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A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness
God has provided a way for all people, not just scholars, to know that the Bible is the Word of God. John Piper has devoted his life to showing us that the glory of God is the object of the soul’s happiness. Now, his burden in this book is to demonstrate that this same glory is the ground of the mind’s certainty. God’s peculiar glory shines through his Word. The Spirit of God enlightens the eyes of our hearts. And in one self-authenticating sight, our minds are sure and our hearts are satisfied. Justified certainty and solid joy meet in the peculiar glory of God.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published March 31, 2016
238 people are currently reading
1915 people want to read
About the author
John Piper
610 books4,563 followersJohn Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, 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 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, 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 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
July 7, 2021
Piper did an excellent job throughout the book of telling the reader what his goal was, giving evidence for a position, reminding the reader again what the point of the book was, and then sealing it all up with words and emotion that left me wanting to love Scripture more. He didn't write in a way where all the cookies were on the bottom shelf. Layman and scholar can read A Peculiar Glory and leave with a greater understanding of how the Triune God works in salvation and in the believers life.
Piper's high knowledge of Jonathan Edwards was woven throughout in a way that made me want to know more about him!
A couple of standout parts:
To say that the reason why Peter "saw" Christ while Judas didn't is because God didn't open the eyes of Judas isn't sufficient. Although true, the reason is better supported by Scripture to say that Judas' love of money and the world is why he didn't see Jesus for who He was/is. Romans 1 tells us that they know the truth and suppress it.
I also really appreciated Piper's analogies with ammonia and honey as we consider the difference in someone who truly knows God and someone with all the right head knowledge. You can know all about honey- sticky, amber, made by bees - but you don't really know what honey is until you've tasted it. Until one can look at creation and God's Word and glorify God in response to them then one doesn't *know* God. Giving glory to God and loving Him with all your being is unique to those who have been regenerated. This brought peace and clarity to my heart as I mother 9 children that know all the right answers. My job of evangelizing and discipling never ends ❤️
Piper's high knowledge of Jonathan Edwards was woven throughout in a way that made me want to know more about him!
A couple of standout parts:
To say that the reason why Peter "saw" Christ while Judas didn't is because God didn't open the eyes of Judas isn't sufficient. Although true, the reason is better supported by Scripture to say that Judas' love of money and the world is why he didn't see Jesus for who He was/is. Romans 1 tells us that they know the truth and suppress it.
I also really appreciated Piper's analogies with ammonia and honey as we consider the difference in someone who truly knows God and someone with all the right head knowledge. You can know all about honey- sticky, amber, made by bees - but you don't really know what honey is until you've tasted it. Until one can look at creation and God's Word and glorify God in response to them then one doesn't *know* God. Giving glory to God and loving Him with all your being is unique to those who have been regenerated. This brought peace and clarity to my heart as I mother 9 children that know all the right answers. My job of evangelizing and discipling never ends ❤️
February 24, 2021
Piper does a good job answering the questions, "Can someone know the Bible is God's Word without scholarly study and if so how?" He does a good job answering that question while also diving into various topics related to the reliability of Scripture and giving some pastoral guidance and glorifying Christ along the way.
September 7, 2016
Much of the book might be review for a lot of people, but Piper still has some important an original contributions. His big ideas are that Scripture is its own apologetic (my words) and testifies itself to those whose hearts are awakened by the Spirit, and that the pecuiliar glory of Christ is the infinite God manifested as the lowliest of servants. Piper writes as one trained in historical criticism, but his book contains talking points geared against that perspective. But it is much broader than that. For me it was different. I don't find Piper to be a particularly eloquent writer, and I am not as committed to upholding key points of reformed theology. It's just a difference in emphasis, not theology. But I think he's right in pointing to glory as that key component of Scripture that speaks of its truthfulness and efficacy.
March 18, 2016
This is Piper's attempt to prove the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures using a roundabout method. Anyone familiar with Piper's method and passion will recognize it as vintage Piper; others may wonder what the big deal is. What is the "peculiar glory" mentioned in the title that proves the Bible is what it claims to be? How it points toward the glory of its author, the scope of the gospel, the beauty of its truth, the effects on its readers, and so on. Piper's main point is that you will not be convinced of the authority of the Scriptures unless the light of 2 Corinthians 4:6 is streaming into your heart and mind.
I like Piper and his method, especially in the first half of this book. He first establishes what the Scriptures claim for themselves before discussing how we can evaluate these claims (only by faith through the Spirit; Pascal's wager is not enough). Then we confirms these claims by looking at the meekness/majesty paradigm of Jesus Christ (arguing that you can't make up something like that), the fulfillment of prophecies, the miracles of Jesus, the word-created people (apostles and church), and finally (intentionally finally) historical reasoning.
At the end of the day, Piper loves the Bible, and wants you to too. Through this book he has succeeded in deepening such love in me.
I like Piper and his method, especially in the first half of this book. He first establishes what the Scriptures claim for themselves before discussing how we can evaluate these claims (only by faith through the Spirit; Pascal's wager is not enough). Then we confirms these claims by looking at the meekness/majesty paradigm of Jesus Christ (arguing that you can't make up something like that), the fulfillment of prophecies, the miracles of Jesus, the word-created people (apostles and church), and finally (intentionally finally) historical reasoning.
At the end of the day, Piper loves the Bible, and wants you to too. Through this book he has succeeded in deepening such love in me.
February 7, 2017
I'm not going to lie, I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars, but a part of me wants to give it 5. In interviews Piper admits he stumbled onto this book as he was trying to write what will be part 2 of this series and a book I am now super excited to read (see here: Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture https://www.amazon.com/dp/143355349X/...). This stumbling and at times rambling shows here and there, particularly in the second third of the book.
John Piper once wrote, “Books don’t change people; paragraphs do. Sometimes even sentences.
When I read a book, I am realizing that many of the words I read I may have already read or heard before, but I read for the few sentences that will change my life.
That's the best thing I can say about this book. Don't get me wrong. The book is solid. Piper nails down the Reformed view of the canon (which I believe is the first *accessible* book it's been done in to this degree). His beat-down of Pascal's Wager was one of my favorite parts.
However, it is the last 20% of this book that will change your life. He has to lay that much foundation to wreck you at the end. Piper at the end finally gives the reason why this book was needed. He says "(Saving) faith comes from hearing, and (spiritual) sight comes from reading." His metaphors that the Bible is not a candle in a box waiting to be opened but rather the light inside a fire were perfect and stirring. After reading this book, I come away with an appreciation of how the Bible authenticates itself, how it is the question and the answer, how it cannot be controlled.
Outside of what I said in the beginning, the only other problem I had dealt with the audiobook edition I read. I wish Piper would read his own audiobooks because he writes so purposely that it needs to be communicated verbally the same. And it wasn't. The narrator sounded just like the US American voice of Siri. Yuck.
ChristianAudio: please make a point of fixing things like this. Piper deserves better, someone with more inflection and emotion in their voice. Please try to get Piper himself for his next book.
John Piper once wrote, “Books don’t change people; paragraphs do. Sometimes even sentences.
When I read a book, I am realizing that many of the words I read I may have already read or heard before, but I read for the few sentences that will change my life.
That's the best thing I can say about this book. Don't get me wrong. The book is solid. Piper nails down the Reformed view of the canon (which I believe is the first *accessible* book it's been done in to this degree). His beat-down of Pascal's Wager was one of my favorite parts.
However, it is the last 20% of this book that will change your life. He has to lay that much foundation to wreck you at the end. Piper at the end finally gives the reason why this book was needed. He says "(Saving) faith comes from hearing, and (spiritual) sight comes from reading." His metaphors that the Bible is not a candle in a box waiting to be opened but rather the light inside a fire were perfect and stirring. After reading this book, I come away with an appreciation of how the Bible authenticates itself, how it is the question and the answer, how it cannot be controlled.
Outside of what I said in the beginning, the only other problem I had dealt with the audiobook edition I read. I wish Piper would read his own audiobooks because he writes so purposely that it needs to be communicated verbally the same. And it wasn't. The narrator sounded just like the US American voice of Siri. Yuck.
ChristianAudio: please make a point of fixing things like this. Piper deserves better, someone with more inflection and emotion in their voice. Please try to get Piper himself for his next book.
June 28, 2021
Piper is the man. Great intro to understand why God's word is God's word.
August 30, 2020
In large sections of 'A Peculiar Glory' Piper is at his best showing us passionately that what matters is the glory of God.
Piper's aim is to show that belief in the gospel, the Bible and the God of the Bible is sufficiently grounded. All people everywhere can have certainty with regards to their faith in Christ and trust in the Scriptures. This certainty is not derived from cleverly formulated historical evidences and rational arguments, though these have their place. But, it is rooted in the illumination of the Spirit when the beauty and glory of Christ and by extension the Scriptures are revealed to us. As someone fully convinced by Piper's thesis as it concerns conversion and salvation, I was challenged and helped greatly to think of its implications for the truth of Scripture.
Piper is a gift to the church, but his books are not always as readable as one might expect, given how practical the topic at hand is. He is always finds a way of connecting the subject to the glory of God. This is welcomed, but sometimes he labours when conciseness would be preferred - extended sections with hyphenated adjectives can wear the reader down. Though I would admit that this is likely because I am already familiar with his style.
At times you are also left with what may amount to leaps of logic. He is clearly convinced that his explanations support his assertions, but the flow of thought is not always explicitly clear. These are minor criticisms though, this book is well worth the read and it reminds us that God is glorious and beautiful and worthy of our affections, and that the Scriptures inspired by the Spirit point to a glorious Saviour and they radiate the glory of God as He reveals Himself.
Piper's aim is to show that belief in the gospel, the Bible and the God of the Bible is sufficiently grounded. All people everywhere can have certainty with regards to their faith in Christ and trust in the Scriptures. This certainty is not derived from cleverly formulated historical evidences and rational arguments, though these have their place. But, it is rooted in the illumination of the Spirit when the beauty and glory of Christ and by extension the Scriptures are revealed to us. As someone fully convinced by Piper's thesis as it concerns conversion and salvation, I was challenged and helped greatly to think of its implications for the truth of Scripture.
Piper is a gift to the church, but his books are not always as readable as one might expect, given how practical the topic at hand is. He is always finds a way of connecting the subject to the glory of God. This is welcomed, but sometimes he labours when conciseness would be preferred - extended sections with hyphenated adjectives can wear the reader down. Though I would admit that this is likely because I am already familiar with his style.
At times you are also left with what may amount to leaps of logic. He is clearly convinced that his explanations support his assertions, but the flow of thought is not always explicitly clear. These are minor criticisms though, this book is well worth the read and it reminds us that God is glorious and beautiful and worthy of our affections, and that the Scriptures inspired by the Spirit point to a glorious Saviour and they radiate the glory of God as He reveals Himself.
March 23, 2017
"I do not merely hold a view of Scripture. I am held." Thanks be to God this is true in my life as well.
That we may love the Word of God more and believe it fully!
That we may love the Word of God more and believe it fully!
March 21, 2023
Excellent! To be simplistic, this book is on the supernatural working of God through the Bible to reveal the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. John Piper writes this book with all the beauty of a poet, all the compassion of a preacher, and all the logic of a trained theologian.
August 5, 2017
Simply amazing!!! Can I give this six stars? I honestly did not give this book a chance at first, since the argument sounded like fideism or the "burning in the bosom" argument used by some less than Biblical cults, but boy was I wrong. Not sure I totally get it or understand it fully, but Dr. Piper's argument is Biblically sound and deeply convicting!! Highly recommended
May 17, 2021
Really enjoyed walking through this paragraph by paragraph. So much wisdom. I pray with Piper, “It felt like my view of the Bible was holding on to me...God was holding onto me by clarifying and brightening and deepening my view of Him in the Bible.”
August 7, 2020
A very quick review:
Yes, Piper repeats himself throughout the book. Every chapter reviews at least the previous chapter if not other previous ones. However, this is to help solidify what was said and lay a foundation for what is ahead. Like most of Piper’s books, he hits the topic from every possible angle. If you don’t like repetition and slow case building, you won’t enjoy the book.
Yes, Piper repeats himself throughout the book. Every chapter reviews at least the previous chapter if not other previous ones. However, this is to help solidify what was said and lay a foundation for what is ahead. Like most of Piper’s books, he hits the topic from every possible angle. If you don’t like repetition and slow case building, you won’t enjoy the book.
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October 30, 2025A beautiful, brilliant book. So thankful for Piper's presentation of the beauty of the inspiration of Scripture through the lens of the glory of Christ. An absolute treasure--especially parts 1-3!!
March 8, 2016
This excellent book by John Piper shows how the truth of the scripture is based on the glory of God. After a brief introduction about what to expect in the book, Piper launches into his life story and the impact the Bible and the glory of God has had in it. Piper then very thoroughly explains the scriptural composition of the Bible, including all sixty six books, what they represent, and how they relate to each other.
The Bible is the sure foundation for historic Christian belief. Piper goes to great lengths to explain the historical accuracy and authority of the Bible. He does a great job explaining how the scriptures are fulfilled, and how we can trust that the scripture is infallible, inerrant, and God breathed.
This book places a great emphasis on Paul and the authority granted to him along with the other apostles. Piper also draws heavily from the teachings of Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin. The premise and summary of the whole book is that God's glory is revealed in the scriptures. Piper acknowledges that there is too much on this topic to fit into one book, and he is already working on volume two. I look forward to reading that one when it comes out.
I would recommend this book to all Christians who would like a deeper and more personal explanation of the Bible and its teachings. I received this as a free ARC from Crossway on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Bible is the sure foundation for historic Christian belief. Piper goes to great lengths to explain the historical accuracy and authority of the Bible. He does a great job explaining how the scriptures are fulfilled, and how we can trust that the scripture is infallible, inerrant, and God breathed.
This book places a great emphasis on Paul and the authority granted to him along with the other apostles. Piper also draws heavily from the teachings of Jonathan Edwards and John Calvin. The premise and summary of the whole book is that God's glory is revealed in the scriptures. Piper acknowledges that there is too much on this topic to fit into one book, and he is already working on volume two. I look forward to reading that one when it comes out.
I would recommend this book to all Christians who would like a deeper and more personal explanation of the Bible and its teachings. I received this as a free ARC from Crossway on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2016
I have read many of Piper's books, and this one has been the most challenging to complete. He is very careful, as though he were wielding a scalpel, as he dissects the ability of Scripture to reveal, not just glory in general, but specific, or peculiar, glory. The first half of the book and the last 3 chapters were very accessible. My favorite part is when he shared about his faith journey in the first chapter. I have to admit I struggled in the middle, but my efforts were rewarded. My biggest takeaways: the Word of God is sufficient to hold us. We don't hold a view of Scripture--it holds us. We need not fear as it is powerful enough. Secondly, we are not called to blind faith. Unwarranted trust is no honor to the One trusted. God has made sure through His word that we can know He is trustworthy. . There were other great ideas, but it isn't always easy to follow. Look forward to following up with Kevin DeYoung's new title on the same subject to see how they synthesize!
August 12, 2017
I recently went on a theological dig to try to understand how I felt about traditional Christian Doctrines about the Bible. This book isn't a totally rigorous theology by any means, and I'm still not completely clear on what I believe about certain doctrines, but I did walk away from it with a newfound excitement for the Bible and a desire to understand it more. My main takeaway from this book is that God made himself known through the Bible and people who believe in Him can know Him through it. If that is true, it is crazy and should affect how I view the Bible. If it isn't true, then the Bible (and by extension, Christianity(?)) is just another avenue to find truth and it is no more beneficial for me to read than any other book. Essentially, the Bible matters, and if I believe what this book says about it, I (and others) ought to pay more attention to it and try to understand what is being communicated in it.
June 15, 2016
Piper writes as a scholar but not just to scholars. As always, I was greatly edified by the logic and passion of Piper's arguments for the self-authenticating glory of the Scriptures. He says: "I thought I was holding a view of Scripture. Then, I realized I was being held." This too has been my experience, not just in this area but in the whole of my Christian experience. I thank God for this book. It has stirred me to love God's Word in new ways.
May 22, 2018
This is a book that I imagine Piper will still be known for in decades to come. A beautiful, Piper-y demonstration of the self-attesting authority of the Scriptures. I can't claim to have agreed with all of the detail, but I can claim to have rejoiced in many helpful insights he offers.
Piper is driven by the conviction that people don't need to be expert historians to have a well-grounded confidence in the authority of the Bible as the word of God. In fact, people don't even need to understand why they have a well-grounded confidence to have a well-grounded confidence. Rather, they can just find themselves captivated by a sight of the glory of God shining through the Scriptures. In Piper's words, "We know the Scriptures to be true, not because our light shows them to be so, but because their divine light shines with its own unique, all-enlightening, all-explaining glory" (160). As he says in another place, "Sight is its own argument" (250).
The peculiar glory of God revealed in the Scriptures is the glory of "majesty in meekness." Piper gets particularly passionate at this point, as he describes how the Scriptures are self-authenticating because they manifest a God who "wins the praise of his majesty not by amassing slave labor to serve him but by becoming a servant to free the slaves of sin" (217) – that is, who does not exalt himself by demanding to be served, but exalts himself by serving others.
One of the most helpful chapters is on the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. Piper helpfully explains how this inward testimony is not about the Spirit giving additional revelation, in the form of information about the Bible, but rather "he awakens us, as from the dead, to see and taste the divine reality of God in Scripture, which authenticates it as God's own word" (186). Historical and apologetic arguments do have a place, but as "secondary aids to our feebleness" (in Calvin's words) to encourage us when our sight of God's glory is clouded.
The final section of the book offers an enlightening slant on some traditional approaches to defending the authority of the Bible, by highlighting three ways that the Scriptures put the peculiar glory of God on display. First, the fulfilment of prophecy – not just the fact of fulfilment, but also its manner, as the Promised One shows "majesty in suffering" (235). Second, the miracles of Jesus, which are done "in the service of humble God-exaltation, not crowd-pleasing self-exaltation" (248). Third, the creation of new people, transformed from selfishness to be "God-centered, Christ-exalting servants who live for the temporal and eternal good of others" (254).
Take, read, and be encouraged.
Piper is driven by the conviction that people don't need to be expert historians to have a well-grounded confidence in the authority of the Bible as the word of God. In fact, people don't even need to understand why they have a well-grounded confidence to have a well-grounded confidence. Rather, they can just find themselves captivated by a sight of the glory of God shining through the Scriptures. In Piper's words, "We know the Scriptures to be true, not because our light shows them to be so, but because their divine light shines with its own unique, all-enlightening, all-explaining glory" (160). As he says in another place, "Sight is its own argument" (250).
The peculiar glory of God revealed in the Scriptures is the glory of "majesty in meekness." Piper gets particularly passionate at this point, as he describes how the Scriptures are self-authenticating because they manifest a God who "wins the praise of his majesty not by amassing slave labor to serve him but by becoming a servant to free the slaves of sin" (217) – that is, who does not exalt himself by demanding to be served, but exalts himself by serving others.
One of the most helpful chapters is on the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. Piper helpfully explains how this inward testimony is not about the Spirit giving additional revelation, in the form of information about the Bible, but rather "he awakens us, as from the dead, to see and taste the divine reality of God in Scripture, which authenticates it as God's own word" (186). Historical and apologetic arguments do have a place, but as "secondary aids to our feebleness" (in Calvin's words) to encourage us when our sight of God's glory is clouded.
The final section of the book offers an enlightening slant on some traditional approaches to defending the authority of the Bible, by highlighting three ways that the Scriptures put the peculiar glory of God on display. First, the fulfilment of prophecy – not just the fact of fulfilment, but also its manner, as the Promised One shows "majesty in suffering" (235). Second, the miracles of Jesus, which are done "in the service of humble God-exaltation, not crowd-pleasing self-exaltation" (248). Third, the creation of new people, transformed from selfishness to be "God-centered, Christ-exalting servants who live for the temporal and eternal good of others" (254).
Take, read, and be encouraged.
August 12, 2017
I listened to this, but plan on getting a hard copy for future reference. It starts off like a personal systematic theology on bibliology. In fact, several times throughout the book the elder's affirmation and doctrinal statement at Bethlehem is referenced.
The first half is helpful, but mostly you can get the same data and reasoning in a good systematic theology. However, it is the 2nd half of the book that is gold. His dealing with the Bible's self-authenticating nature, true faith, illumination, and how the self-authenticating nature of the bible relates to interpretation was over the top helpful. I found it especially helpful that a driving question he had in writing was how an average person without access to historical evidence and advanced training could come to a settled and valid faith that the Bible is God's Word. Unsurprisingly Piper nailed his life theme here by saying that the center of the Bible's self-authenticating nature is the revelation of the glory of God. He makes the point that it is not a particular word or letter of the Bible that in and of itself is self-authenticating, but the unfolding of the meaning coupled with illumination by the Spirit reveals God's glory and self-authenticates the Word to the reader. This seems to be the central argument for why preaching within the church ought to be expositional-simply unfolding the meaning and praying for the Spirit's illumination so that the glory of God might be displayed and the Word might be known to truly be God's Word. In the words of Spurgeon-you don't defend a lion, you let it loose.
The first half is helpful, but mostly you can get the same data and reasoning in a good systematic theology. However, it is the 2nd half of the book that is gold. His dealing with the Bible's self-authenticating nature, true faith, illumination, and how the self-authenticating nature of the bible relates to interpretation was over the top helpful. I found it especially helpful that a driving question he had in writing was how an average person without access to historical evidence and advanced training could come to a settled and valid faith that the Bible is God's Word. Unsurprisingly Piper nailed his life theme here by saying that the center of the Bible's self-authenticating nature is the revelation of the glory of God. He makes the point that it is not a particular word or letter of the Bible that in and of itself is self-authenticating, but the unfolding of the meaning coupled with illumination by the Spirit reveals God's glory and self-authenticates the Word to the reader. This seems to be the central argument for why preaching within the church ought to be expositional-simply unfolding the meaning and praying for the Spirit's illumination so that the glory of God might be displayed and the Word might be known to truly be God's Word. In the words of Spurgeon-you don't defend a lion, you let it loose.
April 22, 2025
This is first of a series of three books (this volume, Reading the Bible Supernaturally, and Expository Exultation…I totally read them in backwards order) in which Piper discuss his convictions on the Christian Scriptures. This work first gives the classic answers on the reliability of the Bible but then spends a majority of its pages adding a crucial layer to the argument—the peculiar self-authenticating glory of God in his word.
Piper explains from Scripture how we see the supernatural through the natural. Though there are strong historical and scholarly arguments for the authenticity of biblical writings, these are supplemental knowledge. He explains how even without those arguments any reader can see the glory of God on display in Scripture and thus solidify a well grounded confidence that the Bible is from God and that it is complete truth.
This is a book I did not know I needed to read but I can’t quite articulate just how helpful this was for me to think through. It was personally very encouraging and edifying! Hope to revisit this work and the others in the series again in the near future.
Piper explains from Scripture how we see the supernatural through the natural. Though there are strong historical and scholarly arguments for the authenticity of biblical writings, these are supplemental knowledge. He explains how even without those arguments any reader can see the glory of God on display in Scripture and thus solidify a well grounded confidence that the Bible is from God and that it is complete truth.
This is a book I did not know I needed to read but I can’t quite articulate just how helpful this was for me to think through. It was personally very encouraging and edifying! Hope to revisit this work and the others in the series again in the near future.
February 13, 2021
Piper’s writing can be an acquired taste, but his passion to see God made great in our lives is contagious. This work truly helps the reader see the “peculiar glory” of Scripture in a manner friendly to laymen, and yet without ignoring issues of historical criticism or the nuances of the doctrine of inerrancy. At its core is the idea that scripture is sui generis. It is not merely the greatest book, it is a truly unique and marvelous book. It is a window through which we see the majestic meekness of God. Piper draws heavily on one of his classic influences, Jonathan Edwards. But his thesis is reflected recently in Sonderegger who describes God’s Holy Hiddenness & Dane Ortland who highlights Christ as Gentle and Lowly. It also reminds me of how Nietzsche hated Christianity precisely for how it unveiled God as reaching down from the highest Heaven to demonstrate perfect humility in the gospel. This book exults and magnifies the glory of God’s perfect word to us in Scripture, and I commend it with highest praise.
January 24, 2018
Esse livro foi interessante, porque fiz a leitura em compartilhado com um amigo. O livro se apresenta como uma introdução argumentativa de como a Bíblia revela uma glória que a torna verdadeira (ou digna de uma autoridade impar). Piper argumenta de maneira linear, ou seja, a introdução é a base da conclusão. A bem da verdade, me decepcionei bastante com o livro. Um livro fraco, com uma argumentação fraca, tratando sobre um tema forte e extremamente importante. Piper é muito redundante em sua argumentação (o que as vezes acaba atrapalhando a compreensão do argumento), acredito que se retirasse toda a redundância sobraria metade do livro. Piper tem a (estranha) mania de falar difícil coisas extremamente fáceis. Outro problema é que o livro é sobre como Piper interpreta Jonathan Edwards, mais da metade das citações do livro são do livro "A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections", o que me incomodou bastante pela falta de autenticidade na argumentação. Outro ponto que me incomodou é o fato de que, Piper, argumenta que os leigos não possuem os critérios necessários para compreender as evidencias históricas (portanto, e esse é o argumento principal, a Bíblia se auto evidencia), mas não tem problema em afirmar que os leigos geram argumentações filosóficas (o que necessitaria de respostas filosoficamente resolvidas). De bônus Piper argumenta que na Natureza ele extraí princípios que eu só consigo encontrar na Bíblia. Por esse e outros vários motivos achei o livro abaixo da média. Considero outros livros (bem menores e bem introdutórios) mais acertados sobre o assunto. 2 estrelas é mais pelo tema do que pelo livro!
July 12, 2018
Piper nesse livro demonstra a glória peculiar das Escrituras, da Bíblia Sagrada e como ela através dessa peculiaridade mostra-se verdadeira. Inicialmente, Piper, apresenta sua motivação para "provar" que a Escritura é verdadeira. Para isso ele lança a seguinte indagação: "Como um crente (não erudito ou que não possui acesso a materiais teológicos) pode ter a convicção que as Escritas são a Palavra de Deus?". Assim, ele inicia o livro mostrando como o canon do NT e AT foi formado ao longo dos séculos. Interessante aqui, é que ele mostra qual a bíblia que Jesus usava e os seus apóstolos. Adiante, John mostra a beleza da Escritura e como ela apresenta a glória de Deus através das suas páginas da mesma forma que os discípulos viam na face de Cristo (2Co 4.4). Muitas vezes nos perguntamos como seria ver a glória de Deus na face de Cristo. Bom, nós podemos ter um gostinho disso a ver a glória peculiar das Escrituras testemunhando de Cristo. Por fim, além das diversas citações de Jonathan Edwards (o que é um mega ponto positivo), Piper, nos mostra o quão belo é ver a glória peculiar das Escrituras, não só belo, mas incrivelmente verdadeiro.
March 2, 2019
I really enjoyed this book a lot. Piper's writings are amazing for stirring the affections and helping us to see the glory of God in the scriptures - and this book is a tremendous reflection of that! By taking his readers straight to the scriptures themselves, Piper uses his excellent exegetical skills to lay bare so many treasures in the scriptures that reflect the glory of God. I was actually quite surprised by the scope of the book!
Piper starts off by sharing a bit of his own story and how he's been 'held by the Bible' even in the midst of German Higher Criticism and Liberalism during his studies. He then moves to the question of Canon and the reliability of the text of scripture. Here Piper shows his scholarly knowledge in tandem with his pastoral heart in that - what could have been a really dry section of the book to read, was written beautifully to inspire the soul to exult in the remarkable way in which God has preserved his Word!
Next, Piper looks at what the Bible claims of itself and then, based on this, how we can know the scriptures are true. This part was surprising to me in his exposition of Pascal's Wager - which was quite enlightening! His description of what it is like to see the glory of God was also likewise, good food for reflection.
Lastly, Piper focuses on how the scriptures display what he calls "their peculiar glory" by their consistent giving of glory to God throughout their scope, their display of the majestic meekness of Christ, the fulfillment of prophecy, the miracles of Jesus, and their power to create a distinct 'people of God'. He closes off by reflecting a bit on the place of historical reasoning in light of the self-authenticating model of scripture's truthfulness.
I read this book in tandem with Michael Kruger's "Canon Revisited" and found it to be a really great pairing! Definitely recommend checking out both those books!
Piper starts off by sharing a bit of his own story and how he's been 'held by the Bible' even in the midst of German Higher Criticism and Liberalism during his studies. He then moves to the question of Canon and the reliability of the text of scripture. Here Piper shows his scholarly knowledge in tandem with his pastoral heart in that - what could have been a really dry section of the book to read, was written beautifully to inspire the soul to exult in the remarkable way in which God has preserved his Word!
Next, Piper looks at what the Bible claims of itself and then, based on this, how we can know the scriptures are true. This part was surprising to me in his exposition of Pascal's Wager - which was quite enlightening! His description of what it is like to see the glory of God was also likewise, good food for reflection.
Lastly, Piper focuses on how the scriptures display what he calls "their peculiar glory" by their consistent giving of glory to God throughout their scope, their display of the majestic meekness of Christ, the fulfillment of prophecy, the miracles of Jesus, and their power to create a distinct 'people of God'. He closes off by reflecting a bit on the place of historical reasoning in light of the self-authenticating model of scripture's truthfulness.
I read this book in tandem with Michael Kruger's "Canon Revisited" and found it to be a really great pairing! Definitely recommend checking out both those books!
October 5, 2020
The first of these three is more apologetic than pastoral or theological. However, that does not mean that it is not full of pastoral and theological work. Piper goes to great lengths to defend the authenticity of the Bible, and even further lengths to demonstrate how the truth of the Bible changes the hearts of men and women. In doing so he illustrates that the Bible is full of revelations of the glory of God. He concludes this book by arguing that the glory of God as displayed in the Bible is something every human must deal with, and as Christian it must lead us to deep satisfaction. This is one of the main premises in the second book, thus this book does well in leading into the next one. The second book does contain some overlap that appears here, but it is necessary. This is a must read for all, especially those who want to understand what Christians believe about the Bible and why Christians should read the Bible.
June 2, 2017
Piper's approach to this crucial subject is both traditional and innovative. It is traditional in the sense that Piper himself describes the work as an update and expansion of Jonathan Edwards' approach to the inspiration of Scripture, as well as an explanation and commentary of the Westminster Larger Catechism (q.4). It is also innovative because this is done, however, with the original trademark of Piper's principle of attaching God's glory to the satisfaction of men's souls. These two reasons alone are enough to commend this work as a great introduction to the historical, satisfactory and true principle of the self-attestation of the Holy Scriptures. By all means, is is worth to read it!
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November 6, 2022I am not going to rate this because while I know the beauty of it, John piper is difficult for me to read because a lot of what he says is over my 17 year old head. I understand some of what he says, and it’s beautiful and incredibly wise but a lot of what he says doesn’t make sense to me! And that’s perfectly ok! I still have a lot to learn and I am sure as I continue to grow in wisdom, his words will make sense to me. But as of right now, I don’t understand all that he writes which makes me excited for the day that I hopefully will:)
March 6, 2024
This isn’t your ordinary book on the inherency of Scripture. Piper does a wonderful job pointing the scriptures to the glory of God. I appreciated Pipers use of the puritans and other figures to covey some of his points. This book felt lengthy at times, but it was overall a good read on how we can have assurance that the Scriptures are trustworthy!
October 27, 2025
I loved this book and found it extremely helpful. Piper looks at a lot of historical evidence and reasoning for why we can trust the Bibles we have today. Then, in the rest of the book he looks at the work of the Holy Spirit in opening the eyes of our hearts to see that the Scriptures are more than a book, but they are the very word of God! A must read for those who enjoy Piper’s writings!
August 9, 2017
A wonderfully simple premise: can the Bible be understood by anyone? Piper unpacks it with customary depth and candor, arguing that the Scriptures reveal the glory of God most clearly in Jesus Christ. A solid resource and the first volume of a planned trilogy that will undoubtedly be worthy of careful contemplation.
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