Customer Reviews

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (Paperback Edition): God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (Swans Are Not Silent)

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What freed Augustine from bondage to sexual immorality? What gave Martin Luther lion-like boldness in defending the supremacy of Scripture? What fueled John Calvin's God-entranced preaching and writing ministry? A stoic, disinterested obligation to do what is right? No! It was white-hot passion for their Sovereign Joy: God. They were radically converted as they encountered the real, risen Jesus and His liberating gospel in the written Word of God. And for the joy of having found the Pearl of great price, they sold everything to obtain it. Join Piper as he examines what captured the hearts of these three flawed saints whom God has used so powerfully to teach His church what grace really means.

"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose! . . . You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You . . . took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure . . ."

Aurelius Augustine,(The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, p. 57)

This insightful book lays historical foundations for the philosophy of Christian Hedonism (Biblically known simply as discipleship to Jesus Christ!) which John Piper first outlined in his book Desiring God: The Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.

These chapters on Augustine, Luther, and Calvin (originally lectures delivered at the Bethlehem Conference for Pastors) are thought-provoking, heart-stirring mini-biographical studies aimed at fanning the flames of God-centeredness in the lives of Christians.

Piper beautifully develops the Augustinian understanding of grace as "sovereign joy" which liberates us from the power of sin, by showing how this dynamic worked to free Augustine himself from the bondage of lust.

From Luther's life, Piper delves into the importance of studying the Word of God even in the midst of suffering. And with Calvin, we are told how devotion to the exposition of Scripture is the means by which the Majesty of God is revealed with life-transforming power.

Piper preserves the careful balance of admiring the virtues of these men without condoning their flaws. He gives insightful and objective reflection on Augustine's sacramentalism, Luther's vulgarity, and Calvin's consent to the barbarity of his violent age. But he doesn't let these sad mistakes obstruct from view the important contributions each of these men have made to the history of the church.

I am glad that these studies are being published (this is the first book of a series of such biographies). They will prove helpful to both the serious student of Christian History, as well as the average curious reader.

An excellent addition to the literature on biblical joy, following the lead of Sherwood Wirt's 'Jesus: Man of Joy', et al. John Piper is one of the foremost champions of classical theism in its contemporary battle against inroads from a minority view called 'open theism', which seems to (even if unwittingly, by implication, in all sincere intentions) unbiblically restrict God's absolute sovereignty. Many these days recoil at such a concept, but the author puts the doctrine in Scriptural perspective: part of God's sovereignty is Sovereign Joy. A wonderful invitation to research the works of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, other fathers of the evangelical faith to discover a deeper, brighter, more robust, full-orbed, delightful insight into another facet of the Character of our Wonderful God. Must reading, especially for those open to 'open theism' (see BGC Foreknowledge website for some of Piper's and others' excellent essays) to recapture a more plenarily Biblical theology for personal life and witness.

This is a wonderful book for the layperson. John Piper brings the realization home that God works through flawed human beings. Because of this, you and I can be freed from the misconceptions that only superheroes of faith are used greatly by God. It is God and God alone that shines through the cracks in our earthen vessels. May God have the glory in the lives of Augustine, Luther and Calvin. And may God use us in a way in which he recieves all the glory. Thank you for these biographical sketches that explore three giant men but shows a sovereign God who dwarfs them...much to the pleasure of these giants.

John Piper's series of biographies, The Swans Are Not Silent, of which this is the first book, is so named for multiple reasons that come out in the preface. When Augustine was handing over his administrative duties to an assistant named Eraclius, Eraclius was asked to give a message. As Augustine sat silently on the bishops throne behind, Eraclius said, "The cricket chirps, the swan is silent." This is how I feel looking at the way that God has impacted men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Owen, and even Piper. Being motivated by the grace that God has shown them in their lives and learning from their lessons, as I go out to the world with the motive of Paul that is seen in so many of these great men in history, "Him we declare, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom so that we may present everyone mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28 ESV)," my words feel like the chirps of crickets next to the songs of these gifted swans. Sometimes, one of the best ways to let their songs be sung is to let them sing them for themselves through the words that they wrote and the testimony that they left. That is what John Piper has done in this book, and it has definitely had its desired effect.

Most reviewers have hit upon the highlights of this book. I do not feel the need to repeat it.

This book is a set of mini-biographies of the lives of three flawed saints. I emphasize the word "flawed" because one of the things I appreciated most about this book was how it emphasized each man's weaknesses and sin. These were flawed saints. There is no saint who is not flawed. When it comes to heroes, there is an easy downward slip from the desire for imitation to the discouragement of intimidation to the deadness of resignation. Seeing their weaknesses and how God's grace triumphed in them is to see Christ's strength perfected in weakness.

And seeing how they sang of their sovereign joy of God in the midst of incredible opposition both from the world and their sin gives me hope; for I am flawed, I am imperfect, and I struggle with sin. But oh, I sing for my Sovereign Joy! There is hope in these pages that even men of God sin, but God pulls them out of the mirey clay as an example of His grace, not their greatness.

While I wish Piper could have gone a little bit deeper, I found in his book enough to meditate upon, and a spark has ignited a desire to learn more about these men in order to see their God, their Sovereign Joy.

I have only good things to say about the man John Piper, both as a theologian and pastor. I was however, a little disapointed with this book. I love all three of these Christian heros and was very excited to read about their lives and ministries especially agaist the backdrop of their blatent failures. Piper however, spends more time molding their lives into three preset themes he wishes to discuss then their lives themselves. His chosen themes are Sovereign Joy, Sacred Study, and The Divine Majesty of the Word.

This book is certainly not a biography (something that is tipped off by its 150 pages of large type) but is interesting if you wish to read about all of the aformentioned ideas. It certainly is a quick read and worth the edification. I would reccommend though that after this book you read some of the men themselves to get a fuller picture of their lives and more importantly, how they display God's glory.

A quick and eye-opening read. Mr. Piper opens the doors of a cellar that has been closed to evangelical Christianity for too long. Mr. Piper's text is void of deep theological language, in-depth historical jargon and is perfect encouragement and enlightenment for the layman. A great book for getting congregations thinking again. Read it. Even if you have an aversion to reading, be encouraged, you will be through this book quickly. This is an excellent companion to J.I. Packer's translation of Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will. Piper is not apologetic and is quite forthcoming in relating the "flaws and sins" of these men. What is most remarkable and refreshing about the sketches he presents is the overwhelming sovereignty of God choosing man, not man choosing God (Romans 9). What is obvious from the lives of these men is that they served, strived and conquered, not by any self-determination, but by the absolute joy and delight in Christ which overcame each one of them in a unique way and of course this was accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit. The book was a great lift for me, I struggle with some of the things these "giants" struggled with. I drew encouragement from these brief biographical sketches. Overall, Piper's text is a small compass which points to the true North of our lives, loving God and worshipping Him with all we have, motivated by His unyielding and relentless love. It has aided me in being still and knowing God is the great I AM.

Our devotion to God often gets mired in the traps and snares of everyday living. We fall into complacency or a feeling of inadequatcy to God's purpose. We then look to our historical, spritual fathers and feel that the zenith of their devotions is far beyond what we think we could ever achive. But, we miss that the nadir of their depravity is far beyond what most of us have ever had to face in the call to Christ.

This book is brief in its number of pages, but the testimonies of their lives ought to help us become more desperate for God who out of His grace will return to us passion, devotion and joy. If God can use these men, He can use me. If God can overwhelmingly entrall these men, He can do the same for me. If God can bring joy to darkness in these mens lives, what will He do in mine if I devote myself to Him.

I read this book in two days and it was well worth it

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy is Book One of John Piper's series The Swans are Not Silent. Each book of the series (of which there is currently four) collects three of the biographical lectures Piper gave at the annual Bethlehem Conference for Pastors over the past two decades. When Augustine resigned as Bishop of Hippo it was said that the "swan is silent." Piper aims to show that the swans, those in our heritage of Christians throughout the centuries, are in fact not silent.

This book expounds on the lives and thoughts of Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. It begins with an introduction about "savoring the sovereignty of grace in the lives of flawed saints." Piper explains that each of these men "had this in common: they experienced, and built their lives and ministries on, the reality of God's omnipotent grace." (18) Noting some of the flaws of each of these men, Piper believes that "the glory of God, however dimly, is mirrored in the flawed lives of his faithful servants." (37)

Each chapter is about half biography and half theological survey and averages 34 pages. There is a pattern to each chapter: after a brief introduction John Piper provides a biographical sketch and then brings out a prominent theme from author's theology. For Augustine, the theme is sovereign joy, for Luther it is sacred study, and for Calvin it is the divine majesty of the Word.

After these chapters, Piper concludes with four lessons we can learn from the "flawed saints." "1) Do not be paralyzed by your weaknesses and flaws... 2) In the battle against sin and surrender, learn the secret of sovereign joy... 3) Supernatural change comes from seeing Christ in his sacred Word... 4) Therefore, let us exult the exposition of the truth of the Gospel and herald the glory of Christ for the joy of all peoples." (143-148)

It is evident throughout the book that John Piper has done his homework; quoting often from primary texts and secondary sources. While there may be some over simplification in regard to the theological themes, Piper's points are nonetheless insightful and practical. Each chapter serves as a great introduction to the lives and thoughts of these Christian men. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy provides a stimulating resource for those looking to discover some of the motivating themes of the Reformed tradition.