Customer Reviews

Finally Alive

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As I read the final page of Finally Alive I realized that I had found a new favorite book by John Piper. Those who have read my reviews of some of his previous titles know that while I greatly enjoy Piper's ministry and am indebted to him in many ways, I have not always found his books easy to read. Yet I read Finally Alive with relish, enjoying it from the first page to the last. It is an incisive examination of a topic of profound importance. I think it represents Piper at his very best as an author.

This is a book about the new birth, about regeneration, about what it means to be born again. Born again is a term we hear often these days, both within the walls of the church and without. But it seems that the term is so often used in a different way than the doctrine as we find it in Scripture. It takes only a couple of pages for Piper to take issue with the term born again as used by people like pollster George Barna--people who desecrate it by taking it far outside of its biblical context. "In this research," says Piper, "the term born again refers to people who say things. They say, `I have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It's important to me.' They say, `I believe that I will go to Heaven when I die. I have confessed my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.' Then the Barna Group takes them at their word, ascribes to them the infinitely important reality of the new birth, and then slanders that precious biblical reality by saying that regenerate hearts have no more victory over sin than unregenerate hearts." Piper doesn't hold back.

Of course such research is not necessarily entirely wrong. It is undeniable that vast numbers of professing Christians live in ways that are completely at odds with the faith they profess. But the New Testament does not allow us to move from a profession of faith to the label born again. Instead, it "moves from the absolute certainty that the new birth radically changes people, to the observation that many professing Christians are indeed (as the Barna Group says) not radically changed, to the conclusion that they are not born again. The New Testament, unlike the Barna Group, does not defile the new birth with the worldliness of unregenerate, professing Christians." This is a term Christians need to understand and protect.

Piper offers four reasons for writing this book on the new birth. First, so we can understand what God intends when the Bible uses this language of the new birth; second, to help followers of Christ know what happened to them when they were converted; and third, to serve as a possible means for those who do not yet believe to come to faith in Christ. "My aim is to explain the new birth as clearly as I can from the Bible so that readers can see it for themselves." And he does so in just the way we've come to expect from John Piper--with clear exposition of Scripture and with undeniable passion and integrity.

Piper moves through the subject by asking five all-important questions. He begins his examination by asking simply "What is the new birth?" From there he turns to the question of "Why must we be born again?." He then asks "How does the new birth come about?" and "What are the effects of the new birth?" before concluding with asking "How can we help others be born again?" Each of these questions is answered two, three or four short chapters, each of which can be easily read and digested in a single sitting.

Why does this all matter for Christians? Piper gives three reasons that believers need to know what happened when they were converted. First, "When you are truly born again and grow in the grace and knowledge of what the Lord has done for you, your fellowship with God will be sweet, and your assurance that he is your Father will be deep. I want that for you." Second, "If you know what really happened to you in your new birth, you will treasure God and his Spirit and his Son and his word more highly than you ever have. In this, Christ will be glorified." And finally, "In the process of believers discovering what really happened to them, the seriousness and the supernatural nature of conversion will rise and that, I pray, will serve a more general awakening of authenticity in the Christian church so that religious hypocrisy will diminish and the world will see real love and sacrifice and courage in the service of Christ." This is no minimal, abstract theology. This is of foundational importance to the Christian faith.

Piper's tone is gracious and compassionate throughout this book. He shows the heart of a pastor from the first page to the last. But he also shows the skill of a theologian and the passion of a prophet. I'm inclined to agree with my friend Adrian Warnock who says of Finally Alive, "I believe this is the most important book Piper has written." I cannot recommend this book too highly. I really believe it is Piper's best.

"Have I been born again?" is not a question to be answered hastily. In John Piper's new book, Finally Alive, expect to be challenged. Piper strips away our complacency, arguing that many people falsely believe they are Christians. He begins by arguing that many who claim to be "born again" today are actually not, and that statistics demonstrating that so-called born again Christians are morally indistinguishable from unbelievers only demonstrate that many who think they have been regenerated actually are still on their way to hell.

Have you carefully examined yourself lately to see if YOU are truly saved? Being wrong about this issue will have eternal consequences and Jesus warned us that there will be those in that day who will have thought they were his followers but actually were not:

Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'"

By examining the Bible's teaching on the new birth, John Piper shows us how to be certain our faith is genuine. Because no issue could be more critical, I believe this is the most important book Piper has written. It could be the most important book outside of the Bible that you or your loved one will ever read. I was privileged to have the opportunity to read this prior to launch and it moved me profoundly, challenging me once more to be sure of my own salvation and to appreciate more fully what God has done for me.

This is, in my opinion, Piper's best and most important work yet. Don't take my word for it. Read it yourself. Christians simply cannot afford to get the doctrine of regeneration wrong. That's why Piper's book is so important. That being said, I do wish to comment on "JJ"'s earlier, one-star review which is posted below. It is based on a complete misunderstanding of the fundamental, but critically important issues at stake in regard to our understanding of the gospel. For the first twenty years of my Christian life, I rejected such doctrines as Piper advances because of the same reasons "JJ" does... I had totally false misconceptions about them. Although "JJ" would probably argue that point, it is abundantly evidenced that he has no idea what he's talking about when he uses such phrases and statements as:

1) "hyper 5 point-ism"
2) "you really CAN'T believe, unless you are chosen anyway, so don't sweat the inability to believe."
3) "Oh, by the way, all those verses that call you to believe or to repent or to do anything after salvation, they are just so much appeasement to our human frailty. We don't even chose whether we are going to overcome, if elect, we will."
4) "Unfortunately so many have bought into this Cross-less Gospel, that it is a wonder that people care about their lost brother's and sisters anyway (oops, excuse me. I didn't mean to say lost. Piper says they are DEAD and UNABLE to respond to the Love of God. oops, I am sorry, the Love of God, according to Piper doesn't extend to those corpses anyway, unless he chooses to resurrect them)."
5) "But, this idea that Election can only be election if we have no say in the matter, would be like saying History is merely fate, we had no choices on the way to making (excuse me, "experiencing") that history."
6) "One fundamental truth that Piper and the band of merry players miss, is how abundant is the grace of God. Even bestowed upon Judas, though most all agree he is not elect."

Yes, I realize that I've just cut and pasted 90% to 95% of his statements, and might as well have just inserted his entire review (or perhaps better, "rant"?). It is an odd thing under the sun, that on this particular issue in general, and especially on the critically important doctrine of regeneration, it seems that one need not first be able to understand and accurately articulate the other side's position before attacking it. I have no doubt that "JJ" means well. I'm sure he is just attempting to defend "his" version of the gospel. But it is strictly zeal NOT according to knowledge.

It's a phrase that has been widely misunderstood for two thousand years, since the first time it was spoken:

"You must be born again."

The new birth, or what theologians call regeneration, is one of the most stunning and crucial realities of the universe, one which every child of God should thoroughlly understand and rejoice in.

But that's not how it is. Most church goers have vague, incomplete answers to such basic questions as:

What is the new birth?
Why must we be born again?
How does the new birth come about?
What are the effects of the new birth?
How can we help others become born again?


Those are the five questions answered by Finally Alive, a book by pastor John Piper that takes a comprehensive look at what it means to be born again. He lays out his goals for the reader:

"When you are truly born again and grow in the grace and knowledge of what the Lord has done for you, your fellowship with God will be sweet, and your assurance that he is your Father will be deep. I want that for you.

If you know what really happened to you in your new birth, you will treasure God and his Spirit and his Son and his word more highly than you ever have. In this, Christ will be glorified.

In the process of believers discovering what really happened to them, the seriousness and the supernatural nature of conversion will rise and that, I pray, will serve a more general awakening of authenticity in the Christian church so that religious hypocrisy will diminish and the world will see real love and sacrifice and courage in the service of Christ."

If you want Bible-saturated, passion-filled answers to what really happened when you became born again, this is your book. It will both inform your mind and ignite your heart in greater love for Jesus and greater desire to see others come to Christ.

So in one sitting today I read all the way through John Piper's new book, Finally Alive. Some have written that it's the best book he's written since Desiring God, so it was a must-read. It's essentially an argument that being saved is not what we typically think of. It's part of a chronological timeline where God does something before our belief, and we do something after our belief that verifies our belief was genuine.

Piper kicks the book off with a pithy introduction, first giving the conversion testimonies of Augustine and C.S. Lewis, and then comparing how the Barna Group and the Bible use the term "born again" differently. This one-two punch is designed to reveal how the contemporary evangelical church has a radically different view of conversion then historic Christianity... not to mention the New Testament.

Piper states three reasons he wrote a new book for Christians concerning salvation:

"1 When you are truly born again and grow in the grace and knowledge of what the Lord has done for you, your fellowship with God will be sweet, and your assurance that he is your Father will be deep. I want that for you."

"2 If you know what really happened to you in your new birth, you will treasure God and his Spirit and his Son and his word more highly than you ever have. In this, Christ will be glorified."

"3 In the process of believers discovering what really happened to them, the seriousness and the supernatural nature of conversion will rise and that, I pray, will serve a more general awakening of authenticity in the Christian church so that religious hypocrisy will diminish and the world will see real love and sacrifice and courage in the service of Christ."

As you can see, this is not a book written for the purpose of erudition, but as with all of Piper's writings, it is firmly targetted at the affections. John Piper wants to use this book to encourage you in your walk with Christ, specifically by causing you to wrap your joy and your love up in the person of Jesus Christ. More on this in a minute.

Piper takes many diverse passages and breaks them down exegetically, pulling out the necessary implications and explications in order to carefully build an understanding of the new birth. He begins with the essence of the Gospel: those who believe will be saved. He moves backwards and forwards from this point, outlining what must follow belief, and also what must precede belief. In doing do, he comes to two grand conclusions.

First, the faith of a believer must be preceded by regeneration, which is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Scripture doesn't use language of death to describe our spiritual life prior to salvation for no reason. It's not metaphorical; there's no like or as attached to the language of death. We were dead; God has made us alive through Christ. As Piper puts it:

"His begetting causes our believing."

Second, the born again believer will be holy in this life before they'll be holy in the next life. Someone won't be truly justified and cleansed from their sin through faith and repentance, and then live life as if nothing ever happened. There will be a movement towards holiness that may be interrupted or seemingly frustrated at times, but it will be obvious. This is much of the argument in 1 John and 1 Peter which Piper helpfully points out. No easy-believism allowed. Piper comments on 1 John 3:1-5:

"Purification is explicit. John says: If you have experienced the new birth, you will love the day of Christ's appearing and long for the day when you will be transformed into his perfect likeness (as verse 2 says, 'when he appears we shall be like him'). And then, he says in verse 3, 'Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.' That means everyone who loves the day of his final purification loves purity now, and hates impurity now, and fights sin now."

"Which means that the new birth, which awakens faith and fills us with love for that last great day of purification, produces the fight for purity."

Piper speaks about other implications of being born again, a couple of which I really appreciate. You can really sense a bit of his previous work, The Future of Justification seeping through here. He's on guard against N.T. Wright and others who would say that the Gospel and new birth are about an affirmation of Lordship, rather than about a transaction of righteousness; and yet, Piper also confirms that the allegience to Christ is crucial. He just puts it in its place in relation to justification.

Also very helpful is his repeated insistence that all of this is grounded in the death of Christ as a historical fact. Theologians aren't just randomly pulling bits of info together to cobble together this idea of salvation; no, Jesus Christ Himself in conjunction with the Father and the Spirit purchase and secure our salvation from beginning to end at the Cross. This reality is mind-shattering, when you think of it. Jesus Christ died to actually save, not merely potentially save.

In short, it's Calvinistic soteriology through-and-through, but unlike other books that argue for similar conclusions, Piper is adamant about this being for our relationship with Christ. He's not out to grind a theological battle axe. No, he's here to point us to the preciousness of the truths of election. This is written so that we might fall in love with Christ. As he said at his church in March of 2008:

"These things aren't for fighting about, to me. They aren't for winning arguments about. They aren't to puff yourself up or to distinguish yourself from anybody. They're to live by, they're to survive with...

...these doctrines are not mainly there just to entertain our intellects, they're there to provide rock under our feet when everything around our soul gives way, which it will sooner or later in your life."

Amen, amen. I highly recommend it.

I have been reading a lot lately. Though I have read books on many subjects, I have been reading most about the gospel. I am trying to study basic, foundational doctrine. I do this like someone examining the foundation of his home. I'm looking for cracks. I'm looking for areas in which my own doctrinal weakness may hinder my teaching and my ministry. This is why one of the first books I read in this journey was Greg Gilbert's "What is the Gospel" In that book, Gilbert makes the assertion that faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin. Each is a turning. On one side faith turns toward God. On the other, Repentance turns from sin. I was fascinated by this simple idea and desired to understand this turning. When I realized that John Piper, had written a book to explain the concept of being born again, I decided that many answers may be there.

To most Christians, the concept of being born again may not sound like anything that needs explaining. It is a term that is so frequently used that we often take for granted the notion that we understand it. Do we understand it? Do we understand this work by which our hearts are turned to faith in God and in repentance of sin? Do we know how that work is accomplished and by whom? Many evangelicals have distilled the gospel into simple steps or ABC's but do those explain the inner workings that change a dead heart to a heart that is "finally alive?"

In his book, Piper sets out to explain the concept of the new birth in fine detail. He begins with an explanation of what the new birth is, then he shows why the new birth is necessary, how it occurs, its effects, and finally, how to help others be born again. With his familiar style, Piper uses careful exegesis of the scriptures to explain his points. He builds chapter by chapter to explain the powerful work behind the new birth. Along the way, he includes very helpful teachings such as the "test of life" in 1 John (evidence of the new birth) as well as ten "encouragements" toward sharing the gospel.

I strongly recommend this book. If you are curious about Christianity, or if you are a long-time Christian trying to get back to basics, this book will help. The term "born again" will be deeper than you've imagined. With such a sturdy foundation, I pray that God will build a mighty work.

Having used John Piper's materials for other small group Bible Studies, my expectations were quite high. After reading the book, however, I was disappointed. Our small group Bible Study consists of college students who are mature Christians, but as a group, we found this book to provide little in depth studying or new material. Besides the basic truths about Christianity that were presented (ie. we are depraved and need to be saved), John Piper offer little new information about what it means to be "Fully Alive".

Reading the reviews and description of the book before ordering, I felt confident that this would be the perfect book for our small group Bible Study. Unfortunately, upon closer examination, we should have chosen a different curriculum.

Overall, though, the book would be fine for an individual Christian to use and was an easy read. Fully Alive was written in Piper's typical, easy-to-understand vernacular to convey sometimes complex topics, but our group found his redundancy throughout the book tedious at times.

John Piper's work on eldership, salvation, and practical theology have shaped my beliefs as much as any other modern pastor. He is a Biblical thinker and one of the most important Christian authors in the modern era. The sheer amount of pages he has produced in his career is staggering.

Finally Alive is one of his newest, and it is a great read for new Christians. Why should we be born again? How are we born again? What is the Holy Spirit's role in salvation? These, and many more questions regarding the new birth, are answered in this short book. I thought the best part of the book was the last section on sharing the gospel, How Can We Help Others Be Born Again? His Ten Encouragements for Gospel-Telling at the end of this section are practical and were the highlight of Finally Alive.

Piper's numerous works understandably have a lot of overlap, but I think Finally Alive is one that contains enough new material to make it worth your while, even if you have read much of what he has put out already. This book is geared towards those who would like to know more about being "born again." When people ask me which Piper books I recommend reading, I always recommend The Dangerous Duty of Delight first (this is the basically the cliff notes for Desiring God), and Don't Waste Your Life next. These books are short, readable, and life-changing. While Finally Alive may not be my first recommendation, it is certainly on the short list and would be a great one to pick up.

For Christmas I got Finally Alive, one of his newer works on being born again. The way he tackles the issue really helps firm up any questions anyone may have. Piper addresses everything from why you need to be born again, how it works, how it happens and finally how to help others in the matter. One of my favorite parts or thoughts out of the book come from Chapter 4:We are Willing Slaves to Sin and Satan: Piper is talking of, apart from the new birth, no good thing dwells in us. The statement that stuck out to me the most from this section was this:

"Where people use all that God has made without relying on his grace and without aiming to show his worth, they prostitute God's creation. They make it the instrument of unbelief. And they ruin it."

Finally Alive is a great read for anyone no matter their theological expertise, I highly recommend getting it.

In secular culture the term "born again Christian" is loosely attributed to someone who at least gives lip service to Jesus Christ as their Lord.

However in its original Biblical setting, it goes far deeper than that.

Sadly recent secular surveys in North America have concluded that those labeled "born again Christians" have morality that is just as bad if not worse than the secular world.

In this book Piper unpacks what exactly a "born again Christian" is and in doing so examines this apparent oxymoron.

With his typical thorough biblical exposition Piper opens our eyes to see that the research merely proves not that "born agains" are permeated with worldliness - but rather the church is permeated with people who are not truly born again.

It is a hugely topical message - many church leaders are sadly coming to this realization. This was pretty much at the heart of Tim Keller's book "The Prodigal God" and was also given significance in Mark Driscoll's recent book "Religion Saves" where Jim Packer stressed it was the number one issue for today's churches.

At 202 pages it is not a huge book - however as far as themes go it could best be described as "chunkified" - but don't let this deter you - here is a book that is worthy of your time. In fact I would take it a step further and say I think it is essential for anyone involved in church leadership. We need to understand and to preach faithfully what it means to be "born again" - this is essential.

Using scripture Piper answers the basic questions regarding new birth. What is it? - Why must we be born again? - How does it come about? (from God's point) - What does it look like? (on our part).

I'll be honest - I do not find Piper an easy author to read - although that said this book is a heck of a lot easier to digest than Desiring God - (I think his writing style has matured greatly since then). And I did find the logic flow between some chapters a tad hard to follow - I suspect that is because of what I assume is the length of time over which it was written.

These minor points aside this is a sturdy exposition of what new birth means. It would make a great book to study in a group - a chapter a week or something - Each chapter starts with the relevant scripture and is oozing God's word every where - you can see Piper is desperate that the seriousness of this message is understood.

Give it a read.
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