John Piper is a master at teaching us how to understand what the Bible means. This is very much a work for the everyman to draw closer to God through reading the scriptures.

John Piper doing what he does best. In this volume Piper builds upon his previous works and presents a way of interacting with the bible not only with one;s mind, but with ones whole person. Piper writes: "Bible reading is often viewed as a duty to be scheduled and fulfilled rather than a feast to be anticipated and enjoyed." Piper believes we can overcome this sense of duty by relying on the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who draws us from the page into the glorious presence of God. He sums up his point well, "Our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation." I think Piper succeeds in doing that in this book.

This book is an amazing book when it comes to reading the Bible. Dr. Piper has set out in this book to show individuals how to read the Bible in a way in which the Bible was meant to be read. The Bible is the word of God and the intent of the Bible is that people would read it, fall in love with Jesus Christ, and glorify God.

As a matter of fact one of the answers to a question in the Shorter Catechism is: what is the chief end of man? The answer is: the chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy him forever. In order to do that we have to read our Bibles understand what God wants from us and the one thing that he wants above all is that He is glorified.

One of the ways in which God is glorified f is through the redemption that is offered through his son. Dr. Piper makes that very plain in this book; one intent of reading scripture is to see Jesus Christ revealed. It is to see Jesus Christ glorified and both in reading scripture and in the application of it. The Bible is such a powerful book that Dr. piper then goes into the next section of how to read the Bible supernaturally.

First, the reader needs the Holy Spirit to truly understand Christian. This is why non-Christians can read the Bible but there are aspects of it that do not make sense: they do not have the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they cannot be illuminated.

Dr. Piper then goes into how prayer comes into play when it comes to reading Scripture. What to pray when reading Scripture can play a major in role in reading Scripture. Piper admonishes his readers to be specific about praying to read the Bible. Taking all that he had written up this point, praying about seeing Christ, illumination to be more like Christ, and that God is glorified when we read Scripture.

Dr. Piper then gives some information on how to actually read the Bible. Looking at grammatical structure, context, making notes, excetera, to really hone in on understanding the words that are on the page.

I highly recommend this book and to-the-point I recommend getting two copies: one digital and one physical. The reason for the physical is that I found it a lot easier to read. I have a Kindle and just the fact that it's truncated enough of the page where I had to keep pressing a lot on my Kindle to go the next page it just didn't work for me.

The digital purchase would be ideal for having a bunch of notes that are searchable on multiple platforms. I think it's a benefit when it comes to this book so I that is why I recommend a digital and physical copy.

Another suggestion get this book for your small group or your Bible study group. It is really going to help when it comes to understanding Scripture. Sadly some of the bible study tools out there are good but really do not point the reader to seeing Christ throughout all of Scripture. While this book is not as easy to read as other works, the depth of Piper’s challenge makes this book worth the additional time taken to read this book.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

GLORY… What an awe-inspiring, breathtaking, indescribable thing… And yet John Piper does a great job of guiding and directing in this written work of his to steer us to how God is showing us this throughout Scripture. We need to be praying for God Almighty to be giving us eyes to see and ears to hear as we are diving deep into His Word, the Written Word of God. John Piper sets the thought and then unpacks it as we works through his book. Lots of Scripture references backing up what he is saying. And once you are finished reading you can’t help but see His glory and the purpose of it all over the place, for His Glory! I highly recommend this read!

Also posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and CBD under "rkfall"

Every book by John Piper is worth reading and rereading. This one is no different. In it, Piper spends the first half showing us that Bible reading is worship and that it is meant to capture our hearts and enflame them for service to Christ and the advancement of His kingdom. The second part is more practical, introducing his acronym (I will not reveal it here) for Bible study. I highly recommend this book.

Reading the Bible Supernaturally is a companion book to John Piper's A Peculiar Glory. Don't worry if you haven't read it, though. He tells you just enough about the first book to situate readers for this second book. (What book should come first? It's almost like The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and A Magician's Nephew. Almost. I would liken Reading the Bible Supernaturally to be The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and A Peculiar Glory to A Magician's Nephew.)

This is John Piper writing so expect logic and clarity. He does a great job of explaining everything precisely and logically.

The book has three divisions: "The Ultimate Goal of Reading the Bible," "The Supernatural Act of Reading the Bible," and "The Natural Act of Reading the Bible Supernaturally."
"Part 1 poses the all-important question What does the Bible tell us is the ultimate goal of reading the Bible? I propose an answer with six implications and then devote ten chapters to unfolding and testing those implications. Part 2 works out the inference from part 1 that reading the Bible really must be a supernatural act, if God’s goals for our reading the Bible are to be reached. Finally, part 3 treats the practical outworking of such a claim in the seemingly ordinary human act of reading—the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally."
So what does Piper see as the ultimate goal in reading the Bible?!
"The Bible itself shows that our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation. In other words, each time we pick up the Bible to read, we should intend that reading would lead to this end. The way that we as individuals are caught up into this ultimate aim as we read the Bible becomes clear as we spell out six implications that flow from this proposed answer to our question. When we say that the ultimate goal of reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation, we imply that: 1. the infinite worth and beauty of God are the ultimate value and excellence of the universe; 2. that the supremely authentic and intense worship of God’s worth and beauty is the ultimate aim of all his work and word; 3. that we should always read his word in order to see this supreme worth and beauty; 4. that we should aim in all our seeing to savor his excellence above all things; 5. that we should aim to be transformed by this seeing and savoring into the likeness of his beauty, 6. so that more and more people would be drawn into the worshiping family of God until the bride of Christ—across all centuries and cultures—is complete in number and beauty."
Why must the Bible be read supernaturally? What does Piper mean by this phrase?
"What I mean is that the act of reading, in order to be done as God intended, must be done in dependence on God’s supernatural help. The Bible gives two decisive reasons: Satan and sin. That is, we have a blinding enemy outside and a blinding disease inside. Together these two forces make it impossible for human beings to read the Bible, as God intended, without supernatural help. It seems to me that thousands of people approach the Bible with little sense of their own helplessness in reading the way God wants them to."
He continues,
"Bible reading that only collects facts, or relieves a guilty conscience, or gathers doctrinal arguments, or titillates esthetic literary tastes, or feeds historical curiosities—this kind of Bible reading Satan is perfectly happy to leave alone. He has already won the battle. But reading that hopes to see the supreme worth and beauty of God—reading that aims to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ, reading that seeks to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34:8)—this reading Satan will oppose with all his might. And his might is supernatural. Therefore, any reading that hopes to overcome his blinding power will be a supernatural reading."
Ultimately he concludes,
"It is a miracle when God’s word is implanted in us, and it is a miracle when in it we taste the sweetness of God’s goodness. From that moment on, all our reading of God’s word is supposed to be an extension of that miracle in daily life—until we “grow up into salvation."
If the Bible is to be read supernaturally, what is natural about the process?
"God does not see for us. God enables us to see. We do the seeing. And the supernatural act of seeing “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” is by means of the natural act of seeing the story of the gospel written (or spoken) in natural human words."
And,
"All the human effort and skill that you can muster to construe the meaning of biblical passages will be called for. The glory is seen through the meaning of the text. And the meaning is found by reading and thinking. God is united to the man Jesus. The glory of God is united to the meaning of biblical texts. Therefore, when the miracle of seeing and savoring the glory of God happens, it is in the act of reading and thinking. We read. God reveals. God gives the supernatural miracle. We act the supernatural miracle."
In the final chapters of the book, he addresses this question: "How do you go about living the Christian life in such a way that you are actually doing the living, and yet another—the Holy Spirit—is decisively doing the living in and through your living?" His answers are all in acronyms.

I said Piper was logical, and, I meant it. I did. But also expect passion and enthusiasm. Piper's love of God, love of the Word, is apparent on every page of this book. Piper DELIGHTS in God and DELIGHTS in teaching others to delight in God too.

Here's one of my favorite passages:
"So we open our Bibles with a sweet sense that even though we don’t deserve it, God will lead us and instruct us. Our very reading is the experience of gospel grace. Christ died for sinners so that the promise would come true: God helps sinners understand the Bible. These blood-bought promises are given to us so that we might believe them. Not just hear them. Believe them. Trust them. Because, remember from Galatians 3:5, God “supplies the Spirit to you . . . by hearing with faith.” We stand before the Bible ready to read. We hear a promise. “I will instruct you and teach you.” We put our faith in it. The Spirit moves in the channel of faith, and we “act the miracle.” We read supernaturally. So it is good to gather some of these precious promises and store them up: The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright. (Prov. 2:6–7) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Prov. 3:5–6) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Ps. 32:8) You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Ps. 73:24) Do not be anxious about . . . what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. (Luke 12:11–12) Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5–8)"
And also this one:
"When we read the Bible, its meaning is not the ideas that come into our head that may be “meaningful” to us. Those ideas may or may not be part of what the author meant. Rather, when we read the Bible we are digging for the gold of what inspired writers wanted to communicate. We are not creating meaning. We are seeking it."
A good book is worth reading and occasionally quoting. A great book is worth rereading and quoting liberally. This book is one of the best I've read this year. I will definitely want to reread it!!!

This is a companion book to Piper's "A Peculiar Glory", which was more like an introduction to the Bible, the infallible and inerrant Word of God. In this book Piper focuses more on how to effectively read the Bible and understand it's teachings. In true Piper form, this book is saturated with scripture. As with all of his books, Piper draws directly from scripture to authenticate the claims that he makes.

This book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 poses the all-important question What does the Bible tell us is the ultimate goal of reading the Bible?
Part 2 works out the inference from part 1 that reading the Bible really must be a supernatural act, if God’s goals for our reading the Bible are to be reached.
Part 3 treats the practical outworking of such a claim in the seemingly ordinary human act of reading—the natural act of reading the Bible supernaturally.

Piper says "Our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation." He delves deep into the scriptures to uncover the truths that are often overlooked. Piper focuses on the importance of engaging with the Bible on a personal level as opposed to simply making it a daily task to mark off your list.

I would recommend this book to all Christians that are looking for a deeper understanding of God's Word. It will challenge new Christians and mature Christians alike to read the Bible with purpose and clarity. I received this as a free ARC from Crossway on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a must read book for anyone who wants to dive into the Bible. Goodness gracious, the resources in this book are so rich in helping one connect and understand the Word of the Lord better. I really don't know what else to say but get this book, read it slowly, and practice what you are taught. I have already suggested this book to numerous people because they want to get better at reading the Bible.

I thank The Lord for this book! Piper did a wonderful job of encouraging and admonishing us to read the Bible seriously, thoughtfully, and savoring! In the beginning I thought his style to be on the repetitive side, but as I continued I apreciated his logical building with words. I apreciated Piper's definition and reflections on worship, and how he instructs us to apply our hearts. He reminds us that the Bible is a supernatural book, and can only be understood with the intervention of God himself. I personally was in a rut, with my Bible reading, when I picked up this book. I am now encouraged and inspired to dig deeper into the word of God, and to really "LOOK". A big thanks to Netgally for the copy you want for me to review. All my opinions are my own.