Finally Alive

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 characterised 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, covet 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.

About the author

John Piper is founder and senior teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of more than 50 books, and more than 30 years of his preaching and teaching is available free of charge at desiringGod.org. John and his wife, Noël, have four sons, one daughter, and fourteen grandchildren.

Editorial Reviews

"This is an excellent book. It combines the virtues of clarity and comprehensiveness, maintaining lucidity withut skimping on truth or avoiding difficulty. It is a clarion call to get this essential doctrine right - for our own sakes, and for the sakes of our churches, our friends, and those who follow after us."

-- Banner of Truth 

"Piper sets the record straight on this oft neglected Christian truth by clearly telling us what the Bible teaches us about the New Birth: what it is, why we need it, how it comes about, what are its effects and how we can help others to be born again. This is not a book of dry doctrine. On the contrary, it is a book that leads to self-examination and God exaltation. I simply loved this book and now rank it as my favourite of Piper's and would highly recommend it to others."

-- Barnabus, Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada 

Finally Alive: What Happens When We Are Born Again by John Piper is a marvellous description of what the Bible says it means to be born again and the life which flows from this new birth. This book is worth reading for the first chapter alone. Piper shows us how far apart the world-view of being born again and actual biblical truth has drifted in recent years. He writes: 'The term born again is very precious and very crucial in the Bible. So our main concern is to know what God intends when the Bible uses this language, so that by his grace we may experience it and help others to do the same...The beauty and glory of Christ and the gospel shine out of every page. Finally Alive is dense yet readable, challenging, encouraging and refreshing."

-- Julie Ferguson, Gilcomston South Church, Aberdeen 

"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 

"Classic Piper―crystal clear exposition and a must read."

-- Alistair Begg 

"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. By examining the Bible's teaching on the new birth, he shows us how to be certain our faith is genuine. Because no issue could be more critical, I believe this is the most important book Piper has written."

-- Adrian Warnock