John Piper - "Obedience, Orthodoxy, and Joy: Leadership for a Greater Consensus"

John Piper preached at the PCA General Assembly on Thursday night, June 16th.  The title of the message was "Obedience, Orthodoxy, and Joy: Leadership for a Greater Consensus."  His text was Acts 20:24-31:

²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears

The Holy Bible  : New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

Dr. Piper began his sermon by sharing his disagreement with those who think that God can be more glorified by knowing Him less - distance and ignorance can sustain wonder only so long.

The fullness and the clarity of the doctrines of the gospel are a source of indomitable and exquisite joy and passionate worship, and national reformation.

Five Observations:

1. Testifying to the gospel of the grace of God is more important than staying alive - v. 24
2. Paul's ministry was of such a kind that he was not responsible for the blood of any of these elders if they should make shipwreck of their faith - vv. 26 & 31
   
3. He is innocent because, for three years he imparted to them the whole gospel - v. 27
   
4. The job of the elders is to pick up where Paul left off and earnestly shepherd the blood-bought flock of God - v. 28
5. The focus of the shepherds in this context is protecting the flock from teaching that twists the apostolic doctrine - vv. 29-30

Pre-eminent in the task of the elders is the impartation and protection of the whole counsel of God - v. 27.

Reflections on the Whole Counsel of God

1. It's Existence

    There is such a thing as the whole counsel of God - v. 27.  See also - Romans 6:17,
II Tim. 1:13-17.

2. It's Nature

• It is propositional
  • Evidence #1 - It is called teaching, it is called sound words
  • Evidence #2 - the way Acts 19:9-10 shows the way Paul delivered.  Reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus continually for two years.  Reasoning = propositional.  It had an explosive evangelistic effect on all of Asia.
  • Illustration - compare Athanasius and some aspects of the emerging church.   Piper doesn't mean all parts of the emerging church, but those parts of it that minimize doctrines and think propositions are not helpful in loving Christ.  In Athanasius we see that loving Christ includes loving true propositions about Christ.  It was clear to Athasius that propositions about Christ carried convictions that could send you to heaven or to hell.  Some of these propositions were that "there was a time when Christ was not," and "Christ was created."  These are damnable propositions which, if believed, will send the soul of the one who believes them to hell.  Athanasius and the apostle Paul would have abominated with tears the contemporary calls to de-propositionalize the faith.  He would have said "our people in Alexandria died for the proposition about the truth of Jesus Christ, what do you young people die for?"  If the answer came back "we die for Christ, not propositions about Christ," Athanasius would have said "that is exactly what Arius taught."  Athanasius would ask "which Christ you would die for?"  To answer that question, you have to make some propositions about Him.  Reality, faithfully comprehended in propositions, saves.
    Athanasius and the apostle Paul would weep and grieve over the sentence - "it is Christ who saves us and we do not need doctrine."   They knew it was the very tactic used by the Arian bishops at the Council to see that a fog prevailed in the council.  Those who think Christ unites and doctrine divides have replaced Christ with a word "Christ" which nobody knows what it means, carries no reality content and will save no one.
• It has a fullness, a wholeness, a completeness - it is called the "whole" counsel of God. This means that we should be thrilled that it is whole and full and complete - not partial and truncated and incomplete.
  
  • A practical suggestion for the Reformed community - let's seize the biblical high ground of fullness. When we discuss things with people we need to not focus on the defects of what they believe, but think in terms of it's fragmentary nature and counter that with the fulness of the biblical truth.  Instead of focusing on points of disagreeement, focus on points of agreement and then move on to the fulness of the truth. For example, it is possible to win people to "limited atonement" if we say "of course He died for everybody, I believe that with all my heart, I live and preach indiscriminantly."  99% of the people who say they believe that Christ died for everybody are simply saying they believe John 3:16 is true.  But, there is more going on with the cross, there is so much more - He bought a wife, He paid a dowry, He completed a covenant. The sad thing about people who don't believe in limited atonement cannot know the fulness of covenant love.

3. It's Effect - Joy

    In his new book, even Ron Sider is making the case for the centrality of doctrine in the Christian church.

II John 9 - Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.    The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 . Standard Bible Society: Wheaton

    What more glorious thing could be said by the believer, than "I have both the father and the Son."

John 15:11 - These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 . Standard Bible Society: Wheaton

    Your joy will be indestructible and very combustible.

    We must out-rejoice everyone lest they have reason to think we don't have as much of the Father and of the Son as we ought to.

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    And thus concludes the sermon notes from John Piper at the PCA General Assembly.  If I may, I would like to add a couple of personal thoughts to these notes.  Since I am posting this on the official blog of the General Assembly I want to emphasize that these are my own thoughts and are not any kind of official position of the PCA.  As one commissioner was overheard to say, "that was the best message I have ever heard Piper preach."  I agree, so these are just a couple of thoughts on the way the message hit me.

    I first wanted to interact briefly with Dr. Piper's comments on the emerging church.  The emerging church is one of the hottest things going and it is a very broad movement which is difficult to get a firm handle on.  Dr. Piper is correct that there are some in the emerging movement who have abandoned the whole notion of propositional truth and he is also correct that not all of the emergent folks are this way. We have some dear brothers in the PCA who identify with some aspects of the emergent movement and who retain their firm commitment to propositional truth and the essentials of the Reformed faith.  As an example, I would refer you to the article in byFaithOnline by Chuck DeGroat called A Growing Hunger for Honesty and Authenticity.

    Also, Mike Horton of the Westminster Seminary and Modern Reformation Magazine has recently engaged in some profitable dialogue with some leaders of the emergent movement which is very helpful, especially for those of us in the Reformed community.  For more information see "Horton on Emerging Church," and "Michael Horton Replies."

    Another matter I wanted to touch on is that I was typing furiously as Dr. Piper spoke and I'm not sure my notes did justice to all he said. This is particularly the case in the notes above dealing with the limited atonement in the section on the fulness of the "full counsel of God."  I just wanted to add that I understood his comment about agreeing with those who say that Jesus died for all as being something close to what Charles Hodge said in his systematic theology on the subject.  Hodge agrees that the death of Christ has some kind of reference to the whole human family and he even says that there is a sense in which Christ died for all and a sense in which He died only for the elect.  The doctrine of limited atonement teaches that Christ's death had a reference to the elect that it did not have to the rest of the human family.

The whole question, therefore, concerns simply the purpose of God in the mission of his Son. What was the design of Christ?s coming into the world, and doing and suffering all He actually did and suffered? Was it merely to make the salvation of all men possible; to remove the obstacles which stood in the way of the offer of pardon and acceptance to sinners? or, Was it specially to render certain the salvation of his own people, i. e., of those given to Him by the Father? The latter question is affirmed by Augustinians, and denied by their opponents. It is obvious that if there be no election of some to everlasting life, the atonement can have no special reference to the elect. It must have equal reference to all mankind. But it does not follow from the assertion of its having a special reference to the elect that it had no reference to the non-elect. Augustinians readily admit that the death of Christ had a relation to man, to the whole human family, which it had not to the fallen angels. It is the ground on which salvation is offered to every creature under heaven who hears the gospel; but it gives no authority for a like offer to apostate angels. It moreover secures to the whole race at large, and to all classes of men, innumerable blessings, both providential and religious. It was, of course, designed to produce these effects; and, therefore, He died to secure them. In view of the effects which the death of Christ produces on the relation of all mankind to God, it has in all ages been customary with Augustinians to say that Christ died "suffcienter proomnibus, efficaciter tantum pro electi?" sufficiently for all, efficaciously only for the elect. There is a sense, therefore, in which He died for all, and there is a sense in which He died for the elect alone. The simple question is, Had the death of Christ a reference to the elect which it had not to other men? Did He come into the world to secure the salvation of those given to Him by the Father, so that the other effects of his work are merely incidental to what was done for the attainment of that object?
Hodge, C. 1997. Systematic theology. Originally published 1872. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA

So, when Piper says that we can agree with those who say that Jesus died for all I don't think he was abandoning the reformed doctrine of limited atonement, he was simply trying to illustrate how we might build a bridge to giving our friends a fuller understanding of the depths of biblical doctrine of the atonement.  And, I offer Hodge's words above for further help in this.

For more on the doctrine of limited atonement see my post here.

Comments

[Michael Saville]

I agree that the message was excellent, though it wasn't what I was expecting. I was struck by Piper's boldness, and thoroughly impressed by the way he unpacked and defended the importance of propositional truth. I was also pleased that he was careful not to broadbrush in his critique. Likewise his presentation of particular redemption was impressive, showing not only why this doctrine is true, but why it is better.

[JosiahQ]

David, I can't say how much I enjoyed spending time with you and Lynette these past couple of days. I'm just sad we didn't have time to fellowship more!

I'm not sure when you're heading out of town, but if you want to get lunch today, give me a call at 4233136097!

- Josiah

[Josh S]

I do find it pretty surprising that the PCA invited a Baptist to preach on "orthodoxy" at their general assembly.

[joel hunter]

Thank you for posting this, David. I am very encouraged to hear Dr. Piper's message to us PCAers. As an RE, it is my prayer that those in attendance at the GA will carry this message back to their Sessions and congregations.

[Jason Dollar]

Thanks for keeping us updated, David. I have a mental picture of you typing furiously as Dr. Piper spoke.

[Kevin Jones]

David, thanks for the recap of Dr. Piper's sermon. Do you know if it is or will be available on mp3?

[David Wayne]

Kevin - I'm sure it will be available - check www.pcaga.com in the next few days.