Jesus, the Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved?

by John Piper

Publisher:

Baker

, 2010

If the evangelical church at large was ever too confrontational in its evangelism, those days are gone. In our shrinking, pluralistic world, the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is increasingly called arrogant and even hateful. In the face of this criticism, many shrink back from affirming the global necessity of knowing and believing in Jesus. In Jesus, the Only Way to God, John Piper offers a timely plea for the evangelical church to consider what is at stake in surrendering the unique, universal place of Jesus in salvation.

From the Back Cover

Is Jesus still the only way?

If the church was ever too confrontational in its evangelism, those days are gone. In our shrinking, pluralistic world, the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation is increasingly called arrogant and even hateful. In the face of this criticism, many shrink back from affirming the global necessity of knowing and believing in Jesus.

In Jesus: The Only Way to God--Must You Hear the Gospel to Be Saved? John Piper offers a timely plea for the evangelical church to consider what is at stake in surrendering the unique, universal place of Jesus in salvation. If you're concerned about the current state of evangelism--and the church--this book is a must-read.

John Piper (DrTheol, University of Munich) is the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has served since 1980. He is the author of more than forty books (including Desiring God, The Pleasures of God, and Let the Nations Be Glad!), and thirty years of his preaching and teaching is available at www.DesiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.

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What You'll Read

Jesus, the Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved? by John Piper is a short but profound book written in an understandable yet theological style that answers one question: Is Jesus the only way to God?

Before discovering the answer, you'll explore popular alternative beliefs among Christians regarding salvation:

• Universalism: The belief that everyone will be saved eventually and that hell (if it exists) will lead to repentance and salvation.
• Annihilationism: The belief that at death, if a person is not saved, they just cease to exist rather than experiencing torment, punishment, or an eternity of suffering in hell.
• Pluralism: The belief that many different religions can lead to God.
• Inclusivism: The belief that Jesus died to save everyone, and even those who have never heard of him will be saved.

Once you have a firm grasp of the different beliefs about salvation, Piper systematically presents questions and arguments to provide his answer for whether or not Jesus is still the only way to God. He stakes his conclusions firmly on the solid foundation of the Word of God. You'll read about "conscious faith"—resting consciously in Jesus as shown in the gospel—and why Piper believes it is paramount and necessary for salvation.

You'll also explore some of the most disputed biblical texts concerning hell, the exclusive claims of the gospel, and the utter urgency of missions as Piper supports his theories on these topics with what Scripture from the Old and New Testaments presents.

Table of Contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction
  • Is Jesus the Only Way to Salvation? Three Questions in One
  • Will Anyone Experience Eternal, Conscience Torment under God's Wrath?
  • Is the Work of Jesus Necessary for Salvation?
  • Is Conscience Faith in Jesus Necessary for Salvation? Part One: The Mystery of Christ and the Times of Ignorance
  • Is Conscience Faith in Jesus Necessary for Salvation? Part Two: The Case for Cornelius
  • Is Conscience Faith in Jesus Necessary for Salvation? Part Three: No Other Name under Heaven
  • Is Conscience Faith in Jesus Necessary for Salvation? Part Four: The Missionary Task as Seen by Paul and John
• Conclusion
• A Note on Resources: Desiring God

Top Highlights

“Fearful squeamishness about what the Bible teaches is a bad sign in the church. It signifies a movement toward self, and away from God, as our authority.” (source)

“But renaming a disease is no remedy. It goes on eating away at the soul, and will either lead to repentance or to more and more weakness. This is no small thing. Jesus is needed by the whole world for salvation. If we say otherwise, we strike a blow against our own conscience, and wound our soul.” (source)

“ speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (source)

“The work of Christ is useful for Christians but not necessary for non-Christians.” (source)

“nevertheless fallen men ‘by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.’” (source)

What You'll Learn

In John Piper's Jesus, the Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved? you'll learn Piper's answer to some of the most challenging questions related to salvation, like:

• Will anyone experience eternal, conscious torment under God's wrath?—and two approaches to that answer: universalism and annihilation.
• Is the work of Christ necessary for salvation—or are there other bases?
• Is conscious faith in Christ necessary for salvation?

In exploring the answers to these questions, Piper unpacks whether the Bible teaches hell exists by searching out relevant Scripture passages in both the Old and New Testaments. You'll explore related biblical concepts like "unquenchable fire," "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels," and the "sin that will never be forgiven" and with Packer at your side, come up with your own answer. And most importantly, you'll see why a negative answer to any of these questions diminishes the urgency of evangelizing the world.

You'll also learn about the necessity of Christ's atonement—and why Piper believes there is no salvation apart from what Jesus achieved in his death and resurrection.

Then in chapters 4–7, Piper dissects the concept of "conscious faith" and whether some people are awakened by the Holy Spirit and saved by grace through faith in a merciful Creator even if they never heard of Jesus in this life. You'll explore topics like the "mystery of Christ" in Ephesians 4:3–10 and why Piper says there was no clear mission to the nations before Jesus' incarnation. You'll contemplate the "times of ignorance" that Paul mentions in Acts 17:30–31 and discover what "ignorant worship" is according to Piper.

You'll learn what Piper says about Cornelius in the New Testament and whether he thinks Cornelius was already saved apart from knowing the gospel "by fearing God and doing the good." You'll also consider if it is truly necessary to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, why faith presupposes hearing Christ in the gospel message, and why a messenger of the gospel is imperative so that people may "hear" it in the first place.

Finally, you'll learn about God as the great evangelist and how Jesus gathers his redeemed flock by calling them with his voice.

Product Details

• Title : Jesus, the Only Way to God: Must You Hear the Gospel to be Saved?
• Author: Piper, John
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2010
• ISBN: 9781441211972

About John Piper

John Piper (b. 1946) is a widely respected theologian and bestselling author who serves as founder and lead teacher at Desiring God and is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, Piper served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He has authored more than 50 books, and more than 30 years of his preaching and writing are available free of charge at desiringGod.org. Piper resides in the Minneapolis area with his wife of 51 years, and has five children and 14 grandchildren.

Piper attended Wheaton College where he majored in literature and minored in philosophy. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Dr. Daniel Fuller. Piper received his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich and taught biblical studies for six years at Bethel College.

In 1994, Piper founded Desiring God Ministries, which provides Piper’s sermons, articles, and information on titles he has authored. One of his bestsellers, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, prompted the name of the ministry.

Several of Piper’s books have been Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian book award winners including What Jesus Demands from the World, Pierced by the Word, and God’s Passion for His Glory. The Crossway John Piper Collection (39 vols.) includes 39 titles from Piper, including Love Your Enemies and A Hunger for God. His preaching ministry of more than 30 years is available in the John Piper Sermon Archive (1980–2014).

Hear how Piper uses Logos for his Bible Study.

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