Providence
Overview
The providence of God is his purposeful sovereignty by which he will be completely successful in the achievement of his ultimate goal for the universe. God’s providence carries his plans into action, guides all things toward his ultimate goal, and leads to the final consummation. Pastor and author John Piper draws on a lifetime of theological reflection, biblical study, and practical ministry to lead readers on a stunning tour of the sightings of God’s providence—from Genesis to Revelation—to discover the all-encompassing reality of God’s purposeful sovereignty over all of creation and all of history. Exploring the goal, nature, and extent of God’s purposes for the world, Piper offers an invitation to know the God who holds all things in his hands yet remains intimately involved in the lives of his people.
- Provides a comprehensive treatment of the providence of God and how it impacts daily life
- Explores the extent, nature, and goal of God’s providence
- Examines the paradox of divine sovereignty and human responsibility
Part 1: The Ultimate Goal of Providence
- The Ultimate Goal of Providence Before Creation and in Creation
- The Ultimate Goal of Providence in the History of Israel
- The Ultimate Goal of Providence in the Design and Enactment of the New Covenant
Part 2: The Nature and Extent of Providence
- Setting the Stage
- Providence over Nature
- Providence over Satan and Demons
- Providence over Kings and Nations
- Providence over Life and Death
- Providence over Sin
- Providence over Conversion
- Providence over Christian Living
- The Final Achievement of Providence
Top Highlights
“The word providence is built from the word provide, which has two parts: pro (Latin ‘forward,’ ‘on behalf of’) and vide (Latin ‘to see’). So you might think that the word provide would mean ‘to see forward’ or ‘to foresee.’ But it doesn’t. It means ‘to supply what is needed’; ‘to give sustenance or support.’ So in reference to God, the noun providence has come to mean ‘the act of purposefully providing for, or sustaining and governing, the world.’” (Page 30)
“Paul says, ‘All Scripture is … profitable’ (2 Tim. 3:16). The profit lies not mainly in the validation of a theological viewpoint but in the revelation of a great God, the exaltation of his invincible grace, and the liberation of his undeserving people. God has revealed his purposeful sovereignty over good and evil in order to humble human pride, intensify human worship, shatter human hopelessness, and put ballast in the battered boat of human faith, steel in the spine of human courage, gladness in the groans of affliction, and love in the heart that sees no way forward.” (Page 13)
“Fourth, and finally, I am inviting you to know, maybe as you never have known, the God whose involvement in his children’s lives and in the world is so pervasive, so all-embracing, and so powerful that nothing can befall them but what he designs for their glorification in him and his glorification in them (2 Thess. 1:12).” (Page 22)
“The all-important truth is whether there is a reality in the Bible that corresponds to my description of the goal, nature, and extent of God’s purposeful sovereignty.” (Page 18)
- Title: Providence
- Author: John Piper
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Pages: 751
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Providence and government of God › Christianity
- ISBNs: 9781433568343, 9781433568374, 9781433568350, 9781433568367, 1433568349, 1433568373, 1433568357, 1433568365
- Resource ID: LLS:PROVIDENCE
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:25:21Z
John Piper (b. 1946) is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author who serves as founder and lead teacher at Desiring God and is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, Piper served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He has authored more than 50 books, and more than 30 years of his preaching and writing are available free of charge at desiringGod.org. Piper resides in the Minneapolis area with his wife of 51 years, and has five children and 14 grandchildren.
Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.
In 1994, Piper founded Desiring God Ministries, which provides Piper’s sermons, articles, and information on titles he has authored. One of his bestsellers, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, prompted the name of the ministry.
Several of Piper’s books have been Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian book award winners including What Jesus Demands from the World, Pierced by the Word, and God’s Passion for His Glory. The Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.) includes 39 titles from Piper, including Love Your Enemies and A Hunger for God. His preaching ministry of more than 30 years is available in the John Piper Sermon Archive (1980–2014).
Hear how Piper uses Logos for his Bible Study.
Reviews
5 ratings
Patrick
1/19/2022
The first thing I have to talk about is the length. While some may be intimidated by an almost 800-page book, the structure of it is perfectly laid out. Broken up into 3 parts, 9 sections, and a good number of headings within the pages (and also a good-sized font), this is a surprisingly quicker read than one would suspect. Right from the get-go, Piper makes the entire book worth it just for his discussion on the definition and clarification on what "divine providence" is. He takes a more positive approach in his definitions that might bristle some but that's been a consistent style of his in the writings I've read of his. Where something like the Chicago Statement had (and one could argue, needed) both a positive and negative approach, I didn't find this as big of a detriment as I thought it would be. Piper does run the gamut of God's revelation which is both impressive and lets him not stray into the philosophical, just the Scriptural. In fact he kind of buries this fact in the second part of the book where he acknowledges the need to use certain types of philosophical word choices but not the detriment on your average reader nor to the loss of understanding. This is an impressive book and probably could also be broken up into three parts for those whose eyes bug out at the size. This isn't going to be a beach read but the reader will see God's hand and nature in creation, before creation, in the major events of the OT, the events of the NT, and the end times. Piper uses the events in Scripture to highlight key aspects of God's sovereignty not just in those specific events but in general application. It might be surprising that there are still some areas that Piper didn't cover but that just shows why Piper wrote a book on this subject because much more can be said about the God who creates, rules, and reigns supreme. Final Grade - A-
Forrest Cole
11/9/2021
Doug Olson
8/29/2021
Terence Tan
5/2/2021
Puritans have a well-deserved reputation for writing long and hard on one topic or one bible verse. They squeeze the Bible dry to quench the reader's thirst. Piper does the same on the topic of Providence. He makes a sustained argument from Scripture: from the definition of Providence, to the Ultimate Goal of Providence and finally to the Extent and Nature of Providence. This book has the potential to be a classic the same way Puritan classics of 300 years ago are still enjoyed today.
