"You Must Be Born Again," and You Should Probably Get This Book

Publisher's Description: When Jesus said to Nicodemus, 'You must be born again', the devout and learned religious leader was unsure what Jesus meant. It would seem nothing has changed. Today 'born again Christians' fill churches that are seen as ineffectual at best, and even characterized by the 'mosaic' generation as 'unchristian'.

The term 'born again' has been devalued both in society and in the church. Those claiming to be 'born again' live lives that are indistinguishable from those who don't; they sin the same, embrace injustice the same, covert the same, do almost everything the same.

Being 'born again' is now defined by what people say they believe. The New Testament however defines Christians very differently.

"When Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (John 3:7), he was not sharing interesting and unimportant information. He was leading him to eternal life... If he does that for you (or if he already has), then you are (or you will be) truly, invincibly, finally alive." (John Piper)


Endorsements:

“I cannot too strongly celebrate the publication of this book. Owing in part to several decades of dispute over justification 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, Deerfield, 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 comprehensive 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 filled 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 flows 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 remarkable 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 action—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 profit 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-sufficiency 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 committed 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

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