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.

Don’t Eat the Bread of Anxious Toil

Summer Psalms

Wherever there are people whose hearts are not fretful or anxious or in a resentful frenzy, but instead have a tranquility of heart and a kind of peaceful abandon in which they take thought for other's concerns instead of being…

God Created Us for His Glory

God Created Us for His Glory

God’s glory and our happiness are never at odds. His pursuit of his own fame is a full commitment to our deepest joy.

Delighting in the Law of God

Summer Psalms

For some people the word "argument" only means "dispute" or "haggling" or "wrangling." But I want to use the word "argument" in its more positive sense of the giving of reasons and the drawing of inferences. I don't like haggling…

The Wisdom We Speak

The remedy for the darkness of man's mind is not mindlessness but light.

The Wisdom of Men and the Power of God

Inaugural Sermon at Bethlehem Baptist

In his first sermon as pastor at Bethlehem, John Piper explains the source of his authority and the reason for his fear.

Life Is Not Trivial

Sunday Evening Message

The world is hungry for people filled with life because they see a reflection of eternity in everything.

John Piper’s Candidating Sermon at Bethlehem Baptist

John Piper candidated at Bethlehem Baptist Church in January of 1980. Six months later, he was installed to the pastorate, where he spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for more than three decades.

John Piper’s Candidating Testimony

I said this morning that everybody’s life, including mine, can be summed up: Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. And I talked about the person who ought to get the glory this morning: God and Jesus Christ…

Prolegomena To Understanding Romans 9:14-15

An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19

I. The Task And Approach When a trained Neutestamentler dares to offer the scholarly community an interpretation of an OT text, some justification is in order. Having been called to take one of the NT chairs at the University of…

A Christian Hedonist Looks at “Love Within Limits”

John Piper offers his critique of Lewis Smedes' book Love Within Limits.

The Ethics of Ayn Rand

Appreciation and Critique

John Piper describes Rand's impact as a novelist and philosopher and assesses her ethical theory from a Christian perspective.

Hope as the Motivation of Love: 1 Peter 3:9–12

New Testament Studies, 1980, Volume 26, Issue 02

1. The problem and the approach The specific question which this essay tries to answer came from 1 Peter 3:9, 'Do not return evil for evil or reviling for reviling but on the contrary bless, for to this you have…

A Reply To Gerhard Maier

A Review Article

The End of the Historical-Critical Method. Gerhard Maier. St. Louis: Concordia, 1977. Das Ende der historisch-kritischen Methode by Gerhard Maier appeared in Germany in 1974 and in the following year went through a second and third edition. In 1975 Peter…

What Does It Mean to Bless God?

What Does It Mean to Bless God?

To bless God means to recognize his great richness, strength, and gracious bounty and to express our gratitude and delight in seeing and experiencing it.

A Personal Encounter with Jonathan Edwards

</em>Published in <em>The Reformed Journal</em> 28 (11): 13-17.

How did John Piper come to appreciate the life and work of Edwards?

Ministering to Your Pastor

The Bible Friend (Vol. 75, No. 8), Minneapolis, MN

How can you encourage and serve your pastor as he serves you?

Self-love and the Christian Counselor's Task

The contentment of knowing that you're a faithful Christian is secondary to the contentment experienced in actively trusting and obeying Christ.

To Nat Hatch: Reflections on Jonathan Edwards’ Sermon on 2 Peter 1:16

The sight of Christ’s glory is the ground of—not the equivalent to—faith.

How Does Christian Hedonism Relate to Evangelism?

How Does Christian Hedonism Relate to Evangelism?

It is not only acceptable, but commanded to share the gospel of Christ with the lost for the sake of our own joy.

Jonathan Edwards on the Problem of Faith and History

Published in the Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 31, pp. 217-228.

The primary value of historical arguments is that they cause us to consider the gospel more carefully.

“Forgive Us Our Debts as We Forgive Our Debtors”

A Meditation on Matthew 6:12

Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your father who is in heaven will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive you your trespasses Mark 11:25-26 “And whenever you…

The Claims of the New Life in Christ

John Piper uncovers the argument behind Paul's appeal to glorify God in your body.

The Hope of the Resurrection

John Piper uncovers the argument behind Paul's teaching about the future resurrection of believers.

The Goal and Difficulty of Teaching Biblical and Theological Studies and the Personal Traits That Fit You for It

Prepared for the Bethel College Pre-Seminary Group (1977) The only reason for living is the achievement of what you value. Nobody should ever sacrifice a higher value to a lower one. You should always aspire to deciding what you value…

Deciding What We Deserve

Christianity Today 12:2 (October 21, 1977), pp. 12-15

When is it right and when is it wrong to treat people differently than what they deserve?

New Resources
in Your Inbox

A digest from Desiring God