Simon Vibert Online

John Piper Book Reviews

Future Grace

John Piper
I.V.P. 1995

Future Grace, like most of the previous books Piper has written is consciously indebted to Piper’s reading of Jonathan Edwards. At the end of this book he justifies his thesis by referring to Jonathan Edwards teaching on Delight in God. Sin gets its power where the pleasure it offers is prized over delight in God. Our ultimate delight is not just in praising God but in prizing Him (p.9). With this principle in mind Piper then encourages the reader to trust in future grace to strengthen weak faith, trust in unconditional grace and battle with unbelief.

The thesis of Future Grace can best be demonstrated with the illustration Piper uses several times in the book. He writes to refute what he calls the ‘Debtors Ethic’. This is like having a good meal at a friends house and insisting on repaying him. We would be horrified to have someone get out a cheque book at the end of a nice meal and be offered payment. Similarly when Christian service is motivated by a desire to ‘Pay God back’ we are doing much the same thing. What we should be doing, rather, is trusting in God to continue to providing the resources for future living - ‘Future Grace’.

I think that Piper’s thesis is provoking. However I am a little concerned that he assumes that Gratitude will always be expressed in the ‘Debtors Ethic’ he rightly criticises. The book says too little about Gratitude as being a powerful motivating Factor as it clearly was for Paul in 2 Corinthians 8-9 and elsewhere.

Application

Here as with his other books, the God-centeredness of Piper’s theology comes across. Piper encourages me to be appropriately ‘risky’ in trusting God to fulfil what He promises and to rely upon him to supply all I need to live for Him.

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."(p.9 and elsewhere)