The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44).
Contrary to popular thought, John Piper heeds, “Coming to Jesus is not easy.” He continues, “When a person is born anew and experiences repentance, his attitude about Jesus changes. Jesus himself becomes the central focus and supreme value of life. Before the new birth happens and repentance occurs, a hundred other things seem more important and more attractive: health, family, job, friends, sports, music, food, sex, hobbies, retirement. But when God gives the radical change of new birth and repentance, Jesus himself becomes our supreme treasure.”
I’m quite confident Mr. Piper has no desire to sacrifice the integrity of the doctrine of “saved by grace through faith alone.” That would contradict the platform upon which his ministry rests. He simply sees the inevitable changed hearts and lives where Jesus dwells. The anomaly of the man in the parable is his emphatic and joyful willingness to forfeit everything for the sake of gaining what’s buried in that field.
Piper insists, “Jesus did not come into the world mainly to bring a new religion or a new law. He came to offer Himself for our eternal enjoyment and to do whatever He had to do — including death — to remove every obstacle to this everlasting joy in Him.”
This is a continuing effort of response to the Liebster Blog Award nomination graciously offered by Pastor J at “Reinventing the We’ll.”
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- GOD’S PROMISE – JESUS CHRIST – Born of a Virgin (ptl2010.com)
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- The Gospel Truth (ptl2010.com)
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“Saved by Grace alone” and good works inevitably flow from it, as Luther, more or less, put it.