God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper

This Week's Sermon: Regeneration, Faith, Love: In That Order

First comes regeneration, the new birth. The Holy Spirit opens blind eyes to see the beauty of Jesus' person and work.

Regeneration causes faith—with no lapse in time. Faith is the seeing of Jesus with the once-blind eyes.

Then faith is the root of love. By faith the born-again heart first embraces Jesus as the one who has already loved others perfectly, and then from that grows the power to love others, as imperfect as that love will be.

The order of causality is crucial: new birth, then faith, then love.

Our ability to love others imperfectly is based on our assurance that in Christ we already love them perfectly. Even when we fail to love as we ought, Jesus' perfection stands before God in place of that failure.

Faith in Jesus, not love for people, is the way we enjoy our union with Christ. Faith must come first and be the root of love and be different from love. Otherwise, love will be destroyed.