Reading the Bible Supernaturally: Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God in Scripture

by John Piper

The Bible reveals glorious things. And yet we often miss its power because we read it the same way we read any other book. In Reading the Bible Supernaturally, best-selling author John Piper teaches us how to read the Bible in light of its divine author. In doing so, he highlights the Bible's unique ability to reveal God to humanity in a way that informs our minds, transforms our hearts, and ignites our love. With insights into the biblical text drawn from decades of experience studying, preaching, and teaching Scripture, Piper helps us experience the transformative power of God's Word—a power that extends beyond the mere words on the page. Ultimately, Piper shows us that in the seemingly ordinary act of reading the Bible, something supernatural we encounter the living God.

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

434 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2017

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

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The day I completed John Piper’s newest book, Reading the Bible Supernaturally, I was alerted to a shocking and sobering statistic, namely, only forty-five percent of those who regularly attend church read the Bible more than once a week. Such a statistic should prompt Christians to radically shift their priorities and make Bible reading a normal part of their lives. If less than half of Christian people are reading the Bible on a regular basis, we are not only short-circuiting our joy; we are failing to showcase the glory of God and find satisfaction in his all-sufficient grace.

Part One: The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible

Reading the Bible Supernaturally, by John Piper is directed at people who regularly feast on the Word of God. My assumption is that if people neglect Bible reading, they will have no interest in reading a book about the Bible. Piper offers a modest proposal in Reading the Bible Supernaturally:

Our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation.

Six implications flow forth from this proposal:

1. that the infinite worth and beauty of God are the ultimate value and excellence of the universe;

2. that the supremely authentic and intense worship of God’s worth and beauty is the ultimate aim of all his work and word;

3. that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty;

4. that we should aim in all our seeing to savor his excellence above all things;

5. that we should aim to be transformed by this seeing and savoring into the likeness of his beauty,

6. so that more and more people would be drawn into the worshipping family of God until the bride of Christ - across all centuries and cultures - is complete in number and beauty.

The proposal and the six implications make up the first part of the book help set the stage for the remaining sections.

Part Two: The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible

In Part Two, the author argues that reading the Bible in a way that glorifies God is a supernatural act. God expects that his Word is read supernaturally a feat that Piper expounds with skill and persuasiveness.

Part Three: The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally

Part three may surprise some readers as Piper makes a case for joining the natural efforts of Bible reading with supernatural assistance from God. The aim of the author in this section is to “encourage a deep dependence on God and the fullest use of natural powers in the supernatural act of reading the Bible.” In passage after passage, Piper demonstrates how this view matches the biblical record.

Summary

John Piper succeeds in defending his proposal. In the process, he encourages Christians to read “actively” with “aggressive attentiveness.” His plea is for readers to be rooted in a “deep understanding of the glorious calling to pursue the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally.” Clearly, we are in the midst of a crisis if less than half of Christians are reading their Bibles on a regular basis. Something must change in the days ahead. The best place to begin is by reading the Bible supernaturally.

[Gwilym Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is excellent in so many ways. There are things I'd quibble with: as with almost every Piper book I've read, there are times when 'Christian hedonism' is a bit of a grid that means he doesn't quite read bits of the Bible straight - but it's not very wonky! His discussion of meaning would be better if he had a robust understanding of purpose. His discussion of the relationship between divine and human authorship leaves a couple of hostages to fortune. Whilst I agree with his suspicion of rules of interpretation - especially as they get attached to genre as a kind of librarian's tool, I thought there was probably a bit more to say about genre. And it felt like we would have benefited from a more robust conclusion. But those are gnats.

Because actually, I loved this book. I thought all three parts were supremely helpful. In particular, I thought it was a great example of how a concern for ultimate ends (the glory of God, transformation, mission, a people of the promise) and a concern for what Piper calls the 'supernatural' means (prayer, the Spirit, a new heart and mind) can be held together with an equal concern for what the human authors of scripture meant to say. From a PT perspective, it was refreshing to read a book that says so many of the things we usually want to say, and also says some of the things we occasionally forget to say. Five stars from me.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. One of Piper's best. This book will stir your love for Scripture, and your desire to read actively and attentively the inspired word of God. Take and read!

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book and fills a hole in the Christian book world. Although it's somewhat dense and I'll probably need a re-read to fully digest the concepts, this has been one of the best reads of the year.

“This is how God has designed the Scriptures to work for human transformation and for the glory of God: the Scriptures reveal God’s glory. This glory, God willing, is seen by those who read the Bible. This seeing gives rise, by God’s grace, to savoring God above all things—treasuring him, hoping in him, feeling him as our greatest reward, tasting him as our all-satisfying good. And this savoring transforms our lives—freeing us from the slavery of selfishness and overflowing in love to others. This joy-sustained, God-exalting transformation of love is then seen by others, who, by God’s grace, glorify God because of it.”

Takeaways
•Be active and attentive when you read your bible! there is gold just sitting there.
•Piper always has a way of drawing you to joy and worship.
•Before reading IOUS (Incline (praying and fighting for desire), Open my eyes, Unite my heart to fear your name, Satisfy and lead me (needing divine help to love God)
•APTAT (Admit you can do nothing without God (John 15:5), Pray for help (Psalm 50:15), Trust a specific promise (2 Chronicles 20:20), Act (Philippians 2:12-13), Thank God for his provision and goodness (Psalm 106:1))
•He brings up many scriptures, helped me think about them again or in a new way. It's amazing that by reading... we can know and worship God.

[Brian Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

Part 1: The ultimate goal of reading the Bible is that God would be glorified in the worship of his people (chs. 1-2). In order for this to happen, we must see (chs. 3-5), savor (chs. 6-7), and be transformed (chs. 8-9) by the Word.

Part 2: Illumination

Part 3: Reading the Bible through humility (ch. 15), prayer (chs. 16-17), faith (chs. 18-19), and understanding the meaning of the passage through aggressive attentiveness.

My only critique is that the book does not need to be 400 pages. Part 1 especially was rather repetitive (especially if you've read any other Piper book).

[Stephen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really outstanding book. I agree with Dr. Carson that any Christian who thoughtfully engages with this book will benefit from it. I’ve learned a lot and have been immensely edified in the process. It covers a lot of ground, and the last section about the natural part of reading the Bible supernaturally was filled with gold. We must not read like the Pharisees, but pray that we will read with the eyes of our heart enlightened to the glorious truths that are right there for us in the text. We “act the miracle” with a trusting, prayerful dependence on God as we give relentless attention to the text and its meaning.

[Larry Fulmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

In His book; “Reading the Bible Supernaturally,” Piper encourages his readers to look beyond just simply words and phrases. Rather that reading the bible supernaturally would lead us into searching, asking, and applying the Word to our lives so that we might experience the glory of God through His written Word, and through Christ.

I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who desires to know God’s Word and to the study of Scripture. This book has challenged me in my own Bible Study to look beyond, and to see the meaning of what the authors intended.

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this is due to my longstanding dislike of audio books but I didn't enjoy this very much. There was some beneficial material in here but overall it felt like it should have been a pamphlet rather than a book and seemed to drag on and on covering the same material. Also, clearly Piper's pet phrase is "white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ" and it was far overused.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I know this is the second book of this trilogy, and it was an accident that I read this one first. However, I am so glad I did. Piper takes the task of reading the Bible and turns it into art. The first portion of this book illustrates why we read the Bible (to glorify God, to know God better, to be transformed, as a form of worship). The second part illustrates how to read the Bible and be transformed by it. The third part focuses on understanding the Bible.

This book exemplifies why I love Piper. He is passionate and rooted in the Word. He doesn’t go on long tangents with examples, but gives the necessary examples only. He exhorts, convicts, and teaches; and for this I am grateful. I’d recommend this book to any Christian wanting to go deeper in reading, savoring, and understanding the Word of God.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book aptly describes what it is all about. Piper argues that God gave us the Scriptures ultimately so that God's "infinite worth and beauty" would be praised by the "everlasting, white-hot worship" of the worldwide redeemed. Piper makes the case that such praise will come about only through "seeing, savoring, and being transformed" by God's glory in Scripture. And THAT will only happen supernaturally (hence the title) through the work of God.

This doesn't mean we don't have great responsibilities ourselves when reading the Word--we do. Piper commends "aggressive attentiveness" in reading the text, never reading lazily but always questioning Scripture relentlessly and then seeking answers to those questions from the text itself.

Piper handles all three parts of these thesis quite well. Part 1 of the work defends the argument Piper has for why God gave us the Bible in the first place. Part 2 defends the need to have God open our eyes and hearts when reading (the Pharisees are a great negative example of this). Part 3 deals with what we are to bring to the table when we read. I really liked this part because Piper lets us under the hood to get a glimpse of how he himself reads the Scriptures. He is not a "just me and Bible guy," thankfully, but he still drives home the point that we should always be asking about the logical connections and conclusions the text is making, seeking to understand how they flow. If we do not know why a "for" or "therefore" is there, for example, then we haven't understood the text.

Everything Piper writes is worth perusing, but this is worth a serious read. I hope it has a great impact on how modern evangelicals tackle the very words of God.

[Rod Innis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly one of the best books that I have read. It is very Biblical using so much Scripture to discuss the topics that the author is covering. It is very practical. It is not light reading, however. It is over 400 pages and requires serious study if it is to be useful to the person who wants to seriously study the Bible. Also if it is to be truly useful, it has to be followed up by putting into practice the lessons taught. I strongly recommend it to anyone who truly wants to deepen his or her study of God's word.

[Rachel Bergeron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love John Piper’s writing and his way of thinking. The book is WOW from the first page to the last! It is insightful, very helpful and inspiring to love God more in the reading of His precious Scriptures.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out good and grows better as you go along. As it is a hefty tome of some 400 pages this means that by the end it has grown quite exceptional.

If you’ve read a fair amount of Dr. Piper, though appreciative, you may feel bogged down by the familiar as he lays down the groundwork. I found myself wondering if this book would offer much in the vein of originality, or simply be a prolonged application of past ideas to the specific topic at hand, as valuable as that might be. Of course, the standard Piper paradigms are there (i.e. Christian Hedonism), but this book is more than stale bread doubly toasted. The cook uses the same ingredients, but something fresh yet faithful is served up.

For those tempted to abort book in the first quarter, I encourage you, press on. The best reading lies ahead, not simply in this book, but of the Book.

[Brandon Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome. Can't recommend this one enough. Has completely transformed my quiet time. Super practical but also theologically dense. Piper backs everything he teaches with scripture and hammers each point home until it's engrained in you. Last chapter is basically a brief introduction to biblical hermeneutics. Love George Mueller, "the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished." We do this by aggressive attentiveness to the Word everyday in order to see God's Glory in the true, absolute, meaning of the text in order that "That God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation" (The Ultimate Aim of Reading the Bible). This is one of the most important points that connects the ultimate aim to the ordinary aim of reading: "The Glory of God does not float over the Bible like a gas. It does not lurk in hidden places separate from the meaning of words and sentences. It is seen in and through the meaning of texts."

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book.

I found that Piper starts from the ground up with this book in his theology of the Bible. So if you’re familiar with him, there may be much that you’ve heard before. In particular I found the way he approached his thesis (backing it up by making a detailed argument for every phrase (and sometimes word)) in the early chapters to be a bit of a slog. However the last few chapters of the book were excellent! There Piper goes into more detail on specific ways to read the Bible thoughtfully, and also how to engage the text emotionally. In addition the appendix will be helpful in introducing readers to Arcing.

If you’re familiar with Piper, you may just want to skim the first half of the book and get to the meat at the end. However if you’re not familiar with him, there’s a lot of gems there as well.

Highly recommended!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a slow read (over one month start to finish) for me for a couple of reasons. One reason was that I was dividing my attention between this and a couple of other books. But the main reason was the subject matter itself. Among other aspects of reading the Bible well, Piper lays some stress on the importance of reading it carefully and thoughtfully. In view of this, I found myself lingering over paragraphs and chapters at a more methodical pace than I ordinarily would.

I always thrill to join Piper in his exaltation of Christ and his joyful exultation in the glories of God.

[Tim Michiemo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 Stars

"Reading the Bible Supernaturally" by John Piper is a profound exploration of reading the Bible. While many of his familiar arguments and strategies are present, Piper brings fresh insights into how we approach the Scriptures. This book is both personally challenging and deeply encouraging. It reminded me that the ultimate goal of Bible reading is the glory of God, a goal that can only be achieved through a supernatural act of God. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding and practice of Bible reading.

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book, and is extremely relevant for current discussions on Hermeneutics in academic evangelicalism (probably more so than Piper even realizes). It’s a pity that this work probably won’t make its way into those conversations on account of Piper’s intended lay-audience (and of course, all those adverbs and hyphens that are anathema in scholarship); a pity because his argument is sophisticated and powerful.

[Daniel Pandolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid nuggets in here but this book is in desperate need of editing. The repetition is maddening. Even by Piper’s normal standards he repeats a LOT. Still, there are some good reminders and insights in here.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the Bible Supernaturally is a companion book to John Piper's A Peculiar Glory. Don't worry if you haven't read it, though. He tells you just enough about the first book to situate readers for this second book. (What book should come first? It's almost like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and A Magician's Nephew. Almost. I would liken Reading the Bible Supernaturally to be The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and A Peculiar Glory to A Magician's Nephew.)

This is John Piper writing so expect logic and clarity. He does a great job of explaining everything precisely and logically.

The book has three divisions: "The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible," "The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible," and "The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally."

"Part 1 poses the all-important question What does the Bible tell us is the ultimate goal of reading the Bible? I propose an answer with six implications and then devote ten chapters to unfolding and testing those implications. Part 2 works out the inference from part 1 that reading the Bible really must be a supernatural act, if God’s goals for our reading the Bible are to be reached. Finally, part 3 treats the practical outworking of such a claim in the seemingly ordinary human act of reading—the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally."

So what does Piper see as the ultimate goal in reading the Bible?!

"The Bible itself shows that our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation. In other words, each time we pick up the Bible to read, we should intend that reading would lead to this end. The way that we as individuals are caught up into this ultimate aim as we read the Bible becomes clear as we spell out six implications that flow from this proposed answer to our question. When we say that the ultimate goal of reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation, we imply that: 1. the infinite worth and beauty of God are the ultimate value and excellence of the universe; 2. that the supremely authentic and intense worship of God’s worth and beauty is the ultimate aim of all his work and word; 3. that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty; 4. that we should aim in all our seeing to savor his excellence above all things; 5. that we should aim to be transformed by this seeing and savoring into the likeness of his beauty, 6. so that more and more people would be drawn into the worshiping family of God until the bride of Christ—across all centuries and cultures—is complete in number and beauty."

Why must the Bible be read supernaturally? What does Piper mean by this phrase?

"What I mean is that the act of reading, in order to be done as God intended, must be done in dependence on God’s supernatural help. The Bible gives two decisive reasons: Satan and sin. That is, we have a blinding enemy outside and a blinding disease inside. Together these two forces make it impossible for human beings to read the Bible, as God intended, without supernatural help. It seems to me that thousands of people approach the Bible with little sense of their own helplessness in reading the way God wants them to."

He continues,

"Bible reading that only collects facts, or relieves a guilty conscience, or gathers doctrinal arguments, or titillates esthetic literary tastes, or feeds historical curiosities—this kind of Bible reading Satan is perfectly happy to leave alone. He has already won the battle. But reading that hopes to see the supreme worth and beauty of God—reading that aims to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ, reading that seeks to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8)—this reading Satan will oppose with all his might. And his might is supernatural. Therefore, any reading that hopes to overcome his blinding power will be a supernatural reading."

Ultimately he concludes,

"It is a miracle when God’s word is implanted in us, and it is a miracle when in it we taste the sweetness of God’s goodness. From that moment on, all our reading of God’s word is supposed to be an extension of that miracle in daily life—until we “grow up into salvation."

If the Bible is to be read supernaturally, what is natural about the process?

"God does not see for us. God enables us to see. We do the seeing. And the supernatural act of seeing “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” is by means of the natural act of seeing the story of the gospel written (or spoken) in natural human words."

And,

"All the human effort and skill that you can muster to construe the meaning of biblical passages will be called for. The glory is seen through the meaning of the text. And the meaning is found by reading and thinking. God is united to the man Jesus. The glory of God is united to the meaning of biblical texts. Therefore, when the miracle of seeing and savoring the glory of God happens, it is in the act of reading and thinking. We read. God reveals. God gives the supernatural miracle. We act the supernatural miracle."

In the final chapters of the book, he addresses this question: "How do you go about living the Christian life in such a way that you are actually doing the living, and yet another—the Holy Spirit—is decisively doing the living in and through your living?" His answers are all in acronyms.

I said Piper was logical, and, I meant it. I did. But also expect passion and enthusiasm. Piper's love of God, love of the Word, is apparent on every page of this book. Piper DELIGHTS in God and DELIGHTS in teaching others to delight in God too.

Here's one of my favorite passages:

So we open our Bibles with a sweet sense that even though we don’t deserve it, God will lead us and instruct us. Our very reading is the experience of gospel grace. Christ died for sinners so that the promise would come true: God helps sinners understand the Bible. These blood-bought promises are given to us so that we might believe them. Not just hear them. Believe them. Trust them. Because, remember from Galatians 3:5, God “supplies the Spirit to you . . . by hearing with faith.” We stand before the Bible ready to read. We hear a promise. “I will instruct you and teach you.” We put our faith in it. The Spirit moves in the channel of faith, and we “act the miracle.” We read supernaturally. So it is good to gather some of these precious promises and store them up: The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright. (Prov. 2:6–7) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Prov. 3:5–6) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Ps. 32:8) You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Ps. 73:24) Do not be anxious about . . . what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:11–12) Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5–8)

And also this one:

When we read the Bible, its meaning is not the ideas that come into our head that may be “meaningful” to us. Those ideas may or may not be part of what the author meant. Rather, when we read the Bible we are digging for the gold of what inspired writers wanted to communicate. We are not creating meaning. We are seeking it.

A good book is worth reading and occasionally quoting. A great book is worth rereading and quoting liberally. This book is one of the best I've read this year. I will definitely want to reread it!!!

[logankstewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took about a year for me to finish. Part of the reason is that I tried to limit myself in order to try and understand what Piper was saying, to get his meaning and implications. Coincidentally, Piper spends a good deal of time explaining why this type of reading - aggressively attentive - is how we ought to be reading the Bible.

The Bible is how God speaks to us. It is the book for how He reveals Himself to His creation. He could have chosen any number of ways to do this, from not engaging with us at all to talking statues, and yet He chose to communicate by the written Word.

For the reader who wants to learn how to read the Bible better, this book is helpful, if a tad long and often repetitive. There are some very practical suggestions (IOUS, ACTS, arcing, etc.) and some truly great bits. Piper is not calling us to some emotional, supernatural experience but is asserting that the ordinary act of reading (well) is key to reading the Bible supernaturally.

The most helpful parts of this book dealt with how to read slowly and to spend time with Scripture. Piper cited this amazing article from Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts (https://harvardmagazine.com/2013/11/t...) and his own encounters with "Agassiz and the Fish" (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/bl...).

Recommended for folks who want to know God more through Scripture. It's a deep read; take your time.

[Allison Anderson Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book - sometimes I wonder what people out there on the street would think of me if they knew I read a book like this and enjoyed it. We Christians might look so normal and seem the same as our unsaved neighbors, but when you think of the stuff we believe in, it probably seems like pure crazy weird nonsense to outsiders. Anyways, I wouldn't recommend listening to it but buying yourself a copy and reading/studying it - it's very precisely outlined and pedantic - but in a good way. At times I thought his repetition of the overall theme/goal for reading the Bible got a little annoying. He wrote it over and over! He is a true teacher at heart, so this isn't an easy spiritual snack food read, but one you have to use your noggin' for - but it's worth it. Hope to start implementing some of his Bible study methods and see the Good Book in a whole new way this year - here goes.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75.

Piper lauds the practice of bible arcing as having changed his life. When he first pointed me in the direction of arcing, it has significantly shaped my own life and ministry as well. I’m profoundly grateful. This book provides Piper’s theological foundation for why learning to read the Bible in the power of the Spirit is so important and points the way to arcing as a helpful tool.

I thought the book was probably longer than it needed to be and there are also some different things I’d want to add in a volume like this one. It also seems to straddle the fence in terms of target audience. It’s too long to give to a new Christian but not technical to the point of being an advanced text. Probably the ideal audience is the established Christian who is wanting to take the next step in their own Bible reading.

[Lawson Hembree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing the glory of God in Scripture -> Savoring God above all else -> Being transformed by the Spirit of God through the Word of God

That is the sequence that occurs when one read the Bible supernaturally. In this book, Piper expounds the joyous benefits of reading, meditating, and studying the Bible. Part 1 dives into why we should read the Bible, Part 2 explains why reading the Bible in a way that leads to a true saving/transforming knowledge is a supernatural act, and Part 3 discusses a few practical tips we can use our natural faculties to read the Bible well (including an explanation of the APTAT model and arcing).

If you haven’t ever thought through why and how the Bible should be read, this is a great introduction to the topic.

[Peyton Presgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! We spend so much time looking and working passively that we give no true thought or heart to what or why we are doing it.

This book reminds us that when we are looking at the word, we are to look! And when we don’t delight in or desire the word we are to look and work!

We must be reminded that though our lives are lived fast and so much of it can pass us by we must remember not to read the word in this passive manner. For if we do, we will miss out on the only thing worth living and “looking” for.

[Russell Threet · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you decide to read a book by John Piper you had better be prepared. He makes no apologies for diving deep into his subject matter and "Reading the Bible Supernaturally" is no exception. If you have ever wanted to understand more deeply why it is so important for Christians to engage with the Bible then this book is worth the effort. Not only does Piper discuss the importance of reading Scripture he also addresses the miraculousness of people understanding the Bible. We do not think about that being a miracle, but Piper brings into full focus the depths of God working even in the simple act of reading the Scriptures.

Be prepared to think and then to be filled with thanksgiving as this book unfolds what it means to not look at and read the Bible as just another book, but to instead focus on "Reading the Bible Supernaturally".

[Noel Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good indeed! I was very challenged and convicted about my own scripture reading. It’s not enough to be faithful in reading or hearing the word each day. Are we actively engaging with the text? The author talked about why we should engage the text and how could go about doing it. I plan to follow up on some of the resources provided in the book soon.

[Kofi Opoku · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite helpful. I particularly enjoyed the section on bible interpretation. John Piper makes the case that the ordinary act of bible reading should yield the supernatural effect of seeing and savoring the beauty of God.

[Joshua Biggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on audiobook.
The content is great but it’s super wordy. It seems like the book could have been half as long and still communicated the ideas well. I probably feel this way because I’ve listened to alot of Piper already, and listening instead of reading might have made it drag on.
Great book if you want to know more about how to read the Bible.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most wonderful book that soon will become a classic, a must read. This is a precious gift from John Piper to the church that will bless many, many generations to come.