A Review of Let the Nations be Glad

By

Lucas Brandon

A book review

submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for

PT 650 Introduction to Missions

Reformed Baptist Seminary

March 19, 2022

Piper, John. Let the Nations be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2010. 280 pp.

Introduction

There have been many works over the centuries dedicated to the subject of missiology or

the practical emphasis on mission work for the Christian Church. John Piper contributes this

third edition of his book in three distinct parts in order to focus the reader’s attention upon the

purpose of missions. In the opening chapter Piper says, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the

church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions,

because God is ultimate, not man” (11). In other words, the point of missions is not missions but

ascribing worship to God who is worthy of it.

Under this preface the remainder of the book is composed to help the reader comprehend

the impetus for mission work in the world and who it is chiefly for. Piper’s work does not remain

solely philosophical. There is a fairly regular amount of transition between orthodoxy and

orthopraxy so that the reader can see biblical justifications for the claims being made. Each part

of the book is designed to progress through increasingly practical applications while keeping the

main idea of worship as the central point of return.

Summary

Part 1 is entitled Making God Supreme in Missions: The Purpose, the Power, and the

Price. Here, Piper composes three chapters which describe the ways God is glorified through

missions: worship, prayer, and suffering. Rather than introduce the work of missions as supreme,

Piper reminds the reader that the chief end of all creation is for God and his glory. Piper says,

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“The most passionate heart for God in all the universe is God’s heart” (39). Therefore, missions

are set forth as a way to fulfill worship to God since he is the only one worthy of it.

Chapter two presents prayer as an inseparable component of the life of a Christian in the

labor of resisting the enemy. Piper likens prayer to a walkie-talkie which is a way through which

God accomplishes his will (69). He emphasizes that mission work necessarily places the believer

in the crosshairs of the realm of darkness. As such, prayer becomes a primary way for the to fight

in the midst of a spiritual warzone. Thus, worship is advanced as the believer increasingly relies

upon God for his provision and gospel increase, instead of human effort.

The third chapter discusses the inevitable reality of what happens to Christians on

mission who spread the gospel: they suffer. Rather than focus upon the difficult and challenging

nature of hardships, the author presents ways in which the love of God is magnified in those who

are persecuted. Piper also briefly addresses the confusion about why God would allow his people

to suffer. In this, he appeals to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous statement that those whom God has

called to himself must, “…come and die” (96). Suffering must be expected but even in the midst

of the suffering of His saints, God is glorified.

Part two is entitled Making God Supreme in Missions: The Necessity and Nature of the

Task. This section comprises two chapters dealing with imminently practical questions

regarding the gospel and missions. Chapter four helps the reader understand how Christ is the

only way to salvation from sin. Piper then breaks that issue down into three smaller questions:

the doctrine of hell in Scripture, whether the work of Christ (life, atoning death, burial, and

resurrection) is necessary, and if faith in Jesus is essential for salvation.

Chapter five answers the question as to whether mission work abroad is even necessary

biblically-speaking. The answer Piper gives is that God’s love demands the task of mission work
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and that it necessarily defines it, as long as God’s love is viewed in a wholly biblical context

(177). The author goes on to expound upon the Abrahamic covenant and God’s promise to reach

all nations, not just the Israelites. The New Testament then becomes the backdrop to discuss how

the gentile nations are chiefly pursued in modernity after the Hebrew nation rejected the

Messiah. The chapter ends with Piper’s praise of God for the many-faceted ways in which God

seeks a people for himself which cover every color, tribe, and nation.

The third part is entitled, Making God Supreme in Missions: The Practical Outworkings

of Compassion and Worship. This is comprised of two chapters which complete the book.

Chapter six discusses his emphases upon worship and not simply glory. Here, Piper appeals to

the work of Jonathan Edwards in chiefly prioritizing the glory of God. However, the author

makes a semantic clarification to articulate that God is already presently glorified in heaven.

Piper explains the problem is whether man acknowledges His supremacy; this, he argues, is

worship.

Chapter seven further expounds upon the concept of worship and how it should not be

myopically viewed as something which simply occurs on a Sunday morning. Worship is

expanded by Piper, arguing that, “…the impulse for singing a hymn and the impulse for visiting

a prisoner are the same: a freeing contentment in God and a thirst for more of God – a desire to

experience as much satisfaction in God as we can” (247). This satisfaction in God, argues the

author, is the primary purpose of worship rather than the blessings he can deliver.

Evaluation

There is a great deal to praise about John Piper’s book. The first, and arguably the most

important, is that Piper roots his points in Scripture. The word of God is central to the overall
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narrative, individual arguments, and even the chapter headings themselves. This is not to say that

it is an infallible work but that it is clear the author possesses a high view of Scripture and

consults it deeply before arriving at a conclusion. As a result, Piper achieves his goal of

educating the reader on the topic of missions and also takes him through the missiology of Old

and New Testaments alike.

The author presents missions in a realistic fashion as well. This is not a work that is

aiming for shallow inspiration to persuade commitments to foreign mission-work. His chapters

on suffering and prayer would likely disincentivize any surface-level interest of that nature.

Instead, Piper presents these components of worship, prayer, and suffering as focal points of

mission-oriented ministry. The reader is left with a healthy expectation of the challenge and the

high-calling to which missionaries are ordained. However, each of those elements are presented

in such a way as to cause the Christian to be humbled in remembering the Lord’s mission to

humanity and his honor to participate in Christ’s sufferings (Phil 3).

Finally, Piper presents a view of missions that is firmly in line with the sovereignty of

God. Much of the material in circulation today emphasizes the urgency to minister based upon

the work needing to be done. The not-so-subtle implication is that God’s salvation depends upon

the Christian’s willingness to preach and bring the good news. While this is an irreplaceable

component, the Christian is reminded by the author that God does not depend upon his creatures

to accomplish his perfect purpose. He ordains the means (ministry) to fulfill the mission

(salvation). This has a way of relieving the stress associated with achieving numerical

conversions. 1 Cor 3:6 is referenced and expounded upon as this element is considered.

One area that would have been helpful for the author to discuss is the local mission of the

believer. While some believers are called abroad to foreign nations, the vast majority are not.
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Certainly, the principles of mission work remain the same but the practical applications are

enormously different and can prove more challenging in the listener’s receptivity. There are

numerous organizations whose entire purpose is to train foreign missionaries to spread the gospel

to unreached nations. However, there is a great need in the western world to teach Christians

how to minister the gospel at home. These are equally lost people growing up in a society

already familiar with Christian language. Unfortunately, this familiarity often produces a

contempt that is difficult to surmount for the local missionary. Some helpful practical wisdom

here would have been well-received.

There is also a bit of confusion in the book concerning the implications of the doctrine of

hell. Piper clearly teaches that hell is a present reality and that a belief in, or fear of, hell cannot

save a person. However, the alternative presented is that a would-be Christian is saved only

when Christ is their center of satisfaction and faith. The actual reality of these two circumstances

prove more muddled as a believer is on a constant path of sanctification and might question their

sincerity if they find their passion for God falling short of Piper’s definition. A comprehension of

hell necessarily includes the God who judges one to this end. Therefore, a person’s healthy fear

of judgement could be the very means through which God quickens their soul to salvation. It is

likely that Piper would agree and his emphasis is simply to draw the reader’s attention to a

Christian’s motives and priorities but some clarification would help in this regard.

Conclusion

As aforementioned, Piper’s chief end is not to produce another inspirational missions

book. However, in his emphasis on a Scriptural approach to the subject, he accomplishes that

very thing. This reader found the work encouraging, approachable, and practical. It also has a
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way of rekindling passion for the subject in those who may have lapsed in a wholistic emphasis

of Scripture’s priorities. Missiology’s priority clearly shines through and the author’s passion for

it is contagious.