Ask Pastor John

Since the Bible calls Christians children of light, should darkness and violence have any place in the stories we create?

Should Christians show so-called “gender pronoun hospitality”? Pastor John shares practical ways to speak the truth in love with those confused about their sexuality.

What is Christian thankfulness? Pastor John commends the power of a heart filled with gratitude to the Giver of every good gift.

When we continually struggle with doubts and unbelief, how can we know what is true? How can we believe that truth even exists?

Will we be able to see God when we get to heaven? If so, how does that fit with Scripture passages that say no one can see God?

How do we discern what’s true and what’s false in Job? Pastor John provides a grid for the entire book to help us interpret it accurately.

Should church leaders require Christians to tithe since God commanded tithing in the Old Testament? Pastor John commends a better approach.

Arguments, logic, and careful analysis may give us 99 percent certainty for some doctrine or truth claim. But what about the remaining 1 percent?

Why did God take the life of Ezekiel’s wife and then command Ezekiel not to mourn? Pastor John considers the perplexing yet merciful ways of God.

How can we love our enemies when they treat us horrifically? Pastor John appeals to six biblical realities to help us face unimaginable darkness.

“Curse God and die.” Why does the author of Job relate the apparent despair of Job’s wife? What purpose does she play in the message of the book?

How can perfectionists make decisions without getting paralyzed by fear? Pastor John shares seven encouragements for those who feel stuck.

How much should we sacrifice in order to do excellent work? Pastor John encourages perfectionists to find wisdom from a strong, spiritually mature community.

If Christians are no longer under wrath, why does Paul say that we will stand before God’s judgment seat? Pastor John clarifies the Christian’s future judgment.

How much money should we set aside for retirement? Pastor John commends three biblical principles to apply in our various contexts.

Does God ultimately sustain our faith, or do we? Pastor John unfolds 1 Peter 1:4–5 to show how God guards us to the end.

Do humans have free will — and if so, what is it? Pastor John considers the depravity of the human heart and the sovereign grace that saves us.

Does God’s command to deny ourselves contradict Christian Hedonism? Pastor John clarifies the God-centered, pleasure-seeking aim of all Christian self-denial.

How does zeal for God relate to joy in God? With help from Jonathan Edwards, Pastor John traces the crucial connection in four steps.

How do we overcome half-hearted spiritual laziness? Pastor John appeals to the apostle Paul and Jonathan Edwards to commend a life totally devoted to Christ.

The Roman Catholic Church teaches numerous unbiblical doctrines. So, can devout Catholics be genuinely saved?

Luther didn’t stand alone 500 years ago. Nor does he stand alone today. We’ve created a 31-day journey to introduce you to the many heroes of the Reformation. Join us at desiringGod.org/stand.

How can active, impatient doers learn to wait on God? Pastor John describes spiritual waiting — and shows how we can answer such a question for ourselves.

Why do so many American Christians bear the marks of worldliness? Too often in our churches, Christ is too cheap, heaven is too distant, and earth is too big.

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” How did John Piper craft this memorable motto? Tony Reinke tells the story.

Why do you exist? Why does anything exist? Pastor John shows from Isaiah 43:1–7 that God created his people to glorify him by enjoying him.

Will God forgive my very worst sin? Pastor John shares seven powerful encouragements for those paralyzed with guilt.

Thinking is indispensable — but thinking is also dangerous. How can we use our minds to glorify God rather than puffing up ourselves?

How can we help those struggling with hoarding? Pastor John shares five underlying factors and five practical suggestions for those who seem stuck.

How do we make sense of Bible passages that we don’t understand? Pastor John demonstrates how to patiently interpret Scripture with Scripture.

Though our response to God often feels frustratingly inadequate, he is worthy of all our heart, soul, and mind. He is worthy of “white-hot worship.”

What comfort does God give to those who feel responsible for tragic loss? Pastor John offers eight words of hope to a brokenhearted mom.

What does it mean to “work heartily, as for the Lord” in our 9-to-5 jobs? Pastor John considers five qualities of faithful work from Paul’s words in Colossians 3.

In Christ, the righteous deeds you do by faith are emphatically not “filthy rags.” Pastor John corrects a common and profound misunderstanding.

If God is sovereign over life and death, does it matter what risks we take? Pastor John considers the place of precautions beneath God’s providence.

Scripture gives us a category for addressing the devil, but our normal way of defeating him is by trusting the promises of God and killing our own sin.

How can we not lose heart over children who wander from Christ? Pastor John opens the parable of the prodigal son to offer encouragement after encouragement.

Can Christians ask God to teach the unrepentant hard lessons? Pastor John helps us pray against others’ sins without presuming to be God.

Should a Christian construction worker help to build a casino — or any other building that facilitates sin? Pastor John offers principles for the Christian conscience.

Staying married is not first about staying in love. It’s about keeping a covenant that reflects Jesus’s own faithfulness to his bride, the church.

Where should an unmarried pastor look for a wife? Pastor John encourages single men in ministry to take practical steps while trusting God’s providence.

What makes for a true friend, according to God’s word? Pastor John sketches the nature and importance of friendship across the Scriptures.

God looks throughout the earth, eager to work for those whose hearts are whole toward him. Pastor John unfolds glory from a favorite verse.

Will God condemn someone for being born into another religion? Pastor John responds to a former Muslim deeply worried about her loved ones.

“For his steadfast love endures forever” appears 26 times in Psalm 136. What might we learn from this psalm about the right kind of repetition in worship?

If you want more of your thoughts to become captive to Christ, open the Bible and pray, “Anything in my thinking that needs to be destroyed, destroy it.”

American citizens enjoy lavish blessings of common grace. Pastor John calls us to give thanks without giving away our far deeper allegiance to God’s special grace.

If joy in God is a gift from God, why does he also command us to rejoice? Pastor John takes us into a paradox that lies at the heart of the God-glorifying life.

The local church’s task of sending and sustaining long-term missionaries rests on several deep biblical assumptions. Pastor John shares five.

At the root of our sin is not a mind ignorant of God’s ways, but a darkened love, a hardened heart, and a will bent away from God’s ways.