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

by John Piper (Author)
Key Phrases: expository exultation, sovereign joy, fruitless joys, John Calvin, Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

We admire these men for their greatness, but the truth is Augustine grappled with sexual passions. Martin Luther struggled to control his tongue. John Calvin fought the battle of faith with worldly weapons.

Yet each man will always be remembered for the messages he declared-messages that still resound today. John Piper explores each of these men's lives, integrating Augustine's delight in God with Luther's emphasis on the Word and Calvin's exposition of Scripture. Through their strengths and struggles we can learn how to live better today. When we consider their lives, we behold the glory and majesty of God and find power to overcome our weaknesses.

If ever you are complacent about sin, if ever you lose the joy of Jesus Christ, if ever you are dulled by the world's influence, let the lives of these men help you recapture the wonder of God. Book 1 in The Swans Are Not Silent series.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Crossway Books (August 11, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1581348134
  • ISBN-13: 978-1581348132
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,633 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #20 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Luther, Martin
    #26 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( A ) > Augustine
    #63 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Piper, John

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Average Customer Review
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41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Swans are not silent! The first in a series, May 24, 2000
By A Customer
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)

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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical Foundations for Christian Hedonists!, June 18, 2000
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.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece of the Master's Joy!, September 14, 2000
By B.D. (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to the foundations of these men...
This is the first of the series of "The Swans Are Not Silent." This series is a series of books that are quick bios on the the lives of different people in the history of... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Seth McBee

5.0 out of 5 stars Giants of the Faith
The books in the Swan series are taken from a conference for pastors, where Dr. Piper presents these biographies. Read more
Published 23 months ago by tc robinson

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book, outstanding series!
Incredible. This is the first book of a series of four that Piper wrote to expose this generation to some of the great saints of the past. Read more
Published on April 5, 2007 by Dan Panetti

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to the voices of Christian history...
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... Read more
Published on April 15, 2006 by Roger N. Overton

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise but comprehensive
Concise but comprehensive might sound like a contradiction but I couldn't think of any other way to describe it. Read more
Published on September 14, 2005 by Heath R. Whiley

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for New Christian Leaders
As you can see by the book's subtitle, this little book has three biographical pieces on well known historical Christians. Read more
Published on April 15, 2005 by David C. Hoffner

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sovereign Joy in God that Transforms Lives
Though this book does not provide a very deep detailed personal bio on Augustine, Luther and Calvin (since it's only a mere 150 pages), it's inspiring to see how God's triumphant... Read more
Published on January 17, 2005 by Jessica S.

5.0 out of 5 stars Avoid the cycle of imitation, intimidation, and resignation.
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. Read more

Published on February 17, 2003 by Robert D Hulson

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cricket Chirps, The Swan is Silent
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. Read more
Published on June 18, 2002 by Jacob Hantla

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting, but quite good.
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. Read more
Published on April 9, 2002 by Peter Richert

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