Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ

by John Piper

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2008

Overview

This is not just another book about the problem of evil. It is more specific and more radical. The focus is not on spectacular calamities, but spectacular sins. The question is not: where was God in the storm? But, what is God’s design in sin?

Piper’s claim is that God does not just rule the wind—he rules wickedness, your sin, and the sin of those who have hurt you. How can this be good news—for you and for the world? That is the question. Piper answers with unswerving allegiance to God’s Word. And it is good news.

Interested in more? Check out the Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.).

Key Features

• God is proclaimed as sovereign over all things
• The importance of forgiveness and the culpability of man is discussed
• Effective teaching that changes lives and challenges readers

Contents

• God Sovereign over Human Sin, The Impulses Behind This Book
• Christ Sovereign over All Hostile Powers, All Things Were Created for Him
• The Fall of Satan and the Victory of Christ, Why Does God Permit Satan to Live?
• The Fatal Disobedience of Adam and the Triumphant Obedience of Christ, How Adam’s Sin Serves the Supremacy of Christ
• The Pride of Babel and the Praise of Christ, How the Judgment of God Brings Joyful Acclaim to Jesus
• The Sale of Joseph and the Son of God, How Salvation Comes through Slavery
• The Sinful Origin of the Son of David, How the God-Man Becomes the King of Kings
• Judas Iscariot, the Suicide of Satan, and the Salvation of the World, How God Conquered Sin through Sin
• A Closing Prayer

Top Highlights

“What we need is to know the great things about God. Knowing great things about God will help make us ready not to collapse under cataclysmic conflict and personal catastrophe.” (Pages 13–14)

“So where do these evil supernatural powers come from and why do they exist? Colossians 1:16 gives a decisive part of the answer. Not the whole answer, but the part we need to know. They come from Christ. ‘By him [by Christ, the Son of God!] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.…’ That’s where they came from. They were created by Christ. And why do they exist? Verse 16b: ‘All things were created through him and for him.’ They exist for Christ. They exist to make his glories known—to display his infinite beauty and immeasurable worth.” (Page 34)

“All that came into being exists for Christ—that is, everything exists to display the greatness of Christ. Nothing—nothing!—in the universe exists for its own sake. Everything—from the bottom of the oceans to the top of the mountains, from the smallest particle to the biggest star, from the most boring school subject to the most fascinating science, from the ugliest cockroach to the most beautiful human, from the greatest saint to the most wicked genocidal dictator—everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known—including you, and the person you have the hardest time liking.” (Page 33)

“Where is the Christian mind and soul being prepared for the horrors to come? Christians in the West are weakened by wimpy worldviews. And wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. God is weightless in our lives. He is not terrifyingly magnificent. His sovereignty is secondary (at best) to his sensitivity.” (Page 13)

Praise for the Print Edition

When it comes to holocausts or other horrors, most of us assume God has his hands tied and his back to the wall. We figure the devil wreaks havoc when God’s not looking; we rationalize the Lord’s ‘mistakes,’ figuring he absentmindedly took his hands off the wheel when tragedies happen. But John Piper paints a different picture from the pages of Scripture that will strengthen your heart, bolster your faith, and deepen your understanding of the ‘largeness’ of God’s sovereignty.

—Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

I had to read this book twice. The weighty truths about the sovereign wisdom and power of God unpacked in these pages created in me an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and ultimate safety. To be reminded of his might over everything is priceless, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to preach the same again.

—Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor, The Village Church, Dallas, Texas; President, Acts 29 Church Planting Network; author, The Mingling of Souls

Product Details

• Title: Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ
• Author: John Piper
• Publisher: Crossway
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 128
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Sin › Biblical teaching; Sin › Christianity
• ISBNs: 9781433504747, 9781433504754, 9781433502750, 143350474X, 1433504758, 1433502755
• Resource ID: LLS:SPECTACULARSINS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:05:10Z

About John Piper

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.

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Key Features

• God is proclaimed as sovereign over all things
• The importance of forgiveness and the culpability of man is discussed
• Effective teaching that changes lives and challenges readers

Contents

• God Sovereign over Human Sin, The Impulses Behind This Book
• Christ Sovereign over All Hostile Powers, All Things Were Created for Him
• The Fall of Satan and the Victory of Christ, Why Does God Permit Satan to Live?
• The Fatal Disobedience of Adam and the Triumphant Obedience of Christ, How Adam’s Sin Serves the Supremacy of Christ
• The Pride of Babel and the Praise of Christ, How the Judgment of God Brings Joyful Acclaim to Jesus
• The Sale of Joseph and the Son of God, How Salvation Comes through Slavery
• The Sinful Origin of the Son of David, How the God-Man Becomes the King of Kings
• Judas Iscariot, the Suicide of Satan, and the Salvation of the World, How God Conquered Sin through Sin
• A Closing Prayer

Top Highlights

“What we need is to know the great things about God. Knowing great things about God will help make us ready not to collapse under cataclysmic conflict and personal catastrophe.” (Pages 13–14)

“So where do these evil supernatural powers come from and why do they exist? Colossians 1:16 gives a decisive part of the answer. Not the whole answer, but the part we need to know. They come from Christ. ‘By him [by Christ, the Son of God!] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.…’ That’s where they came from. They were created by Christ. And why do they exist? Verse 16b: ‘All things were created through him and for him.’ They exist for Christ. They exist to make his glories known—to display his infinite beauty and immeasurable worth.” (Page 34)

“All that came into being exists for Christ—that is, everything exists to display the greatness of Christ. Nothing—nothing!—in the universe exists for its own sake. Everything—from the bottom of the oceans to the top of the mountains, from the smallest particle to the biggest star, from the most boring school subject to the most fascinating science, from the ugliest cockroach to the most beautiful human, from the greatest saint to the most wicked genocidal dictator—everything that exists, exists to make the greatness of Christ more fully known—including you, and the person you have the hardest time liking.” (Page 33)

“Where is the Christian mind and soul being prepared for the horrors to come? Christians in the West are weakened by wimpy worldviews. And wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. God is weightless in our lives. He is not terrifyingly magnificent. His sovereignty is secondary (at best) to his sensitivity.” (Page 13)

Praise for the Print Edition

When it comes to holocausts or other horrors, most of us assume God has his hands tied and his back to the wall. We figure the devil wreaks havoc when God’s not looking; we rationalize the Lord’s ‘mistakes,’ figuring he absentmindedly took his hands off the wheel when tragedies happen. But John Piper paints a different picture from the pages of Scripture that will strengthen your heart, bolster your faith, and deepen your understanding of the ‘largeness’ of God’s sovereignty.

—Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

I had to read this book twice. The weighty truths about the sovereign wisdom and power of God unpacked in these pages created in me an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and ultimate safety. To be reminded of his might over everything is priceless, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to preach the same again.

—Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor, The Village Church, Dallas, Texas; President, Acts 29 Church Planting Network; author, The Mingling of Souls

Product Details

• Title: Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ
• Author: John Piper
• Publisher: Crossway
• Print Publication Date: 2008
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 128
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Sin › Biblical teaching; Sin › Christianity
• ISBNs: 9781433504747, 9781433504754, 9781433502750, 143350474X, 1433504758, 1433502755
• Resource ID: LLS:SPECTACULARSINS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T03:05:10Z

About John Piper

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.