February 20, 2007

• John Piper — Pied Piper?

   

   

  John Piper says,
  
  “Jews [were] schooled in the Old Testament … IT SHOULD MAKE US TREMBLE to think that a people who had such a strong God consciousness and who BELIEVED that God would keep his promises could nevertheless be called a “brood of vipers” and be threatened with hell fire. Are there not religious people today who don’t believe this much but feel secure?” {1}
  
  Piper is certainly consistent. He says that UNREGENERATE Jews believed the promises of God, and had a “God consciousness”. Piper then concludes that believers should therefore “tremble”. Now that’s consistency. If Piper is right when he says a) the LOST Jews believed the promises of God and had a God consciousness, it does logically follow that b) even if you believe the promises of God you can be lost.
  
  Piper makes his teaching even clearer when he writes,
  
  “we can believe the promises of God and still be lost” (Future Grace, p199).
  
  And why is this so? Why can someone who believes God’s promises be under God’s wrath?
  
  The answer is simple – just remember one thing – Piper is consistent. He holds to the view that unbelievers have truth, light, knowledge, understanding in them and a conscience convicted by God’s law.
  
  And it’s just a small step between saying 1) there are lost people who believe and 2) saying there are believers who are lost.
  
  I now want to post a long and important quote from Piper. Here he expounds upon his view that unbelievers a) already know the difference between truth and falsehood, and b) have a “deep sense of Christ’s truth in their hearts”.
  
  While reading this quote, ask yourself.
  
  If BOTH unbelievers and believers “deep down know the difference between truth and falsehood”, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN believers and non-believers? If unregenerate people have a “deep sense of Christ’s truth already in their hearts” – then, what is faith?
  
  Here is Piper’s explanation of what an unbeliever is –
  
  
  ===== “Jesus [says] “One of you will betray me.” In verse 25 Judas says, “Is it I, Master?” And Jesus says, “You have said so.” … “You have said so,” is an indirect way of saying Yes, and at the same time calling attention to what the other person really knows deep down. “YOU have said so.” Your words betray SOMETHING DEEP WITHIN YOU that is being concealed, perhaps even concealed from yourself.” “YOU have said so. SOMETHING IN YOU KNOWS the answer to your question. DEEP INSIDE YOU see that it is so and you fear that it is so, and so you ask defensively and skeptically whether it is so. Your heart betrays you; you have seen that it is so. And you say so.” Are there any illustrations of this in our society today—instances of DEEPLY KNOWING A TRUTH and yet feeling so threatened by that truth that we deny it (even perhaps call it blasphemy) and yet can’t deny it fully? … ***DEEP DOWN EVERYONE*** knows this truth—that THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG, ***TRUE AND FALSE***, murder and justified killing is rooted in something greater and more objective than an individual’s choice. We knew this truth… Deep down we know so much truth that we fear and therefore deny. We sense in the depth of our souls that Jesus is the true Messiah and Lord, and that the unborn are true human beings; but the truth is so threatening to our sovereign self-determination or just to our way of life, that we hold down the truth and even become blind to what we know. … My heart’s desire this morning as I speak to you is that you all would own up to the DEEP SENSE OF CHRIST’S TRUTH THAT IS ALREADY IN YOUR HEART. {2} =====
  
  
  Wow. Are you scatching your head in wonder? There seems to be NO difference between believers and unbelievers INTELLECTUALLY (according to Piper).
  
  Non-believers have a “deep sense of Christ’s truth already in their hearts” and “know the difference between true and false”.
  
  So as far as their THOUGHTS, UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE go, believers and unbelievers are basically in the same boat (according to Piper).
  
  =====“the basic reason why [unregenerate] people do not own up to the truth of what he teaches is not that they lack sufficient evidence, but that their wills—or we could say their hearts—are against God. The fundamental PROBLEM IS NOT INTELLECTUAL BUT MORAL. The great obstacle to recognizing the truth of Christ is not deficient resources but deep rebellion against God.” {3}=====
  
  
  And elsewhre he says,
  
  
  ===== “every person we know, and every person we will ever talk to, already knows God, deep down, and knows God’s law. That is an astonishing truth for everyone who wants to communicate the gospel. Think on it specifically for a moment. … everyone knows God, in the sense that everyone knows that God exists and that he is “eternal” and “powerful” and “glorious” and “beneficent.” At least that much … is made known in nature and is buried somewhere in the subconscious of every person – in some deep, and in some just beneath the surface. We may suppress it, but we know it. It is there, and it has effects on our lives. … everyone knows not only that God exists and is eternal and powerful and glorious and beneficent, but also that God has a “righteous ordinance” … What Does this Mean for Evangelism? Not that everyone you talk to will necessarily admit that he or she knows this. But you come to them with the tremendous (Biblical) confidence that you are NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH IN ESTABLISHING THE TRUTH IN THEIR SOUL. THEY ARE NOT BLANK TABLETS. They may have buried it, distorted it, hidden it, drugged it, run from it by overwork or excessive play and entertainment; but you know it is there.
  … You speak with the confidence that what you are saying CAN RING TRUTH WITH SOMETHING DEEP INSIDE OF THEM. {4} =====
  
  
  
  Now, can everyone see the foundation of John Piper’s theology? Is the fundamental idea – the presupposition – of Piper’s teaching now clear for all to see?
  
  He is saying that “deep down in everyone’s heart is truth”.
  
  And so Piper MUST say that faith is MORE than believing the truth. He is FORCED to say that saving faith is something more than a simple belief in God’s promise, because unbelievers already have a “deep sense of Christ’s truth” in their hearts and “know the difference between … truth and false”.
  
  Now, if unbelievers already have truth in them, WHAT IS CONVERSION?
  
  Obviously, Piper CANNOT say that conversion is simply the “enlightening of the mind”, “coming to your senses”, being “begotten by the word”, “hearing and believing” Christ’s Gospel, “receiving the testimony of God” (1 Jn 5:1), “hearing a voice coming behind you”, “hearing Christ’s voice” (Jn 10).
  
  For Piper, conversion is NOT the above. It simple CANNOT be, because Piper says that unbelievers already have a “deep sense of Christ’s truth”, and “know the difference between truth and false”, SO conversion must be something ON TOP of knowing the truth.
  
  And for Piper, that’s FEELING or DOING something. That’s conversion – and that’s all conversion ever will be for John Piper, as long as he holds to the view that unbelievers have truth in them.
  
  Thus, Piper says,
  
  ===== “What God leads you to is repentance, … [you] turn to Jesus IN HUMILITY {5} =====
  
  ===== This is the meaning of repentance: a turning of the direction of our life and the AFFECTIONS of our heart, so that we become oriented on God {6} =====
  
  ===== “LOVE to God is the main thing in saving faith … faith is by NO MEANS … SEPARATE FROM THE AFFECTIONS” (The Supremacy of God in Preaching, p79) =====
  
  So for Piper, when God gives an unbeliever faith, he doesn’t simply “give him an understanding” (1 Jn 5) that the Gospel is true. God would be wasting his time. The unbeliever already has understanding, knowledge and truth. Remember, according to Piper, “The fundamental PROBLEM IS NOT INTELLECTUAL BUT MORAL.”
  
  Thus, Piper is forced to say that conversion is God making a man “humble”, “affectionate”, and “loving”.
  
  Wow. This is not exactly black and white.
  
  When God converts unbelievers, does he always make turn them into the same level of humility? Just HOW affectionate does God make these unbelievers?
  
  Piper never tells us.
  
  In fact, he resorts to VAGUE, mystical statements such as:
  
  ===== “SOMETHING has to happen deep down in the root of our will to remove the rebellion against God that we all have by nature. SOMETHING has to happen to take away our antagonism against the authority of God. …. our hard, fallen, rebellious will must become soft and docile and compliant” =====
  
  But HOW can God make an unbeliever “docile and compliant”.
  
  According to Piper, the unbeliever already “has a deep sense of Christ’s truth”, and “knows the difference between true and false”. Now if CHRIST’S TRUTH in your mind cannot make you “docile and compliant”, WHAT CAN?
  
  If the knowledge of the True God cannot make you “soft and compliant”, what in the world can?
  
  “SOMETHING”???
  
  Is that actually Piper’s answer? “Something will happen”. Thanks a lot for the clear and logical explanation, John.
  
  Now, anybody should be able to see where this is leading.
  
  Thus far, Piper has told us – a) that unbelievers already believe the truth, so b) an unbeliever is converted when they become a bit more humble.
  
  It’s now easy to see Piper’s grand conclusion. And what is John Piper’s last word?
  
  He says we can never be sure we are saved.
  
  And how could we, if we hold to his teaching? If you agree with Piper that, “we can believe the promises of God and still be lost” (Future Grace, p199), THEN you might well be a “lost believer” (according to Piper). Ha! There goes your assurance.
  
  And if you agree with Piper that conversion is when “Something happens … deep down … where we become docile, soft and compliant”.
  
  If you agree with that – how can you ever be sure you are sufficiently docile? Or how do you know you are soft and compliant enough? Anyways, there are multitudes of sincere, moral people in hell. E.g. the Jews who had a “zeal for God” but “not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:3).
  
  So when Piper tells you, “You can believe and be lost”, and “Conversion = becoming humble”, its no wonder he also says,
  
  =====”DEMAND FOR A KIND OF ABSOLUTE, mathematical CERTAINTY about [your] right standing with God is ASKING FOR TOO MUCH.”(When I Don’t Desire God, p217-218) =====
  
  It’s asking for too much, people. You simply CANNOT have “certainty about your right standing” if you hold to Piper’s teaching. That’s his words, not mine.
  
  Now, by saying that humility = faith, Piper has made humility the ground of a man’s confidence before God. He writes,
  
  ===== “The evidence that the Holy Spirit presents to our own spirits and to the community is first of all the evidence of love. The Spirit puts within us a HUMBLE heart of love and so gives EVIDENCE of his presence and power…. Assurance will diminish in the presence of concealed sin…We must often wait patiently for the return of assurance.” {7} =====
  
  So if you follow Piper’s view that humility = faith, you confidence before God will go up and down depending on how humble you are. After all, unbelievers have truth in them already – so having the truth in you can’t give you hope you are elect. No way! The truth is so common (according to Piper), everyone has it is them. So you can’t have “peace and joy IN BELIEVING” (Romans 15:13), if you subscribe to Piper’s view. You might as well base your assurance on the fact you have a belly button. Because just as everyone has belly button’s, so does every single person “deep down have a sense of Christ’s truth”.
  
  This is why Piper HAS to base his assurance on his humility. The truth is common to all men, so it can’t assure him (even reprobates have the truth in them, according to JP). So it’s our humility, affections and “softness” that gives us assurance we are saved. But only God knows how we became humble and affectionate! It certainly wasn’t being “begotten by the truth” that made us humble. Because unbelievers have the truth in them – and they’re not humble – so it can’t be the truth that makes you humble. (CAN ANYONE SEE WHERE PIPER’S THEOLOGY LEADS???)
  
  Now…
  
  What if I said that unbelievers have “no light in them” (Isa 8:20)? What does it mean for us, if unbelievers are “without understanding” (Rom 1:31), “darkened in the intellect” (Eph 4:18) and that their “thoughts” are “blinded” (2 Cor 4:4) ? What logically follows if the unbeliever has “no knowledge of the Just God and Savior” (Isa 45:20) ?
  
  If the unbeliever has no knowledge in his conscience of the True God, it logically follows that if we do believe in the True God and Christ, then we are believers. And because the unbeliever is completely in the dark that would mean that believers would never have to worry about whether or not they are saved. The light of Christ “shining in their hearts” (2 Cor 4:6) would be sufficient to prove to them at all times they are saved.
  
  The Apostle John doesn’t say we need to have a “heart-felt faith” or an “affectionate faith” to know we are born of God. He simply says if we have a belief that Jesus is the Christ — that is, the Sovereign Savior of the Elect — then we are born of God. Of course, we will have affections and love towards God. But we can only love God if we know he has saved us. And how can we know that? John says that the belief is enough to prove to us, that we are born of God.
  
  The view that unbelievers have no knowledge means that the knowledge believers have, proves to them at all times they are saved. The believer can think, “I have a simple belief in the True Gospel, so I must be a believer.” But Piper’s view that the lost believe the truth destroys the believer’s assurance of salvation. Because Piper would try to make us think, “I believe the truth, but so do unbelievers, so maybe I’m an unbeliever.” His view causes doubting and uncertainty. The Biblical one, however, eliminates all uncertainty and liberates from doubting. Believers would indeed “hold fast to the boldness and rejoicing in the hope firm to the end” (Heb 3) because their knowledge of the truth would prove to them at all times they are saved. They would draw near to God with an “full assurance of FAITH”, because they would know that only the elect can believe the truth.
  
  Further Reading
  
  What about Romans 1? http://psalms.pbwiki.com/Rom1
  
  And Romans 2? http://psalms.pbwiki.com/Rom2
  
  See also http://psalms.pbwiki.com
  
  
  == References ==
  
  {1} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1981/
  281_John_the_Baptist_and_the_Brood_of_Vipers/

  {2} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1990/718
  _You_will_see_the_Son_of_Man_Seated_at_the_Right_Hand_of_Power_and_Coming_on_the_Clouds_of_Heaven/

  {3} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1986/568
  _Preparing_to_Receive_Christ_Willing_to_Do_the_Will_of_God/

  {4} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1998/
  1057_Doing_and_Endorsing_Evil/

  {5} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1998/
  105_Gods_Response_to_Hypocrisy_Kindness_and_Judgment/

  {6} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1981/
  281_John_the_Baptist_and_the_Brood_of_Vipers/

  {7} http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1985/
  488_Test_the_Spirits_to_See_Whether_They_Are_of_God/

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