Keeping Sovereign Grace in Gospel Partnerships - by John Piper

Found here. Our comments in bold.

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Dr. Piper enjoys a reputation as an excellent Bible teacher, but we have examined several of his explanations and have found them lacking. 

He is Reformed/ Calvinist in his doctrine. Reformed/Calvinists do what they always do: Explain Calvinism. They never explain the Bible unless they can transform it into an explanation of  Calvinism. This is exactly what happens here. Dr. Piper is asked about why his group identifies itself as Reformed/Calvinistic, but instead of answering he devotes his long response to explaining Calvinism.

More to the point, Dr. Piper never defines the terms he uses and never explains Calvinistic concepts like "sovereign grace." He presumes his audience is Calvinistic and therefore already knows all the ins and outs of these doctrines. So in the end Dr. Piper doesn't really explain anything, he's just reciting and reinforcing Calvinism, and assumes his audience is nodding their heads in agreement.

But worse, the question he is asked is never answered. And, he produces not a single Scripture that proves his doctrines. 

We must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.

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Audio Transcript

(...)

If this is a “gospel coalition,” why does it define itself confessionally as Reformed or Calvinistic? That is what we read in the preamble to the Foundation Documents: “We are a fellowship of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition.” Obviously you don’t speak for everyone on the council or in any official capacity, but what would be your personal answer to that question? Or, maybe more safely, why would any church, school, or ministry devoted to being gospel-centered and gospel-advancing define its identity as Reformed or Calvinistic rather than something broader?

Essentials of the Gospel

(...)

 I think it is wise and strategic — but not the only legitimate way to define the parameters of a ministry — for a gospel-driven ministry to define itself with a Reformed, Calvinistic vision of salvation because (here’s the key) this vision expresses, guards, and glorifies the grace of God at the center of the gospel. That’s my answer in a sentence. (Apart from Reformed/Calvinistic knowledge that one must possess in advance, this sentence would be nonsense.)

Paul says in Acts 20:24, “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” That’s a crucial phrase: “the gospel of the grace of God.” Essential to the good news, at the heart of the gospel, is the grace of God. And that gospel of grace stands in the service of the ultimate purpose of God in creation and redemption described in Ephesians 1:6: “To the praise of [the glory of his] grace.” It’s hard to elevate the greatness and beauty and value of the grace of God more highly than to say that the gospel is a gospel of grace, and to say that the universe exists — everything exists — for the praise of the glory of the grace of God. (Dr. Piper repeatedly uses the word "grace" but never tells us what that means. We will help the reader. "Grace" as used by Dr. Piper means "God being nice to us sinful, despicable worms."

This errant view of grace, which actually happens to be the assumption that underpins the entirety of Reformism/Calvinism, requires groveling humans and a reluctant Savior. However, grace is actually God's desire to draw near and to bless. He does not make any determination regarding merit or unmerit. He doesn't hold His nose and grudgingly decide to do something nice for us icky humans. No, He loves us and loves to be near us.

The Reformed/Calvinistic view of grace is based on the idea of undeserved kindness of God towards us barely-savable wretches, while the biblical version of grace is God's desire to bless.)

That’s my starting point. The praise of the glory of God’s grace is the ultimate purpose of all things and is at the center of the gospel. So, Reformed theology, the Calvinistic doctrine of salvation, I argue, exists to express and guard and glorify the grace of God at the heart of the gospel. (This has little to do with the question. The question was, why identify your ministry as Calvinistic, thereby implying exclusivity?)

Gospel Solas

(Now comes extended, and useless explanations of Calvinism.) One expression of this theology is the five solas, or the five alones, of justification. It goes like this: “Justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, based on one, infallible source of revelation, Scripture alone.”

Now, that first phrase, “grace alone,” is absolutely crucial because it is intended to express the glory of God’s grace and to guard the glory of that grace from the grace-diminishing claim that fallen man has ultimate self-determination and that such self-determination, not God’s grace, is decisive in man’s conversion and preservation. I regard that position as grace diminishing. “Grace alone” implies, “No, there is no such thing in this fallen world as ultimate human self-determination.” It doesn’t exist; all are slaves of sin (Romans 6:17–20). Rather, grace alone — not human self-determination — is decisive in man’s conversion and preservation.

When Wesleyans and Arminians (Who?)

(that would be over against Reformed theology, over against Calvinism) introduce the idea of prevenient grace, (What is this?)

which they say brings all people, in some measure, out of the bondage of original sin, (This is what they teach? Really?)

they still teach that at the moment of conversion, the decisive influence that brings about saving faith is man’s self-determining will, not the grace of God. (Why are these in opposition? How does a person's will negate God's grace? Please explain.)

That’s the problem. That’s the watershed issue. Wesleyans that I have interacted with don’t like it when I make this point because they want to emphasize how gloriously full and beautiful and rich is the grace of God that has been poured out in Christ and in so many ways to bring fallen man to the point where he can believe. But that’s simply not the point. The point is that, at the all-important moment of conversion, when a person passes from death to life, Wesleyans and Arminians believe that the decisive influence at that point is the will of man, not the grace of God. (Why is this all-important? Why is it so crucial to know? What part of the Christian life is changed by this knowledge?

We happen to believe that the argument between Calvinists and Arminians is pointless and irrelevant to any aspect of a Christian's obligations or privileges.)

This is why Reformed Christians love to speak of sovereign grace. (Yes, indeed. They love luv luuuuv to talk about Calvinism all the time. 

Now Dr. Piper introduces a new phrase, "sovereign grace," [apparently this is different than plain old grace] which he will use several times. He never defines it, which means that once again a person must possess prior knowledge of these doctrines in order to understand Dr. Piper's statements.)

God’s grace triumphs over all demonic and human obstacles, including that final resistance of my human will, and brings me all the way into life and faith. (How does this happen? Will Dr. Piper explain? Nope.)

It doesn’t just bring me to the point where I can produce my own faith. (Grace does this? In what way? What does it mean to produce my own faith, and why is that bad? Will he explain? Nope.)

It raises me from the dead. It gives me life and faith. Reformed Christians believe that the Bible teaches that the glory of God’s grace includes the sovereignty of God’s grace. (Which means... what, exactly?)

We love Reformed theology because we love the sovereign grace of God, because we know from the Bible and from experience that we would not be saved without it. (No one gets saved apart from Reformed theology? Whaaat? Those poor unsaved Wesleyans and Arminians...)

It is a very personal, existential matter with us. My life hangs on the triumph of God over my resistance, all the way home. (???)

We would have walked away — all of us — like the rich young man, except that Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God” (Luke 18:27). Amen — thank you, Jesus. That’s our only hope. This is why we pray. This is why we evangelize. This is why we do missions. God does the impossible through the gospel.

TULIP: Guarding the Gospel

(Even more unneeded explanations of Calvinism.) Sometimes the Reformed vision of salvation is summed up in the so-called five points, which are different from the five solas. The five points are sometimes called the doctrines of grace. And you can see why, because grace is so utterly essential to the issue. (He still hasn't told us what grace is, or even sovereign grace for that matter.)

These five points are a biblical expression and protection and glorification of God’s sovereign grace. That’s why they are stressed: They protect, they express, they glorify sovereign grace. For example:

• Total depravity, the T in TULIP, guards the glory of grace by teaching from Romans 8:7 that man is totally unable to submit to God and his word apart from sovereign grace.
• U, unconditional election, guards the glory of God’s grace by showing that, before the foundation of the world, the elect were chosen by grace before any human influence existed.
• The L, limited or definite atonement, guards the glory of God’s grace by showing that, when Christ shed the blood of the new covenant, the new heart of faith and obedience was effectively, sovereignly secured for all God’s people.
• I, irresistible grace, guards the glory of God’s grace by showing that the last stand of human resistance against God will always give way to sovereign grace alone for those whom God saves.
• And finally, P, perseverance of the saints, shows that whatever conditions of final salvation we meet, it is, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “Not [we], but the grace of God that is with [us].” Sovereign grace brings us all the way home. (We discuss these doctrines in some depth under our label "Calvinism.")

So, in summary, I think it is wise and strategic for a gospel-driven ministry — like The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, Bethlehem College and Seminary, or hundreds of ministries, hundreds of churches — to define that ministry with the Reformed vision of salvation because this vision expresses, guards, and glorifies the grace of God at the center of the gospel. The Reformed vision is a faithful expression of biblical truth about God’s grace. It safeguards the sovereignty of grace in conversion, and it joyfully joins God in his ultimate purpose, which is “the praise of [the glory of his] grace” (Ephesians 1:6).