Spectacular Sins

The death of Jesus Christ was an act of murder. It was the most shocking sin ever committed against anyone. At the pivotal moment in all human history, that sin served to display Christ's greatest glory and obtain the gift of God's grace. God not only defeated evil on the cross, but He also caused evil to self-destruct. It's as if evil committed suicide by committing its worst wickedness.

The "spectacular" sins analyzed are: The Fall of Satan, Adam's Disobedience, the Pride of Babel, the Selling of Joseph, the Sinful Line from which Christ came, and Judas Iscariot. These sins are analyzed in light of the entire Bible, and Piper concludes that these horrific sins, in the end, were used by God to exalt His Son Jesus Christ.  

Piper explains the differences between what God "ordains" and what He "permits"; it is important to keep this distinction in mind to follow his line of thought, and to understand why so many things happen in the world that are not only horrendous, but also senseless. In some parts, the book is quite theological, and when Piper begins to delve into speculation, he prefers to stop and simply say that what the Bible says we cannot always fully comprehend.

"Spectacular Sins..." is a small book and one can read it quickly. Still, like all of Piper's books, they should be read carefully, with a pencil or pen in hand.  

This book gives hope. In a world that seems to be submerged in chaos, Piper reminds us that everything has a cosmic purpose, and that this purpose is for Christ's glory to be manifested in a spectacular way, so that every mouth may be silenced, and everyone may recognize that Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords.