Ask Pastor John with John Piper on MOR Music Podcasts

April 22, 2024 A Daily Morning Exercise

How can we walk through this world of sin, suffering, and futility with strength and joy? Psalm 90:14 holds the key.

April 18, 2024 Am I Confident or Arrogant?

In a society steeped in self-worth and self-esteem, how can Christians aim for significance in a way that glorifies Christ?

April 15, 2024 Should the Church ‘Bless’ Same-Sex Relationships?

Should churches be willing to somehow “bless” same-sex relationships? Pastor John responds to Pope Francis’s concerning proposal.

April 11, 2024 How Can I Glorify God as I Pray for Myself?

God does everything he does for his glory, including answering our prayers. So, how can we align all our requests with this big, overarching purpose?

April 8, 2024 Am I Abusing Caffeine?

How can we tell if we’re abusing caffeine (or any food or drink)? Pastor John offers three questions to guide a Christian’s consumption.

April 4, 2024 ‘Death Is Yours’ — What Does Paul Mean?

If death belongs to the children of God, as the apostle Paul says, then death not only loses its sting, but it turns around and becomes our servant.

April 1, 2024 The Man Who Died in the Pulpit

On September 22, 1967, V. Raymond Edman collapsed while delivering a chapel message at Wheaton. Pastor John reflects on his college chancellor’s final words.

March 28, 2024 How Do I Forget My Sinful Past?

Some Christians carry an ongoing sense of guilt for sins confessed long ago. What can we do with these stubborn guilt feelings?

March 25, 2024 God Delivers from the Suffering He Ordains

If God is sovereign over our suffering, then we can trust him to strengthen us in suffering, sanctify us through suffering, and ultimately save us from suffering.

March 21, 2024 The Gift of God’s God-Centeredness

From eternity, God has been self-sufficiently happy in himself. And because he has no needs of his own, he is gloriously free to meet ours.

March 18, 2024 Should Confidence in Sovereignty Make Me Prayerless?

If our souls are deeply satisfied in God, what room is there for petitionary prayer? Pastor John reframes the question by clarifying the nature of prayer.

March 14, 2024 Your Most-Asked-About Bible Verse

If God is sovereign over salvation, do the non-elect even have a chance to repent? Pastor John addresses Romans 9:22, your most-asked-about Bible verse.

March 11, 2024 How Much Error Can I Believe and Still Be Saved?

Some biblical truths are essential to believe for salvation — but not all. So, how much error can someone hold and still be saved?

March 7, 2024 Is My Child Transgender Because of Me?

How can parents resist the despair that comes from feeling like failures? Pastor John offers ten words of hope for parents of prodigals.

March 5, 2024 The ‘Ask Pastor John’ Book Is Here

After ten years and two thousand episodes, Tony Reinke has distilled the best of ‘Ask Pastor John’ in a remarkable new book.

March 4, 2024 Is Obedience Without Affection Still Love?

If we obey God outwardly but feel no affection for him inwardly, is our obedience still love? Pastor John takes us to the heart beneath God-pleasing obedience.

February 29, 2024 How Preachers Grow Graceless

How do preachers guard themselves from hypocrisy? Pastor John traces double-faced preaching to its deepest root: the love of human praise.

February 26, 2024 Your Suffering Is Not Meaningless

How did Paul endure such unimaginable sufferings without turning from Christ? Pastor John traces three threads of the apostle’s perseverance.

February 22, 2024 Why Did God Stigmatize the Disabled?

In Leviticus 21, God forbids men with physical defects from participating as full priests. How do we reconcile this prohibition with Jesus’s approach to the disabled?

February 19, 2024 Enjoying God in His Gifts

How do we enjoy pizza, friendship, or any other good gift without committing idolatry? Not only by enjoying God more than his gifts, but also by enjoying him in them.

February 15, 2024 What’s the Essence of Love?

How do Paul’s travel plans relate to the Trinitarian depths of God’s love? Pastor John shows how ultimate reality undergirds the love between the saints.

February 12, 2024 Political Flag-Waving Isn’t Enough

Christians have not only the right but the calling to speak truth to power. But such speech differs greatly from mere political flag-waving.

February 8, 2024 Does Hidden Sin Bring Physical Suffering?

The wrath of God is gone for those who are in Christ. But does God still sometimes bring physical suffering in response to unconfessed sin?

February 5, 2024 How Should I Choose a College Major?

What factors should Christian students consider when choosing a college or major? Pastor John gives five guidelines for those who don’t want to waste their lives.

February 1, 2024 Do I Have a Hard Heart?

How can we know if our heart is hard toward God? Pastor John diagnoses hardness of heart, and gives a remedy for remaining soft to God’s Spirit.

January 29, 2024 Was Jesus Confused by the Cross?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Do these haunting words from Jesus suggest he was confused by the horrors of the cross?

January 25, 2024 What Would World War III Mean for Missions?

We live in a time of mounting global tensions, of wars and rumors of wars. What hope do we have for the future of missions should conflict continue to build?

January 22, 2024 Strategies for Building a Reverent Church

In a day starving for transcendence, how might church leaders arrange every element of the Sunday gathering to promote joyful Godward reverence?

January 18, 2024 Leading a Church out of Casual Culture

How might churches move away from casual culture toward heartfelt, happy reverence on Sunday morning? Pastor John shares five steps for preachers.

January 15, 2024 On Coffee-Sipping in the Sanctuary

Is it wrong to drink coffee during corporate worship? Pastor John moves beyond mugs to the heart of the issue.

January 11, 2024 Should Christians Make Bucket Lists?

From college grads to retirees, many people love to keep bucket lists. Should Christians? Pastor John puts rest and recreation within a biblical mindset.

January 8, 2024 How Do I Find the Main Point of a Psalm?

How can we discern the main point of not only a single verse, but an entire paragraph, section, or even chapter of the Bible?

January 4, 2024 The Good News of God’s Faithfulness to God

God’s faithfulness to God may not sound like good news. But the foundation of our hope rests on God’s zeal to display the worth of his name.

January 1, 2024 Read the Bible with Us in 2024

On the first day of a new year, Pastor John commends a yearlong Bible-reading plan and invites listeners to join him from Genesis to Revelation.

December 29, 2023 Appeal from John Piper

Your prayers and financial support help us bring more people into the fullest enjoyment of the greatest treasure ever found. For every $10 per month you give, we can reach 70 more people with God-centered resources. Would you join us as a monthly partner? https://dsr.gd/Give

December 28, 2023 My Bible Reading Feels Flat — What Can I Do?

Sometimes, perhaps even often, we read Scripture with our eyes, grasp its truth in our minds, yet feel little pleasure in our hearts. What can we do in such moments?

December 25, 2023 Four Reasons Christmas Is Special

Christmas is a day for marveling. Pastor John shares four earth-shaking, soul-satisfying reasons to glory in the coming of the Son of God.

December 21, 2023 Looking Back at 2023, Looking Ahead to 2024

As a new year nears, Pastor John marvels at God’s grace from 2023 and shares exciting plans for the months ahead.

December 18, 2023 Make the Bible Part of Your Everyday in 2024

What makes regular Bible intake not only helpful for the Christian life, but crucial? Pastor John gives ten reasons to make the Bible part of your everyday.

December 14, 2023 Feast on the Bible’s Grammar

The word “therefore” appears almost five hundred times in the New Testament. And every one of them is a doorway to life and love.

December 11, 2023 How John Piper Marks Up His Books

Pastor John never reads a book — even novels — without a pencil in hand. What does he do with it, and why won’t he use a pen?

December 7, 2023 Make Your Life Count: Twelve Rules for Teens

How can teens make their lives count? From dating wisely to failing well, Pastor John offers twelve rules for teenage followers of Christ.

December 4, 2023 Go to the Ant

We know God inspired the Bible, but we sometimes forget that he also spoke creation into existence. How might we begin to learn from both of God’s books?

November 30, 2023 How to Study the Bible on a Topic

How can normal Christians learn to study the Bible on a topic? Pastor John models his own approach as he prepares answers for ‘Ask Pastor John.’

November 27, 2023 Learning for Those Who Don’t Love Learning

The apostle Peter calls Christians to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. But how might we grow in knowledge if we don’t enjoy the process of learning?

November 23, 2023 How Thanksgiving Shapes Your Life Story

At the heart of our unbelief lies not only our refusal to glorify God, but our refusal to thank him. Apart from grace, we take the gifts and ignore the Giver.

November 20, 2023 How Does Learning Deepen Joy?

What role should emotions play in Christian education? If we take our cue from Scripture, appropriate feelings will be central, not peripheral, to all our learning.

November 16, 2023 Learning in a World Blind to God

God communicates through not just his word, but also his world. Christian learning presses deeply into the Bible, but the stars have something to say as well.

November 13, 2023 How to Lead Teens Deeper into Their Bibles

How can youth leaders lead teens deeper into their Bibles? By teaching with an eye on language, a heart for reality, and a knack for question-asking.

November 9, 2023 How Can I Return to Normal Life After Tragedy?

Seasons of affliction, however painful or even deadening they may feel, do not last forever. God will restore the souls he has saved.

November 6, 2023 Hoping in God When Our Heroes Die

Godly pastors and leaders are a tremendous gift to Christ’s church. So, how do we keep hoping in God when our spiritual heroes die?

November 2, 2023 How Can I Kill My Selfishness?

If you want to kill your selfishness, focus on more than your selfishness. Fill your soul to overflowing with Christ.

October 30, 2023 What Do We Celebrate on Reformation Day?

Over five hundred years after Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, what do we celebrate on Reformation Day? Pastor John traces five of the Reformation’s greatest recoveries.

October 26, 2023 Is My Painting Hobby a Wartime Waste?

When do our hobbies glorify God, and when do they become a wartime waste? Pastor John offers three guiding questions to ask of any hobby.

October 23, 2023 Should We Consult with Dead Ancestors?

What do the Scriptures say about communicating with dead ancestors? Pastor John explains four truths about God and the sufficiency of his revelation.

October 19, 2023 Can Pro-Life Advocates Lie to Save Lives?

With so much at stake in the fight against abortion, can pro-life advocates use doctrinal falsehoods to persuade parents to keep their babies?

October 16, 2023 John Piper on ChatGPT

Intelligence without affection is barren, mechanical — even artificial. Pastor John reflects on his ministry in the light of developing AI technologies.

October 12, 2023 Is It Sinful to Be Unhappy?

Given Paul’s command to “rejoice always,” do we sin when we lack joy? Pastor John offers a simple answer with three crucial qualifications.

October 9, 2023 Is Joy a Choice or a Feeling?

Genuine joy in God is far deeper than a choice we make. Even so, our actions can help or hinder the spontaneous experience of joy.

October 5, 2023 What Old Testament Promises Are for Me?

Can new-covenant Christians claim old-covenant promises? As long as we keep some key distinctions in mind, we not only can, but should.

October 2, 2023 Evidence for the Cross and Resurrection

God has not left us without evidence for the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. But evidence alone will never open the eyes of the blind.

September 28, 2023 Does God Love Us Simply for His Glory?

God-centered theology can raise all kinds of questions about God’s love for us. Pastor John asks and answers nine of them.

September 25, 2023 If Sin’s Penalty Is Eternal, Why Isn’t Jesus Still Suffering?

If the penalty for sin is eternal punishment, how could Jesus’s finite sufferings pay the price of our redemption?

September 21, 2023 Six Reasons Jesus Left Earth After Easter

Why did Jesus leave earth after his resurrection? Pastor John gives six reasons for Jesus’s ascension to the Father’s right hand.

September 18, 2023 Even If Our Faith Is False, Aren’t Christians Happier People?

If Christ has not been raised, Paul says, then Christians are “of all people most to be pitied.” But why should we be pitied when we live with such joy?

September 14, 2023 What Does Piper Mean by ‘Satisfied’?

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” What does Pastor John mean when he talks about “satisfaction in God”?

September 11, 2023 Christ, Our Sabbath Rest at Work

Christ is our rest on Monday as well as Sunday. But how do we experience the peaceful rest of Jesus in the midst of our labors?

September 7, 2023 How Can I Become a Humbler Calvinist?

The doctrines of grace are designed to destroy human boasting. So, what can we do if we find our theology becoming a platform for pride?

September 4, 2023 Will We Work in Eternity?

At least six biblical pointers give us reason to expect some kind of work in the age to come. But whatever eternity holds, it will be a future beyond disappointment.

August 31, 2023 Ten Authors for Your Soul

Rich doctrine makes the heart sing. So, where might Christians start if they want to read time-tested, soul-deepening books?

August 28, 2023 Why John Piper Reads Books

With so many demands on our time, why should we carve out precious minutes for books? Pastor John gives seven reasons he loves to read.

August 24, 2023 I Don’t Feel God’s Love — What Can I Do?

When life is hard and heaven seems silent, how can God’s people still feel his love? Pastor John offers six reminders for those in spiritual darkness.

August 21, 2023 Ten Reasons You Need Unconditional Election

How important is unconditional election for the Christian life? Pastor John offers ten reasons why Christians need this crucial doctrine.

August 17, 2023 Ten Criticisms of John Piper’s Preaching

Anyone who preaches for long will find his preaching criticized — sometimes unfairly, but often wisely. Pastor John shares ten criticisms that have shaped him.

August 14, 2023 Do Christians Really Suffer in America?

If Jesus and his apostles promised that faithful Christians would suffer, how can comfortable disciples make sense of their experience?

August 10, 2023 How Can I Explain Christian Joy to Unbelievers?

The Bible rings with the language of pleasure and joy in God. But how can we explain that pleasure and joy in ways non-Christian loved ones may understand?

August 7, 2023 Why Does God Choose the Foolish?

World evangelization would spread more quickly, it may seem, if God had chosen the wise and powerful. So, why did he choose the foolish and weak instead?

August 3, 2023 Resisting the Inner Skeptic in Our Bible Reading

When doubts disrupt our Bible reading, how can we resist the inner skeptic? Pastor John offers six ways to fight for faith in daily devotions.

July 31, 2023 Can I Still Have Joy in Seasons of Doubt?

Seasons of doubt may afflict our minds and shake our hearts, but they need not take our joy. Beneath the waves of doubt, joy’s deep waters can still remain calm.

July 27, 2023 How Does God’s Joy Become My Joy?

The New Testament seems to connect the person of the Holy Spirit with the joy we experience as believers. But how do the two relate to each other?

July 24, 2023 Fifty Years of Theological Battles

If you want to prepare for the unknown controversies of tomorrow, know your Bible deeply, thoroughly, confidently, joyfully.

July 20, 2023 What Does It Mean to Be Spiritual?

Some Christians identify spirituality with gifts like speaking in tongues and healing. Does that view match the Bible’s own description of truly spiritual people?

July 17, 2023 How Are We Being Saved Right Now?

If we are in Christ, then God has saved us from our sins in the past, and he will save us from his wrath in the future. But in what sense is he saving us right now?

July 13, 2023 How Can I Encourage Without Flattering?

How can we celebrate the good we see without succumbing to flattery? Pastor John traces a key distinction between godly and ungodly praise.

July 10, 2023 What Do We Give to God?

God is self-existent and self-sufficient, far beyond any need or lack. So, what can we give to God when we gather for corporate worship?

July 6, 2023 What Does It Mean to Serve God?

The command to “serve the Lord” appears all through Scripture — but Scripture also assures us that God has no needs. So, how do we serve an all-sufficient God?

July 3, 2023 Learning to Forgive Family

For some, forgiving family from the heart may be one of the hardest steps of obedience. Pastor John offers five ways forward when forgiveness feels impossible.

June 29, 2023 On Sibling Rivalries

Sibling rivalries have fractured families since Cain and Abel. So, how does God work redemptively between siblings, and how might parents do their part to promote peace?

June 26, 2023 Manhood and Womanhood in Parachurch Ministry

Increasingly, parachurch ministries are allowing women to occupy positions of spiritual authority once reserved for men. Do they have biblical warrant to do so?

June 22, 2023 What Will We Remember in the New Creation?

In Isaiah, God promises that “the former things shall not be remembered” in the new creation. Will we really have no memory of this age in the age to come?

June 19, 2023 Better Than Scrolling Your Phone in the Morning

Why do so many of us reach instinctively for our phones in the morning? Pastor John identifies six temptations and points to a better way to begin our day.

June 15, 2023 Dangers in Exposing Cultural Sins

How can a preacher faithfully call out a culture’s sins while still sounding the dominant note of amazement at the glories of God in Christ?

June 12, 2023 The Sick Love of Controversy

How can we recognize what Paul calls “an unhealthy craving for controversy” in ourselves and others? Pastor John identifies six traits of a controversy-loving spirit.

June 8, 2023 How Much Should Pastors Make?

“The laborer deserves his wages” — including those who labor in preaching and teaching. But how might a church decide what a pastor’s wages should be?

June 5, 2023 Can Single Men Pastor?

In Paul’s elder qualifications, he seems to assume that pastors will be married. So how should churches assess the qualification of a single man who wants to pastor?

June 1, 2023 Why Do We Pray for Our President?

Why does Paul call Christians to pray for kings and other political rulers — and what specifically might we ask God to do in them and through them?

May 29, 2023 Hope for the Fragile and Fragmented

In a world filled with wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines, a right understanding of the end times can bring stability to anxious minds.

May 26, 2023 The Joy of Jesus’s Return

When Jesus returns, he will magnify the radiance of his glory by multiplying our own joy in that glory. We will happily marvel, and he will forever shine.

May 24, 2023 Why God Wills Suffering for the Children He Loves

If we’re going to rejoice in even the worst circumstances, then we need clear and strong reasons for why God wills suffering for the children he loves.

May 23, 2023 Upcoming Changes to APJ

Tony Reinke shares two upcoming changes to Ask Pastor John in light of a brand-new John Piper sermon podcast called Light + Truth.

May 22, 2023 Go to Work, Go to Church — Christ Is Coming Back!

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles draw some profound connections between the glorious second coming and our ordinary everyday lives.

May 19, 2023 Death Can Only Make Me Better: Remembering Tim Keller (1950–2023)

Today Tim Keller entered the reward of his Master. In this special episode of Ask Pastor John, Tony Reinke shares a sermon clip from Dr. Keller on the joy of God in the face of cancer.

May 19, 2023 Popular Blunders About Christ’s Return

Discussions of the second coming often spiral into speculation — or misconception. Pastor John explains five mistaken beliefs about Christ’s return.

May 17, 2023 Five Ways to Find Wisdom

In the midst of a busy life, how can we find the time to read great Christian books? We might begin by setting aside just fifteen minutes a day.

May 15, 2023 Nicotine, Amphetamines, and Holy Concentration

God does not give us a list of foods and drinks we can and cannot consume. Instead, he gives us his words and his Spirit to shape how we see all of life.

May 12, 2023 A Beautiful Savior for the Unattractive

If we are going to find lasting satisfaction in the beauty of Christ, despite the pain of rejection, four massive changes need to happen in our hearts.

May 10, 2023 The Hardest Act in Parenting Teens

Headship calls a man to put away his anger and initiate reconciliation — no matter how much of the fault lies with his wife or with his children.

May 8, 2023 The Path from Orthodoxy to Demon Theology

The movement from orthodoxy to demon theology happens sometimes slowly and sometimes suddenly — but always because love for Christ has grown cold.

May 5, 2023 ‘Nothing Is to Be Rejected’ — Including Pot?

“Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” Paul says. So can Christians enjoy pot if they thank God for it?

May 3, 2023 What Makes You Happiest?

What is the deepest source of your joy — what God gives to you, or who God is for you?

May 1, 2023 Can I Be Saved If I Never Evangelize?

Will a professing Christian go to hell if he never shares the gospel? Pastor John gets to the heart and offers practical suggestions for growing in evangelism.

April 28, 2023 Should Men Still Pray with Lifted Hands?

Paul desired that “in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands.” Should men in the church today still lift their hands when they pray?

April 26, 2023 Our Joyful Duty

At the core of Christian Hedonism is the glorious reality that the duty God requires of us is the path to our greatest joy.

April 24, 2023 Caring for Families with Cross-Dressing Children

Should parents allow children to cross-dress? Pastor John explains why this cuts across the grain of God-created reality and how to offer counsel to Christian parents.

April 21, 2023 Should the World Like Us or Hate Us?

Jesus promised that his followers would be “hated by all,” but Paul said pastors must be “well thought of by outsiders.” So should the world like us or hate us?

April 19, 2023 Why Did Jesus Use Spit and Mud to Heal?

Jesus could have healed the man born blind with a simple command; instead, he used spit and mud. Why?

April 17, 2023 Does My Sexual Past Disqualify Me from Pastoring?

If a man has a history of fornication, is he disqualified from the office of pastor — or can he still be considered “the husband of one wife”?

April 14, 2023 Overcoming Fear

If God has really given us “a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control,” then why do we still struggle with fear and anxiety?

April 12, 2023 The Gospel’s War Against Our Fears and Insecurities

In the face of every fear and insecurity, the gospel says, “In Christ, God is for you — always and forever, with all of his heart and soul. So what can man do to you?”

April 10, 2023 Should We Despise the Vile — or Love Them?

In Psalm 15, David tells us to despise the vile; in Matthew 5, Jesus tells us to love them. How can we do both?

April 7, 2023 If God Desires All to Be Saved, Why Aren’t They?

God “desires all people to be saved,” Paul tells us — but clearly not all people are saved. Does this mean God cannot do what he wants to do?

April 5, 2023 Christ’s Plan for the Globe — and You

Christ’s global purpose to ransom people from every tribe and tongue can be summed up in his words, “I have other sheep. I must bring them also.”

April 3, 2023 Is Work a Blessing or a Curse?

God gave work as a blessing in the beginning, but we live now on the other side of the fall. So is our work today a blessing or a curse?

March 31, 2023 Best Commentaries on the Whole Bible

Alongside his personal study of Scripture, what whole-Bible commentaries has Pastor John found most helpful over the years?

March 29, 2023 How Do I Find My Identity?

If you want to settle the question of personal identity, don’t ask “Who am I?” Ask, “Whose am I?”

March 27, 2023 Can Satan Put Thoughts into Our Heads?

We know the devil can tempt us and attack us and try to deceive us, but can he put thoughts into our heads?

March 24, 2023 Does God Read Every Thought?

At every moment, God knows the thoughts and intentions of every human heart. Pastor John explores six vast implications of this foundational truth.

March 22, 2023 John Piper’s Conversion Story

The book of Romans interprets life — and it also transforms life. Pastor John shares how Romans has shaped him, from conversion to the pastorate.

March 20, 2023 How to Glorify God in Business Success

How can a Christian business leader speak about his success in a way that makes God, not him, look great?

March 17, 2023 Is Venting the Same as Complaining?

Is there really a difference between complaining about our problems and venting about them — or are we just kidding ourselves?

March 15, 2023 Christian Hedonism in Two Minutes

What is the simplest, shortest definition of Christian Hedonism? Pastor John explains in two minutes why pursuing joy in God is essential to the Christian life.

March 13, 2023 How Does Childbirth Save Women?

Women, Paul says, “will be saved through childbearing.” How does childbirth save women — and what about women who never have children of their own?

March 8, 2023 1 Percent of a Book Can Change Your Life

Even if you remember only one sentence of a book, that one sentence can create an immeasurable moment, a flash of insight that shapes you forever.

March 6, 2023 Is ‘De-Gendering’ a Sin?

What might Scripture say to a woman who desperately wants to become a man? Pastor John offers six reasons why attempting to “de-gender” is a tragic act of sin.

March 3, 2023 Are Christians Obligated to Vote?

Are Christians who have the opportunity to vote obligated to do so — or can we abstain from the whole process for righteous reasons?

March 1, 2023 Why Christians Don’t Need Holy Shrines

Seven times in the book of Hebrews, the author captures the heart of Christianity in a simple, wonderful command: draw near.

February 27, 2023 Do Angels Carry Our Prayers to God?

No angel, no saint, and not even Mary herself can improve the access to God we already have through Christ and his finished work.

February 24, 2023 Was Paul Really the World’s Worst Sinner?

In 1 Timothy 1:15, the apostle Paul claims to have been “the foremost” of sinners. Is Paul speaking in hyperbole here, or was he really the world’s worst sinner?

February 22, 2023 Overcoming Fear and Passivity in Evangelism

How can we become bolder in evangelism? Pastor John shares a story of his stumbling attempts to love a neighbor, and God’s patient persistence through it all.

February 20, 2023 Was God at Work in My Pre-Conversion Life?

When we look with eyes of faith on our pre-conversion life, we find abundant reason to thank God for his mercy, and abundant reason to give others hope.

February 17, 2023 How Could God Be Jealous?

The jealousy of God shows his zeal for his own worth — and it also shows his zeal for our deepest joy.

February 15, 2023 The God-Centeredness of God Unlocks the Gospel

The biblical mindset puts God and his glory, not man and his desires, at the center of the universe. And grasping this blazing center unlocks the greatness of the gospel.

February 10, 2023 Sinners or Saints — How Should We Speak of Christians?

Should we speak of Christians as saints or sinners? Pastor John explores why Paul addresses Christians as saints dozens of times — and as sinners almost never.

February 8, 2023 Why We Share the Gospel

What drove the apostle Paul to win people to Christ? He longed to taste the joy of the gospel not only in his own heart, but in the hearts of countless others.

February 6, 2023 Preaching the Gospel of the Happy God

Sound preaching comes from those who live in the presence of God-centered glory and long to echo his infinite worth.

February 3, 2023 Can I Really Trust My Interpretation of the Bible?

“The law is good, if one uses it lawfully,” Paul says. But how can we tell if we are using the law in the way that God intends?

February 1, 2023 How to Keep Your Eyes on Christ

How can we guard against drifting in the Christian life? By looking and looking and looking at Jesus.

January 30, 2023 How Can I Have a Good Conscience?

You do not need to walk in sinless perfection in order to have a good conscience. You just need to walk in the light.

January 27, 2023 Did Paul Oppose Fiction?

The apostle Paul strongly warned Timothy and Titus against the “myths” of his day. What might he have to say about the fictional stories in our own day?

January 25, 2023 Turn Down the Noise and Listen to Jesus

If we’re going to listen to Jesus and not drift away from him, we likely will need to turn down the noises that capture so much of our attention.

January 23, 2023 Where Do You Draw Lines for Ministry Partnerships?

Where should pastors and other Christians draw lines for ministry partnerships? Pastor John shares the degree of unity he has pursued in six ministry settings.

January 20, 2023 Were Abortions Induced on Old Testament Adulteresses?

Does Numbers 5:22 suggest that women guilty of adultery were punished with miscarriage? And if so, how does this passage speak to the pro-life position?

January 18, 2023 Fight for Delight by Planning Your Devotions

If we don’t have a plan for when, where, and how we will read the Bible, our devotions will probably fall before the demands of the day.

January 16, 2023 Eight Counsels for Those Thinking of Quitting

Every pastor receives criticism. But at what point might criticism become so serious or sustained that a pastor should consider stepping down?

January 13, 2023 When Does Despondency Become Sin?

Everyone passes through seasons of despondency — seasons when the soul is troubled and hope feels thin. But when does despondency become sin?

January 11, 2023 How Do I Push Truth from My Head to My Heart?

How can we push the truth of the Bible from our heads to our hearts, so that our times of daily Bible reading become times of daily worship?

January 9, 2023 Getting the Tone Right on Sunday Morning

Given the pain of this world, the joy of salvation, and the glory of God, what kind of tone should a pastor seek to set on Sunday morning?

January 6, 2023 Is Intermittent Fasting Sacrilegious?

Some people find intermittent fasting helpful for losing weight. But is fasting for merely physical purposes a sacrilegious use of a spiritual gift?

January 4, 2023 The Bible’s Main Road Out of Discouragement

The psalmists show that darkness and discouragement are part of the normal Christian life. And they also show a crucial strategy for finding the light again.

January 2, 2023 John Piper’s Favorite Things

Pastor John, like the rest of us, has his likes and dislikes. From movies and soft drinks to breakfasts and songs, here are twelve of his favorite things.

December 30, 2022 Can I Be a Nurse for a ‘Gender-Reassignment’ Surgery?

If a hospital asks a Christian nurse to participate in a “gender-reassignment” surgery, should she agree — or should she take her nursing skills elsewhere?

December 29, 2022 Appeal from John Piper

Your prayers and financial support help us bring more people into the fullest enjoyment of the greatest treasure ever found. For every $10 per month you give, we can reach 70 more people with God-centered resources. Would you join us as a monthly partner? https://dsr.gd/Give

December 28, 2022 Beat a Path to the Word in 2023

Strong Christians read the Bible, memorize the Bible, meditate on the Bible, and live on the Bible. They make intentional plans for the word to be their daily bread.

December 26, 2022 How Do I Put Away My Desire for Praise?

A desire to do good can easily become a desire to look good. So how do we put away our hunger to be praised by other people?

December 23, 2022 The Christmas We Needed

The best gift anyone can receive at Christmas is deliverance from our two greatest enemies: sin and Satan.

December 21, 2022 What Makes for a Good Musical Worship Experience?

A good musical worship experience involves head and heart, truth and affections. It will lead people to know their God and to embrace him with joy.

December 19, 2022 ‘Though He Slay Me’ — Why the Silence on This Verse?

“Though he slay me, I will hope in him.” Why has Pastor John barely mentioned these remarkable words of Job throughout his decades of preaching and teaching?

December 16, 2022 Does God Still Save the Lost Through Visions?

Does God save the lost through visions today — or does someone need to hear the gospel to be saved?

December 14, 2022 John Piper’s 2022 Year-in-Review

Pastor John discusses personal and ministry highlights from 2022, including podcasts, books, global outreach, and a new goal for Look at the Book.

December 12, 2022 Good and Bad People-Pleasing

How can we find freedom from living for the opinions of people? Pray for and pursue a big vision of God. Find a firm identity in Christ. Look to your eternal reward.

December 9, 2022 How Can I Cast My Cares on God?

Casting your cares onto God begins with believing that he really is the infinitely powerful, all-wise, always-good God he reveals himself to be.

December 7, 2022 Satan Cannot Scare You into Hell

Satan may oppress you, attack you, and rage against you. But if you are in Christ, he holds no power to finally destroy you.

December 5, 2022 Build Structures to Serve Your Calling

How can leaders prevent the pressures of running an organization from squeezing out opportunities for face-to-face work and ministry?

December 2, 2022 How Can Satan Harm Christians?

Scripture is clear that Satan is not ultimately sovereign — God is. But under that sovereignty, in what ways can Satan still harm God’s people?

November 30, 2022 Amusing Ourselves from Death

Outside of Christ, the fear of death is a slave master that holds everyone in bondage — even those who seem unaware of their chains.

November 28, 2022 Give Young Christians a Chance to Lead

Our churches grow in wisdom and maturity when the young honor the old, the old listen to the young, and all clothe themselves with humility.

November 25, 2022 Should We Seek to Suffer?

Suffering may be the price of Christian love, but it is not the aim of Christian love. Our aim is to do as much good as we can on the lowly path of service.

November 23, 2022 Pray Your Way into Thanksgiving

How can we aim to be done with anxiety and enjoy peace in any circumstance? By bringing every circumstance to God in prayer.

November 21, 2022 How Does Baptism Save Us?

If God saves his people through faith alone apart from works, why does Peter say that baptism now saves us?

November 18, 2022 Do Unbelievers Get a Second Chance After Death?

In 1 Peter 3:19, we read that Christ “went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey.” What might Peter mean?

November 16, 2022 How Do I Pray from the Misery of My Sin?

There is no distress that puts you beyond the good news that God brings — not even the distress caused by your own sin.

November 14, 2022 Let the Nations Be Glad! — Thirty Years Later

Thirty years after ‘Let the Nations Be Glad!’ was published, Pastor John reflects on the book’s beginnings and its lasting legacy.

November 11, 2022 What If I Don’t Have a Spiritual Gift?

Paul and Peter charge Christians to use our spiritual gifts for the good of the church. But what if we don’t seem to have any spiritual gifts?

November 9, 2022 What Makes My Gift a Spiritual Gift?

If God has given helpful skills to both believers and unbelievers, what makes the difference between a merely natural ability and a spiritual gift?

November 7, 2022 What Makes My Life Christian?

How can Christians live so that, at bottom, we can say with Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”?

November 4, 2022 Should I Charge Other Christians for My Expertise?

Christ bids his people both to wisely get and freely give, and he supplies us with the grace we need to discern when to do what with our talents.

November 2, 2022 Christ’s Death Was No Accident

The death of Christ was no accident. He came to be crucified, that he might hang the sins and sufferings of those he loves with him there.

October 31, 2022 How Does Love Cover a Multitude of Sins?

Christian love labors to overlook the sins of others, just as Christ went to the cross to forgive us, not to shame us.

October 28, 2022 Christian Unity in Three Steps

Real differences exist between real Christians. But where we lack unity of conviction, we can share unity of humble, sacrificial disposition.

October 26, 2022 Step One in Preparing to Suffer

We ready ourselves to suffer well when we look our life dead in the eye and say with Paul, “I count it all as loss compared to Christ.”

October 24, 2022 Is Suffering a Paradox for Christian Hedonists?

When Christ died, so did our sin-loving selves. Now, God sends suffering to weed out the sin that lingers and stunts our joy in Christ.

October 21, 2022 How Much Speculation Should We Bring into Sermons?

Preachers are emissaries of God’s revealed truth. So how should we talk about parts of the text we don’t understand?

October 19, 2022 The Relational Pain of Ministry

Christian ministry is relationally painful. Friends in the ministry can leave and never return, as even the apostle Paul experienced near the end of his life.

October 17, 2022 How Do People Shipwreck Their Faith?

Jesus, Paul, Peter, and the author of Hebrews all describe people who begin well in the Christian life before eventually making shipwreck of their faith.

October 14, 2022 How Can I Learn to Receive Criticism?

No one likes to receive criticism, even when it’s well-intended. How can we learn to control our emotional responses and remain grounded in the love of Christ?

October 12, 2022 Becoming Unshakable in a World of Pain

We all face crises, and without grace, we find our world collapsing in the midst of them. But there is strong and stable hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

October 10, 2022 Is Any Part of Life Morally Neutral?

Scripture calls us to do everything for the glory of God. Does that mean no action we take is morally neutral?

October 7, 2022 Will My Spouse Be My Best Friend in Heaven?

What will the relationship between husband and wife be like in the age to come? Pastor John explains how the best parts of marriage point ahead to eternal joy.

October 5, 2022 How Do I Persist in Prayer?

How can Christians always pray and not lose heart? In part, by remembering the generous heart of God and his delight to hear his people.

October 3, 2022 How Do I Pray for My Husband’s Salvation?

How can a wife go on praying for her unbelieving husband after years, or even decades, of no evident change?

September 30, 2022 How Do I See the Glory of Christ?

How can we see the glory of Christ? Renounce the praise of man. Devote yourself to Scripture. Turn to Christ through his word. Keep praying for sight.

September 28, 2022 What’s the Real Problem with Fearing Man?

Why is the fear of man such a big problem? Because those who fear men cast their vote against the trustworthiness of God.

September 26, 2022 How to Live Fearlessly

How can Christians live fearlessly? Replace the fear of man with the fear of God. Fear man — live fearfully. Fear God — live fearlessly.

September 23, 2022 I Want to Be Baptized — My Husband Opposes It

Godly submission does not require that a woman do everything her husband says. Before she is a wife who submits to her husband, she is a Christian who submits to Christ.

September 21, 2022 Am I Called to Ministry? Five Tests

How do we know if we are able to bear the heavy calling of being the aroma of life to some and the aroma of death to others?

September 19, 2022 What Should We Think of Flashy Pastors?

Pastors who flaunt their riches will not draw anyone to the hope of the gospel. They will draw men and women to the hope of luxury.

September 16, 2022 Who’s More Sinful: Men or Women?

Men and women may face temptations peculiar to their sex, but we both share a deep, common depravity and a profound need for mercy.

September 14, 2022 The Godly Woman’s Charm

Hope in God clothes a woman with a beauty that will never fade, never perish, and never cease to be precious in God’s sight.

September 12, 2022 How Much Jewelry Is Too Much Jewelry?

How might we as parents teach our daughters, even at young ages, how to express their femininity without flaunting their body?

September 9, 2022 Does God Call Us to Submit to Everyone?

God calls church members to submit to their pastors, wives to their husbands, employees to their bosses. But is there also a sense in which God calls us to submit to everyone?

September 7, 2022 Who Are My Enemies?

“Love your enemies,” Jesus says. But who are our enemies? The answer is broader than we might imagine.

September 5, 2022 My Husband Left Me — How Do I Respond?

In the wake of great betrayal, how do we respond with love and forgiveness without minimizing the evil of the sin?

September 2, 2022 How Do I Address My Spouse’s Ongoing Sin?

Peter tells wives to win their husbands “without a word.” Does that mean a wife should never confront her husband over a pattern of habitual sin?

August 31, 2022 Overcoming Anger in the Home

How can a father governed by anger begin to recover kindness and tenderheartedness? By freshly embracing God the Father’s forgiveness through Christ.

August 29, 2022 Can I Be Angry with God and Be Holy?

Is heartfelt anger toward God ever righteous, or even morally neutral — or is such anger always sinful?

August 26, 2022 Is Double Predestination Biblical?

Does that Bible teach that God has predestined some to disobedience and destruction, just as he has predestined some to salvation?

August 24, 2022 The Two Greatest Questions in the Universe

What are the two greatest questions in the universe? Pastor John explains by looking at 1 Peter 2:11–12.

August 22, 2022 How Do Passions Wage War Against the Soul?

When do innocent desires of the flesh become threats to the soul? When they cross over from serving God’s will to serving our rebellious self.

August 19, 2022 What’s the Difference Between Faith and Hope?

The biblical authors often intertwine faith and hope, yet they also distinguish them. So what is the difference between these two gifts of the Spirit?

August 17, 2022 Why Do So Many Reject Jesus?

When the light of Christ shines upon the darkness of our sin, we either run to Christ as the only covering for our shame, or we run further into darkness.

August 15, 2022 Who Will Judge the World?

Scripture speaks of the Father judging the world, the Son judging the world, and sometimes even the word of Christ judging the world. So, in the end, who will judge?

August 12, 2022 How Are We Born Again?

The new birth is a sovereign work of the Spirit, but it is a work bound to the word. The Spirit of God works through the word of God to glorify the Son of God.

August 10, 2022 How Money Fears Kill Our Worship

When we trust God with our money, we not only enjoy freedom from worry, but we magnify the shepherd, Father, and King who provides for us.

August 8, 2022 What Makes Christian Love Different?

What makes Christian love different from non-Christian love? It is rooted in the cross of Christ, sustained by the Holy Spirit, and aimed at the glory of God.

August 5, 2022 What Does It Mean to Be ‘Overly Righteous’?

Ecclesiastes tells us not to be “overly righteous,” but Jesus calls us to a righteousness that exceeds even that of the Pharisees. How can we put these two texts together?

August 3, 2022 Gospel Drift — and How to Avoid It

You don’t have to commit great sins in order to fall away from Jesus. You just have to neglect your great salvation.

August 1, 2022 Why Did Jesus Need to Suffer and Die Publicly?

Did Jesus have to die a public, agonizing death, or could he have saved us by living sinlessly and dying in obscurity?

July 29, 2022 Does God Ever Tempt Us to Sin?

God clearly tests his people, but does he ever tempt them to sin? Pastor John explores the distinction between tests and temptations in James 1.

July 27, 2022 Trembling Before God on Sunday

Hundreds of times, God tells us to “fear not.” So why does he also call us to work out our salvation “with fear and trembling”?

July 25, 2022 Is My Humorous Personality a Liability?

Sober-mindedness keeps us from the silliness that is allergic to serious moments, but it also keeps us from the somberness that doesn’t know how to be joyful.

July 22, 2022 Are Eternal Rewards and Inheritance the Same?

Peter assures us of an inheritance kept safe in heaven; Jesus calls us to lay up treasures in heaven. Are eternal inheritance and rewards the same?

July 20, 2022 Fighting for Faith in the Entertainment Age

In an age inundated with entertainment, how do Christians stay awake to the glory of Christ and help others do the same?

July 18, 2022 Should Non-Christians Pray for Faith?

Saving faith is the gift of God, who opens blind eyes and raises dead hearts. So what can unbelievers do when they find themselves unable to believe on their own?

July 15, 2022 How Do I Prioritize My Busy Life?

Sometimes, busyness and stress are reasons to realign our priorities. Other times, they are invitations to pray that God would empower us to do the seemingly impossible.

July 13, 2022 Learning to Follow God’s Will

God doesn’t give us a blueprint for our futures, but he does give us biblical trajectories by which we can discern his will and follow it with confidence.

July 11, 2022 The Key to Knowing God’s Will

How do “spiritual wisdom and understanding” fill us with the knowledge of God’s will for our daily lives? Pastor John explains from Colossians 1:9.

July 8, 2022 Does God Send ‘Strong Delusions’ into the World?

In our sin, we refuse to hear the truth, receive the truth, believe the truth — until God intervenes to give us a deep and abiding love for the truth.

July 6, 2022 God’s School of Prayer

When God puts us in the flames of suffering, he often intends to rescue us from self-sufficient comfort and awaken in us desperate, earnest prayer.

July 4, 2022 Politics, Patriotism, and the Pulpit

We need pastors who will regularly remind us that our greatest allegiance is not to any political party, ethnicity, or nation, but to King Jesus.

July 1, 2022 Who Is the Man of Lawlessness?

Paul teaches that Jesus will not return until “the man of lawlessness is revealed.” Who is this man of lawlessness?

June 30, 2022 Roe v. Wade Has Ended — Our Pro-Life Work Has Not

The Christian pro-life cause goes far deeper than legislation. We aim not only to change laws and behavior, but to change hearts and eternities.

June 29, 2022 Sustain Your Prayer Life with Sleep

Satan will try to put us to sleep in prayer. And he does so, most commonly, by tricking us into staying up too late the night before.

June 27, 2022 Is God Present or Absent in Hell?

Is God present in hell, as John seems to say in Revelation 14:10 — or is he absent, as Paul seems to say in 2 Thessalonians 1:9?

June 24, 2022 What’s the Center of Our Holiness?

Scripture describes the process of sanctification in many different ways. How can we weave the various strands together into one coherent picture?

June 22, 2022 God’s Love and My Sickness

Because Jesus loved Lazarus, the Gospel of John tells us, he did not come to him right away, but lingered and let him die. How is that love?

June 20, 2022 Crucial Texts for Our Hardest Battles

When temptation strikes, we need more than a vague sense of God’s goodness — we need specific promises. Pastor John shares his favorite passages for fighting sin.

June 17, 2022 Is God More Honored or Dishonored in the World?

If God aims to be glorified in this world, why is human history and the daily news filled with so much that dishonors him?

June 15, 2022 The Pervasive Problem of Loving Money

The love of money often lives where others least suspect, like in the hearts of Pharisees, miracle workers, and those who seem most moral.

June 13, 2022 How Do I ‘Wrestle’ in Prayer?

Paul speaks of wrestling in prayer, and many of us use his phrase. But what might our prayer lives actually feel like if we wrestled like the apostle?

June 10, 2022 Counsel for Wives with Harsh Husbands

“Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them,” Paul writes. But what can a wife do if she finds herself with a harsh man?

June 8, 2022 Eight Essentials for Christian Living

How does God bring us from the grace of new birth to the glory of heaven? Pastor John explains eight essentials for Christian living from 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12.

June 6, 2022 Did Jesus Tell Us to Give to Every Panhandler?

Jesus tells us to give to those who ask, but Paul warns the church against giving to the lazy. How might we apply these teachings when we meet a panhandler?

June 3, 2022 Did Jesus Disregard the Sacrificial System?

If there is no forgiveness without shed blood, how could Jesus forgive sins apart from the sacrificial system and prior to his own death?

June 1, 2022 Prayer in the Age of Global Hate

In an age of hate, Christians testify to God’s grace by praying for all kinds of people: high and low, white and black, Democrat and Republican, friend and enemy.

May 30, 2022 How Will I Find My Ministry Calling?

When God grants us a ministry, does his leading come to us through internal impulses, external affirmation, or some combination of the two?

May 27, 2022 Should We Pray for Unbelievers or for Evangelists?

Does Scripture ever command us to pray for unbelievers, or does it only command us to pray for the evangelists who speak to them?

May 25, 2022 The Easiest Step of Love

Prayer is the easiest step of love, and it is also the most powerful. God can do far more for others in response to our prayers than we could ever do on our own.

May 23, 2022 Have I Sinned If I Fall Short of Excellence at Work?

God is honored when we do our jobs with technical excellence, and he is also honored when we give ourselves to the kinds of excellence that cannot be measured.

May 20, 2022 How Do I Not Provoke My Children?

How can we require obedience of our children without provoking and discouraging them? Pastor John offers eight pitfalls for fathers.

May 18, 2022 Do Answered Prayers Depend on My Holiness?

Throughout Scripture, God warns that he will not hear the prayers of the disobedient. So do answered prayers depend on our holiness?

May 16, 2022 For Christians Whose Testimony Seems Boring

We will never plumb the depths of sin and grace merely from past experience. Only God’s word can tell us how lost and dead we were, and how found and alive we are.

May 13, 2022 Would You Have Supported Prohibition in 1913?

In the early twentieth century, many Christian leaders lent their approval to the cause of Prohibition. Would Pastor John have done the same if he lived back then?

May 11, 2022 How Greatly Am I Loved?

In Christ, God has chosen us from eternity, and called us in time, so that we would boast no longer in ourselves, but only in him and his great love.

May 9, 2022 How Do I Make Christian Hedonism My Own?

Some teachers influence us so deeply that we find ourselves imitating them without trying. So how can we move past imitation to make biblical truth our own?

May 6, 2022 Why Dead Men Must Die

Paul says we all were dead apart from Christ, but he also says we died when we were united to Christ. In what sense, then, do dead men die?

May 4, 2022 God Saves to Make Much of Himself — Doesn’t That Lessen His Love?

Nothing but God can forever satisfy hearts that are made for God. And so, in great mercy, God loves us in a way that makes much of himself.

May 2, 2022 Should Gospel Disagreements End a Friendship?

Christians can disagree over many doctrines and stay friends. But what should we do when a friend rejects a doctrine central to the gospel?

April 29, 2022 My Spouse Died Prematurely — Was It My Fault?

How might Christians process feelings of guilt over the death of a loved one? Pastor John offers counsel to a new widow struggling not to blame herself.

April 27, 2022 How God Makes Much of You

In Christ, God makes more of us than we could ever imagine. And he will go on doing so forever.

April 25, 2022 Does Faith Cause Regeneration?

Does faith bring about the new birth, or does the new birth bring about faith? Pastor John offers three reasons why getting the order right matters.

April 22, 2022 Does God Delight in Justification or Holiness?

Does God delight in his people based on Christ’s work alone, or does his delight also depend on our own holiness?

April 20, 2022 Why God Makes Much of You

When God makes much of us, he does it for his sake, not ours. And that makes his love far greater than we could have imagined.

April 18, 2022 Shame: Its Uses and Abuses

Some shame condemns and destroys, and some shame heals and restores. So how can we tell the difference between misplaced and well-placed shame?

April 15, 2022 What Are Church Traditions?

In his letters, Paul speaks not only of teachings he delivered to the churches, but also of traditions he passed on. What kind of traditions does he have in mind?

April 13, 2022 The Heart of Fake Happiness

Many nominal Christians go to church, believe God loves them, and yet are on their way to hell. So what marks the born again from those who only think they are?

April 11, 2022 Should Pro-Lifers Embrace Embryo Adoption?

In America, there are hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos, left over from in vitro fertilization. How might Christians weigh the decision to adopt one of them?

April 8, 2022 Does Romans 7 Describe a Christian?

What kind of person does Romans 7:14–25 describe? Pastor John offers nine reasons to read Paul’s description as part of the Christian experience.

April 6, 2022 What’s Lost When We Only Pray Alone?

The church of Acts often gathered together to praise God and intercede for his people. So what might we lose if we pray only by ourselves?

April 4, 2022 Should We Dramatize Jesus’s Life for Television?

God gave us a book about Jesus, not a video. So how might Christians think about dramatic portrayals of Jesus’s life in television or movies?

April 1, 2022 Do Christians Still Have Evil Desires?

If God’s wrath comes against evil desires, and not only evil behaviors, why will his wrath not come against Christians, who still battle evil desires?

March 30, 2022 How Fleeting Pleasures Sidetrack Our Love

A lack of love for other people doesn’t show that we’re trying too hard to please ourselves — it shows that we’re far too easily pleased.

March 28, 2022 I’m Too Distracted with Life to Meditate on Christ

How can we turn our attention away from regrets, dreams, and other consuming thoughts so that we can set our minds on things that are above?

March 25, 2022 On Permanent Birth Control

If two spouses agree that they do not want to have more children, would it be sinful to pursue permanent forms of birth control?

March 23, 2022 How Does God Lead Us in Daily Decisions?

How do I follow God’s lead in my daily decisions? I know he’s my shepherd, and that he’s leading me, but how do I know if I am following him?

March 21, 2022 In Our Racial Differences, How Is Christ ‘All’ and ‘in All’?

To be a Christian is not only to trust Christ and treasure Christ, but to be indwelt by Christ. And that new identity transforms all our relationships.

March 18, 2022 What Should We Make of Healing Ministries?

God still answers prayers for physical healing today. But how should Christians evaluate the claims of so-called healing ministries?

March 16, 2022 When Will Christ Heal My Body?

We know that Jesus has purchased both our forgiveness and our physical healing at the cross. But what kind of healing can we expect in this life?

March 14, 2022 All My Sins Were Canceled — So Why Continue to Confess?

If all our sins are forgiven — past, present, and future — does ongoing confession show that we doubt Christ’s finished work?

March 11, 2022 My Flesh Was Crucified — So Why Do I Still Sin?

If our sinful flesh was crucified with Christ when we first believed, why do we keep sinning like we do?

March 9, 2022 How Do I Know If My Good Deeds Are Worthless?

How do we make sure the good we do is not done in vain? Listen to Pastor John’s answer more than thirty years ago, just weeks after becoming a pastor.

March 7, 2022 If God Is Sovereign, Why Is His World Full of Suffering?

When we look around at our world of horrific suffering, how can we keep believing in an all-good, all-wise, totally sovereign God?

March 4, 2022 Is There a Place for Asceticism in the Christian Life?

Some self-denial exalts self and feeds sin, and some self-denial exalts Christ and kills sin. So how can we practice the right kind?

March 2, 2022 How Do I Handle My Disordered Desires?

Every Christian battles excessive and distorted desires. And in Christ, God gives every Christian daily forgiveness, hope, and strength to keep fighting.

February 28, 2022 How Did the Cross Disarm the Devil?

At the cross, Paul says, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities.” So what weapons are no longer in Satan’s hands?

February 25, 2022 How Can I Avoid Worldly Thinking in My Studies?

How can Christians pursue education without being taken captive by worldly thinking? Pastor John reflects on Paul’s warning against “philosophy” in Colossians 2:8.

February 23, 2022 God’s Providence in the Ministry of Crossway Books

In 1938, a small publishing ministry began distributing gospel tracts. Today, that ministry has spread millions of tracts, books, and Bibles all over the world.

February 21, 2022 How Did God Reconcile ‘All Things’ to Himself?

Paul says that God has reconciled to himself “all things” in heaven and on earth. Does that mean even unbelievers and demons will be saved in the end?

February 18, 2022 Are Divisions in the Church Necessary?

How should Christians respond to divisions in the church? Don’t make light of them, for they are tragic. And don’t make death of them, for they are predicted.

February 16, 2022 Singing Sends Lovers of Christ to the Nations

Under God, musical worship can mobilize the church to finish the Great Commission. The gladness of Godward singing sends lovers of Christ to the nations.

February 14, 2022 Can We Speak with Angels?

Scripture includes stories of angels talking with humans through dreams and visions. So should Christians expect, and even pursue, conversations with angels today?

Episodes