Jesus’ Demands — Fear Him Who Can Destroy Both Soul And Body in Hell (#11)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

This post is number 11, because I started the series a while ago. If you like this post, check out the other posts in the series. But most importantly get the book (it’s also available to read online)!

Now, on the heels of demand #10 Rejoice and Leap for Joy, comes a more startling and sobering demand…

Demand #11 — Fear Him Who Can Destroy Both Soul And Body in Hell

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:2

But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me. (Luke 19:27)

Then he will say to those on his left, “depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:41, 46)

The Awful Place Called Hell

It’s fashionable these days to downplay Hell. Many “evangelical” leaders are denying its existence, suggesting it is not eternal, or claiming there is no actual fire in Hell. Some claim it is a state of mind, or that hell is on earth.

In fact, this very Sunday, on Good Morning America, I heard an interview of an influential (former?) evangelical pastor who has changed his mind about hell, claiming it is here on earth, and a mere creation of superstitious man. ABC is going to be dedicating a 20/20 special this Friday to the topic of Hell. I can already guess their conclusions!

Sadly, these same evangelical leaders claim to be following the example of Jesus. But don’t they realize that Jesus didn’t share their view of Hell? Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in Scripture.

He refers to it as a terrible place to be feared. A place of “outer darkness” with “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12). He describes it as a “fiery furnace”, with “unquenchable fire” (Matt. 13:41, Mark 9:44). It is the “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).

And worst of all, Hell is eternal. Jesus describes it as a place of “eternal punishment”. On this point let me quote John Piper,

This last description–”eternal punishment”–is especially heartrending and fearful because it is contrasted with “eternal life.” “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” In this contrast we hear the tragedy of loss as well as suffering and endlessness. Just as “eternal life” will be a never-ending experience of pleasure in God’s presence, so “eternal punishment” will be a never-ending experience of misery under God’s wrath (John 3:36; 5:24).

A Passive Hell ?

At this point, many a sincere believer tries to lessen the full effect of this teaching by claiming that Hell is “a mere natural consequence of bad choices”. People do consciously reject God’s free offer of salvation made in the gospel, and this choice does lead to hell. But Piper is quick to point out that such is not the whole story.

People make choices that lead to hell. But it is not the whole truth. Jesus says these choices are really deserving of hell. “Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to [that is, guilty of, or deserving of] the hell of fire” (Matt. 5:22). That is why he calls hell “punishment” (Matt. 25:46). It is not a mere self-imposed natural consequence (like cigarette smoking leading to lung cancer); it is the penalty of God’s wrath (like a judge sentencing a criminal to hard labor).

The Biblical picture of hell, is of a just God pouring out righteous anger and wrath over sin. God sends people to hell, and Jesus is pictured in Revelation and Isaiah as the One Whose garments get stained with the blood of his enemies as He “tread(s) the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty” (Rev. 19:15b with Is. 63:3 and Rev. 14:20).

Fear, But Don’t Fear

We are to fear God as a holy Judge indeed. So is Jesus calling us to a “life of anxiety that God is angry with us and is ready to punish us at the slightest misstep”? No! Piper highlights the very next few sentences which follow on the heels of Jesus’ admonition to fear God.

. . . Fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29-31, emphasis added — compare also Luke 12:4-7).

Piper says,

In the same breath Jesus says, “Fear God who casts into hell” and “Do not fear because God is your Father who values you more than the sparrows and knows your smallest need.”. . . How does Jesus mean for us to experience these two truths about God–he is to be feared, and he is to be trusted? It won’t do to simply say that “fear of God” means “reverence for God” rather than “being afraid of him.” That does not fit with the words, “Fear him, who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” (Luke 12:5) . . . The key is that God himself is the one who removes his wrath from us. Our peace does not come from our removing the God of wrath from our thinking, but from his removing his wrath from us. . . .

The Seriousness of Sin

Jesus’ Demands — Rejoice and Leap for Joy(#10)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Note: For this chapter, I would highly recommend reading it online (pg. 84), since it is so good. It brings together much of John Piper’s teachings regarding joy and delight together in an accessible and highly helpful 8 pages or so.

Demand #10 — Rejoice and Leap for Joy

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  (Luke 6:22-23)

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.  (Luke 10:19-20)

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  (Matt. 13:44)

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.  (John 15:11)

Staggering and Shocking

For many reasons, this demand to “rejoice and leap for joy” is surprising, startling, staggering, and shocking!  In fact, John Piper has written several books and devoted much of his resources to delving deeper into the command to rejoice in Jesus.  So there is way too much to say on this topic in one small chapter.

For this post, I will be doing a lot of quoting, because I want to capture the spirit of this chapter adequately.  First, let me provide a quote from C.S. Lewis which Piper has reproduced in this chapter.  Then I will quote Piper on this point and move on.

…our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.  (C.S. Lewis from The Weight of Glory)

…the demand that we be happy is not marginal or superfluous.  It is a shocking wake-up call to people who are finding their happiness in all the wrong places.  Jesus’ solution to our love affair with sin is not merely that we tear out our sin-loving eyes (Matt. 5:29), but that we be mastered by joy in a new reality, namely, God.

Unspeakably Good News!!

The news about Jesus is not ordinary.  No, it is good news.  In Matt. 13:44, Jesus describes the value of the Gospel (the Good News) as a priceless treasure.  It is something so great and so good that people would die for it, so to speak.  People would do anything they could to get that priceless treasure.

And so Piper claims, “[God] does not call us to a willpower religion that feels only duty and no delight.  He calls us to himself and to his Father.  Therefore, he calls us to joy…joy in God and in his Son.”

Self Denial and Joy

The call to experience indescribable joy (see 1 Pet. 1: is not opposed to the call to deny yourself and take up the cross.  Piper explains:

The demand for joy does not encourage us to retreat one millimeter from the radical demand of Luke 14:33, “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”  We renounce all those joy-giving things because we have found the treasure hidden in the field and we have been given eyes to see that this treasure—this glorious God—is infinitely more valuable than everything we possess or could possess in this world.  This is why we renounce it all with joy.

Piper goes on to give a quote by C.S. Lewis which points out that Jesus’ demand for self denial is not an end to itself.  “We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire.”  Did you catch the last part of that C.S. Lewis quote?  Jesus specifies the rewards we will get if we go ahead and deny ourselves in almost every place he calls us to deny ourselves!  Jesus sees no problem with motivating us with glorious rewards—because the reward is infinite joy in Christ Himself!

Sober, not Superficial Joy

Let me quote Piper on this point.

What astonishes us most immediately when Jesus says, “Rejoice…and leap for joy” is that he is saying it precisely in the context of pain….

…Therefore, the joy he demands now (”in that day,” Luke 6:23) is not chipper. It is not joy-lite. It is not superficial or marked with levity. This is the mistake of too many people and too many churches. They think that Jesus’ demand for joy is a demand to tell jokes or weave slapstick into Christian corporate life. I don’t smell the Jerusalem-bound Jesus in that atmosphere. Something has gone wrong.

What’s wrong is that the aroma of suffering is missing. For Jesus the demand for joy is a way to live with suffering and to outlast suffering. Therefore this joy is serious. It’s the kind you fight for by cutting off your hand (Matt. 5:30) and selling your possessions (Matt. 13:44) and carrying a cross with Jesus to Calvary (Matt. 10:38-39). It has scars. It sings happy songs with tears. It remembers the dark hours and knows that more are coming. The road to heaven is a hard road, but it is not joyless.

The Fruit of Joy

Piper sees holiness as intimately connected to joy.  He sees “the power of a superior pleasure” as the power that sets us free from the “cares and riches and pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14).  Listen to a few sentences by Piper on this point:

Many Christians think stoicism is a good antidote to sensuality.  It isn’t.  it is hopelessly weak and ineffective.  Willpower religion usually fails, and even when it succeeds, it gets glory for the will, not for God. It produces legalists, not lovers.

Another fruit, or rather, result of joy is this.  God is glorified.  Piper elsewhere and often declares “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  In this chapter, Piper finds proof for the position that joy in God glorifies God from Jesus’ prayer in Jn. 17.  “…[Jesus'] intention to sustain our joy in him is part of what it means for us to glorify the Father and the Son.”  So this should make us see joy in God as a duty we are to pursue.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Is it possible to be hung up on joy too much?  Is it wrong to strive for continual joy and fulfillment in all that Jesus is to us?  Well Song of Solomon 5:1 says “Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love!”  From this text, Jonathan Edwards said the following:

Our hungerings and thirstings after God and Jesus Christ and after holiness can’t be too great for the value of these things, for they are things of infinite value…. [Therefore] endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of allurement… There is no such thing as excess in our taking of this spiritual food.  There is no such virtue as temperance in spiritual feasting.

There is so much to be gleaned from this chapter, and I did not get into everything.  But I think what arrested me the most was this final quote by Edwards.  I understand that joy is very important, but so often I lack that joy.  Edwards counsels us to put ourselves “in the way of allurement”.  I need to be utilizing the means of grace and being in the word and reading and listening concerning heavenly things.  I need to place myself there, and God-willing Jesus will share His joy with me in ever greater measures.  May He do the same for all of us.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

Jesus’ Demands — Love God with All your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength (#9)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Demand #9 — Love God with All your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

Jesus answered, “The most important [commandment] is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”  (Mark 12:29-30)

Woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.  (Luke 11:42)

But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  (John 5:42-43)

As I am progressing through the book, I am painfully aware that posting about each chapter slows my reading down. But on the other hand, it causes me to meditate and think on each chapter twice. So I am determined to continue blogging through the demands of Jesus. While I am talking about this series, I should mention that these posts are more than just a summary of Piper. They include some reflection and some rearranging of material for my own benefit. For instance, the alliteration below is not Piper’s. All that is to say you really should get the book, or at least read it online.

The End of Love

This seems a simple point: we are required to love God. But I think it is important. Piper writes:

To love God we must know him. God would not be honored by groundless love. In fact, there is no such thing. If we do not know anything about God, there is nothing in our mind to awaken love. If love does not come from knowing God, there is no point in calling it love for God….

Since love is directed to God and depends upon a knowledge of God, the fact that Jesus is the fullest revelation of God (cf. Jn. 14:7-9, Matt. 11:27) becomes important. As the John 5 passage above indicates, one cannot love God and reject Jesus. Further, the revelation of Jesus will enhance our love for God.

A practical application of this point would be that as our understanding and knowledge of God grows, our capacity to love God more also increases. Thus doctrine is not a hindrance to love, but rather it should increase our love.

The Emotion of Love

Piper states that Jesus “changes our hearts to know God so that we see him as compellingly beautiful.” That phrase “compellingly beautiful” is an attempt to stress the fact that love is inherently emotional. It is not a mere decision. You can’t turn it off and on like a light bulb. You can’t just love spinach, for instance. Something must change inside of you to make you love it. Similarly, you don’t just love baseball, it must be something wondeful to you before you can love it.

More than just a decision, many people talk of love for God in strictly “duty” terms. Verses like John 14:15, 21 are used to emphasize that love is more an action not just a feeling. Some argue that the essence of love for God is love for your neighbors. But as Piper points out, Jesus distinguishes between love for God and love for neighbors when he lists the two most important commandments. So, love for God cannot be defined by love for neighbor. This is not to say they are not connected, however.

Two verses reveal that “love for God is most essentially an experience of the affections, not behavior.” First, Mk. 7:6-7 talks of people who “[honor God] with their lips, but their heart is far from [Him]…”. The external actions that the Pharisees rigorously observed did not make their worship acceptable to God. God expected worship to come from a heart of love. [On the New Pauline Perspective, and its view of the Pharisees, see this recent post.] Second, Matt. 6:24 states “…either he will hate the one and love the other…”, from which we can rightly infer that the opposite of love is hate. The word “despise” is also used in that verse. Both “despise” and “hate” are “strong emotional words”. So in contrast, “loving God is a strong inward emotion, not a mere outward action.”

It is the above reasons, supported by many other verses, which lead Piper to conclude that loving God happens when, “we begin to prefer above all else to know him and see him and be with him and be like him.” In short, “God’s glory becomes our supreme pleasure.”

The Extent of Love 

On this point, I am referring to the command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Let me just quote Piper’s conclusion here:

When Jesus demands that we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, he means that every faculty and every capacity of our being should express the fullness of our affection for God—the fullness of all the ways we treasure him…. “Heart” highlights the center of our volitional and emotional life without excluding thought (Luke 1:51).  “Soul” highlights our life as a whole, though sometimes distinguished from the body (Matt. 10:28).  “Mind” highlights our thinking capacity.  And “strength” highlights the capacity to make vigorous efforts both bodily and mentally (Mark 5:4; Luke 21:36).”…. the point is that every faculty and capacity that we have should display at every moment that God is our supreme treasure.

The Essence of Love 

Quote: “Loving God is most essentially treasuring God.”

The Endurance of Love

Piper ends with a warning from Matt. 24:12. In the last days, many people will see their love “grow cold” (cf. Matt. 24:12 NASB). To ensure that our love remains fervent, to ensure that all of our faculties continue to treasure God, we need to “look steadily at Jesus and pray that he would reveal God as compellingly beautiful.” Since Jesus reveals God fully (Jn. 14:9), studying Jesus as revealed in Scripture should help us know God more and love Him more.

To conclude, let us be reminded afresh that love for God is a feeling. And that God is not pleased with mere external worship—He wants our hearts to be fervent towards Him. Let us look to Jesus and trust Him to make God compellingly beautiful to us. Let us ask that God pour His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands — Take up your Cross and Follow Me (#8)

Demand #8 — Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 16:24-5)

Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)

I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead. (Matt. 8:22)

If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. (John 8:31)

Following Jesus means Fulfilling Jesus’ Mission.

Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). And he did this ultimately through his suffering on our behalf on the cross. Jesus’ mission was “to gather a people in allegiance to himself for the glory of his Father” as Piper puts it. And following Jesus is joining Him in that mission, or helping Him fulfill that mission. This is why Jesus said “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)

Following Jesus is Painful.

Jesus promised us, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (Jn. 15:20) Jesus did not promise us a rosy life. He promised us suffering. This is why he calls his followers to first “take up their cross” and then to “follow” Him. In Matt. 16:24 “Jesus put the emphasis on self-denial and cross-bearing”.

The suffering we are called to endure creates ruptures in our relationships with people, wealth, and our occupation. We are to hate our most intimate family members, even our own selves, in comparison to our devotion to Jesus (Luke 14:26). And we are to “renounce all that [we have]” if we want to be a true disciple (Luke 14:33). This results in a liberal approach to giving, such that Jesus can say to the rich young ruler “sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me”. (Matt. 19:21) Piper points out that many of the disciples had to leave their occupations, and many times Jesus will move his people to leave their good jobs, pack their bags, and head off to Africa or Asia, or go into ministry here in America. Not everyone will be called to leave, but all are called to follow which will change your perspective on your job, your money, and your family.

Following Jesus is “Worth It”.

The suffering we are called to endure as we follow Jesus will be worth it. Jesus promises that if we hold on to our life we’ll lose it, and if we lose our life we will save it. (Mk. 8:35) And He constantly declares that following Him is a wise and exceedingly beneficial choice. Consider Jesus’ stress on our eternal reward to be received through this suffering/following in the following verses Jn. 12:25; Matt. 19:27, 29; Luke 14:14; Matt. 5:12. So while the suffering is only temporary the pleasure is eternal.

Yet the pleasure is not only future. Following Jesus brings joy now. It can make the persecuted “leap for joy” (see Demand #10 and Luke 6:22-23). This kind of faithful following even through suffering—the kind that rejoices to suffer for Jesus’ name—brings great glory to our Savior. A sad, somber, doleful “suffering for Jesus” will not necessarily glorify Him. But the kind of triumphant joy which smiles in the midst of tragedy, that points to the incomparable worth of Jesus Christ and properly displays His value to a watching world. Consider Piper, finally, on this point.

If you follow Jesus only because he makes life easy now, it will look to the world as though you really love what they love, and Jesus just happens to provide it for you. But if you suffer with Jesus in the pathway of love because he is your supreme treasure, then it will be apparent to the world that your heart is set on a different fortune than theirs. This is why Jesus demands that we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. [emphasis added]

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands — Abide in Me (#7)

Demand #7 — Abide in Me

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15:9)

If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 14:11)

Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)

What abiding is.

To abide, is to stay, continue, or dwell. So Piper says, “Jesus meant: ‘Stay in me. Continue in me. Keep me for your dwelling.’” With the figure of the vine, we understand a little better what “abiding” is. Piper says it best: “Abiding in Jesus means staying vitally connected to the life-giving, power-giving, fruit-producing branch, namely, Jesus.”

What abiding produces.

Piper claims abiding is the “moment-by-moment cause of every good thing in our lives”. Of course, he gets this from Jesus’ statement “Apart from me you can do nothing”. So in John 15, abiding in Jesus results in fruit. No fruit without abiding. So Piper again states that abiding means “staying vitally connected, hour by hour, to the one who alone produces in our lives everything he demands.”

What abiding isn’t.

Abiding produces fruit, so abiding cannot be that very fruit. It is wrong to think we are obeying Christ’s demand to abide if we are just “bearing fruit” or “keeping Jesus’ commandments”. That is the fruit of abiding. Maybe we don’t have abiding quite pigeonholed yet. So…

How do we abide?

Jesus says abide “in me” (Jn. 15:4) and “in my love” (Jn. 15:9). He also says to abide “in my word” (Jn. 14:11). All of this points toward “abiding as continual trust in the truth of Jesus’ words and in the certainty of his love.” We would not be abiding in Jesus’ love if we stopped beleiving that we are loved by him. We would not be abiding in Jesus’ word, if we ceased believing in the truth of that word. Abiding is a continual trust in Jesus’ love and in His words, in other words, a continual trust in Him as a person.

Piper concludes that “abiding in Jesus—in his love and in his word—is trusting that he really is loving us at every moment and that everything he has revealed about himself and his work for us and our future with him is true.”

A warning.

Jesus’ demand that we abide in Him is a warning. In Jn. 8:30-31 (quoted above), Jesus ties abiding in with being a “true” disciple. In John 15, Jesus speaks of the utter destruction of those who, in the words of Piper, “appear to be truly in the vine, but are not”. All of this is to warn us that if we are not abiding, if our lifestyle is one that consistently does not trust in Jesus’ love and in Jesus’ Word continually, then we might very well not be genuinely born again. We may still be on our way to hell.

Such warnings do not prove that we can actually lose our salvation. 1 Jn. 2:19 teaches that those who fall away were never truly saved, they just seemed to be. These warnings should also not cause us to try to earn our salvation by working real hard. No, they are what God uses to prod us onward along that straight and narrow way—the hard way. At times we will need to be warned that our lifestyle is not matching our profession. And they ultimately remind us that it is only God’s free grace given to us because of Jesus Christ’s perfect life, death, and resurrection, that gives us a secure place in heaven. The very warnings to continue believing will help us believe and call us to find refuge in Jesus Christ through ongoing faith and trust. [See this post for more on this point.]

Encouragement.

Piper stresses that ultimately we cannot “abide” on our own. God keeps us in the vine. He does not let us slip through His hand (Jn. 10:27-29). Jesus prays for us and sovereignly determines that our faith will not fail (cf. Luke 22:31-32).

So with all this in mind, let us purpose to abide, moment by moment, in a vibrant trust in Jesus—His love and His Word. Let us seek to put His Word in front of our eyes, so that reading it faithfully, we will be nourished and abide in the vine. Let us use the means of grace in our lives and take advantage of our church and our relationships with other believers, so that we keep on keeping on. Let us press on to higher ground!

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands — Listen to Jesus (#6)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Demand #6 — Listen to Jesus

He called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.”  (Mark 7:14)

As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  (Luke 8:

Take care how you hear.  (Luke 8:1

Whoever is of God hears the words of God.  The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.  (John 8:47)

Jesus’ Words are Special

• No one ever spoke like Jesus did — Jn. 7:46
• Jesus’ words were given Him by God — Jn. 14:24, 12:49
• Jesus’ words are powerful — (all the miracles in response to Jesus’ spoken words)
• Jesus’ words lead to eternal life — Jn. 6:68, 63

Jesus’ Words and Faith

Jesus’ words are said to give eternal life, yet faith is the condition for eternal life.  How are these two concepts, faith and words, related?  Jesus’ words awaken faith and thus result in eternal life.  Ro. 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing the Word of God.  And, the parable of the sower in Luke 8 presents the word of Jesus as the seed from which faith sprouts and flourishes in the hearts of those whose hearts are good ground.  Further, Jn. 5:24 says you must hear and believe.

Jesus’ words awaken faith because they declare Who He is, and what He is going to (or has) accomplish, namely His atoning work for us on the cross.  In short, Jesus’ words are the Gospel.  They describe what He came to testify to — the truth (cf. Jn. 18:37a).

This point is important.  God only saves by means of the spoken word of the Gospel.  We must take the Gospel to the lost for them to become saved.  More than this, the words of Jesus in and of themselves are not magical.  They carry a message.  And it is the message that saves and awakens faith.  The message comes to us in words, but nonetheless it is the message that saves. 

Jesus’ Words — Rejected or Received

Yet just because Jesus’ words are shared, does not mean faith is awakened.  Jesus’ words are either received or rejected.

Why is it that some do not receive those words?  Jesus tells us this much in the following verses.

You seek to kill me because my words find no place in you.  (Jn. 8:37)

…Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.  (Jn. 18:37b)

Whoever is of God hears the words of God.  The reason you do not hear them is that you are not of God.  (Jn. 8:47)

Some have no place for truth.  They are not “of the truth” or “of God” and thus do not receive God’s words are hear the message of Christ.  Piper comments on these verses as follows:

This is a sobering revelation.  It means that our condition as fallen sinners unfits us for hearing the truth—especially as it comes from Jesus….When Jesus speaks, unless God acts to give us ears to hear and eyes to see, there will be no place in us for the words of Jesus.

Piper then quotes Luke 10:21-22

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.  [cf. Luke 8:8]

Those who are graciously given the new birth and granted repentance and faith, they are Jesus’ sheep and thus “hear his voice”, Jn. 10:27.

Jesus’ Words and Me

In application of this chapter, a particular sentence jumped out at me.

The entire life and work of Jesus is one great argument why we should listen to his word.  Page after page of the New Testament Gospels pile up reasons to turn off the television and listen to Jesus.

Ponder that sentence with me, will you?  Let us purpose to feast on the glories of Jesus rather than the fleeting and often sinful distractions of this world.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands — Love (#5)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Demand #5 — Love

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  (Matt. 10:37)

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God.”  (Jn. 8:42)

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  (Jn. 14:15)

Love your enemies…and you will be sons of the Most High…  (Luke 6:35)

The nature of love

Many have used Jn. 14:15 and other Biblical descriptions of love to conclude that love is an “act of will”.  We simply determine to love.  Love is an action not a feeling they conclude.  Piper argues that while love is certainly more than a feeling, it is definitely a feeling.  He describes the feelings inherent in love with this repeated phrase:

….deep feelings of admiration for his attributes and enjoyment of his fellowship and attraction to his presence and affection for his kinship….

In Matt. 10:37, love for Jesus is compared to love for father, mother, son, or daughter.  And while love for family members is an action and a determination, it is also very much a feeling.  Since Jesus commands us to rejoice and obey from the heart, Jesus is not averse to commanding feelings.  Piper in a footnote gave a very good quote from a new book by Matthew Elliott entitled Faithful Feelings: Emotion in the New Testament from which I would like to quote one sentence here: “Not only do Christians live the ethics of the kingdom, they also feel the attitudes and emotions of the kingdom.”

The wellspring of love

So if we grant that love is a feeling, we then find ourselves responsible to love Jesus deeply and truely.  How can we who are such diehard sinners do this?  Piper stresses that such love flows from our new nature given us in regeneration (new birth — demand #1).  Let us quote from Jn. 8:42 again, “…If God were your father, you would love me….”  Piper gives a paraphrase of what Jesus is communicating here.

The reason you do not love me is that you are not in the family of God.  You don’t have the family nature—the family spirit, the family heart, preferences, tendencies, inclinations.  God is not your Father.

Piper also stresses that love for Christ flows from a deep appreciation of the forgiveness of sins Christ provides for us (cf. Luke 7:36-48).

The impact of love

Such a love for Christ results in obedience (Jn. 14:15) and a longing for Christ to be honored and blessed (Jn. 14:28, 5:23) among other things.  Such love will also motivate us to forsake sin.

It is at this point that I should stress this love is the immediate fruit of conversion.  It is necessary for ultimate salvation.  It must be present in our lives.  But like all the demands so far, it is a gift of God.  It flows from our graciously imparted new heart and new spirit—indeed our new nature.

So, I ask myself.  “Am I really loving Christ?”  Sure in many ways I obey him.  But do I experience in the words of Piper: “deep feelings of admiration for his attributes and enjoyment of his fellowship and attraction to his presence and affection for his kinship”?  Am I “in love” with Him?  When I read His Word and see His glory revealed, do I treasure that?  Do I meditate enough on the glories of His infinite perfections?  Does Jesus satisfy my soul?

Oh may the love of Jesus grow deeper and deeper in us as we live life in a constant awareness of our spiritual union in Him.  May God graciously enable us to see and appreciate and love Jesus more and more each day.   May we be convicted anew of our obligation and our privelege of loving Jesus.  May we be challenged to pursue a greater love and at the same time to depend upon God to graciously change our hearts into hearts that love Jesus supremely!  And all this for God’s glory.  Amen.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands: Believe (#4)

Note: these are devotional posts based on John Piper’s new book What Jesus Demands from the World.

Demand #4 — Believe

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God….Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:16-18, 36)

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me (John 14:1)

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. (John 14:11)

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. (John 12:36a)

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20:27)

Why must we believe?

We are to believe in Jesus, because only he can rescue us. Only he can save us from the danger of perishing under God’s wrath forever in Hell. Let me quote Piper’s illustration here.

Jesus is the only one who can save us from this danger….It is as though a fireman finds you almost unconscious in a burning building that is about to collapse, throws his insulated tarp over you, picks you up, and says, “Hold still as I carry you. Don’t move. Don’t try to help me. I will get you out. You must let me do it. Trust me.”

Just like the fireman, Jesus has done everything to save us. He does not demand “heroic acts of penance but [rather] that we trust him.” Jesus has purchased us through his Cross-work on our behalf. And on that basis He calls us to believe in Him.

What is it to believe?

There are three indispensable elements to belief. Saving faith includes all three points.

1. We must believe that the facts about Jesus and the Gospel are true. (Jn. 20:27)
2. We must trust Jesus as a “living person for who he really is”. We need to believe “in him”. (Jn. 14:1)
3. We must be satisfied with All God is for us in Jesus. (Jn. 6:35)

The “1-2-3 repeat after me” approach to evangelism hones in on the first aspect of belief. They try to get people to pray a quick prayer upon assenting to a short Gospel fact list. But saving faith is much more than that.

We must trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But not merely our Lord and Savior, but as our Supreme Treasure. Piper loses people at this point, but regardless God’s Word clearly teaches that saving faith is the kind of faith that savors Jesus and enjoys Him. Let me showcase the Scriptural proof that Piper offers here.

• “Jesus offers himself to us not merely as a rescuer to be trusted but as living water to be drunk….” And as a Shepherd (Matt. 26:31), Bridegroom (Matt. 9:15), Treasure (Matt. 13:44), King (John 18:36), and more.
• John 6:35 shows the relationship between belief and drinking or coming to Jesus: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst“. To believe is to drink deeply from the “wells of salvation” (Is. 12:3).

So Piper rightly argues that believing that water gives life doesn’t cut it. You must drink the water. “Jesus gives life by being trusted. Trusting Jesus as water, therefore, means drinking the water.” It means “receiving” Jesus and all the “life-giving grace of God that comes to us in him”.

You don’t have to receive a fireman, just his aid. Jesus is not like that:

[The fireman] doesn’t ask you to believe in him for all that he is, or to receive him, or to savor his life. But Jesus does. He is so much more than a rescuer. Therefore, believing in him is more than trusting in his rescue skills.

In thinking through these thoughts, I couldn’t help but wondering how much I really am presently savoring Christ. I mean, most of my readers, like myself, have already believed. But are we truly continuing to believe? Is Jesus giving us true life? Are we entranced with the glory of Jesus as so much MORE than merely our Delivering Fireman? Are we daily growing in our love for and appreciation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Is He truly our Supreme Treasure?

We’ll consider more along this line of thinking in the next post on Demand #5, Love.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

Jesus’ Demands: Repent (#2) & Come unto Me (#3)

I have started blogging through Jesus’ Demands as discussed in John Piper’s latest book What Jesus Demands from the World. On now to demands #2 & 3.

Demand #2 — Repent

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 4:17)

I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3, 5)

Jesus called everyone to repent—it was his first public demand. Piper pointed out that “repentance is an internal change of mind and heart rather than mere sorrow for sin or mere improvement of behavior.” He points to the two halves of the Greek word for repentance (metanoeo) for support. Meta signifies change and noeo is the word for the mind (and “its thoughts and perceptions and dispositions and purposes”). Luke 3:8 is very instructive as to the nature of repentance as it calls us to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance”. Thus, repentance is a change of mind and heart that happens inside of us and inevitably leads to new behavior.

Jesus demands we experience this inward change of heart. He calls sinners to repent. Sin, Piper argues, is “an assault on God.” And thus we must turn away from this attitude of enmity with God and submit to His will. Piper sums up the ideas inherent in repentance with the following sentence.

Repenting means experiencing a change of mind so that we can see God as true and beautiful and worthy of all our praise and all our obedience.

And repentance is universally needed. It is not just the bad people who stand in need of repentance but we all do. And if we don’t repent, Jesus says we will “all likewise perish”! This is serious. But this command to repent is not separated from God’s gracious offer of forgiveness. We are to “repent and believe in the gospel”. And this command is to go to every tribe, tongue, and nation (Luke 24:46-47).

Repentance has recently been redefined by “Free Grace” advocates and others who oppose a so-called “Lordship Salvation”. I won’t get into that here, but will point you to this post for a series of articles which explain and defend the correct definition of repentance well.

But before moving on, I think it is appropriate to ponder the full weight of this command. We are called to experience an inward change of heart which results in our relinquishing sin and relishing in Jesus. Are you, am I currently savoring the Savior? Repentance is an initial requirement for salvation. But it is more than that. It bears lasting fruit and so our continual response to the sin we so often fall back to, should be one of repentance. And just as God must grant repentance to those enslaved by sin (2 Tim. 2:24-26), so God must help us to experience a genuine sorrow over and internal change in reference to our sin. May he truly give us repentance and enable us to live lives that are pleasing to Him.

Demand #3 — Come unto Me

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt. 11:2

Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37)

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger. ” (John 6:35)

You refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:40)

Repentance seems so negative. And it is true Jesus calls us to leave self-glorifying sin. But Christ dose not call us to a “monastic” life of continual bitterness of spirit. He does not call us to a life of hopeless attempts to please a stern and unbending Lord. No, he came to give us joy.

…when God gives the radical change of new birth and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our supreme treasure. “His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.” Therefore, his demand that we come to him is not burdensome. It means coming to the one who has become everything to us. [I changed the formatting somewhat here.]

Jesus offers us “rest”, “water”, and “bread”. This is relief, quenched thirst, and spiritual nourishment. There is a sense that coming to Jesus is not easy. It is a “burden”. But the difficulty lies in this fallen world and not in Jesus. He even promises to help bear that burden.

Jesus desires, yea demands us to come. But so many don’t. Why is this? In Matt. 23:37 Jesus weeps because those in Jerusalem “would not” come to him. And in Jn. 5:40 Jesus points out that many “refuse to come”. People “refuse to come” because they do not want to come. Some would call this a “choice of free will” but Piper stresses that “Jesus would probably say it is the choice of a will enslaved to sin” (see John 8:34). Since we are all enslaved to sin, how can any come? Piper answers,

…God, in his great mercy, overcomes our resistance and draws us: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). “No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:65). God grants the gift of new birth and repentance, which opens the eyes of the spiritually blind to the truth and beauty of Jesus. When this happens, all suicidal objections fall. We are finally free. And finally free from slavery, we come.

A few thoughts concerning this demand now come to mind. First, we should “never cease to praise and thank [God] for his sovereign grace” which draws us to Jesus. I know many who read this blog are yet to be convinced of Calvinism. I hope, however, that in reading this post you see that the Calvinist position on this point is cause for greater praise and wonder at the glory that God would choose us. It is not about being better than others, and it is not about belittling the need for evangelism. God regenerates us through the preached Gospel message, and Calvinists affirm that everyone who believes will truly be saved. But step back and see the wonder of God’s grace. After all, you could have been born as a Hindu in India, with little chance to be saved, or a Mayan Indian before Christ with almost no chance to be saved. Praise God for his undeserved goodness in drawing you to Himself.

Second, let us meditate on how good Jesus is. What a wonder that when he calls us to come, it is not like a frustrated Father calling us to face judgment, but rather that of a tender One who loves us and wants to meet our deepest needs! Jesus calls us to come and drink, eat, and find glorious rest and joy, even, in Him. And not for a little while but more and more for ever and ever! Praise Jesus for such wonderful news. Let us come, let us pray that God gives us more grace to come in an ever more true way. Let us pursue Jesus as our Supreme Treasure.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7

The Demands of Jesus—Introduction & #1

Introduction

Blogging can be so much more than mere fun. It can become a discipline. And it can even provide a measure of accountability.

That said, I plan to embark on a new venture with this blog. I intend to blog through the 50 demands that make up What Jesus Demands from the World, the new book by my pastor John Piper. I want to post devotional thoughts on each of these demands and intend to use the chapters in my personal Bible time. As such, I may post a demand a day. I can’t guarantee that this series will be finished in 50 days, however. I don’t want these posts to take away from my other blogging goals. But I think we will find them encouraging and challenging. But this series will be mostly for me—a discipline to post devotional thoughts regularly from my reading and meditating in God’s Word.

A word about the book, before I begin is in order. The chapters in the book are written in such a way as to be easy to read in one setting each. Thus they provide a perfect format for a devotional reading. With this book, Desiring God already has the entire book available to be read online for free! I would highly encourage you to read the introduction as it provides a great overview of the Gospel mission of Christ.

Today, there is a push to redefine the heart of the Gospel around the commands of Jesus to love God and your neighbors. Piper makes it clear, however, that the shadow of the cross is stamped all over the Gospels, and that Christ does not intend his commands to be able to impart life apart from a recognition of the centrality of the cross-work of Christ. So Piper tries to look behind each command and see the motivations given for it and the connection it has to the Gospel news of Christ’s substitutionary death and resurrection on our behalf. And as such, he hopes to show how the commands of Jesus are given to accomplish 2 purposes. These purposes are captured well in this quote: “The obedience he demands is [1] the fruit of his redeeming work and [2] the display of his personal glory.” So on now to…

Demand #1 — You Must Be Born Again

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-

First, notice that without the new birth, no one can even see the kingdom of God. My Reformation Study Bible says it this way: “Without the grace of God, sinners cannot find the door, let alone force their way in.” Then notice that Jesus is amazed that Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was meaning with the phrase “new birth”. This points us to look back to the Old Testament, in which Nicodemus would have been an expert, to find a reference to the new birth. We find such a reference in the new covenant promised blessing of a “new heart”.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Ezek. 36:25-28; see also Is. 44:3)

The phrase “born of water and of the Spirit” describes the one new birth. This is clear because it is parallel to “born again” in vs. 3. Unless you are “born again” and unless you are “born of water and the Spirit” you cannot “see” or “enter” the kingdom of God. In light of the parallel to Ezek. 36 and also a similar parallel to Titus 3:5, we should see the water as referring to cleansing from sin and the spirit as the infusing of a new heart and spirit which accompanies the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives now. Some try to make water refer to physical birth, but this is not how first century people would understand that. Others make it refer to baptism, and they are partly correct. Baptism is a rite which includes water. This hearkens back to the cleansing rituals in the OT ceremonial law. As Ezek. 36 shows (see also Is. 44:3), water is symbolic of cleansing. And Baptism is just that as well—symoblic of the spiritual cleansing we receive at the new birth.

To be born of the Spirit involves a dying to the past, and therefore it is only the Spirit that is spoken of in the subsequent verses; but it is essential that our past be recognised as needing cleansing and forgiveness. These two factors, water and spirit, are not strictly co-ordinate. Water is not an actual spiritual agency in the second birth; it is only a symbol. But in every true second birth there is a negative as well as a positive side, a renunciation of the past as well as a new life created. [quoted from Marcus Dods, "The Gospel of St. John", The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. 1, ed. W. Robertson Nicoll (Hendrickson reprint, 2002) pg. 713]

Having looked a little closely at some of the parts, let us pause to take in the whole. Jesus says you need to be born. How many babies birth themselves? This is a passive action. Verse 8 indicates that the Spirit performs this new birth in a mysterious way, just as wind is mysterious. This new birth is referred to in John 1:12-13 where it is stressed that the birth happens: “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” In short, the new birth is an impartation of spiritual life which happens on the inside of our hearts and which only God can perform. Upon receiving this spiritual life we will believe in Jesus Christ as the rest of John 3 up to verse 21 shows. For a closer look at regeneration check out this earlier post.

To conclude, we are to be born again, yet we are unable to “just do it”, Nike style. This demand of Jesus indicates to us that we are sinful people in need of cleansing and rebirth which only God can provide. The good news is that Jesus came to enable us to see that kingdom and to purchase on the cross a grace to enable new birth to come to all who will believe. We can’t birth ourselves, but we can look to Jesus and be aware of our need for rebirth. We can follow on to know more of Jesus teaching, and this will culminate in spiritual rebirth.

To those of us who profess Christ, may this command remind us of our lowly estate apart from Christ. May it remind us that each day we depend on the Spirit to be continually blowing life on our dry dead bones, and that we need the Spirit’s work in us to be able to really see and appreciate the glorious realities of the Kingdom.

—See all posts on, the Demands of Jesus

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∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 • Rom. 15:5-7