God has many purposes for your Bible reading. He wants you to see Jesus, to love him, and to come to look like him. But not only do we have a supernatural enemy who will do everything he can to blind our Bible reading (2 Corinthians 4:4), we also have an enemy living in our own hearts that will keep us from seeing God’s glory — sin (1 Corinthians 2:14).

So if we’re to have any success in Bible reading, if we’re to accomplish any of the things God wants to happen when we open our Bibles, we must read our Bibles supernaturally. That is, we must not come to this book like any other book, but while we do the ordinary work of reading, we must rely totally on the extraordinary help of God to “open our eyes to behold wondrous things” from his word (Psalm 119:18). Our two enemies in Bible reading — Satan and sin — cannot be overcome without God’s help in every moment.

Reading the Bible Supernaturally

Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture

John Piper

In this book, John Piper helps us read the Bible for ourselves so that we might take part in God’s glorious purpose — to see and enjoy his glory.