John Piper - Gods passion for His glory : living the vision of Jonathan Edwards, with the complete text of The end for which God created the world

GODS PASSION FOR

HIS GLORY

Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards

With the Complete Text of

The End for Which God Created the World

J O H N

P I P E R

C R O S S W A Y B O O K S

A D I V I S I O N O F

G O O D N E W S P U B L I S H E R S

W H E A T O N , I L L I N O I S

Gods Passion for His Glory

Copyright 1998 by John Piper

Published by Crossway Books

A division of Good News Publishers

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from The New AmericanStandard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

Cover design: D2 DesignWorks

Cover Photo: Dale Sanders/Masterfile

First printing, 1998

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Piper, John, 1946

Gods passion for his glory : living the vision of Jonathan Edwards with the complete text of The end for which God created the world

by Jonathan Edwards / John Piper.

p.

cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-58134-007-9

1. Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758. 2. CreationHistory of

doctrines18th century. 3. Glory of GodHistory of

doctrines18th century. 4. Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758. End for which God created the world. 5. CreationEarly works to 1800.

6. Glory of GodEarly works to 1800.

I. Title.

BT695.P57

1998

231.7'65dc21

98-19029

15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5

T O

J O N A T H A N E D W A R D S

God is not the God of the dead

but of the living; for all live to Him.

L U K E 2 0 : 3 8

The emanation or communication of the divine fullness,

consisting in the knowledge of God, love to him, and joy

in him, has relation indeed both to God and the creature: but it has relation to God as its fountain, as the thing communicated is something of its internal fullness. The

water in the stream is something of the fountain; and the

beams of the sun are something of the sun. And again,

they have relation to God as their object: for the knowledge communicated is the knowledge of God; and the

love communicated, is the love of God; and the happiness

communicated, is joy in God. In the creatures knowing,

esteeming, loving, rejoicing in, and praising God, the

glory of God is both exhibited and acknowledged, his fullness is received and returned. Here is both an emanation and remanation. The refulgence shines upon and into the creature, and is reflected back to the luminary. The

beams of glory come from God, are something of God,

and are refunded back again to their original. So that the

whole is of God, and in God, and to God; and he is the beginning, and the middle, and the end.

Jonathan Edwards

The End for Which God Created the World

T A B L E

O F

C O N T E N T S

Preface

xi

Acknowledgments

xv

P

A

R

T

O

N

E

A Personal Encounter with Jonathan Edwards

by John Piper

CHAPTER ONE:

The End for Which God Created the World

Why Publish an Old Book?

A Personal and Public Concern

CHAPTER TWO:

Jonathan Edwards, The Man and His Life

Learning from an Unmodern Evangelical

CHAPTER THREE:

Jonathan Edwards, A Mind in Love with God

The Private Life of a Modern Evangelical

CHAPTER FOUR:

Jonathan Edwards, Enjoying God and the

Transformation of Culture

The Public Life of a Modern Evangelical

P

A

R

T

T

W

O

The End for Which God Created the World

by Jonathan Edwards

A Note on How to Read

The End for Which God Created the World

Concerning the Text Used in This Edition of

The End for Which God Created the World

INTRODUCTION:

Containing Explanations of Terms and

General Positions

CHAPTER ONE:

Wherein Is Considered What Reason Teaches

Concerning This Affair

SECTION ONE:

Some things observed in general which

reason dictates

SECTION TWO:

Some further observations concerning those

things which reason leads us to suppose God

aimed at in the creation of the world

SECTION THREE:

Wherein it is considered how, on the supposition

of Gods making the aforementioned things his

last end, he manifests a supreme and ultimate

regard to himself in all his works

SECTION FOUR:

Some objections considered, which may be made

against the reasonableness of what has been

said of God making himself his last end

CHAPTER TWO:

Wherein It Is Inquired What Is to Be Learned from

Holy Scriptures Concerning Gods Last End

in the Creation of the World

SECTION ONE:

The Scriptures represent God as making himself

his own last end in the creation of the world

SECTION TWO:

Wherein some positions are advanced concerning a 185

just method of arguing in this affair from what we

find in the Holy Scriptures

SECTION THREE:

Particular texts of Scripture which show that Gods

glory is an ultimate end of the creation

SECTION FOUR:

Places of Scripture that lead us to suppose that God 210

created the world for his name, to make his

perfections known; and that he made it for his praise

SECTION FIVE:

Places of Scripture from whence it may be argued

that communication of good to the creature was one

thing which God had in view as an ultimate end of

the creation of the world

SECTION SIX:

Wherein is considered what is meant by the glory of 229

God and the name of God in Scripture, when spoken

of as Gods end in his works

SECTION SE VEN:

Showing that the ultimate end of the creation

of the world is but one, and what that one end is

A Note on Resources: Desiring God Ministries

Scripture Index

Person Index

Subject Index

O T H E R

B O O K S

B Y

T H E

A U T H O R

Love Your Enemies: Jesus Love Command in the Synoptic

Gospels and the Early Christian Paraenesis (Baker Book House, 1991, orig. 1979)

The Justification of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study ofRomans 9:1-23; 2nd Edition (Baker Book House, 1993, orig.

1983)

The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Baker Book House, 1990) The Pleasures of God: Meditations on Gods Delight in Being God (Multnomah Press, 1991)

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response toEvangelical Feminism (edited with Wayne Grudem, Crossway Books, 1991)

Whats the Difference: Manhood and Womanhood Defined

According to the Bible (Crossway Books, 1991)

Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions (Baker Book House, 1993)

The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace