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Rating: 
Summary: Solid, short and readable
Review: Firstly, it is nice and short (140p), good for those who have to study other books for college courses. There are only 4 Chapters and an introduction, with a clear numbering system for each section that should make it an easy book to discuss.Intro: Full outline of the argument 1. The Setting in family, church, culture, and nations 2. The contemporary challenge 3. An exegetical response to the challenge 4. Conclusion As you can see from the chapter headings it is a response to a new theology of Justification that denies the imputation of Christ's righteousness. Consequently, it has a polemical style and focusses on the issues raised by this new approach. For me, it is reminiscent of Leon Morris's two great books on the atonement. The apostolic preaching of the cross (1984)
The atonement: It's meaning & significance (1984) It is a slightly odd book because 3 out of the 4 chapters are very easy reading, whilst the 3rd chapter is quite dense exegesis. In the first two chapters Piper provides a great overview of the practical importance of the doctrine of imputed righteousness. The fourth chapter is just a summing up of what he has said in the whole book. Is it worth reading? It depends on where you are at. I found it very encouraging and affirming on the crucial nature of this doctrine. It didn't really expand my thinking so much as provide a solid basis for believing. I also liked being put in the picture about current trends in theology. It will help me spot the position when reading commentaries etc. The exegetical chapter was clear, solid and well argued but I don't think he has totally proven his case on all points.
Rating: 
Summary: Defending the Reformation against errors
Review: In this short book, Dr. John Piper exposes and critiques the serious errors that are being promulgated within evangelical Christianity regarding the doctrine of justification, the righteousness of Christ, the Adam-Christ paradigm, the law-gospel paradigm, and the role of good works in the Christian life. In short, Piper is writing to defend the traditional evangelical understanding of the Gospel (i.e., the one taught in Scripture). There are four chapters in this book. The first chapter is an intro on why the traditional Protestant view of justification is necessary from a familial, ecclesiological, and cultural context. I thought this chapter was quite useless to the purpose of the book and Piper should have just left it unwritten. The second chapter is a short summary of what is going on within evangelicalism on this issue. The third chapter is basically the "meat" of the book. It is quite long and dense (pp. 53-119). This is where Piper defends the historic position based on exegesis and theological argumentation. This is where he deals with the major "justification by faith" passages like Romans 5:12-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21; and Philippians 3:9. Piper does a good job here giving and defending the traditional evangelical interpretation of these passages (that Paul is talking about the imputation of Christ's righteousness and not our "faith-righteousness" or infusion of Christ's righteousness). Piper leaves no stone unturned and many scholars who disagree with the historic Reformational position must reckon with his arguments. (One will find Piper's treatment of the Adam-Christ headship concept very insightful.) It is also refreshing to see that Piper vindicates himself from his ultra-Reformed opponents on the relationship between justification and sanctification, faith and works, etc. Some Reformed people in the past have accused him of joining justification and sanctification or faith and works too closely together. However, Piper makes it clear in this book that justification must never be confused with sanctification (pp. 49-50, 69-80), and that faith is the ONLY instrument in being justified in Christ before God--though this faith leads to good works (p. 89 n. 36). He basically refutes the faith + works theology that is accepted by many professing evangelical scholars today. Hence, many Reformed people have heartily endorsed this book. The fourth chapter is basically a short conclusion of the book. Piper's book is very important for all evangelicals to read. With so much controversy going on these days regarding the nature of the Gospel (i.e., the New Perspective) this short book is a nice read. Not only is this book theologically important it is also (like his other works) pastorally conscious--it leads believers to look to Christ alone for salvation. As there are many so-called "evangelical" pastors who serve at evangelical churches, this book clears the air and shows what the true Gospel is about. There are many "intruders" in the church today who pose as faithful teachers yet proclaim things contrary to their denomination's theological position. (These churchmen, interestingly enough, adopt this new gospel because they think that they have found a new "solution" in fighting rampant antinomianism in the modern church or eliminating the ills of modern society. Apparently, biblical-theological reasons are not the main reasons.) These churchmen worry about losing their jobs and are afraid to admit that their position is contrary to what was taught by the Reformers. They use the same language to advocate a new idea and deceive many. The issue is not only theological, but has to do with the ministerial integrity of many churchmen. This short book is a must read for all students of Scripture. It may make many people uncomfortable, but that is what the Gospel does. Those used to a works-righteousness based salvation will either find this book liberating or frustrating (like Paul's opponent's who were frustrated with his law-free Gospel). A very important book on a very important subject that needs to be in every Christian home.
Rating:
Summary: Effectively Plugs the Leak on Justification
Review: John Piper is among the most respected American pastors of our day, in part because he comprehensively integrates pastoral theology with biblical and systematic theology in a way that produces a full-orbed Christian perspective and grounding. In this book, Piper focuses on the imputation of righteousness that is central to the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone. Many giants of the faith regard the doctrine of justification as a showstopper doctrine, essential to a right understanding of Christianity. As such, it is no surprise that similar to other essential tenets of the faith such as the Trinity, the resurrection, and the inspiration and authority of Scripture, the doctrine of justification is a stumbling block for many that has resulted in various forms of retreat. The latest retreat comes at the hands of Robert Gundry, who attempts to argue that the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer as a result of faith is unbiblical. He argues instead that the inherent faith of the believer is what is counted as righteous in the act of justification, rather than a transfer of Christ's righteousness to us through faith. While this might seem a nuanced difference, in reality, it goes straight to the core of what it means to be justified. Gundry's view in a number of respects is much closer to Roman Catholicism's irresponsible mixing of justification and sanctification in ways that render many sections of Scripture unintelligible. Gundry believes that the act of justification (of our inherent faith) defeats the mastery of sin over our lives (which is traditionally the separate work of sanctification), rather than a legal transfer of Christ's righteousness to us as the basis for justification and the sole grounding for subsequent sanctification. Gundry's view represents a basic retreat on the doctrine of justification, a retreat that at its core resembles all other retreats in elevating the inherent abilities of man and taking away from the work of God by wholly underestimating the pervasive nature of human sin and overestimating man's inherent abilities. It is this position that Piper interacts with in this book. Chapter 3 of the book is clearly the most crucial, since this is where he offers an exegetical critique of Gundry and in the process, validates the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer that is central to justification. Piper's examination of Romans 1-6 in particular is outstanding, along with 2 Corinthians 5. He builds a logical, step by step case that reveals how Gundry's position is untenable, and provides believers with a great deal of reassurance that Christ's imputed righteousness, rather than their sin-tainted acts, is the basis of our right standing with God. I will note some minor quibbles with the book that deserve mention but do not significantly detract from the outstanding presentation given by Piper. First, there are times when Piper tends to devote too much ink to peripheral points (at best). The book is four chapters long, yet the reader will find that a good portion of the first chapter doesn't really deal with justification as much as it is a lament by Piper on the theological emptiness that pervades many evangelical churches. And while this is certainly a view I strongly agree with, I found it a bit misplaced here. Second, in his examination of Romans 5, Piper spends several pages trying to demonstrate that Paul had infants in mind in this passage of Scripture. While the discussion is interesting, it is a peripheral point that is not central to Piper's overall argument that Romans 5 discusses the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer in contrast to the imputation of Adam's sin to all of humanity. Lastly, Piper avoids the often thorny topic of whether faith is a gift of God or not. While I admit that my thoughts on this are far from complete, it seems to me that this question is pertinent to the discussion on justification and has ramifications on Gundry's view and Piper's response to it. But it seems as if the whole topic is not in view in this discussion, when I think perhaps it should be. These quibbles are clearly quite minor, and as such, should not discourage potential readers from picking up this book. The doctrine of justification is possibly the most important issue of the Christian faith that's rarely discussed, and as such, is very vulnerable to wayward error creeping in. This book plugs the leak within the body of Christ on the question of imputation and does it in a charitable yet thorough way. Given Gundry's history of doctrinal hiccups, I have rarely considered him to be an authority on doctrine and theology, but the fact is that many other people do consider him to be an authority. As such, his retreat on justification deserved a high profile response from a solidly evangelical perspective. This book is it.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Defense of Imputed Righteousness
Review: John Piper is hard NOT to respect. He is among a handful of solid theologians who makes the effort to address the challenges to the evangelical faith (from within) with grace, clarity, and sincerity. In this work, Piper defends the traditional evangelical understanding of imputed righteousness, i.e., that when a person trusts Christ, he not only has his sins forgiven but is, on the positive side, given the righteousness of Christ. This concept, imputed righteousness, is currently being challenged from within evangelicalism. Piper quotes the leading proponent of this view, Dr. Robert Gundry, explains Gundry's perspective, and contrasts it to the traditional one. He then explores the relevant Scriptures and demonstrates why Gundry is wrong. He attempts to lead the reader to conclude that the Scriptures do in fact teach that we are counted as righteous once we are in Christ. We exchange our sin for His righteousness. Piper is not really much of a salesman. Although his language is clear and his sincerity obvious, it is the strength of the Scriptures themselves that do the convincing. And that is not bad! I highly recommend this work. The serious laymen can understand this volume, but it is not "pop Christian" by any means, but requires the reader to think. And that's not bad, either! As we see more and more challenges either directly toward the heart of the Gospel or the periphery, it is great to have Piper on our side! Here is my favorite quotation from this brief volume. The argument is that if Paul had taught Gundry's view in Romans 1-5, the questions of chapter 6 would never have arisen (this is more formidable than meets the eye; if our version of the Gospel does not result in these questions, we may be preaching the wrong message!): "The doctrine of justification by faith apart from works raises the question, 'Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase?...And shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?' The raising of these questions is a powerful indication that justification does not include liberation from the mastery of sin. For if it did, these questions would not plausibly arrive..." Good stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Exult in the centrality of Christ in our salvation!
Review: Just as the title doesn't mince words, this book presents a clear and concise examination of the issue at stake: the historic protestant doctine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and with that, the very issue of justification itself. This is a timely response to the controversy and growing defection from the doctrine in evangelical and reformed circles. In the first chapter, Piper spells out his motivation for the book: the theological and practical implications of the doctrine. The second chapter carefully defines the specifics of the question at stake. The third chapter contains the exegetical arguments, and the forth concludes the book. Piper writes with passion and with a pastor's heart. With that, I am struck all the more by how careful and even-toned his exegesis is, when so many passionate arguments are little more than polemics consisting of slogans and unexplained proof-texts. Piper uses no such rhetoric, remaining respectful to his theological opponents, even acknowledging how certain texts could, by the letter, fit their position. But Piper builds a solid case that the righteousness of the elect is that of Christ, not by force-fitting proof texts into a pre-conceived systematic, but by a level-headed consideration of the context and the flow of the text. Though short, this book is not always light reading. Many of the arguments require a great deal of chewing on. It probably has to do with Piper trying to provide as much clarity as possible. This is a welcome contrast to much of the opposing literature which uses familiar terminology in vague statements that end up lulling the reader into feeling good about what was said, rather than rigorously thinking about and understanding it (and how it might deviate from the historic position). There was a time when I did not think the doctine of imputed righteousness to be of much importance. For those who find themselves in that position, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is a wonderful thing that Christ is truly our all in all, our righteousness as well as our penal substitute; that our standing before God is secure in our union with Christ in heaven and not in a performance that we have to pull off. Indeed, it is the obedience of Christ, active and the passive, that provides the firm foundation of our salvation. No hope without it.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Work on the Nature of Justification
Review: This a very impressive work! This is the first John Piper book I have read, and all I can say is WOW! A lot of "punch" is packed into such a little book (just over 100 pages). Some readers who are not keen on indepth exegesis may find it a bit overwhelming, but if they stick with reading it they will not be disappointed. I heartily recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Work on the Nature of Justification
Review: This a very impressive work! This is the first John Piper book I have read, and all I can say is WOW! A lot of "punch" is packed into such a little book (just over 100 pages). Some readers who are not keen on indepth exegesis may find it a bit overwhelming, but if they stick with reading it they will not be disappointed. I heartily recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put it Down!
Review: This book caught my eye and kept me enthralled! I will certainly read it again and have already recommended it to friends who are serious about their faith. The book awakened me to the real threat of compromising on this crucial issue. Piper writes with heart while maintaining intellectual integrity. This work is a must read for pastors, missionaries, counselors and disciple-makers who continually deal with pressure to compromise the uncompromisable in the name of contextualization. A gospel without imputation is no real gospel at all, and as Piper makes so clear, the idea is antithetical to scripture! Enjoy the read!
Rating:
Summary: The Compassion of a Shepherd, the Competence of a Scholar
Review: What a wonderful book this is, combining pastoral warmth with exegetical precision in the defense and confirmation of the very heart of the Christian gospel: justification by faith alone. Piper shows that sinners are made right with God through the righteousness of Christ which is credited to them. That this is being challenged to me today is mind-boggling. Why do people want to destroy such good news? Why wrestle against what is so lucid and clear and Scriptural? Well, the threats are there and John Piper has faced them. Chapter one describes the many personal reasons in family, church, culture, and the nations why this issue is so important. Chapters two and three set out the challenge to this doctrine and defend the truth exegetically. Piper is polite to his opponent (Robert Gundry) and honest with his arguments. There is no mispresentation. This is an excellent book. The Discerning Reader named this book of the year. Thanks to Pastor John for writing it and thanks to Crossway for publishing it.
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