"God Is the Gospel"

Lately I’ve been reading John Piper’s book, God Is the Gospel. He raises some incredibly important issues about the essence of the gospel and the core reality of salvation. For example:

• “… even though the gospel purchased and promises many good gifts, from the most spiritual to the most material, yet God him­self is the ultimate good promised in the gospel” (145).

• Redemption, forgiveness, imputation, sanctification, liberation, healing, heaven—“none of these is good news except for one reason: they bring us to God for our everlasting enjoyment of him. If we believe all these things have happened to us, but do not embrace them for the sake of getting to God, they have not happened to us” (47).

• “The critical question … is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?” (15).

• “The best news of the Christian gospel is that the supremely glo­rious Creator of the universe has acted in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection to remove every obstacle between us and himself so that we may find everlasting joy in seeing and savoring his infinite beauty” (147).

• Behold your God! (Isaiah 40:9). This “is the most gracious com­mand and best gift of the gospel” (56).

• “There is no gospel where the glory of God in Christ is not shown. And there is no salvation through the gospel where the glory of God in Christ is not seen” (97). See 2 Corinthians 4:4-6.

• “There is no sure evidence that we have a new heart just because we want to escape hell” (121). Wanting to avoid hell isn’t wrong, but the evidence we’ve been changed is that we want to escape hell and enter heaven in order to revel in God’s glorious presence (121).

The impact of reading this book has been to stimulate me to lift up my eyes, look away from myself, and gaze upon our magnificent Lord and gracious Savior!

.