Ask Pastor John

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” Does that mean enjoying God and glorifying God are the same thing?

The Bible depicts more violence than our modern sensibilities often want to admit. How do we handle these parts of Scripture when we come across them?

In this life, we will have trouble. In this world, we will have reasons to fear. But in Christ, our God is with us through it all.

The Nicene Creed speaks of Jesus as “begotten, not made.” What does that mean, and why does it matter?

How can we tell if our desire for money is a good, God-given desire, instead of a love for Mammon? Pastor John offers seven ways to discern the difference.

How can we tell if we are spiritually lukewarm, like the Christians in Laodicea? We can look at our private prayer life.

Unless the Bible informs what we love most about God, we risk imagining a god in our own likeness, rather than treasuring him for who he really is.

Paul warns us about some who are “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” What kind of person does he have in mind?

Suffering often feels meaningless in the moment. So how can Christians learn not only to endure trials, but to rejoice in the midst of them?

If we cope with stress by watching movies, posting on social media, or consuming other forms of entertainment, what does that say about our souls?

God promises eternal rewards for his people’s present obedience. But does every sin cost us one of those rewards?

Ingratitude can make us feel unwanted and unnoticed. But our Father in heaven sees in secret, and he will more than make up for every thankless deed.

Some marketing succeeds by cultivating consumerism in the human heart. Can a Christian glorify God in that kind of job?

Some tragedies make life feel barely worth living anymore. So is there any hope that we could one day be happy and at peace again?

Whether we steal time, money, glances, or anything else, our impulse to take what is not rightfully ours reveals a lot about our view of God.

The new creation will probably seem familiar to us. But there will also be new dimensions of life and joy we can’t even begin to fathom.

We have nothing to hide from God since he already knows our hearts. But that doesn’t mean we can do or say whatever we want in prayer.

When John Piper entered seminary in 1968, he believed in the self-determining will of man. But then he encountered Philippians 2 and Romans 9.

If a Christian desires God above all, then shouldn’t he follow his heart? Or are our hearts so deceitful that we can never trust them at all?

If we are going to grow up into maturity in Christ, we need to feast on Scripture — and not just here and there, but every day.

When you come to know Jesus Christ, something about everything in your life changes — including how you approach your vocation.

To lead someone to Christ is a spectacular gift from God. But what should you actually say and do in the moment?

Extrabiblical sources can help fill in some details of our Bible study, but all the gold we need to mine for life and godliness is in our English Bibles.

Over and over in the Bible, God says that he saves us in order to draw attention to himself. Why did God design salvation that way?

The Bible is clear that children are a gift from God. So is there any room for a Christian couple to decide not to have any?

If we glorify God by enjoying him, how do we think about seasons of darkness in the Christian life, when joy seems far away?

God works for those who wait for him. But what does it mean to wait for God?

In a 72-minute interview, John Piper and J.I. Packer discuss the Puritans, theology, the Christian life, and our heavenly hope.

God created us to glorify him by enjoying him forever. But how do we fulfill that purpose in the little things, in the small moments, in the day to day?

Our vocation doesn’t automatically determine our fruitfulness for Jesus. God uses all kinds of people in all kinds of places to accomplish his purposes.

God won’t settle for anything less than perfection from us. Either we depend on Christ’s perfection in our place, or we keep the entire law.

At the cross, Christ canceled all our sins through his blood. Now, by the Spirit, we work to conquer every canceled sin.

On the morning of July 17, J.I. Packer passed into glory. Pastor John shares a tribute to the man he looked up to as a father in the faith.

After fifteen hundred episodes of the Ask Pastor John podcast, Pastor John shares seven lessons that have inspired him to labor faithfully over decades.

Our hearts were never meant to find their meaning in money. God made us for something far more valuable.

How can a wife disagree with her husband about a decision while still submitting to his leadership in the home?

Before you get overwhelmed by all of the Bible’s commands, remember your right standing with God and focus first on the anchors of faithful obedience.

At the cross, God not only clears a path for sinners to himself. He also vindicates his righteousness after passing over centuries of sin.

The word “atonement” appears all over the ESV’s translation of the Old Testament, but never in the New. Didn’t Jesus make atonement for our sins?

If Christians are first and foremost citizens of heaven, then is it ever appropriate to show patriotism for a homeland?

For many Western Christians, materialism has transformed our wants into needs and distorted our view of biblical Christianity. How can we be free?

The Mosaic law requires obedience over and over again. Does that mean old-covenant believers earned their way to a right standing with God?

What does someone need to know about the Trinity in order to have saving faith in Jesus?

In the moment when troubles come or worries rise, we need the precious truth of specific promises from God’s word.

If God knew before he created the world that millions of people would suffer eternally in hell, would he have been more loving not to create at all?

Job is a famously difficult book to understand and apply. But God has not left us without interpretive guides to help us discern the book’s message.

Hear from Pastor John on his latest ministry projects, and learn how you can partner with us to spread joy in Jesus Christ for years to come.

All creation rings with its Maker’s praise. If we pause to look and listen, God can show us glory in all that he has made.

If God desires all people to be saved, why did Jesus sometimes speak in a way that kept people from believing?

Climate-change activists warn of dire consequences if nations and individuals refuse to care for the environment. How should Christians respond?