“I cannot too strongly celebrate the publication of this book. Owing in part to several decades of dispute over justifi cation and how a person is set right with God, we have tended to neglect another component of conversion no less important. Conversion under the terms of the new covenant is more than a matter of position and status in Christ, though never less: it includes miraculous Spirit-given transformation, something immeasurably beyond mere human resolution. It is new birth; it makes us new creatures; it demonstrates that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. All the creedal orthodoxy in the world cannot replace it. The reason why ‘You must be born again’ is so important is that you must be born again.” D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfi eld, Illinois “Many will be thankful that John Piper is here addressing the key need of our times. Every awakening begins with the renewed discovery of Christ’s teaching on the new birth. Here is that amazing teaching in lucid yet com- prehensive form; with a relevance to readers worldwide.” Iain H. Murray “When I was a boy my grandmother asked me, ‘Have you been born again?’ Though I didn’t understand what she meant at the time, that question led to my conversion to Christ. In this wonderful book, Pastor John Piper rescues the term ‘born again’ from the abuse and overuse to which it is subject in our culture today. This is a fresh presentation of the evangelical doctrine of the new birth, a work fi lled with theological insight and pastoral wisdom.” Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama and Senior Editor of Christianity Today “Expository and practical, this rich survey of New Testament teaching explores the nature of the new birth and the life which fl ows from it. Full of refreshment and encouragement, it reveals more deeply the glory of Christ and the gospel and motivates a renewed commitment to live out this good news and share it with others.” David Jackman, The Proclamation Trust, London, U.K. “The doctrine of the new birth is cheapened and hidden because so many ‘professing Christians’ have not experienced the reality of the new birth. The reality of the new birth is seemingly so little celebrated because so few understand the majestic doctrine of the new birth. Finally Alive sweeps away so much confusion and gives its readers so much cause for rejoicing in the saving work of God through Jesus Christ His beloved Son. Nothing could be more vital than God’s people understanding what regeneration looks and feels and tastes and desires and speaks and walks and thinks like. Nothing could be more eternally important than Christian people knowing what the Bible teaches about the new birth and knowing that they have experienced it. One wonders why it’s taken so long for a book on the new birth to be written! But now it has and I pray every reader rejoices in God for the rich beauties of Christ Jesus so compellingly shared in its pages.” Thabiti Anyabwile, First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands “John Piper rescues the term ‘born again’ from its contemporary status as a gauche or glib cliché and reunites it with a fully orbed biblical understanding of the new birth. Theologically thorough and yet heart-warmingly pastoral and practical, this important book should help God’s people to value the remark- able status and responsibility of being ‘born again.’” Richard Cunningham, Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF), U.K. “Regeneration, or new birth, meaning simply the new you through, with, in, and under Christ, is a largely neglected theme today, but this fi ne set of sermons, criss-crossing the New Testament data with great precision, goes far to fi ll the gap. Highly recommended.” J .I. Packer, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada “The evangelical church is witnessing a resurgent commitment to social ac- tion—the doing of good deeds for a needy culture and world. While correct and commendable for many reasons, one danger now as ever is that ‘good deeds’ will supplant ‘good news.’ We need constant reminders of the truth of what Jesus said: ‘What will it profi t a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?’ (Matt. 16:26). John Piper’s Finally Alive is a vivid and stirring description of the Bible’s teaching on what it means to be born again. The good news of the gospel—that by God’s grace, and through faith in Christ and the all-suffi ciency of his atoning death, one may be fully forgiven and born again to newness of life that will never end—is a message that must be understood, believed, embraced, and proclaimed for true transformation of life to occur. ‘You must be born again’ (John 3:7) is a ‘must’ we dare not lose. Finally Alive unpacks the truth, the necessity, and the process of the new birth clearly and beautifully. For those curious about the Christian faith to those deeply com- mitted to Christ and his ways, come read and behold the glory of any and every sinner’s only hope—the miracle of the new birth that brings forth new life in Christ that will never end.” Bruce Ware, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky “Have I been born again? is not a question to be answered hastily. In this book, Piper strips away our complacency, arguing that many people falsely believe they are Christians. Because no issue could be more critical, I believe this is the most important book Piper has written.” Adrian Warnock blogger F A INALLY LIVE What Happens When We Are Born Again John Piper John Piper is pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minn- eapolis, Minnesota. He has ministered at Bethlehem since 1980. John and his wife, Noël, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren. Unless otherwise indicated Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. © The Desiring God Foundation 2009 ISBN 978-1-84550-421-2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Published in 2009 by Christian Focus Publications Ltd., Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland, Great Britain www.christianfocus.com and Desiring God, PO Box 2901 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, USA www.desiringGod.org Cover design by moose77.com Printed by Bell & Bain, Glasgow All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a re- trieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the U.K. such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London, EC1 8TS www.cla.co.uk. Contents Introduction Augustine, Lewis, Barna, and the Bible 9 I. What Is the New Birth? 1 The Supernatural Creation of Spiritual Life 25 2 You Are Still You, But New 35 II. Why Must We Be Born Again? 3 We Are Spiritually Dead 45 4 We Are Willing Slaves to Sin and Satan 55 5 Faith, Justifi cation, Adoption, Purifi cation, Glorifi cation 65 III. How Does the New Birth Come About? 6 Ransomed, Raised, and Called 77 7 Through the Washing of Regeneration 87 8 Through Faith in Jesus Christ 99 9 Through Intelligible Good News 111 Contents iv. What Are the Effects of the New Birth? 10 It Overcomes the World 123 11 Regeneration, Faith, Love—In That Order 133 12 Freedom from the Practice of Sinning 143 13 Loving Others with the Love of God 153 v. How Can We Help Others Be Born Again? 14 Tell People the Good News of Jesus Christ 165 15 I Am Sending You to Open Their Eyes 177 Conclusion The New Birth and the New World 189 Scripture Index 193 Persons Index 197 Subject Index 199 6 Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:7–8 Introduction Augustine, Lewis, Barna, and the Bible The declaration of Jesus that we must be born again (John 3:7) is either deluded or devastating to the one who would be captain of his soul. Not many biblical realities are better designed by God to reveal our helplessness in sin. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). It is the Wind, not we, who fi nally rules the soul. Two stories about the freedom of God’s Spirit in the new birth will help us avoid superfi cial stereotypes about how he works. St. Augustine was converted to Christ in A. D. 386, and C. S. Lewis became a Christian in 1931. For both, it was after long struggles with unbelief. But the way the Wind blew with its fi nal converting power was dramatically different for each. Augustine’s Story For Augustine, the idol that kept him from Christ was sex. He had given way to his passions for the last sixteen years. He had 9 Augustine, Lewis, Barna, and the Bible left home at age sixteen, but his mother Monica had never ceased to pray. He was now almost thirty-two. “I began to search for a means of gaining the strength I needed to enjoy you [O Lord], but I could not fi nd this means until I embraced the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.”1 Then came one of the most important days in church history. It was late August, 386. Augustine was almost thirty-two years old. With his best friend Alypius, he was talking about the remarkable sacrifi ce and holiness of Antony, an Egyptian monk. Augustine was stung by his own bestial bondage to lust, when others were free and holy in Christ. There was a small garden attached to the house where we lodged.…I now found myself driven by the tumult in my breast to take refuge in this garden, where no one could interrupt that fi erce struggle in which I was my own contestant.…I was beside myself with madness that would bring me sanity. I was dying a death that would bring me life.…I was frantic, overcome by violent anger with myself for not accepting your will and entering into your covenant.…I tore my hair and hammered my forehead with my fi sts; I locked my fi ngers and hugged my knees.2 But he began to see more clearly that the gain was far greater than the loss, and by a miracle of grace he began to see the beauty of chastity in the presence of Christ. The battle came down to the beauty of continence in fellowship with Christ versus the “trifl es” that plucked at his fl esh. I fl ung myself down beneath a fi g tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes….All at once I heard the singsong voice of a child in a nearby house. Whether it was the voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but 1 Aurelius Augustine, Confessions, 152 (VII, 18). 2 Ibid., 170–171 (VIII, 8). 10