Jesus: The Only Way to God

I actually listened to the audio version of this book from christianaudio.com.

Is it necessary for a person to have actual, conscious faith in Jesus Christ in order for them to be reconciled to God?

Do those who either refuse Jesus or who simply never hear of Jesus spend an actual eternity in hell under the wrath of Almighty God?

In Jesus, the Only Way to God,?

John Piper addresses these questions in his inspiring, helpful, and typically thorough style. Separate and apart from providing sufficient answers to these questions, Piper explains and exposes two of the erroneous but very popular beliefs that have crept into Christianity, and they are universalism and annihilationism.

The thing is, if you are not aware of what these beliefs cover, they are so prevalent today that there is a chance that you actually subscribe to one or both of them. For that matter alone it is well worth reading this book.

(Posted on 8/16/11)

This is a solid biblical address to this hot topic. If you didn't know this came out a year ago, you would think it is a response to Rob Bell's latest offering. Pastor John doesn't back down, but offer's clear, biblically structured arguments for Jesus being the only way to God. I really like how he starts with the most basic arguments and moves to more deeply rooted arguments. Interesting the people who are quoted that waver on the issue and do not take a stand on it. If you want a concise, biblical punch-in-the-face to pluralism--here's a great start.

(Posted on 3/25/11)

This audiobook adds to the abundance of Christian theology books by Piper. David Heath accepts the challenge of delivering Piper's treatise and, in many ways, succeeds. He presents the text in a deep voice with clear diction and a slow place, an effort that seems uninspired at first. But this book is intended for those seriously interested in theological studies, and Heath narrates in the same manner one would expect Piper to deliver his own writing. Definitely not for a car trip, this audio needs to be saved for the uninterrupted moments of small-group Bible study or a pastoral moment of reflection. J.E. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2011]

(Posted on 2/8/11)

John Piper is at it again, with yet another book released. When I received this audiobook for review, I had thought that the book was a normal size, only to find that the print version is microscopically small. Unbelievable! This audiobook is narrated by Dave Heath. As a note, I try to avoid reviewing content for the audiobook, and prefer to stick to reviewing precisely why an individual may choose to acquire the audiobook over the print book. That being said, I wish to mention that I am traditionally not a fan of John Piper, but what I've come across thus far in listening to this book, I find myself interested enough to consider reading the book itself.


Read the rest at http://infinitlove.com/9vw.

(Posted on 10/14/10)

Is it necessary for a person to have actual, conscious faith in Jesus Christ in order for them to be reconciled to God? Do those who either refuse Jesus or who simply never hear of Jesus spend an actual eternity in hell under the wrath of Almighty God? In Jesus, the Only Way to God, John Piper addresses these questions in his inspiring, helpful, and typically thorough style.

Positive

Simply put, Piper nails this issue with the word of God. He is not arrogant, belittling of others, or sensationalistic in this work. Piper simply goes to the Scripture to explain what Christians have believed from the word of God for centuries.

Negative

In chapter 5, Piper addresses the question of whether or not Cornelius was already saved before Peter came to tell him the gospel. Piper eventually argues that Cornelius represents a special kind of person in the world, one who seeks after God in an extraordinary way. Piper then illustrates this idea by quoting a story of missionaries in Ethiopia. It is strange, then, that Piper does not explain this conclusion about lost God-seekers in the light of Romans 3:11 which declares that no one seeks after God.

Recommendation

People in our churches are actually asking whether or not one must have conscious faith in Jesus in order to be reconciled to God; thus, we need a work like this one from Piper to answer them. While the brevity of the work leaves a question or two unanswered, Piper does an outstanding job of answering what needs to be answered with biblical soundness, thoroughness, and readability. If you have any struggles with the question of the exclusivity of Christ and the necessity of conscious faith for salvation (or if you know someone who has these struggles), this book is an excellent resource for you.

Audio

I received an excellent copy of the audio recording of this work from ChristianAudio.com. The narration was very well-done and quite easy-to-listen-to.

(Posted on 9/5/10)

Is it necessary for a person to have actual, conscious faith in Jesus Christ in order for them to be reconciled to God? Do those who either refuse Jesus or who simply never hear of Jesus spend an actual eternity in hell under the wrath of Almighty God? In Jesus, the Only Way to God, John Piper addresses these questions in his inspiring, helpful, and typically thorough style.

Positive

Simply put, Piper nails this issue with the word of God. He is not arrogant, belittling of others, or sensationalistic in this work. Piper simply goes to the Scripture to explain what Christians have believed from the word of God for centuries.

Negative

In chapter 5, Piper addresses the question of whether or not Cornelius was already saved before Peter came to tell him the gospel. Piper eventually argues that Cornelius represents a special kind of person in the world, one who seeks after God in an extraordinary way. Piper then illustrates this idea by quoting a story of missionaries in Ethiopia. It is strange, then, that Piper does not explain this conclusion about lost God-seekers in the light of Romans 3:11 which declares that no one seeks after God.

Recommendation

People in our churches are actually asking whether or not one must have conscious faith in Jesus in order to be reconciled to God; thus, we need a work like this one from Piper to answer them. While the brevity of the work leaves a question or two unanswered, Piper does an outstanding job of answering what needs to be answered with biblical soundness, thoroughness, and readability. If you have any struggles with the question of the exclusivity of Christ and the necessity of conscious faith for salvation (or if you know someone who has these struggles), this book is an excellent resource for you.

Audio

I received an excellent copy of the audio recording of this work from ChristianAudio.com. The narration was very well-done and quite easy-to-listen-to.

(Posted on 9/5/10)

In this book John Piper sets out to answer one question, "Is Jesus the only way to God?" The answer is simply yes. John Piper breaks this book down into three questions people commonly ask when wondering if Jesus is the only way to heaven. He continually turns readers to the Bible in order to prove why Jesus is the only way.



John Piper’s writings are very deep and profound. This book is not for the faint of heart and not something to pick and read through fast. John Piper is an author requiring the reader to read through and through his writings until the reader understands what he is saying.



I listened to the audio version of this book and while the message is a good one, the narrator was awfully boring and dry to listen too.

(Posted on 8/16/10)

This book deals with one basic question... is Jesus the only way to salvation? Though this is a simple question it has many implications and the question itself can be broken up into three questions.

1) Will anyone experience eternal, conscience, torment under God’s wrath.

Is there such a thing as Hell? Is eternal punishment at stake in the evangelization of the world? Is Jesus the only way to escape from an eternal conscience torment of Hell? Will anyone be eternally cut off from Christ and experience eternal, conscience torment under the wrath of God?

This first question has to address such issues as Universalism and Annihilationism.

2.) Is the work of Christ necessary for salvation or are there other basis?

This deals with the issue of whether all religions are a journey to God and there is not just one way. It even deals with a Wider-Mercy and Inclusivism type view that would say a Buddist is saved by Jesus even though they may never hear His name or gospel.

3) Is conscience faith in Christ necessary for salvation?

A negative response to any of these questions diminishes mission urgency.

In summation John Piper argues that since there is a eternal Hell (ch 2) and the death and resurrection of Christ are essential for rescue from Hell (ch 3) and people need to hear this good news and believe it in order to be rescued (ch 4-7) and none are saved by any other means than hearing and believing in Jesus, then we should obey the Great Commission and spread the good news despite it being rejected and unpopular in our culture.

I'd recommend this book to anyone struggling with these basic, essential Christian truths, or someone who just needs a reminder and encouragement.

I got this audiobook from Welcome to the christianaudio store - christianaudio.com. The narrator was clear and not dry. Easy to understand and follow. I definitely recommend it. You can buy it here: John Piper: Jesus: the Only Way to God (audio book, MP3, CD) - christianaudio.com

soli Deo gloria!

jason d.

(Posted on 8/2/10)

This review was made possible by the christianaudio.com Reviewers Program

John Piper is a legend among preachers today. He's laser focused on glorifying Christ among all nations. This book seems simple. Jesus is the only way to God. It's a 'sunday school' answer. John takes this to a much deeper level. It's a starting truth that Jesus is in fact the only way for salvation. What does this mean for those that haven't heard of the Gospel of Jesus? It's a startling reality. With Jesus being the only way to God, it's our job as believers to spread the gospel to the unreached and unengaged. John always has a way of bringing deep theological truths to a practical way that can be applied day to day.

It's a quick listen and the narrator does a great job. I very much recommend it!

http://christianaudio.com/product_info.php?products_id=2889

(Posted on 7/23/10)

What a strange title for a book but such a typically "deep" thinking man of God. I initially wondered what John Piper was doing tackling such an obvious truthful statement. I wondered that for quite some time, that is until I entered the mission field myself. I see now more than ever that Piper is tackling an incredibly important issue. As Piper has correctly identified (paraphrase), "Many of the most passionate missionaries have been knocked down over the years and now think that it is arrogant and hateful to say that Jesus is the only way. They have shrunk back, moved from personal conviction to pragmatism."

This book is a breath of fresh air. Seeing as how the whole world is right at our fingertips, especially with the advent of the internet, we meet people everyday who have never heard of Jesus Christ. Piper has set out to celebrate the important work of missionaries. In doing so, he realizes that saying that, "the teaching that someone can be saved without hearing the Gospel can rip the heart out of a missionary."

This book is a book of encouragement. It's a warning. It's helping us dust off an everlasting truth in an attempt to make sure we don't give in to the pragmatism of the world.

The Gospel will offend people. We need to understand that and not shy away from the truth of God's word. Piper does a great job of helping us remember that using...wait for it...The Living Word of God...as his guide.

Like what you've read? Check out the book here: http://bit.ly/onewayJesus

***This review was made possible by the christianaudio Reviewers Program (http://www.christianaudio.com)

(Posted on 7/19/10)