Book Review

While i have indicated various books that I was reading, and recommended several in previous posts, this will be the first actual review that I have done. Yesterday I completed reading John Piper's 2006 book "What Jesus Demands from the World" (Crossway publishers, Wheaton, IL.) He begins with the truth expressed in Matthew 28:18 (reiterated in many other places) that Jesus has been given ALL authority in heaven and on earth. Piper then writes of fifty express demands made by Jesus, based on His authority. These range from coming to, believing in, loving, listening and abiding in Jesus to humbling ourselves, worshiping God in Spirit and in truth, loving your enemies, giving sacrificially and making disciples. It is a comprehensive, hard hitting check list that, if evaluated honestly, gives us a clear sense of how we are doing in the sanctification process. One of the major flaws of much evangelical understanding in America is the idea that praying a one-time prayer, coming into some level of agreement with basic Christian doctrine, and interacting with the Church (often on our own terms) constitutes saving faith. I remain a strong believer in the doctrine of justification by faith (Rom 5:1) but this is invisible. How do we know that this has occurred? James says that he will show his faith by his works. (Jam 2:18) Piper's book, expressing what Jesus says in the gospels, provides a demanding review of the sanctification process.