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

by John Piper

John Piper delivers powerful biblical reassurances to bolster readers' trust in the sovereignty of God and the supremacy of Christ when evil and tragedy come. If God governs the sinful acts of men, then does the devastation caused by those terrorists, dictators, murderers, cheats, and abusers discredit Jesus' "All authority in heaven and earth belongs to me"? When heart-rending news comes of the latest accident, illness, or natural disaster, can we really believe that in Jesus, "all things hold together"? Though God has not answered all of our questions about sin and suffering, there are things he wants us to know, things he declares in his Word-such as what's at stake in the "spectacular" sins of others and the horrible tragedies of this life; their global purpose, both historically and today; and what these events say to us personally. As John Piper works through these biblical truths, this book will bolster readers' trust in the utter sovereignty of God such that they'll be less timid in their witness and less afraid of whatever may come. It is also a joy-infused declaration that because everything occurs through Christ and for Christ and his glory, they are forever secure in him.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Nonfiction, Faith, Religion

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2008

About the author

John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years, he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem.

John is the author of more than 50 books and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and twelve grandchildren.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Ted Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST-READ! Short book, less than 120 pages, and it only takes about 2.5-3 hours to read through at a slow, thorough pace. The BEST book that I have read in 2017!

I was drawn to this book by the provocative title. How can sin be anything but spectacular? John Piper makes the compelling case that throughout Scripture, God is using man's rebellion and failures to set the stage and to foreshadow the coming of the Messiah. He looks at Adam, Babel, Joseph, the kings of Israel, and Judas as examples to prove this point. I won't spoil the book for you, but be sure to read this!

[Jorge Sancho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro pequeño. Pero con mucho para meditar y asimilar. Definitivamente te ayuda a analizar en profundidad la soberanía de Dios en el mundo "injusto" en el que vivimos.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for a Christian Education (CE) class at Redeemer. Mind blowing...

"The apex of evil was the apex of grace."
"You meant, God meant." God doesn't react to what man meant. God is acting in what man is doing.
"He does all things for his glory and names sake."
"God's plan to save as through grace was not a response to human decisions to sin. Saving grace was the plan that made sin necessary."
"The aim of this book has been to show that over and over in the history of the world, the epoch-making sins that changed the course of history never nullified but only fulfilled the global purposes of God to glorify his Son and save his people."
"If God were not the main actor in the death of Christ [by his hand and plan], then the death of Christ could not save us from our sins... The reason the death of Christ is the heart of the gospel-the heart of the good news-is that God was doing it."
"When you are tempted to forsake God because of the greatest of evil and misery in this world, may you remember that that Bible has prepared us for this temptation. It has shown us over and over that sin and sickness and disaster never escape the good governance of the infinitely wise God."

Examples of Spectacular Sin include: Satan's fall, Adam's disobedience, the pride of Babel, the sale of Joseph, the sinful origin of the son of David, Judas' betrayal of Christ.

[BrontëKas · Rating 5 out of 5]

“[in 2 Timothy 1] Paul tells timid Timothy that before there was any human sin in the world that needed grace, before Adam had sinned, before the world existed, God gave grace to Timothy in Christ Jesus for salvation. God had Timothy in view, and he had Jesus Christ in view, and he had grace in view, and he had salvation in view before there was any world or any human sin or any human guilt. That is heavy.

And why does he say it? Because Timothy is timid. Paul’s antidote for wimpy Christians is weighty doctrine.”

Spectacular Sins might be Piper at his finest. I wanted to “brush up” on the Problem of Evil and God’s Sovereignty and boy did this book do that. I think it was Piper who elsewhere said books don’t change people, sentences change people. There were a few sentences in this book that changed me. I will revisit this small but mighty book again soon.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book, doing what Piper does best, holding Biblical texts up to the light and forcing us to reckon with them. I think he has pulled together the most "spectacular" of the Bible's texts regarding how God intends evil acts for good ("you intended it for evil, God intended it for good"). I think others go further in explaining theologically how it all works (Henri Blocher, Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look at the Problem of Pain) but for what it is, this little book by Piper is good and necessary.

[Tamara Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnny Pipes always with the truth bombs, saturated in scripture.

[Cassie Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book that powerfully unpacked the truths surrounding sin in a way that I had never thought about. Piper prays: “We ask that you would make this little book a window onto the panorama of your glory, and a skylight to your supremacy in all things.” I will continue to come back to this book as a resource for sin and God’s perfect supremacy. Always thankful for Piper’s insight, and the way that God has gifted him.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of Piper's easier books to read. Adapted from a series of messages, it's also short as well. I read it in less than four hours.

Why does God allow sin? Why does God allow Satan to get away with what he does? Why not destroy sin when it first appeared in Satan and/or man?

These are some of the questions that Piper attempts to answer using "spectacular sins" in the Bible (the fall, tower of Babel, Joseph being sold into slavery, Israel's demand for a king, and the betrayal of Judas Iscariot). I believe that the author does a good job showing why God permitted these to happen and was able to use them for His glory.

His key text begins in Colossians 1:15-16 and expands from there. If anything, this book really got me to think about why things happen. It also leads one to have a different outlook on life in regards to sin and calamity.

[Keidy Sheilyn Reinoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy Interesante y profundo. Sorpresivamente diferente de lo que esperaba.

En este libro, Piper trata de mostrar como los pecados mas horrendos de la historia humana y bíblica redundan finalmente para el bien del plan de redención. Es increíble como Piper va explicando a detalles estos pecados (como el de José, o el de la historia de la torre de Babel) y nos va mostrando como sin dejar de ser pecados y de ser juzgados por Dios, estos finalmente no arruinan el plan de Dios para la humanidad. y hacernos entender que pase lo que pase en este mundo, aun sean cosas humanamente inaceptables o inexplicables, pueden ser usadas positivamente para el propósito eterno de Dios. INCREIBLE

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book is a life- and heart-changer. In a little over 100 pages, Piper walks us through Scripture explaining how God's purpose is behind the most "spectacular sins," not as an afterthought or a plan to make do, but from the overflow of his wisdom and holiness. The author shows how God has planned for every sin (like Babel, the selling of Joseph into slavery, the Israelite's insistence on having a human king, Adam's fall, etc.) to play a God-glorifying role in Christ's redemptive work on the cross, often bringing about the exact opposite intent of the sinner(s) - even to save the very people who meant it for evil. If you've ever struggled with why God allows sin in the world, or what his role in it actually is, this book will help you understand what the Bible says about sin and suffering and God's ultimate plan for his glory (from which we benefit by His grace).

There were so many good lessons from this book. The author breaks down many of what we might consider to be the worst sins recorded in the Bible. He writes, for example, of Jesus's betrayal and murder, "At the all-important pivot of human history, the worst sin ever committed served to show the greatest glory of Christ and obtain the sin-conquering gift of God's grace. God did not just overcome evil at the cross. He made evil serve the overcoming of evil. He made evil commit suicide in doing its worst evil."

He later writes, "My aim is to show that sin and evil, no matter how spectacular, never nullify the decisive, Christ-exalting purposes of God. No, my aim is more than that. These spectacular sins do not just fail to nullify God's purpose to glorify Christ, they succeed, by God's unfathomable providence, in making his gracious purpose come to pass. This truth is the steel God offers to put in the spine of his people as they face the worst calamities."

There is an excellent discussion of Colossians 1:9-20 in which Piper demonstrates how all things were created by, through and for Christ. He writes, "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."

Evil does not exist outside of God's power and sovereignty. They are subjected to his purposes. "Satan's fall and ongoing existence are for the glory of Christ. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, will be more highly honored and more deeply appreciated and loved in the end because he defeats Satan not the moment after Satan fell, but through millennia of long-suffering, patience, humility, servanthood, suffering, and decisively through his own death. A single, sudden, and infinitely holy display of power to destroy Satan immediately after his fall would have been a glorious display of power and righteousness. But it would not have been the fullest possible display of all the glories in the Son and the Father. God chose an infinitely wise way of displaying the full array of divine glories in letting Satan fall and do his work for millennia."

He goes on to say, "Whatever God permits, he permits for a reason. And his reasons are always infinitely wise and purposeful. He did not have to let the Fall of Satan or of Adam happen. He could have stopped it. The fact that he did not stop it means he has a reason, a purpose for it. And he doesn't make up his plans as he goes along. What he knows to be wise, he has always known to be wise - eternally."

Piper argues from 2 Tim. 1:9 that, "Saving grace was given to us before the ages began. That is, it was given to us before there was any human sin to save us from. Therefore, grace was planned before human sin was there to need it. This means that God's plan to save us through grace was not a response to human decisions to sin. Saving grace was the plan that made sin necessary. God did not find sin in the world and then make a plan to remedy it. He had the plan before the ages, and that plan was for the glory of sin-conquering grace through the death of Jesus Christ."

There's a great chapter about the sin in the building of the Tower of Babel. He writes, "We often think that the diversity of languages and cultures and peoples and political states is a hinderance to world evangelism - the spread of Christ's glory. That's not the way God sees it. God is more concerned about the dangers of human uniformity than he is about human diversity. We humans are far too evil to be allowed to unite in one language or one government. The gospel of the glory of Christ spreads better and flourishes more because of 6,500 languages, not in spite of them." In these, and many other portions of the book, Piper carefully explains from Scripture how the things that may cause us to despair or to doubt, are things that God is sovereignly working out for his glory. I can't do it justice in this summary, but each chapter was a challenge and a blessing to me.

Most importantly, I came away from this book with a renewed and deeper awe of God. Piper writes that one of the main points of what we learn from God's purposes in sin is that he is faithful to his name and "how amazingly grace for sinners like us flows from God's supreme allegiance to his own name in the midst of sin." He continues, "God's allegiance to his own name is the foundation of his faithfulness to us. If God ever forsook his supreme allegiance to himself, there would be no grace for us. If he based his kindness to us on our worth, there would be no kindness to us. We are stiff-necked, rebellious, and ungrateful. Free, unmerited grace is our only hope to be otherwise. And the basis of that grace is not the worth of our name, but the infinite worth of God's name."

I would have liked to see a little more personal application because there is so much here to apply to our hearts and lives as we struggle with the implications of our own sin and the fallenness of the world around us. However, I think Piper has taken some of the most severe examples of sin and evil and suffering and explained how God's purposes are behind them so that we can look at our own lives and do the same.

He gives a lot of scriptural support for what he writes and doesn't attempt to force verses to fit. I really appreciate his desire to take each verse at face value, in the context of the whole Bible, and rest in the fact that some of these difficult issues will be a mystery to us, while emphasizing that God does give us truth to know and understand.

The one thing I am still trying to sort out is Piper's claim that "everything that exists - including evil - is ordained by an infinitely holy and all-wise God to make the glory of Christ shine more brightly." Much is said in the book about the ultimate glorification of Christ (and there are several verses to support this), but I am still trying to understand this in light of the glory of the Father. Christ, himself, submits to the Father (Phil. 2:6) and is exalted "to the glory of the Father." (Phil. 2:11). At the same time, Christ's glory is God's glory. This book gave me a lot to consider about this topic.

I providentially read this book after reading Invited by Lysa Terkeurst and Piper's book is such a surprising antidote to Invited that I was overwhelmed with the refreshing truth, depth and commitment to proper handling of scripture. On the surface, the two have very little in common in terms of content (and I only "randomly" picked up Spectacular Sins because I had borrowed it from someone quite a while back and wanted to return it), but throughout Piper's book I kept thinking, "Yes! This is what I was looking for." There are even specific scripture passages/stories used in both books that are infinitely improved upon by Piper's teaching. I can't believe how helpful it was not only as a biblical answer to the book I had just read, but as wonderful guide in understanding how the sin in this world will ultimately result in the glory of God.

I really loved this short book. I think it lays a great foundation about things that seem to trouble a lot of people and it constantly redirects the reader to God's incommunicable attributes and his worthiness of all praise and glory.

SECOND READING: I read this again for a book club. Again, so good. I am beginning to anticipate the arguments and can tell that the worthiness of God and his sovereignty and wise purposes are taking hold of my heart even if it's a slow process. I can't hear too much that God is in control and that his glory not only prevails from before time but showers us with the riches of Christ as it goes.

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was small and very obviously(and self-admittedly) compiled from a sermon series that Piper preached. This book was fine, but he repeated statements like the purpose of the book kind of a lot. I did listen to the book instead of reading it and so it was helpful, but I would not have liked that if I was reading it. Content was biblical and pertinent for our time. This was really a book about the sovereignty of God. I appreciate that some theology He leaves up to the mystery of how God works. He still is definitely a Calvinist which isn’t bad, just noticeable. I usually like Piper because of his poetic tendencies. This book just wasn’t my favorite and I think it was because of the repetitive nature. This would be hard to do with a small group because it’s really one gigantic thought.

[Kelsie Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The aim of this book has been to show that over and over in the history of the world, the epoch-making sins that changed the course of history never nullified but only fulfilled the global purposes of God to glorify his Son and save his people."

Deep breath out praising the Lord for his sovereignty. There will be tough days ahead- whether they be global catastrophe or personal calamity, but we can trust His will and His plan.

[Jeff Ke · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Great read that was very digestible. I think piper's point - that God uses the most spectacular sins to bring about the greatest goods - he argues very well. I am very much convinced.

One thing I did think he could've done more is the practical application for his theology. Piper says that the purpose of his book is to encourage Christians in times of suffering - I would've loved examples of how to apply his arguments to Christians today.

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, brief consideration of how God is sovereign even over the greatest tragic sins in the world, and how he works all things for his glory and our good.

Side benefit is as Piper examines different 'spectacular sins' that primarily occur in the OT, he helps show how the arc of scripture is building toward Christ himself.

Highly recommend as devotional and encouraging book.

[Syri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very encouraged by Piper’s writing on the sovereignty and providence of God. There is nothing in the life of a believer, no trial or circumstance, that is ever wasted or meaningless. God uses everything.

[Samuel Bierig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Piperian goodness right here

[Rodrigo Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livro excelente! Piper aborda alguns pecados narrados na Bíblia e como eles apontam para glória de Deus. Recomendo.

[Daniel H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un pequeño tratado que nos enseña que los propósitos de Dios prevalecen aún en medio de los grandes males que encontramos en el mundo, haciendo énfasis especial en su plan de redención.

[Verónica Valdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espectacular, Jhon Piper un hombre de Dios, que Dios lo siga usando para su Gloria.

[Duncan Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some parts were more insightful than others, but a good introduction overall. Was a little surprised that there was not more treatment of the book of Job, although those passages are mentioned at least briefly in chapter 3.

The book focuses primarily on describing passages in the Bible where sin occurs, showing how those sins themselves tie into the divine plan of redemption.

There is not a lot of direct discussion of how to approach sin and evil in your own life, but the principles described in the book are certainly applicable. If you're looking for a direct application to your life, though, you might be a bit disappointed.

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Piper addresses the profoundly difficult topic of sin and how it relates to God's glory and plan for history by examining a series of passages, based on a sermon series. Initially I was dissatisfied with this piecemeal approach, wishing Piper would give a more systematic and comprehensive answer. On reflection though, I think it's a helpful, biblical way to address the topic. The Bible doesn't give a neat, simple answer, yet in the scope of scripture a basic truth is evident - sin yet serves to "to fulfil the global purposes of God to glorify his Son and save his people".

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book way more than I expected I would. I knew the premise–that Piper was showing that God allows and uses sins for his sovereign purposes–but I didn’t expect it to be so interesting and convincing. As a result, it wasn’t just a book about that, but it was a book which showed that God truly does have his major purpose as exalting Christ, and that God truly is sovereign over all things. He ordains and permits, not just foresees.

To this end, I would heartily recommend this book. Piper shows so convincingly from the Bible the massive, sovereignty of God. A sovereignty which has always been in control and purposeful in all events, from the fall of Satan to the fall of Adam to the death of Christ, and more. God isn’t surprised, he isn’t taken off guard, and he doesn’t just know the future, but he permits and ordains it. (If this is difficult to grasp with the goodness of God, Piper addresses it well in the book). And all of this is explicitly biblical, with texts and phrases which lead one having to agree. We just don’t talk about it much in our modern evangelicalism.

As a result, being just over 100 pages I actually think it is a great book to introduce how big God really is. How in control he is over all things, all events, even and especially sin. It doesn’t take away from human responsibility, but he truly is over and above it all, and always has been. It gets one into the mind of God just a bit, and for that I was extremely thankful. I loved it.

[Tim Franks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only issue I would have this book is that it is too short, I am left wanting more! It is a very strong look at God's sovereignty and work through the major sin stories of Scripture. One of my favorite characters in the Bible is Joseph, his pain and suffering was used for God's great glory and a foreshadowing of what Jesus would also suffer for our sins and salvation. John Piper always directs us in his writing and sermons to the greatness and grandeur of God, this one does so and much more!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and quick read but a heavy, theologically dense topic. You will come away with a greater awe of God’s sovereignty and how He truly works everything together for His purposes. The only thing lacking was more of a practical application/specifics for our timeframe (even just one chapter would be helpful), as he focuses on Biblical accounts of “spectacular sins”. Overall, great read though!

[Michael Schmid · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short book, John Piper shows God's sovereignty even over the worst of sins that are committed and how ultimately even those sins do not diminish God's glory, but actually contribute to His glory. A difficult subject to handle, but an important one for Christians to understand.

[Tony Huy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!

[Chris Lyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Definitely a book I will read again! Quick read. I read it on the plane!

[Katja · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a superficial book on the topic of evil and sins...

[DeVante Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ is a title that nails down the theme of this work. Here, Piper deals with questions regarding how we are to deal with sin in the world. He observes the fall of Satan, the fall of man, the pride of Babel, Joseph’s unjust suffering, Israel’s rejection of God as King, and Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.

It is important to note that the chief aim of this book is not to just answer a variety of theological and philosophical questions about specific sins in the Bible; if that were the aim, the book would have to be far longer than 112 pages. Instead, Piper wants readers to observe the sins listed in this book, and understand these sins were used and ordained by God to glorify his Son.

The specific sins listed here are more for illustration than for examination, and once one gets this idea, then the book will open up to them.

We must remember that God’s chief aim is the glorification of himself. If we humans make it about anything else, then our Christian worldview will collapse on itself when seemingly senseless sins such as these and the ones we see on the news occur over and over again without any God to stop them. However, if we understand that God is on a mission to glorify himself and that he is ultimately in control over everything—including evil—then we can look at God with wonder and awe all the more so. Why? Because James 1:17 tells us both that all good gifts come from above AND that God only gives good gifts. Therefore, this must mean that when God allows evil to happen, he has a reason.

I highly recommend this book. Though it is not long, it causes the attentive reader to wrestle with important questions that go far deeper than “why did God allow this or that specific sin.” I leave you with Genesis 50:21; a verse that encompasses both the theme of this book and God’s power over sin in our lives “You planned evil against me; God planned it for good…”

[Perpetual Felicities Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was small and very obviously(and self-admittedly) compiled from a sermon series that Piper preached. This book was fine, but he repeated statements like the purpose of the book kind of a lot. I did listen to the book instead of reading it and so it was helpful, but I would not have liked that if I was reading it. Content was biblical and pertinent for our time. This was really a book about the sovereignty of God. I appreciate that some points of theology He leaves up to the mystery of how God works. He still is definitely a Calvinist which isn’t bad, just noticeable. I usually like Piper because of his poetic tendencies. This book just wasn’t my favorite and I think it was because of the repetitive nature. This would be hard to do with a small group because it’s really one gigantic thought.