John Piper Photo

John Piper

John Piper is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy.

How Do You Glorify God Through Exercise?

John Piper contemplates how working out can be spiritually significant.

Conference Message

Other Sheep That Are Not of This Fold

Other Sheep That Are Not of This Fold

One of the most moving books I have read about the history of modern missions is The St. Andrews Seven, by Stuart Piggin and John Roxborogh. It tells the story of how the life and teaching of Thomas Chalmers…

Conference Message

The Origin of the Unwasted Life

If God is magnified in our showing that he is valuable by treasuring him above all things — if that’s what the unwasted life is — then something has to happen to us, because we don’t do that by nature.

Conference Message

The Appearance of the Unwasted Life, Part 1

The unwasted life is a life lived for the purpose of displaying the worth of Jesus Christ for others to see and cherish.

Conference Message

The Appearance of the Unwasted Life, Part 2

(John Piper finishes his list of 20 ways to not waste your life that he began in part 1 of this message.) 5) Don't waste your compassion The inconsistencies of liberal and conservative compassion do not define the nature…

Conference Message

The Essence of the Unwasted Life

Why Regional Conferences? Why does Desiring God host regional conferences? We seek to mimic the apostle John: That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed…

Was Dietrich Bonhoeffer Wrong to Plot Against Hitler's Life?

John Piper offers biblical direction for discerning when violence is an appropriate way to respond to evil.

Christ Is the Staff of Old Age

A tiny book has been feeding my soul recently, The Loveliness of Christ: Extracts from the Letters of Samuel Rutherford. Writers like Paul and Bunyan and Rutherford, who wrote much from the midst of suffering seem to have a…

The Leniency of Excommunication

The worst discipline that the church is authorized to render toward its worst offender is excommunication And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:17) …

Is It Okay to Use Secular Media to Teach Christian Principles?

John Piper considers what (and how) we can learn from non-Christian art.

Signs and Wonders, Heresy, and Love for God

Does God have designs for deceptive signs and wonders? Does he have purposes for heresies?

Beware of Proclaiming Yourself

The great challenge of the preacher is to follow Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:5, “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” But there are more ways to preach…

How Can I Help Someone Who Thinks They Aren't Elect?

John Piper explains why election should make sinners hopeful, not doubtful.

The God of Peace Brought from the Dead the Good Shepherd

Easter Sunday

Jesus will always be our shepherd and we will always get the incomparable joy of being his sheep.

6 Months Gone at Easter Time

I asked my son Abraham if we could include as our Easter blog entry his personal post from yesterday. He was willing * * * 6 Months Gone at Easter Time Empty hangers, empty closet, empty clothes. Empty crib, empty…

Did Jesus Spend Saturday in Hell?

The Apostles’ Creed says, “[He] was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead.” There are many meanings given to this phrase. I simply want to ponder the traditional…

How Can I Heal My Marriage After Committing Adultery?

John Piper reaffirms God's design to help his people—and their marriages—through others in their local church.

Christ and the Meaning of the Universe

A Good Friday Meditation

Why did God create the universe and why is he governing it the way he is? What is God achieving? Is Jesus Christ a means to this achievement or the end of the achievement Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation…

Thursday of the Commandment

Today is Maundy Thursday. The name comes from the Latin mandatum, the first word in the Latin rendering of John 13:34, “A new commandment (Mandatum novum) I give to you, that you love one another: just as…

How Can Pastors Guard Their Time With Their Families?

John Piper shares how he manages his time in order to care for his family.

The Intensity of Christ’s Love and the Intentionality of His Death

5 ways of seeing Christ’s intentionality in dying for us.

Jesus Gives You to the Father

What happened on Wednesday of Jesus’ final week before the cross? According to Matthew 26:2, "after two days the Passover is coming.” That probably means it’s Wednesday. We can’t be sure because fragments of days count as days, and because…

Let Judas Shake You

Judas left the fellowship of the twelve apostles after the anointing in Bethany and arranged to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-15). But when they met again at the last supper, there he was! Near enough to…

How Should We Respond to Inappropriate Humor?

John Piper suggests ways to promote serious joy over cheap humor.

The New Birth Produces Love

By nature, those who are born again love others like God who gave his Son for them.

New Resources
in Your Inbox

A digest from Desiring God