Look at the Book

Satan is an accuser (Revelation 12:10), but Jesus disarmed him at the cross. In this lab, John Piper explains how the work of Christ wars against and defeats Satan’s schemes to accuse and condemn us. Are you able to wield the sword of Paul’s promises against the evil one?

God is for you, and therefore no one can defeat you. God gave his Son, so he will most definitely give you all things. This lab looks at a couple powerful rhetorical questions. John Piper searches the truths behind Paul’s questions to find massive rocks under the Christian’s life.

A promise as mind-blowing as Romans 8:28 needs massive faith-sustaining truth underneath it. Romans 8:30 lays out a process in which God exalts Christ by bringing ungodly people to glory. In this lab, John Piper offers assurance in God’s invincible plan of salvation.

God’s purpose in creation and redemption is to have a family of children conformed to the image of his Son. But how does that happen in me? In this lab, Pastor John explains the ways in which we are made like Jesus

The phrase “foreknown by God” has caused significant controversy and conflict within Christianity. Did God simply know ahead of time that we would believe, or did he choose who would believe? In this lab, John Piper explains as he tackles the next verse in Romans 8.

When God calls a man or woman, what happens? In this lab, the third of three labs focused on Romans 8:28, John Piper draws in several other verses to try and understand the call of God. He explains why those who love God should rest secure in his sovereign care.

The Bible makes promises to those who love God. But how do we know if we do? In this lab, John Piper digs into the relationship between saving faith and loving God. He goes on to show why and how God works all things for good for those who love him.

As God’s chosen child, all of your present suffering is serving your future glory.

These two verses are two of the hardest in Romans 8. John Piper asks two important questions to uncover how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. He shows how God — all three persons — is active in helping and keeping us through the hardest things in life.

Knowing that the whole creation, including us, is suffering because of the corruption of sin, what hope can we have that things will get better? In this lab, John Piper talks about the tensions we feel as we strive to believe God’s promises while sometimes suffering greatly.

Suffering might be the hardest, most confusing reality in the Christian life. In this lab, John Piper uncovers deep and durable truths that will help you suffer well. God made and saves the world in the way he did in to make Christ the center of the universe.

There is no more familiar prayer in the Bible than the Lord’s Prayer. In the last lab of his three-part series, John Piper highlights two major new insights he’s seen over the years in the structure and relationships within this paradigm-creating prayer of Jesus.

Jesus’s prayer for you is clear: Today, you need God to provide for you, forgive you, and deliver you. Every single day, you need God to move in these three ways. In this lab, John Piper unfolds these simple, but critical prayers.

In five short verses in Matthew, Jesus taught us to pray. There are prayer-life-changing glories to be seen in these most familiar words *if* we slow down enough to see them. In this lab, John Piper begins a three-part series on the Lord’s Prayer.

At the beginning of another year, people will make new resolutions. But should Christians make these New Years commitments? In this lab, John Piper shows that resolutions can be deeply Christian and grace-filled.

We have every reason to look each other in the eye and say from the bottom of our heart, “Merry Christmas.” His birth means we have hope.

John Piper says this passage has been one of the most pivotal for him and his ministry. These four verses hold profound and precious truths about life and about death. In this lab, Piper shows why Christ is most magnified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

What child is this, the baby boy we celebrate every Christmas? Mary met the true identity of her son in the words of an angel, recorded in Luke 1. In this lab, John Piper prepares our hearts for Christmas by slowing down over these verses.

Our adoption as sons and daughters of God is a deep and glorious blessing. In this lab, drawing on several other texts, John Piper asks what it means that we will be glorified with Christ and share in his inheritance.

The Holy Spirit has a massive role in Romans 8, and in the rest of the Bible, but he is often overlooked. In this lab, John Piper highlights the work of the Holy Spirit, specifically three ways he testifies that we are the children of God.

Adoption is not unique to Christianity, but it is a much more complex and glorious reality in the context of God’s love for us in the gospel. In this lab, John Piper presses in on several key words to show what it means for God to be a Father.

The Bible often argues in “if/then” statements, and the context will help us clarify exactly what the conditions are. In this lab, John Piper shows us where to find assurance that we are the children of God.

Do not let sin linger in your life. God gave you specific weapons to kill sin and its deception.

Sin will kill you. God gives warnings in the Bible, and sometimes they seem to call into question our security in Christ. How should we read the Bible’s warnings? And what role do they play in our salvation? John Piper answers in this lab.

“Do not fear.” Jesus’s command can be hard to obey, but it is filled with promise. In this lab, John Piper shows us how Jesus helps his disciples (and us) battle fear.

Is knowledge good or bad? 1 Corinthians 8:1–3 says that knowledge can lead to pride or to love, so how do we know which our knowledge is? Pastor John unfolds the life of the mind in this new lab.

Even though we’ve been saved by Jesus, we all still die. What does it mean for us that the Spirit lives in us? What does it mean for our fight against sin, our relationship to Jesus, and our death? Piper answers in this lab.

When we belong to Jesus, when we are found in him alone, we are finally able to make God look glorious in every area of our lives, fully pleasing to him.

Jesus bought us with his death and then sealed us with his Spirit. In this lab, John Piper unfolds the glory of the Trinity in our salvation and the role of the Spirit in showing that we belong to Jesus.

Romans 8:5–8 gets down to the bottom of our sin, untangling the reasons we rebel against God. Pastor John highlights the meaning of two “for” statements to show the relationship between sin, hostility to God, death, and worldliness.

The Bible often presents two ways for us to live. In Romans 8:5–6, Paul describes two different lives, two different mindsets, and two different conditions. This lab carefully traces the serious differences in order to cause us to look to Christ.

Purpose clauses (“in order that”) tell us why God does what he does. In this lab, Pastor John looks at why God gave us the law and why he sent his Son to die on the cross. All along, he asks how the Christian should relate to the law after Christ has come.

Romans 8:3–4 says Christ died so that the law would be fulfilled in us. What does it mean for the law to be fulfilled? And how is it fulfilled in us? In this lab, John Piper tackles these two critical questions.

Romans 8:3 holds some of the most precious truths of Christianity. Paul explains how God removes our guilt and ends our condemnation. Pastor John slows down to dig into the nitty-gritty details of our good news.

The word “for” is one of the most common in the Bible. In this lab, Pastor John explains the relationship between our justification and sanctification by focusing on those three letters: f-o-r.

Paul uses the phrase “in Christ Jesus” 47 times in his letters. What does that crucial phrase mean?

In your Bible reading, an author will often compare two things. It’s important to stop and study everything you learn about how those two things are similar and different. In this lab, Pastor John looks at our slavery to sin and freedom in Christ.

Pastor John introduces a new series focused on Romans 8. First, he spends a couple minutes helping you make the most of Look at the Book. Then, he gives you seven reasons why Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in all the Bible.

When you come across an important word or phrase in your reading, stop to search for other uses of that same word or phrase. In this lab, John Piper briefly looks at six different verses to better understand the Book of Life.

We should be constantly comparing lists of characteristics about God to determine if qualities are the same, different, or overlapping. In this lab, John Piper models this and uncovers God's love for us and his commitment to his own glory.

There are often riches and depths of meaning in the simplest verses. Luke 12:32 is one verse with two short propositions, but there are riches buried in its simplicity. In this lab, John Piper reveals several profound reasons not to fear.

Some of God’s commands in the Bible are very difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, we need to pay close attention to the promises in Scripture that accompany God’s commands and equip us with God’s power to do the impossible.

There are two major ground clauses (“for” or “because”) in 1 John 5:3–4. Pastor John focuses in on these two for’s to see the relationship between our love for God, our love for others, and our obedience to God's commands. In doing so, he uncovers our victory in Christ.

Look for promises in Scripture that rest in the never-changing character of God, and therefore are true for his people throughout all of history, even for us today. God gives us a broader, general principle about himself and his ways using a specific event in biblical history.

When you see personal pronouns (e.g. he, she, etc.), identify to whom they are referring. Is the writer speaking about his audience? If so, who is the audience? Is he speaking about believers or nonbelievers? To understand the passage, we have to identify the relevant parties.

God is completely consistent in all he does, but he is also very complicated. What looks like a contradiction in God is always only a limitation in our understanding. In this lab, Pastor John asks how God could cause his children grief and remain compassionate towards them.

We take some words in the Christian vocabulary for granted. 2 Corinthians offers a definition of love that you may not have considered. By paying close attention, we can find keys to loving people more truly and effectively. We also learn what’s behind the kind of generosity that pleases God.

When studying a paragraph of the Bible, break it down into individual propositions and ask questions about how each line relates to the one before it and after it. Focus in particular on connecting words (e.g. “for,” “so that,” “by,” etc.).

Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training. Learn to identify, explain, and differentiate each reason for continuing in the word.