Gods Passion for His Glory [Hardcover]

John Piper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

In his essay The End for Which God Created the World,the great theologian Jonathan Edwards proclaimed that God'sultimate end is the manifestation of his glory in the highesthappiness of his creatures.

Pastor John Piper has devoted his years of ministry to exploringthe implications of this stunning truth for life and ministry.Understanding that God is most glorified in us when we are mostsatisfied in him has made all the difference for John Piper-and cantransform your life as well.

Here Piper passionately demonstrates the relevance of Edwards'sideals for the personal and public lives of Christians todaythrough his own book-length introduction to Edwards's The Endfor Which God Created the World. This book also contains thecomplete essay supplemented by almost a hundred of Piper'sinsightful explanatory notes. The result is a powerful andpersuasive presentation of the things that matter most in theChristian life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One studies the time and backgrounds of some men in order to understand them. Others have such rare greatness that one studies them in order to understand their times…. Jonathan Edwards was such an original."
-Paul Ramsey, editor of Edwards's ethical writings in the Yale critical edition "No man is more relevant to the present condition of Christianity than Jonathan Edwards."
—D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"The western church … much of it drifting, enculturated, and infected with cheap grace … desperately needs to hear Edwards's challenge."
-Charles Colson

"[Edwards] speaks with an insight into science and psychology so much ahead of his time that our own can hardly be said to have caught up with him."
-Perry Miller, former Harvard historian

"One of the most holy, humble and heavenly minded men that the world has seen since the apostolic age."
-Ashbel Green, 1829, former president of the College of New Jersey

" … the profoundest reasoner, and the greatest divine … that America ever produced."
-Samuel Davies, 1759

"[Edwards] was a man who put faithfulness to the Word of God before every other consideration."
-Iain Murray, Edwards's biographer

"The disappearance of Edwards's [God-entranced] perspective in American Christian history has been a tragedy."
—Mark Noll, Wheaton College historian

Edwards's book, The End for Which God Created the World [is] … unsurpassed in terms of its theological grandeur."
—David Brand

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"One studies the time and backgrounds of some men in order to understand them. Others have such rare greatness that one studies them in order to understand their times. . . . Jonathan Edwards was such an original."
—Paul Ramsey, Editor of Edwards's ethical writings in the Yale critical edition

"No man is more relevant to the present condition of Christianity than Jonathan Edwards."
—Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"The western church . . . much of it drifting, enculturated, and infected with cheap grace . . . desperately needs to hear Edwards's challenge."
—Charles Colson, Founder, Prison Fellowship

"[Edwards] speaks with an insight into science and psychology so much ahead of his time that our own can hardly be said to have caught up with him."
—Perry Miller, Former Harvard Historian

"One of the most holy, humble and heavenly minded men that the world has seen since the apostolic age."
—Ashbel Green, 1829, Former President of the College of New Jersey

". . . the profoundest reasoner, and the greatest divine . . . that America ever produced."
—Samuel Davies, 1759

"[Edwards] was a man who put faithfulness to the Word of God before every other consideration."
—Iain Murray, Edwards's Biographer

"The disappearance of Edwards's [God-entranced] perspective in American Christian history has been a tragedy."
—Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

"Edwards's book, The End for Which God Created the World [is] . . . unsurpassed in terms of its theological grandeur."
—David Brand, Author, Edwards Scholar

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 270 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books; 1St Edition edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581340079
• ISBN-13: 978-1581340075
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Piper is the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John is the author of more than 30 books, including Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, What Jesus Demands from the World, and Don't Waste Your Life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Goal of God: Glory through our Gladness!, July 14, 2000

By 

Brian G Hedges (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gods Passion for His Glory (Hardcover)

If you are wondering where the foundation of John Piper's God-centered theology may be found, this book is a good starting point. In it, Piper reintroduces a theological masterpiece that is almost three hundred years old - "The End for which God Created the World" by the New England Puritan pastor, Jonathan Edwards. Piper's own book-length introduction describes the impact Jonathan Edwards has had on his own life, suggests the relevance that this book will have to our own culture, and provides a brief, but helpful sketch of Jonathan Edwards' life. The work by Edwards is then carefully broken down into numbered paragraphs and is accompanied by Piper's helpful footnotes. Edwards' thesis is simple - God's ultimate aim in everything He does is to uphold and display the glory of His name for the joy of His people. This thesis is worked out with iron-clad logic (be prepared to think!) and meditation on dozens of Biblical passages. If yours is the prayer of Moses - "show me Thy glory" - then this is the book for you.

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome re-introduction of Edwards' resounding truths, August 12, 1999

By 

Duane T. Garner "dugarner" (Northeast Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gods Passion for His Glory (Hardcover)

Piper laments that in this day and age, so few Christians commit to studying "hard" books. Edwards, known as one of the greatest theological and philosophical minds in American history, puts forth a glorious analysis of God's purposes in creating, redeeming, and glorifying his elect in this "hard" book. It requires concentration, an open mind to the things of God, and a willingness to set aside preconceived "boxed" notions of the gospel.

This book completely re-designed my view of the gospel and my views of God. Piper and Edwards "team up" to provide a challenging, searing, and straightforward view of God that few Christians today would agree with. I found it unsettling and comforting at the same time.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Majestic and Breathtaking, May 1, 2003

By 

David Mitchel (Appomattox, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gods Passion for His Glory (Hardcover)

The End for Which God Created the World represents the core of Jonathan Edwards's thought. Edwards's thesis is this: God designed everything to revel in his glory, and he desires for us to take joy in his magnificence. What's more, those who enjoy God will enjoy him with ever-increasing joy for all eternity. Isn't that a breathtaking thesis?

Edwards marshalls huge amounts of scriptural evidence to support his claim, and, as always, he brilliantly answers philosophical objections against what the scriptures reveal about the matter. His writing throughout is penetrating, perceptive, persuasive, and deeply worshipful.

I think John Piper's goals in his contribution to this work were to whet the reader's appetite for the feast of The End for Which God Created the World and to make the work more accessible to the average reader. He succeeds in both respects. After reading Dr. Piper's introduction I was eager to plow forward, and, while reading The End . . ., I found Dr. Piper's explanatory footnotes helpful.

The End for Which God Created the World is a majestic work, and I am grateful that John Piper took the time to re-introduce it to the general public. May God use this humble offering from Jonathan Edwards's pen to help our tragically parched world find the living water flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb!