Controversy!

August 24, 2006

Joe,

Thanks for posting the Piper article, I had seen it online but actually not had the chance to read it yet when you posted it.  It certainly is a bit wordy!  I’ve read a lot of Piper and I had to re-read several sentences to make sure I was following what he was saying.  Piper answers the question “Why does God delight in His children?” by saying that He delights in us because we delight in Him.  I probably would have answered the question by saying, He delights in us because He has made us each with the ability to uniquely reflect His infinite worth, and that our worth comes from magnifying His worth.  I think both answers are pretty similar actually, since our delighting in Him is the fundamental way in which we reflect His worth.

But I titled this post “Controversy” because I am puzzled sometimes at the way Piper uses proof-texts to show that joy in God is commanded.  Now I have no doubt that I need not elaborate on how much I have profited from Piper’s ministry and how God has used him to show me the unsearchable riches of God’s glory.  All you have to do is go back into the archives of this blog and find my recommendation of the Pleasures of God. 

But in my opinion, his use of texts here (and I’ve seen it in other places too) leaves something to be desired.  He says in the article that God commands us to delight in Him, and he supports that statement with six proof-texts.  Four of the six verses that he cites are clearly not commandments.  One is a prayer (Ps. 70:4), and three are statements of fact (Ps. 43:4, 63:3, Rom. 5:2).  That leaves only two commandments left, one of which (Phil.4:4) is definitely a commandment.  The other (Psalm 37:4) does not read like a command in english (it sounds more like a promise), but I do believe it’s in the Hebrew imperative. 

Let’s assume that his use of Psalm 37:4 is legitimate; why use six proof-texts to support the statement that God commands us to delight in Him, when only two of those six verses are even commandments?  I almost wish he would have just used Philippians 4:4 and left it at that.  That one is clear, and you really don’t need any more evidence. 

I have no doubt that joy in God is a commandment, because I believe it is fundamental in the greatest commandment to love God with all of our heart and soul and mind and strength.  And 1 Peter 1:8-9 seems to make plain that love, faith and joy are inseparable movements of the soul in the person who has seen Christ in a saving way: ”Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

I suspect that a good Berean would not be impressed with Piper’s effort in this article to show that delight in God is commanded.  Certainly he has written much on this topic, but doesn’t it seem to you that his handling of it in this article was somewhat weak?  

I should add that the way he deals with his second question, why God tells us that he delights in us, is very good and very necessary for our self-esteem loving, pragmatic church age to understand.  If you’ve not taken the time, check out the link in Joe’s last post and give it a read!

Anxious to see whether I am still permitted to blog with you,

Larry    

Posted by Larry | Filed Under Random Musings 

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