Ask Pastor John
John Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.
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- 817Your Bible-Reading Feedback, and How to Help Us in 2025Hear John Piper’s invitation to partner with us. A $10 monthly gift enables us to reach 70 more people with God-centered resources. https://dsr.gd/3AYGuj2
- 818‘A Man at Church Thinks We Should Marry — I Disagree’If someone is convinced that he knows God’s will for us, yet we disagree, what can we do? Pastor John offers five ways forward.
- 819The Spiritual Battles in Your Bible ReadingAs we begin a new year of Bible reading, what obstacles can we expect to meet along the way — and what benefits will keep us reading day by day?
- 820Why Pray for Protection When Suffering Keeps Coming?Even when our prayers for protection feel pointless, they are not. God is our good and sovereign Father, and it is never pointless to ask him for what we need.
- 821Is Heaven a Real Place Right Now?Is heaven a physical place that exists right now? As Pastor John answers, he encourages us to focus mainly on the relational, not the spatial, aspect of heaven.
- 822Does God Believe in Atheists?People for millennia have said, in one way or another, “There is no God.” Pastor John describes five ways we suppress the knowledge of God’s existence.
- 823The Pleasure That Defeats PornographyHow does a promise about the future help us fight for purity today? Pastor John unpacks the power of the greatest pleasure purchased at the greatest price.
- 824One Believer Dies, Another Lives: On Reading ProvidenceIn Acts 12, God allows Herod to kill James, but he thwarts the king’s plan to kill Peter. What might this chapter teach us about God’s providence?
- 825How Do I Apply Bible Stories to My Life?How can we begin to grasp the meaning of biblical narratives and their application to life? Pastor John offers an example from the story of Joseph.
- 826If God Pastors Me, Why Do I Need Pastors?God could have designed the world so that all the help we need comes from him directly. Instead, he often ministers to us indirectly through other people. Why?
- 827How Do I Become Happy in God?Sometimes, the story of another Christian’s joy in God serves to kindle our own. Pastor John takes us to a remarkable moment in the life of Hudson Taylor.
- 828Is There Good Magic and Edifying Sorcery?Do the signs and wonders in Scripture justify using righteous magic in fiction? Pastor John helps us discern the kinds of stories that serve our sight of Reality.
- 829Why Is Witchcraft Handled So Differently Across Scripture?In the Old Testament, witchcraft is met with capital punishment — but not in the New. Why does God handle this sin differently across redemptive history?
- 830Living with Gospel-Sized AmbitionActs 20:24 has encouraged and challenged Christians throughout the centuries. How, in particular, has it shaped the life and ministry of John Piper?
- 831Why Does the Bible Say Baptism Saves Us?If God justifies by faith apart from works, then why do some passages seem to suggest that forgiveness comes through the act of baptism?
- 832What Makes Someone Spiritually Dirty?When Jesus taught that impurity comes from within, was he departing from the Old Testament? Pastor John considers purity across the covenants.
- 833Every Good Sermon Has ApplicationHow much life application should pastors offer in their sermons? Pastor John commends interweaving exposition and application throughout each sermon.
- 834Should I Use AI to Help Me Write Sermons?Should pastors and ministry leaders use artificial intelligence as a tool to write their sermons and newsletters? If so, how? If not, why not?
- 835Advice for Reading Romans After Decades of ExperienceWhy does Pastor John believe Romans is the greatest letter ever written? And how would he encourage Christians to benefit from this monumental book?
- 836I Never Felt Like God’s Enemy — Was I?If we have no memory of hating or opposing God before he saved us, then how should we understand the Bible’s claim that we were his enemy?
- 837Are Christians Happier Than Non-Christians in This Life?Why are Christians most to be pitied if there’s no resurrection? Don’t we still experience more joy than non-Christians? Pastor John gives four responses.
- 838If No One Seeks God, How Is Anyone Saved?If sinners cannot seek God, how does anyone receive salvation? Pastor John shows that God must give his power and grace precisely because we cannot seek him on our own.
- 839How Much of Christianity Remains a Secret?How much of the Christian faith has already been revealed to us now, and how much of it remains a secret that we won’t understand until we get to heaven?
- 840How Did Jesus Freely Live a Scripted Life?As Jesus headed toward the cross, he knew he was fulfilling the script that was written for him. So, how did he authentically choose a death already decided?
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