine in this world so that people see you in our sacrificial deeds of love and our compromising words of truth and give glory to your hallowed name, Father”

― John Piper

“When you are tempted to forsake God because of the greatness of evil and misery in the world, may you remember that the BIble has prepared us for this temptation.”

― John Piper

“And Christ "will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Heb 9:28). And "on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written"---not king of the Jews, but "King of all kings and Lord of lords." (Rev. 19:16). Amen. Come, King Jesus.”

― John Piper

John Piper

John Piper (1946 - Present)

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

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

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

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