Quotes to Note 32: John Piper on Godliness

I came across this quote in reading through Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian, John Piper’s most recent book (Crossway, 2011). You can tell that Piper has thought about this more than just this little quote says. This resonates with me due to my experience in hard-nosed fundamentalism. But it’s not just fundamentalists, who can tend to think this way. Read the quote below and let me know what you think. This could be fodder for a healthy conversation.

Apathy is passionless living. It is sitting in front of the television night anfter night and living your life from one moment of entertainment to the next. It is the inability to be shocked into action by the steady-state lostness and suffering of the world. It is the emptiness that comes from thinking of godliness as the avoidance of doing bad things instead of the aggressive pursuit of doing good things.

If that were God’s intention for the godliness of his people, why would Paul say, “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12)? People who stay at home and watch clean videos don’t get persecuted. Godliness must mean something more public, more aggressively good.

In fact, the aim of the gospel is the creation of people who are passionate for doing good rather than settling for the passionless avoidance of evil. “[Christ] gave himself for us… to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14). The gospel produces people who are created for good works (Eph. 2:10), and have a reputation for good works (1 Tim. 5:10), and are rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:18), and present a model of good works (Titus 2:7), and devote themselves to good works (Titus 3:8, 14), and stir each other up to good works (Heb. 10:24). (pg. 101, emphasis added)

Piper goes on to stress being fervent and zealous in good works, but the point I wanted to hone in on is called out in bold emphasis above. Too often, conservative Christians rest in the fact that they are avoiding bad works. They can pride themselves in “watching clean videos,” not using foul language and etc. The old adage was something along these lines: Christians “don’t drink, don’t chew, and don’t go with those who do.” But merely being decent people is not what true godliness entails. We should take thought to what we are doing, not merely what we are not doing.

Food for thought, indeed!

4 thoughts on “Quotes to Note 32: John Piper on Godliness

  1. I like it very good food for thought “aggressive pursuit of doing good things” the scripture that comes instantly to my mind is James 1:22-25.

    King James Version (KJV)

    22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

    23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

    24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

    25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

    mahalo nui loa for posting my friend.

  2. Great thoughts, Bob. Thanks for sharing this! That exhortation from Piper is sorely needed in many areas of Christian life. It also reminds me of the introduction to J.D. Greear’s new book “Gospel”. He makes a similar point about Christianity being much more than avoiding “bad” things, and about the damage we do to spiritual growth and life when we promote a religion of mere “cleanness”. I am really drinking deeply while reading that book.

  3. Hey Bob,
    Great quote…I would like to get this book too! Being that I live in California and it is virtually a mixed racial paradise utopia out here, I haven’t felt the urgency to buy it yet. 🙂

    Yes, I have been preaching on pursing Godliness in our AM services (You can hear the sermons on Sermon Audio: http://www.missionpeakbaptist.com/Sermon_Audio.html)

    And it has been some of the most passionate stuff I have ever done, when I realize how energizing it is to pursue Godliness more than avoiding sinfulness.

  4. I always take great comfort in knowing that Christ died for the ungodly.

    My efforts at godly living seem to put the focus on me, and just serve to show me that I cannot do it. That I need a Savior.

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