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The Legacy of Sovereign JoyPivotal peopleThe Legacy of Sovereign Joy 'How do you balance your reading between modern works and the great classics of the past?' This question was put to me a few months ago and it has stayed with me as a lingering accusation. If, like me, you would have to confess that you only read contemporary authors then this book may whet your appetite for a better balance. John Piper sets out to introduce us to three great men of the past - Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther and John Calvin. His theme is that they all discovered the power of 'sovereign joy'. Perhaps a weakness of Piper's thesis, as he himself candidly confesses, is that this emphasis is stronger in Augustine than it is in Luther or Calvin. However Piper is careful to allow each of these men to speak for themselves so we are not left with a sense that he is squeezing them into his particular scheme. Starting with Augustine, Piper shows how it was the greater joy of knowing God which liberated Augustine from his bondage to sin. Luther, in turn was driven to diligent, prayerful study of the Scriptures because in them he found the glorious life-giving message of God's free grace. Calvin too, was motivated to teach and explain the 'centrality and supremacy and majesty of the glory of God.' If you are looking for a potted biography of these men, or a balanced assessment of their theology, you will be disappointed, but if you want a little window into their hearts and minds then this is the book for you. It is not only a good book itself, it motivated me to get some balance back into my reading. I am now reading Luther's Commentary on Galatians, and Augustine's Confessions. Thank you, John Piper! Peter Comont,
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