HOW SIN SERVES THE GLORY OF CHRIST:

I transcribed the following passage from a message entitled, “How Sin Serves the Glory of Christ”, given by Dr. John Piper to the “Resolved 2009” audience regarding the sovereignty of God. I hope you enjoy and are driven to listen to his entire masterful message.

“You may be wrestling, now, with the theological implications of what I’m saying – that God is sovereign over sin. ‘You meant it for evil, Lucifer, and God meant it for good. You meant it for evil, Adam; God meant it for good. You meant it for evil, Joseph’s brothers; God meant it for good. You meant it for evil, Judas; God meant it for good. You meant it for evil, you treasonous Israelites; God meant it for good.’

You may really stumble over the fact that God means evil – means evil, designs evil, ordains evil – wills that evil be without Himself being evil. You may be having a hard time with that right now. And let me end by saying if you don’t embrace that what you’re up against.

You can’t have the gospel if you say that in the betrayal – in the denial, in the abandonment, in the spitting, in the crowning, in the beating, in the lashing, in the nailing, in the spearing – God had no hand. There’s no gospel! The gospel is that in that God was loving you. We’re not playing games with theology when we talk about the sovereignty of God. We’re not just throwing ideas around to try to create controversy. We’re trying to save the gospel.

You can’t have the gospel if God is not sovereign over Herod, and Pilate, and the Gentiles, and the Jews, and Judas, and Peter, and the nails, and the spear, and the crown, and the cry. You can’t have the gospel; it’s all just historical accident. Maybe admirable in his sacrifice and love, but God can’t be doing anything for you, He can’t be crushing His son, He can’t be making a curse for you, He can’t be loving you.

I am not playing games with the sovereignty of God. I want you to come to the cross and not say that the substitutionary atonement is divine child abuse. I hate that! I’m trying to rescue it for you. I’m trying to preserve the bible for you. I’m trying to help you go to the cross and feel loved by the Father.”