Reading the Bible Supernaturally is an in-depth treatment of why we should read the Bible and how we should read it. Piper’s thesis is that “our ultimate goal in reading the Bible is that God’s infinite worth and beauty would be exalted in the everlasting, white-hot worship of the blood-bought bride of Christ from every people, language, tribe, and nation” (p. 39). From this goal, Piper works backward from discussing the worth and beauty of God as the ultimate aim of all of God’s work and word to our being transformed into the likeness of this beauty when we see it and savor it in the Bible.
Early on, 2 Cor 3 and 4 appear frequently, a fact which sets a wonderful tone of Christ-centeredness that pervades the whole book. To lock in on seeing and savoring the supreme worth and beauty of Christ when we read the Bible is the only way we can ever be changed into the image of Christ. And this goal of Bible reading is the Spirit’s explicit desire and activity (cf. 2 Cor 3:18).
This is a lengthy book. But by retaining focus on explaining passages and their implications to Bible reading, Piper does believers a great service. He reminds us that the text will reveal the worth and beauty of Christ and lead us into deeper worship. The first half is deeply theological but not in a dry, academic way. It’s packed with pastoral wisdom and heart-counseling insights that rightly elevate Bible reading to its proper heights.
In the latter half of the book, Piper details how God works supernaturally through our natural act of reading – that in using our natural gifts and abilities, God enables us to see His glories in the text of Scripture. But in our natural act of reading, we need humility, prayer, and faith. In these chapters, Piper first expounds his now-famous A.P.T.A.T., an acronym for steps on living the Christian life in the power of the Spirit (summarized on pp. 244-249). Then, he unpacks a series of prayers meant specifically to help us in our quiet times – called I.O.U.S. (pp. 251-261). These acronyms orient our hearts to God as receivers, humbling ourselves under His mighty hand so that He might help us grow in grace and see glories in the Bible.
It’s a dense book, one you can’t read quickly or without a little engagement. But by the end, you will gain a greater awareness of how much deeper our time in the Word could be and a greater appreciation of how much of Christ’s glory there is to mine in our Bibles.
