Book Review: All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels by John Piper

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BOOK review

Started on: 22 September 2023
Finished on: 4 December 2023

 

All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels by John Piper

 

Title: All That Jesus Commanded: The Christian Life According to the Gospels

Author: John Piper

Publisher: Crossway Books

Pages: 464 pages / 472 pages (e-book)
Year of Publication: 2023
Price: Rp 178,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 4/5

*This e-book was received as a review copy from Crossway

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"The ultimate goal of Jesus's commandments is not that we observe them by doing good works. The ultimate goal is that God be glorified. The obedience of good works is penultimate. But what is ultimate is that in our obedient lives God be displayed as the most beautiful reality in the world. That is Jesus's ultimate goal and mine."

In this book, longtime pastor and author John Piper walks through Jesus's commands that are found in the four Gospels and their meaning for the Christian life. In 50 short chapters, he explained their context and meaning to help readers understand Christ's vision how we should lead our lives. This is a helpful guide and resource for both new Christians as well as veteran believers.

"It deals with every command Jesus gave and how it relates to Christian living today. It draws out the meaning of these commands from the four Gospels themselves not the rest of the New Testament."

"We must be born again. But this is a gift of God.

Look away from yourself. Seek from God what he alone can do for you. Moral improvement of the old you is not what you need. New life is what the whole world needs. It is radical and supernatural. It is outside our control."

Throughout my journey as a Christian, I've learned much from John Piper's teachings and have grown in my knowledge of God. Thus, I was eager to pick up this book and learn more about Jesus's commands through John Piper's writing. Despite my excitement to dive into this book, unfortunately, I was in a season of life when I didn't have much time to read—that's why it took me a few months to finish. Even so, I still learned a lot from this book. It helped me overcome the challenges I'm currently facing by reminding me of what Jesus commanded us to do as a Christian. In this review, I'd like to share some sections of this book that I find impactful and inspiring.

"Repentance is not the new deeds but the inward change that bears the fruit of new deeds. Jesus is commanding that we experience this inward change."

The first one that I want to discuss is Command #14: Do Not Be Anxious about the Necessities of Daily Life. This chapter was very significant for me because I have been struggling with worry and anxiety ever since becoming a parent this year. I used to be carefree and believe that worry only makes a person miserable twice. However, having a child completely changed me, and reading this book rebuked me tremendously. John Piper elaborates on several reasons why we should not be anxious; one of the reasons is that it's fruitless—anxiety doesn't get us anywhere and doesn't do us any good. Reading this part of the book was very eye-opening for me. I am reminded not to misappropriate God's allotted troubles for tomorrow by bringing them forward in the form of anxiety. Most importantly, the author also writes that anxiety shows that we are too close to the world and too far from God. After finishing this chapter, I'm assured that God will still be God tomorrow, and there will be grace for tomorrow's troubles that's not given today.

 

Another impactful chapter is Command #18 Do Not Be Angry—Trust God's Providence, which is still related to my issue with worry and anxiety. This part emphasized how God governs the smallest details of life on earth—nothing happens apart from him. John Piper also calls to mind that God is near and his acquaintance with our situation is total. He concludes that nothing will happen apart from his wise and loving providence over our circumstances. That reminder brings peace to my heart and helps ease my anxiety about life as I learn to trust in God's providence and his good plan for our lives.

"Let us then take heart that the mark of a true follower of Jesus is not yet perfection but rather unrelenting battle against sin. We fail, but we do not fall away. We stumble, but we do not fall headlong into apostasy."

The last one that I will be mentioning in this review is Command #13 Always Pray and Do Not Lose Heart. I think prayer is always an interesting topic because some people may believe that God will always grant what we ask for. This chapter reminded me how we should trust that God hears us and will help us in a way that seems best to him. Sometimes the answer may come in the form of something uncomfortable to us when it is really what we need. Reading this chapter encouraged me to keep praying despite the challenges and circumstances looming over me. The three chapters I mentioned in this review have been a much-needed reminder that came at the perfect time.

 

Although this book was hard to get through because there's so much that needs to be processed, I'm thankful I took the time to read it until the end. I believe everyone can benefit from this book and will find a few chapters that felt significant to their personal life journey. The chapters in this book are relatively short and can be read in one sitting for those who have limited time like I did. Reading and understanding Jesus's commands will guide us to know him better because to love God, we must know him—since loving God is not merely a decision. I plan to read more books by John Piper in the future and discover the insights that he shared through his writings ☺️.

"Surprising to us perhaps, Jesus's demand for vigilance is directed more often at the pleasures of life than the pain. Some people are driven away from God by their pain, but more are lured away by their pleasures. Pleasures seldom awaken people to their need for God; pain often does. So Jesus is more concerned to warn us about the dangers of prosperity than the dangers of poverty."

by.stefaniesugia♥ .