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Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure
Pastor John Piper shows how to sever the clinging roots of sin that ensnare us, including anxiety, pride, shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust in Battling Unbelief .
When faith flickers, stoke the fire.
No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us, until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God’s superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin.
Delighting in the bounty of God’s glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ. Rooted in solid biblical reflection, this book aims to help guide you through the battles to the joys of victory by the power of the gospel and its superior pleasure.
When faith flickers, stoke the fire.
No one sins out of duty. We sin because it offers some promise of happiness. That promise enslaves us, until we believe that God is more desirable than life itself (Psalm 63:3). Only the power of God’s superior promises in the gospel can emancipate our hearts from servitude to the shallow promises and fleeting pleasures of sin.
Delighting in the bounty of God’s glorious gospel promises will free us for a less sin-encumbered life, to the glory of Christ. Rooted in solid biblical reflection, this book aims to help guide you through the battles to the joys of victory by the power of the gospel and its superior pleasure.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2007
164 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
John Piper
609 books4,586 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 91 reviews
February 7, 2017
Upon finishing, I put the book down and pondered for a good long while how I'd like to apply this book to my life. This is what I love about Piper: his own satisfaction and joy in God spills out onto every page. His serious love is infectious. It makes me want to follow Jesus harder, to treasure Him more, and to know Him and his word better.
Essentially, this book is all about how to fight sin by trusting in God and His precious promises. Piper, in the classic Piper way, argues for superior joy in Christ as the proper method of sin-slaying, using the 'Sword of the Spirit', God's word.
A thoroughly good book on fighting sin by trusting God. Massively recommended.
Essentially, this book is all about how to fight sin by trusting in God and His precious promises. Piper, in the classic Piper way, argues for superior joy in Christ as the proper method of sin-slaying, using the 'Sword of the Spirit', God's word.
A thoroughly good book on fighting sin by trusting God. Massively recommended.
February 25, 2023
Que livro incrível! Comecei a ler esse livro pois a cada dia mais Deus tem me confrontado a cerca da minha própria incredulidade, mas eu não fazia ideia de como isso era muito mais profundo. Seja na minha ansiedade, no meu orgulho, na minha impaciente ou rancor, tudo isso tem raiz na minha falta de fé na graça futura. Saio dessa leitura muito confrontada, mas ao mesmo tempo grata a Deus, por me trazer a memória essa esperança. Acredito que não há quem leia esse livro e não seja incomodado pelas verdades que ele traz!
July 7, 2021
Ótimo livro, tanto para devocional, como para aconselhamento.
Piper faz uma boa investigação da incredulidade em suas raízes, e com base em textos bíblicos faz boas aplicações, tanto conceituais, como práticas.
Piper se mostra bastante focado e perspicaz no trato do tema.
Apenas, creio, que deve-se tomar cuidado, pois Piper gosta muito de "nomear" coisas que já estão nomeadas, seja na Escritura, seja na Teologia.
Isso não é propriamente um problema, mas pode passar a ideia de que é algo novo, quando não é; ou de que a questão só pode ser vista daquela forma.
Entretanto, de modo algum, a aplicabilidade de seu escrito fica prejudicada.
Recomendo. 👍🏻 ⭐️
Piper faz uma boa investigação da incredulidade em suas raízes, e com base em textos bíblicos faz boas aplicações, tanto conceituais, como práticas.
Piper se mostra bastante focado e perspicaz no trato do tema.
Apenas, creio, que deve-se tomar cuidado, pois Piper gosta muito de "nomear" coisas que já estão nomeadas, seja na Escritura, seja na Teologia.
Isso não é propriamente um problema, mas pode passar a ideia de que é algo novo, quando não é; ou de que a questão só pode ser vista daquela forma.
Entretanto, de modo algum, a aplicabilidade de seu escrito fica prejudicada.
Recomendo. 👍🏻 ⭐️
December 16, 2022
Reading this has been a beautiful balm to my soul. It is a succinct, but impactful call to faith in future grace. As Piper aptly puts it, “The grace that we have already experienced from God is infinitesimally small compared to the future grace that we will experience from now to eternity. This will always be so, since a finite duration, of even millions of years, is small compared to the infinity of the future.”
March 28, 2017
Después de "Piense" este es el segundo libro que leí de Piper.
Lo leí el año pasado y desde entonces de vez en cuando voy re-leyendo algunos capítulos. Este libro ha sido de muchísima bendición para mí vida y aplico su contenido todos los días.
Es un libro que tiene el potencial de revolucionar la manera de enfrentar los diversos pecados en la vida porque muestra como la teología puede vencer la biología.
Mil veces recomendado.
Lo leí el año pasado y desde entonces de vez en cuando voy re-leyendo algunos capítulos. Este libro ha sido de muchísima bendición para mí vida y aplico su contenido todos los días.
Es un libro que tiene el potencial de revolucionar la manera de enfrentar los diversos pecados en la vida porque muestra como la teología puede vencer la biología.
Mil veces recomendado.
August 31, 2019
What a wonderful little book! John Piper applies the understanding of future grace to unbelief in 8 different areas. Excellent content in each chapter deftly applied to the heart of a person struggling with unbelief. Great stories that help get at the heart of each struggle.
January 17, 2012
I highly recommend this book for all people. John Piper is used by God as a voice calling out His great love and grace He so desires to pour out on His Creation, human beings. I like the size of this book, not over powering, and right to the meat of his goal to share the way to battle unbelief and why.
"Our moral sense says this evil cannot be ignored, and the Word of God says we must forgive."
"If you Hold a grudge, you doubt the Judge."
"All sin will be avenged-severely and thoroughly and justly. Either in hell, or at the cross."
"We fight to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus that temptation to sin loses its power over us."
"Serving God is not payback, but more receiving. Moment by moment, as we bank on ever-arriving future grace, we go deeper and deeper into glorious debt."
Just reading the titles of each section of this book gives you a deeper understanding of how and why not to doubt the greatness of God. In the area of our time, all the disease, natural disaster, the poor and hungry, the neglected and abused, Christians can quickly start to doubt, and thus others begin to doubt our Faith and our Savior. John Piper illustrates the freedom from such doubt using Biblical applications of Scripture. John Piper did an excellent job of narrowing down his first book Future Grace to give us Battling Unbelief.
Awesome Book!!!
"Our moral sense says this evil cannot be ignored, and the Word of God says we must forgive."
"If you Hold a grudge, you doubt the Judge."
"All sin will be avenged-severely and thoroughly and justly. Either in hell, or at the cross."
"We fight to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus that temptation to sin loses its power over us."
"Serving God is not payback, but more receiving. Moment by moment, as we bank on ever-arriving future grace, we go deeper and deeper into glorious debt."
Just reading the titles of each section of this book gives you a deeper understanding of how and why not to doubt the greatness of God. In the area of our time, all the disease, natural disaster, the poor and hungry, the neglected and abused, Christians can quickly start to doubt, and thus others begin to doubt our Faith and our Savior. John Piper illustrates the freedom from such doubt using Biblical applications of Scripture. John Piper did an excellent job of narrowing down his first book Future Grace to give us Battling Unbelief.
Awesome Book!!!
May 12, 2025
What a rich and practical little book! John Piper is not afraid to call out our unbelief/doubts as pride/sin and yet he exhorts with such gentleness and care.
Here are some quotes that I have been lingering over:
“So when I say that we wield the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, what I mean is that we hold fast to this Christ-centered gospel truth with all its promises, and bank on them in every situation. We sever the lifeline of sin by the power of a superior promise. Or to put it more positively, we release the stream of love by faith in future grace.”
“belief in Jesus means coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of all that God is for us in him. And unbelief is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things…Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction.”
“The self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely upon itself. It never can be sufficient. We are but images of God, not the real thing. We are shadows and echoes. So there will always be an emptiness in the soul that struggles to be satisfied with the resources of self. The irony of this insatiable itch in the self-sufficient soul becomes even more evident when pride cannot get what it wants and begins to flounder in weakness. This calls for discernment. Weak pride is not easily recognized. It sounds like an oxymoron-like round squares. But it is not. Consider the relationship between boasting and self-pity. Both are manifestations of pride. Boasting is the response of pride to success. Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering. Boasting says, "I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much." Self-pity says, "I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much." Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak. Boasting sounds self-sufficient. Self-pity sounds self-sacrificing. The reason self-pity does not look like pride is that it appears to be needy. But the need arises from a wounded ego and the desire of the self-pitying is not really for others to see them as helpless but as heroes.”
“The need self-pity feels does not come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response of unapplauded pride.”
“Anxiety does not look like pride. It looks weak. It looks as though you admit you don't control the future. Yes, in a sense the proud admit that. But the admission does not kill pride until the proud heart is willing to look to the one who does control the future and rest in him. Until then, the proud are hanging onto their right of self-sufficiency even as it crumbles on the horizon of the future.”
“Why is anxiety about the future a form of pride? God gives the answer: "I—the Lord, your Maker—I am He who comforts you, who promises to take care of you; and those who threaten you are mere men who die. So your fear must mean that you do not trust me. You must think that your protection hangs on you. And even though you are not sure that your own resources will take care of you, yet you opt for fragile self-reliance, rather than faith in future grace. So all your trembling—weak as it is—reveals pride." The remedy? Turn from self-reliance to God-reliance, and put your faith in the all-sufficient power of future grace.”
“Faith admits the need for help. Pride won't. Faith banks on God to give help. Pride won't. Faith casts anxieties on God. Pride won't. Therefore, the way to battle the unbelief of pride is to admit freely that you have anxieties, and to cherish the promise of future grace in the words, "He cares for you."’
“God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises. And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son. God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace.”
“We cannot ignore inconsiderate acts in others; yet we cannot execute the penalty of law. We have no right to complete the moral cycle....Although we sense no spiritual inhibition against crying out against injustice, the purity of our moral life deteriorates the moment we attempt to administer justice.” -EDWARD JOHN CARNELL
“It's the deep sense of legitimacy that gives our bitterness its unbending compulsion. We feel that a great crime would be committed if the magnitude of the evil we've experienced were just dropped and we let bygones be bygones. We are torn: Our moral sense says this evil cannot be ignored, and the word of God says we must forgive. “
“We are not bound to trust an enemy, but we are bound to forgive him.” -Thomas Watson
“Therefore, Christianity does not make light of sin. It does not add insult to our injury. On the contrary, it takes the sins against us so seriously that, to make them right, God gave his own Son to suffer more than we could ever make anyone suffer for what they have done to us.”
“Ours is to love. God’s is to settle accounts justly.“
“The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back."Yet he did fight. He saw his depression as his "worst feature." "Despondency," he said, "is not a virtue; I believe it is a vice. I am heartily ashamed of myself for falling into it, but I am sure there is no remedy for it like a holy faith in God."
“The ultimate cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief.”
“In essence, he says, "In myself I feel very weak and helpless and unable to cope. My body is shot and my heart is almost dead. But whatever the reason for this despondency, I will not yield. I will trust God and not myself. He is my strength and my portion."’
"Is it by the instrumentality of faith we receive Christ as our justification, without the merit of any of our works? Well. But this same faith, if vital enough to embrace Christ, is also vital enough to 'work by love, 'to purify our hearts. This then is the virtue of the free gospel, as a ministry of sanctification, that the very faith which embraces the gift becomes an inevitable and a divinely powerful principle of obedience.”
“He breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free.” CHARLES WESLEY
“When faith has the upper hand in my heart, I am satisfied with Christ and his promises. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "Whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). When my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken. We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can smell the steak sizzling on the grill.”
Here are some quotes that I have been lingering over:
“So when I say that we wield the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, what I mean is that we hold fast to this Christ-centered gospel truth with all its promises, and bank on them in every situation. We sever the lifeline of sin by the power of a superior promise. Or to put it more positively, we release the stream of love by faith in future grace.”
“belief in Jesus means coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of all that God is for us in him. And unbelief is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things…Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction.”
“The self was never designed to satisfy itself or rely upon itself. It never can be sufficient. We are but images of God, not the real thing. We are shadows and echoes. So there will always be an emptiness in the soul that struggles to be satisfied with the resources of self. The irony of this insatiable itch in the self-sufficient soul becomes even more evident when pride cannot get what it wants and begins to flounder in weakness. This calls for discernment. Weak pride is not easily recognized. It sounds like an oxymoron-like round squares. But it is not. Consider the relationship between boasting and self-pity. Both are manifestations of pride. Boasting is the response of pride to success. Self-pity is the response of pride to suffering. Boasting says, "I deserve admiration because I have achieved so much." Self-pity says, "I deserve admiration because I have sacrificed so much." Boasting is the voice of pride in the heart of the strong. Self-pity is the voice of pride in the heart of the weak. Boasting sounds self-sufficient. Self-pity sounds self-sacrificing. The reason self-pity does not look like pride is that it appears to be needy. But the need arises from a wounded ego and the desire of the self-pitying is not really for others to see them as helpless but as heroes.”
“The need self-pity feels does not come from a sense of unworthiness, but from a sense of unrecognized worthiness. It is the response of unapplauded pride.”
“Anxiety does not look like pride. It looks weak. It looks as though you admit you don't control the future. Yes, in a sense the proud admit that. But the admission does not kill pride until the proud heart is willing to look to the one who does control the future and rest in him. Until then, the proud are hanging onto their right of self-sufficiency even as it crumbles on the horizon of the future.”
“Why is anxiety about the future a form of pride? God gives the answer: "I—the Lord, your Maker—I am He who comforts you, who promises to take care of you; and those who threaten you are mere men who die. So your fear must mean that you do not trust me. You must think that your protection hangs on you. And even though you are not sure that your own resources will take care of you, yet you opt for fragile self-reliance, rather than faith in future grace. So all your trembling—weak as it is—reveals pride." The remedy? Turn from self-reliance to God-reliance, and put your faith in the all-sufficient power of future grace.”
“Faith admits the need for help. Pride won't. Faith banks on God to give help. Pride won't. Faith casts anxieties on God. Pride won't. Therefore, the way to battle the unbelief of pride is to admit freely that you have anxieties, and to cherish the promise of future grace in the words, "He cares for you."’
“God is not glorified unless our pursuit is empowered by faith in his promises. And the God who revealed himself most fully in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), is most glorified when we embrace his promises with joyful firmness because they are bought by the blood of his Son. God is honored when we are humbled for our feebleness and failure, and when he is trusted for future grace.”
“We cannot ignore inconsiderate acts in others; yet we cannot execute the penalty of law. We have no right to complete the moral cycle....Although we sense no spiritual inhibition against crying out against injustice, the purity of our moral life deteriorates the moment we attempt to administer justice.” -EDWARD JOHN CARNELL
“It's the deep sense of legitimacy that gives our bitterness its unbending compulsion. We feel that a great crime would be committed if the magnitude of the evil we've experienced were just dropped and we let bygones be bygones. We are torn: Our moral sense says this evil cannot be ignored, and the word of God says we must forgive. “
“We are not bound to trust an enemy, but we are bound to forgive him.” -Thomas Watson
“Therefore, Christianity does not make light of sin. It does not add insult to our injury. On the contrary, it takes the sins against us so seriously that, to make them right, God gave his own Son to suffer more than we could ever make anyone suffer for what they have done to us.”
“Ours is to love. God’s is to settle accounts justly.“
“The iron bolt which so mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in gloomy prison, needs a heavenly hand to push it back."Yet he did fight. He saw his depression as his "worst feature." "Despondency," he said, "is not a virtue; I believe it is a vice. I am heartily ashamed of myself for falling into it, but I am sure there is no remedy for it like a holy faith in God."
“The ultimate cause of all spiritual depression is unbelief.”
“In essence, he says, "In myself I feel very weak and helpless and unable to cope. My body is shot and my heart is almost dead. But whatever the reason for this despondency, I will not yield. I will trust God and not myself. He is my strength and my portion."’
"Is it by the instrumentality of faith we receive Christ as our justification, without the merit of any of our works? Well. But this same faith, if vital enough to embrace Christ, is also vital enough to 'work by love, 'to purify our hearts. This then is the virtue of the free gospel, as a ministry of sanctification, that the very faith which embraces the gift becomes an inevitable and a divinely powerful principle of obedience.”
“He breaks the power of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free.” CHARLES WESLEY
“When faith has the upper hand in my heart, I am satisfied with Christ and his promises. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "Whoever believes in me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). When my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken. We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can smell the steak sizzling on the grill.”
April 24, 2018
4.5 stars. This is a really great book. Any follower of Christ will benefit and grow greatly as they prayerfully read and meditate on the contents of this book. Outstanding for it's practical focus on various areas of sin that we all fail in many times (e.g. anxiety, bitterness). Grab the audio book on audible and tune in while you wash the dishes, you'll be better for it.
March 18, 2020
De fato Deus quer que vivamos pela fé, e fomos chamados pra ter tal viver, um livro que nos encoraja a crer nas promessas de Deus e nos ajuda a compreender como é amoroso e como Deus se compadece das nossas dificuldades. Que lutemos contra esse inimigo que é a incredulidade.
February 26, 2024
I will always need to be reminded what Galatians 3:3 says - “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” This book was a simple but great challenge to ask myself how little faith I have in future grace and the constant temptation to create my own righteousness aside from what Jesus purchased for me. The life of joyful obedience I want to live (and can live) comes through deeper faith and greater revelation of who God is.
August 7, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and there were a lot of 'ah ha'! moments. I had forgotten how deep and spiritually rich John Piper's books are.
February 8, 2020
C’est le premier livre de John Piper que j’ai lu. L’enseignement est profond et tellement pertinent!
April 29, 2020
absolutely amazing. so powerful
May 30, 2023
Um livro incrível e que rendeu ótimas discussões em meu pequeno grupo! O John Piper explora temas tão intensos e difíceis, de forma tão clara e prática. Super recomendo.
September 7, 2024
Honestly didn't finish it but got a lot from it.
Feels very repetitive but definitely has a spot on message.
Feels very repetitive but definitely has a spot on message.
February 11, 2025
Another read for school that I really liked! It’s a short and hopeful read and the PDF is free online. Piper centers the book on idea that the Christian’s “Faith in future grace” provides the means to overcome struggles, and specifically applies this concept to anxiety, pride, misplaced shamed, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and just.
June 3, 2023
Foi uma experiência incrível ler com um jovem da igreja. O conceito de graça futura que o Piper usa aqui é muito bem descrito na luta com alguns pecados específicos.
April 18, 2018
John Piper nesse livro inicia com uma tese a respeito da incredulidade: nós não cremos na graça futura de Deus porque preferimos crer nas promessas do pecado. Com isso, Piper apresenta oito pecados que nos enganam e que frequentemente temos de lutar contra eles. Sendo alguns: lascívia, amargura, impaciência. A abordagem do Piper é que devemos lutar para crer nas promessas do Senhor em Sua Palavra. Para vencer tais pecados, juntamente com a incredulidade que vem acompanhada, devemos crer nos prazeres que provém das promessas do Senhor, onde há plenitude de alegria e delícias perpétuas. Não devemos acreditar nas promessas do pecado, pois esses (os pecados) nunca cumprem o que prometem. Eles não nos tornam felizes ou estáveis, ao contrário, geram tristeza e afastamento Daquele que é a fonte da alegria: Cristo! Me surpreendi com a abordagem de Piper sobre a incredulidade nesse livro, e me fez pensar em outra perspectiva sobre ela. Um dos melhores livros de 2018. Recomendo!
November 19, 2012
A cracker of a book about the way our faith in God's future grace to us helps us fight against unbelief. 8 chapters on various common struggles (anxiety, pride, lust etc), pointing out that if we are sure of God's overflowing goodness to us now and into the future, we won't be tempted to search for what we need in short term counterfeits. It's a selection of the application chapters from the longer and more theological book Future Grace. Worked very well as an audio book, although the bloke's voice did nearly send me to sleep -- he sounded like he was narrating a kids story book :) I think I'm figuring out that I should stick to practical life application type books for audio books, I struggle to concentrate enough for heavy theology when I'm driving.
March 10, 2012
I struggle with John Piper's writing style, and since he's so popular I'm pretty confident that's more about me than him. But, I also struggle with his theology, and it was evident in this book. There were some good points and the main thesis is a good one, focus on future grace to help you deal with current issues. But the message I also heard was that I need to worry a lot about walking a particularly fine line between saved and unsaved as well as if I have the "right" kind of faith. That's not what my Dad wants me worrying about.
April 8, 2007
At the core, what you really struggle with is not believing in God's promises. This is what John Piper says. He terms the object of this belief "future grace" or the grace that you are promised to experience.
If you think you have faith, this book is a good re-evaluation or checkpoint for you. If you think you don't, this book will reiterate why it is you don't, and why it is you should.
If you think you have faith, this book is a good re-evaluation or checkpoint for you. If you think you don't, this book will reiterate why it is you don't, and why it is you should.
December 10, 2016
The title of this book is a little misleading, it sounds like it's an outreach book, not what it actually is an explanation of sin and how to defeat it. The sub title really gives it plainly saying "defeating sin with superior pleasure". I highly recommend this book
January 16, 2012
Excellent read. A lot to think on though. I believe it's one I'll have to leave out & refer back to often!
January 3, 2025
Lutar contra a incredulidade é ter fé na graça futura.
May 5, 2024
I know it's unpopular to disagree with John Piper. I am an evangelical Christian who has struggled with depression and has not needed medication. I found this book lacking in many aspects. It's also quite repetetive, which is indicative of many of Piper's works, but I digress. Nowhere in this book does he leave room for the need some people have for medication. In some instances, it seems to hint that a need for medication is sinful, though I could be reading too much into that. We love a good, relatable story, and his example of anxiety in speaking in class was relatable, but for people struggling with brain chemical-altering anxiety... maybe not. Also, he doesn't really leave room for the fact that clinical depression and severe anxiety could be the results of several outside factors, including (but not limited to) trauma that would alter someone's brain chemistry, and I would therefore not quality them, in those cases, as a situation where people need to have faith and battle their unbelief. No...they need clinical help. And yes, of course, the help and salvation of Christ. But God gave us doctors, He gave us biblical counselors, and yes, He gave us medications. I think books like these sometimes have the problem of preventing people who struggle with mental illness from seeking help. So, if you struggle with mental illness and have left this book feeling worse about your faith and trust in God, please please know that you are not alone, that God loves you, and that it is okay to do what you have to do to get better.
March 23, 2023
A subtitle for this book could be, "Motivation for Christian obedience." In this book, John Piper focuses on the things that can trip up a Christian's motivation in their walk with Christ. This book is most helpful in identifying some common blind spots within the human heart that believers will most likely face. I found it easy to read and understand and would highly recommend it. Here's a quote -
"The aim of this book is to fix in our minds this truth: the way to fight sin in our lives is to battle our bent toward unbelief. We are prone to drift away from a hearty confidence in who Christ is, what He has done for us, and all the promises that are sure because of Christ." - John Piper
An excerpt -
A couple more quotes -
If you dropped dead right now would you take with you a payload of pleasure in God? Or would you stand before Him with a spiritual cavity where covetousness [for other things] used to be?"
"If you hold a grudge, you doubt the Judge."
"The aim of this book is to fix in our minds this truth: the way to fight sin in our lives is to battle our bent toward unbelief. We are prone to drift away from a hearty confidence in who Christ is, what He has done for us, and all the promises that are sure because of Christ." - John Piper
An excerpt -
Have you ever considered that the 10 Commandments begin and end with virtually the same commandment? "You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3. And, "You shall not covet." Exodus 20:17. These are almost equivalent commands. Coveting is desiring anything other than God in such a way that betrays a loss of contentment and satisfaction in Him. Covetousness is a heart divided between two gods...
A couple more quotes -
If you dropped dead right now would you take with you a payload of pleasure in God? Or would you stand before Him with a spiritual cavity where covetousness [for other things] used to be?"
"If you hold a grudge, you doubt the Judge."
January 31, 2024
"I have often told young people that they must fight fire with fire. The fire of [sin's] pleasures must be fought with the fire of God's pleasures. If we try to fight the fire of [sin] with prohibitions and threats alone--even the terrible warnings of Jesus--we will fail. We must fight it with a massive promise of superior happiness," (page 143, modified).
What is this happiness? Having more 0f God and knowing Him more intimately. This is a blessing born out of our obedience as we cast aside sin and put on righteousness.
Piper exhorts us to defeat sin by wielding the promise of faith in His future grace. Or, in other words, we pursue righteous living because we believe in the promise that obedience yields something much better than that which we gain from the fleeting and deceptive "pleasures" of sin. We CHOOSE to forgo sin because we believe that, in doing so, we receive the SUPERIOR pleasure of knowing Him more fully.
Believing in His superior pleasure, holding fast to His promises, and having faith in future grace are our anchors for battling sin which is, in effect, unbelief.
A good book. It simply lacked some of the depth I was hoping for. But that is okay! I trust John Piper and have been blessed by many of his sermons, so I'll definitely give some of his other books a "go".
What is this happiness? Having more 0f God and knowing Him more intimately. This is a blessing born out of our obedience as we cast aside sin and put on righteousness.
Piper exhorts us to defeat sin by wielding the promise of faith in His future grace. Or, in other words, we pursue righteous living because we believe in the promise that obedience yields something much better than that which we gain from the fleeting and deceptive "pleasures" of sin. We CHOOSE to forgo sin because we believe that, in doing so, we receive the SUPERIOR pleasure of knowing Him more fully.
Believing in His superior pleasure, holding fast to His promises, and having faith in future grace are our anchors for battling sin which is, in effect, unbelief.
A good book. It simply lacked some of the depth I was hoping for. But that is okay! I trust John Piper and have been blessed by many of his sermons, so I'll definitely give some of his other books a "go".
August 6, 2017
John Piper again evidences the wisdom of the Puritans in addressing issues of the heart. His expounding on the definitions of various heart attitudes and laying them bare for what they are, namely unbelief, is both a challenge to my heart as well as a breath of fresh air to remove staleness in my walk with the Lord. Mind you, we can sometimes smell the mold growing in a space for a moment, only to have the olfactory nerve be overwhelmed and the smell is no longer so evident. However, the odor, faint though it may be, is still present. Sinful attitudes of the heart are much the same way. We may not be aware that our words of murmuring and disillusionment are truly sinful at the core, yet such a heart truly is one dominated by unbelief. Piper is pastoral in his tone, fully desiring that his reader grab hold of God's faithfulness, love, compassion. I am being challenged all the more to trust God's grace for today, a powerful grace which redeemed me in the past and will sustain me until glory.
September 7, 2018
Piper's books are excellent because they continually point the reader away from themselves and towards Jesus Christ and his grace.
This book is highly encouraging because it urges the reader not only to depend upon past grace displayed in salvation, which of course is incredible, but also lifts our eyes to focus on 'future grace', which God will show to us as we trust in Him.
Piper is real and practical about the difficulties of each of the sins he addresses. He gets to the heart issues behind the sins and how they spring from a lack of faith in God's goodness. Some of these sins are so prevalent and interconnected in my own life, that I can't be reminded of these truths enough. The chapters are readable and short, as the book is condensed from a larger book called 'Future Grace' which I plan to read soon.
This book is highly encouraging because it urges the reader not only to depend upon past grace displayed in salvation, which of course is incredible, but also lifts our eyes to focus on 'future grace', which God will show to us as we trust in Him.
Piper is real and practical about the difficulties of each of the sins he addresses. He gets to the heart issues behind the sins and how they spring from a lack of faith in God's goodness. Some of these sins are so prevalent and interconnected in my own life, that I can't be reminded of these truths enough. The chapters are readable and short, as the book is condensed from a larger book called 'Future Grace' which I plan to read soon.
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