Desiring God

Desiring God

DESIRING

GOD
JOHN PIPER

DESIRING GOD published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc. © 1986, 1996, 2003 by Desiring God Foundation International Standard Book Number: 1-59052-119-6 Cover design by David Carlson Design Cover image by Daryl Benson/Masterfile Italics in biblical quotes indicate emphasis added. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from: The HolyBible, English Standard Version, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other Scripture quotations are from: New American Standard Bible ® (NASB) © 1960, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Revised Standard Version Bible (RSV) © 1946, 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of theChurches of Christ in the United States of America The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV) Multnomah is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc., and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc. Printed in the United States of America ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission. For information:
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Piper, John, 1946Desiring God / revised and expanded by John Piper. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references andindexes. ISBN 1-59052-119-6 (pbk.) 1. God--Worship and love. 2. Desire for God. 3. Happiness--Religious aspects--Christianity. 4. Praise of God. I. Title. BV4817 .P56 2003 248.4--dc19 2002154750 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10—37 36 35 34 33 32 31

To

W I L L I A M S O L O M O N H OT T L E P I P E R , my father, in whom I have seen the holiness and happiness of God.

Contents
What’s New in the 2003Edition? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Introduction: How I Became a Christian Hedonist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 1. The Happiness of God: Foundation for Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . 31 2. Conversion: The Creation of a Christian Hedonist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 3. Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 4. Love: The Labor of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 5. Scripture: Kindling for Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 6. Prayer: The Power of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 7.Money: The Currency of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 8. Marriage: A Matrix for Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 9. Missions: The Battle Cry of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 10. Suffering: The Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Epilogue: Why I Have Written This Book: Seven Reasons. . . . . . 289 Appendix 1: The Goal of God in Redemptive History . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Appendix 2: Is the Bible a Reliable Guide to Lasting Joy? . . . . . . . . . 322 Appendix 3: Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained That Evil Be? Jonathan Edwards on the Divine Decrees . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Appendix 4: How Then Shall We Fight for Joy? An Outline . . . . . . . 352 Appendix 5: Why CallIt Christian Hedonism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370 Person Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 A Note on...