Deep Dive into Desiring God by John Piper - Conversion: The Creation of a Christian Hedonist
The sources detail a comprehensive divine plan for saving sinners, beginning with humanity's desperate condition. All people have failed to glorify God, exchanging His infinite worth for things of lesser value, which is the very essence of sin. Because all have sinned and held God's glory in contempt, all are subject to eternal condemnation in hell, a place of everlasting torment and destruction. This infinite punishment is deemed just because sin against an infinitely worthy God is considered infinitely heinous. Compounding this, humanity is spiritually blind, dead, and unable to submit to God's law or respond positively to the gospel.
In His great mercy, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to satisfy the demands of His justice. Christ’s death served as propitiation, appeasing God's wrath, allowing God to be just while justifying those who believe.
The benefits of Christ’s work belong to those who repent and trust in Him. This required condition is nothing less than conversion, which is defined as the "creation of a Christian Hedonist." This means genuine saving faith is not mere intellectual assent but a profound change of heart where one gladly embraces Jesus as their most valued treasure and pursues the fullness of joy in Him. The pursuit of joy in God is therefore essential for genuine faith.
Crucially, this conversion is an "awesome miracle" performed by the sovereign God, called regeneration or new birth. Because humanity is spiritually dead, God must first perform this unconditional act, overcoming the hard and rebellious heart by creating a "new taste" or longing for the glory and beauty of Christ. This divine work precedes and enables the human acts of repentance (turning from sin) and faith (trusting in Christ as Treasure). This faith then leads to justification and a life of ongoing obedience.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
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