John Piper – Semper Reformanda

The Advent of Christ: Meditations

This season, I plan to run a twenty-five-day meditation on ‘the advent of Christ.’ I draw inspirations from Piper. J. (2014) The Dawning of Indestructible Joy. I will begin posting from 27.11.25. The blogposts will remain meditational. I did a similar blog-series a few years ago. It was called Love, Peace, Joy. I plan to keep this short and reflective; and focus on familiar Biblical truth(s). I hope you will join along. Please feel free to share your insights as well.

Shalom!

Image: The Nativity of Jesus Christ, Unknown Artist, c.1675-1700, Moscow, Russia, National Gallery Ireland

XCII

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:17–18 (ESV)

What he bought was not the nullification of our wills as though we didn’t have to hold fast, but the empowering transformation of our wills so that we want to hold fast.

John Piper, Hold Fast to Your Hope

XCI

The pathway to maturity and to solid biblical food is not first becoming an intelligent person, but becoming an obedient person. What you do with alcohol and sex and money and leisure and food and computers, and the way you treat other people, has more to do with your capacity for solid food than where you go to school or what books you read.

This is so important because in our highly technological society we are prone to think that education — especially intellectual education — is the key to maturity. There are many Ph.D.’s who choke in their spiritual immaturity on the things of God. And there are many less-educated saints who are deeply mature and can feed with pleasure and profit on the deepest things of God’s word.

John Piper, The Key to Spiritual Maturity