Chapter 12: Pages 158-166, Ephesians 1:4-7
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:4-8
This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) and started Part 2 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence", moving to Section 3 "The Ultimate Goal of Providence in the Design and Enactment of the New Covenant" - moving to chapter twelve "Christ's Foundational Act in Establishing the New Covenant".
Piper starts by quoting both Luke (Luke 22:20) and Matthew (Matthew 26:28) from the Last Supper to establish that Christs suffering and death on the cross "was the foundational step in enacting the new covenant." He then contrasts the first and second covenant using Hebrews 9:7, 15, 22 and 10:4 to underscore how Jesus "is responsible for putting the second covenant into effect."
Piper builds on this to state that Christ's death and resurrection is not only the ground for the second covenant but also the goal - quoting Romans 4:25; Piper's description is that He is both the "price" and the "prize". Piper of course extends this to emphasize that "the ultimate goal of God in his saving providence-namely the praise of the glory of his grace-was achieved through the suffering of the Son of God, who died to delivery us from eternal suffering (2 Thessalonians 1:9) and bring us into everlasting enjoyment of his glory (John 17:24)". We are then encouraged to see "the obvious" that-using Ephesians 1:4-6-God's plan from the beginning was that "God's ultimate purpose in creation and providence was not that his glory be displayed and praised through means that did not involve the suffering of Son. The cross was not an afterthought. It was part of the plan from before the foundation of the world (2 Timothy 1:9, Revelation 13:8)."
Finally, Piper writes that "[e]verything else is subordinate to this plan. Everything else is put in place by God's providence for the sake of this plan. The display of the glory of God's grace, especially in the suffering of the Beloved, echoing forever in the all-satisfying praises of the redeemed, is the goal of creation and ultimate aim of all God's works for providence".
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing and of course so is Your grace and You are worthy of my ceaseless praise and worship. Thank You for the rich mercies You pour out for me. I am not deserving of such love. I worry and I am lazy among my many sins. Please forgive me for seeking my own power over yours and not relying on the peace of Christ. Please forgive me for seeking comfort in the pleasures of this world. Help me turn from and overcome my sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
