Ask Pastor John

Jesus calls us to renounce all we have to follow him. But how can we gauge if we are fully and completely committed to him?

Unless God enables our obedience, we work and serve in vain. All true obedience flows from the strength he supplies.

Proverbs says that no one who visits the “forbidden woman” will return to the paths of life. So, is a man who seeks a prostitute doomed?

Does God harden sinners’ hearts only in response to their persistent sin, or is their sin a result of his prior hardening?

In this life, we will have trouble. But every trial paves the way to an inheritance with Christ that will satisfy us forever.

We know that God works all things together for the good of his people. But does “all things” include even our sins?

As Christians, we aspire to live out the paradox of brokenhearted boldness. But how do we teach and model this attitude for our kids?

From our perspective, coming to Jesus Christ feels like placing our faith in him. But God himself enabled and awakened that faith in us.

We know outward beauty is insignificant compared to inward beauty. But what should we do if we still feel insecure about our looks?

Is faultless chastity an appropriate standard for pastors, or are our expectations simply too high?

Sometimes pain seems meaningless, but in Christ, every millisecond of your suffering is producing for you an eternal weight of glory.

As a couple’s affection for one another deepens, how can they make sure they are loving God more than each other?

When trials come, how can I know whether God is calling me to patiently endure, or whether he wants me to repent of a specific sin?

When we obey sin, we obey a liar, a deceiver, a murderer. Sin is a slave master who tricks his subjects into eternal death.

When Jesus comes, he brings deliverance, freedom, grace, and power. But some people prefer what life is like without him.

Today more than ever, Christians have access to a wealth of faithful Bible teaching online. So, why do we need to read the Bible for ourselves?

Singing together is not merely the prelude to the sermon. When God’s people sing from the heart, more happens than we imagine.

“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.