John Piper and Justification by Faith Alone. A Talk with DJ Keesee

Pastor John Piper is without question one of the most influential Christian figures in the church today. His preaching, teaching, and writing have impacted not only the American church landscape, but in fact the world. But of course, this does not in the least elevate him above examination. I don’t believe he himself would ever want anyone to imagine such a thing. Now. The Christian doctrine of justification by faith alone is a cardinal doctrine of the Bible. Without it there is simply no Gospel. The Cross is abandoned and rejected if we turn it into a system of self-salvation, and Jesus is ultimately mocked without it. To speak of unmerited grace in Christianese means you’re speaking of a justification by faith alone. Both DJ and I love this fact, and we both very much want to see it esteemed. Has John Piper abandoned what he once taught on this doctrine? Some say yes. I say no. My friend DJ Keesee joins me today for a talk on the subject. DJ Approaches the subject like any good pastor would want him to. He’s about the truth, not slander, and not some arrogant contempt. In the pursuit of truth, he does have some serious concerns about some of the things John Piper’s said in recent years. I’ve invited him on to talk about it. You tell me, does he make the case or not? Is John Piper now somehow teaching a salvation by works idea, or is he just rightly stressing the necessity of Christ not just as a redeemer, but as a sanctifier? We both pray you’re edified and brought to consider the doctrine of justification better by this conversation.

Links:

The 1985 Desiring God (Bethlehem Baptist Church) article cited in the discussion: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-we-believe-about-the-five-points-of-calvinism

I found this address by John Piper on this himself after our talk. It’s episode 1166 of “Ask Pastor John.” It’s just 16 minutes long, but he explains a lot of what he means when he speaks of “conditions” in salvation. I believe it to be exactly what I’m arguing for here in our talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dh4Ifb4vCY.

God bless!!!

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