Ask Pastor John

John Piper answering tough theological and pastoral questions.

Episodes

Every Pinch of Pain Has Purpose

April 24, 2025 • 12 mins

Persecution, troubles, heaviness of heart — are these different forms of God’s discipline? Pastor John traces God’s good purposes in different kinds of pain.

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Will Heaven Ever Grow Boring?

April 21, 2025 • 15 mins

We know the new heavens and new earth will be a place of perfect, endless joy. But will we really never get bored, even after millions of years?

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The Cost of Being a Loner

April 17, 2025 • 7 mins

Those who try to live the Christian life outside of community are missing something crucial. So, how might Christian loners move toward life together?

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God Withholds Nothing We Need

April 14, 2025 • 12 mins

If God has already promised not to withhold anything good from us, then does asking him for more imply that yesterday’s good wasn’t good enough?

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How Can I Grow in Humility as I Grow in Knowledge?

April 10, 2025 • 11 mins

If knowledge puffs up, will formal Bible education make us proud? Pastor John points out pride’s craftiness and offers five weapons of humility.

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How to Become the Mother of Jesus

April 7, 2025 • 12 mins

What does the Bible say about Mary, Jesus’s mother? What is Mary’s true legacy for Christians today?

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Distinguishing Shame from Guilt

April 3, 2025 • 12 mins

What is the difference between guilt and shame? And when do true feelings of guilt or shame become false feelings that reject God’s grace?

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What Jordan Peterson Gets Wrong About Happiness

March 31, 2025 • 11 mins

Is the purpose of life to find meaning? Pastor John responds to Jordan Peterson’s claim that happiness cannot be our goal.

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Does God Withdraw His Presence from Me?

March 27, 2025 • 10 mins

God promises never to leave us nor forsake us, but sometimes the Bible says he withdraws his presence from us. How can those both be true?

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Seven Promises That Have Kept John Piper

March 24, 2025 • 12 mins

How can our faith turn from nominal to authentic? Pastor John reflects on God’s power to establish and sustain belief through his promises.

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Help Me Live a Genuine Life

March 20, 2025 • 13 mins

When God commands a godly life of genuine affections, how do we obey? John Piper draws our attention to the transforming mercies of God.

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How Did Jesus Freely Live a Scripted Life?

March 17, 2025 • 11 mins

As Jesus headed toward the cross, he knew he was fulfilling the script that was written for him. So, how did he authentically choose a death already decided?

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How Much of Christianity Remains a Secret?

March 13, 2025 • 14 mins

How much of the Christian faith has already been revealed to us now, and how much of it remains a secret that we won’t understand until we get to heaven?

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If No One Seeks God, How Is Anyone Saved?

March 10, 2025 • 13 mins

If sinners cannot seek God, how does anyone receive salvation? Pastor John shows that God must give his power and grace precisely because we cannot seek him on our own.

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Are Christians Happier Than Non-Christians in This Life?

March 6, 2025 • 11 mins

Why are Christians most to be pitied if there’s no resurrection? Don’t we still experience more joy than non-Christians? Pastor John gives four responses.

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I Never Felt Like God’s Enemy — Was I?

March 3, 2025 • 14 mins

If we have no memory of hating or opposing God before he saved us, then how should we understand the Bible’s claim that we were his enemy?

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Advice for Reading Romans After Decades of Experience

February 27, 2025 • 12 mins

Why does Pastor John believe Romans is the greatest letter ever written? And how would he encourage Christians to benefit from this monumental book?

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Should I Use AI to Help Me Write Sermons?

February 24, 2025 • 14 mins

Should pastors and ministry leaders use artificial intelligence as a tool to write their sermons and newsletters? If so, how? If not, why not?

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Every Good Sermon Has Application

February 20, 2025 • 14 mins

How much life application should pastors offer in their sermons? Pastor John commends interweaving exposition and application throughout each sermon.

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What Makes Someone Spiritually Dirty?

February 17, 2025 • 11 mins

When Jesus taught that impurity comes from within, was he departing from the Old Testament? Pastor John considers purity across the covenants.

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