John Piper loves confounding combinations of words. He calls himself a Christian hedonist, and has written a book, Desiring God, to prove it. His latest book is called Spectacular Sins and at first appears to be about personal holiness; but it is actually about the existence of evil and the sovereignty of God.
It is a timely book. It is a while since the subject has been dealt with in a profound, easy to understand and biblical way. JI Packer had a wonderful little book on God's sovereignty but referred more to predestination and grace. Don Carson has also written well for conservative audiences on The Difficult Doctrine of Love.
Fascinatingly, John Piper wrote this book after the death of his daughter in a bridge collapse. This random tragedy brought home to him the fact that we are living in a dying world, and the spectacular impact of sin is all around us.
As well as writing out of his own suffering and pain, he was also motivated by a concern about western Christians having a lazy faith where we expect God will shield us from pain and suffering, and bless us with every good thing.
Since preaching the sermons and compiling this book, the Global Financial Crisis and Swine Flu have seemed to confirm Piper's concern that hard times are coming.
His aim is to show that sin, no matter how spectacular, will not thwart God's purposes, and in fact, God is able to use sin (but not causing evil) to ensure his gracious purpose comes to pass.
He concludes that firstly, Christ is sovereign over all evil and every power; and secondly, that God will fulfill his purposes no matter what. Piper then proceeds to demonstrate his thesis with many biblical examples. His favourite is Joseph, who was betrayed and sold into slavery by his brothers, but was actually God's instrument to save His chosen people from a devastating famine.
Most significantly, God's ability to accommodate evil in his purposes is seen through the betrayal and death of Jesus, leading to the victory of the resurrection, and the possibility of reconciliation with God.
So, how should we respond? Piper suggests eight things to do, and four things to refrain from.
DO:
"¢ Expect evil
"¢ Endure evil
"¢ Give thanks for the refining effect of evil
"¢ Hate evil
"¢ Pray for escape from evil
"¢ Expose evil
"¢ Overcome evil with good
"¢ Resist evil
DON'T DO:
"¢ Never despair that evil is out of God's control
"¢ Never give in to the sense that life is random or meaningless
"¢ Never yield to the thought that God sins
"¢ Never doubt that God is totally for you in Christ
This is a beautifully presented book, and a wonderful resource to deal with a difficult question, especially when reaching others to talk to them about Jesus.
