The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper

"If I could believe that God was not angry with me, I would stand on my head for joy." These words of Martin Luther illustrate the point John Piper makes to us in The Legacy of Sovereign Joy. Christians, even great Christians do at times fight monsters of the soul and remain useful to God.

This is a companion work to The Hidden Smile of God. In both of these books, Piper examines the lives of well-known believers and the real issues of life they dealt with. Here, Piper gives us a look into the the lives, failures, and triumphs of Aurelius Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin. Each of these men accomplished great things for God but also at times experienced great failure in the pursuit.

Chapter One deals with the life of Augustine. No one ever expounded the wonders of God's grace more than this man! Saved from a life of sexual immorality, Augustine became the chief proponent of the Gospel of Grace. Yet, with all great love for the simplicity of grace, Augustine clung to the sacraments.

Chapter Two deals with Martin Luther. Luther spent his early life as monk, searching for a God who truly loved him. Once he discovered what it means to be justified by faith, Luther was never the same again. All was not rosy for Luther, however. At times he was given to fits of anger and confessed to struggling with foul language throughout his life.

Chapter Three covers the life of John Calvin. Calvin was a committed follower of Christ, a brilliant thinker, and an accomplished leader of men. Calvin also suffered from illness through much of his life. He is also remembered for consenting to the execution of Michael Servetus.

Through the lives of these three men, Piper reminds us all that we are often faced with besetting sins and faulty attitudes. What set these men apart was not their perfection but instead their perfect devotion to follow God in their imperfection.

Piper is always challenging and never dull. These are not easy lessons. They are just needed lessons. We cannot allow our failures to keep us from looking for Augustine's City of God, for glorying in salvation through faith alone, along with Luther, and for founding our lives on the living Word along with Calvin.

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper (Crossway Books, 2000), hardcover, 156 pages.

John Piper is the pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.