Future Grace

por John Piper

Editorial:

Multnomah

, 1995

What is future grace, and why must a believer learn to depend upon it?

Written to be read over the period of a single month, John Piper's Future Grace establishes the believer in the importance and reality of future grace. This grace is all that God has promised for us from this moment into eternity. Piper believes that being rooted in and believing firmly in these promises will allow Christians to live a life of continued growth and sanctification.

Like many other commentators and observers of the Christian life, Piper recognizes that Christianity in America is facing a crisis of faith. He cites Alister McGrath, who notes, "People need support to keep them going when enthusiasm [after conversion] fades." His book aims to support believers to continue growing and not become cold.

He recognizes the tension between the power of sin and the promise of future grace. If the Christian remains stuck in sin, it leads to bankruptcy, but if believers put their trust in the promises of God, it changes everything. But, he notes, "the promises of future grace are the keys to Christ-like Christian living." Piper takes the reader on a 31-day journey to receive support and continue into a deeper faith filled with assurance for tomorrow.

Contents

Top Highlights

“In other words, Jesus says that the root of anxiety is inadequate faith in our Father’s future grace. As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the effects is anxiety. The root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus.” (Page 54)

“Covetousness is desiring something so much that you lose your contentment in God.” (Page 221)

“A second assumption is that justifying faith is not only a trusting in the past grace of God, but also a trusting in the future grace of God, secured by the past grace of Christ’s death and resurrection.” (Page 27)

“Faith in future grace, not gratitude, is the source of radical, risk-taking, kingdom-seeking obedience.” (Page 43)

“In other words, ‘fear the Lord’ means ‘fear the terrible insult it would be to God if you do not trust his gracious promises of power and wisdom on your behalf.’” (Page 35)

What You'll Read

John Piper's Future Grace is 31 chapters meant to be read over the course of a single month, providing the reader with a full understanding of this idea of future grace. Piper defines this concept as all that God has promised for us. There is a crisis in American Christianity where evangelicals have done an excellent job drawing men and women to Christ, but these converts often need to be rooted more deeply in the faith. Future Grace gives the reader a firm foundation in God's promises.

As the reader becomes more familiar with the promises of future grace, Piper aims to help develop right thinking about the world around them relative to the promises of God. Developing this right thinking seeks to give the readers the keys to Christian Living.

The book contains ten sections that progress through the believer's process of sanctification. Most of these sections have two to three chapters explaining the theological importance of future grace. The final section chapter is devoted to applying this future grace as a purifying power. The reader will not only learn right thinking about God's future promises, but they will also know how to apply it to their lives.

There are many month-long devotionals on the market, but Future Grace contains deep theology that will help the reader desire more to dwell in the promises for the future.

What You'll Learn

Future Grace by John Piper will teach the reader to understand the concept of God's future grace. Future grace is more than gratitude; it "is the source of radical, risk-taking, kingdom-seeking obedience." In other words, it is a radical shift in mindset to live in the conviction that right thinking forms right living.

The reader will learn what future grace looks like and how to live in it. Over the course of this month-long devotional, the reader will be moved from being tempted away from future grace to the fullness of what future grace means for eternity.

Not only will the reader learn right thinking about the promises of God and how this reframes someone's life, but Piper also provides eight chapters designed to help "apply the purifying power" of these promises. Piper's Future Grace will show the reader these promises will develop in the reader a beautiful obedience to God and his commandments for us.