This Momentary Marriage (Paperback Edition): A Parable of Permanence

Reflecting on forty years of marriage, John Piper rivets our attention on its Christ-exalting, covenant-keeping essence?the rich soil for genuine growth. "An instant classic. It is at once biblical and devotional, the fruit of seasoned theological reflection and four decades of 'momentary' marriage." ?Andreas J. Köstenberger, Director of the Center for Biblical Studies and Research Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Founder, Biblical Foundations The chasm between the biblical vision of marriage and the common human conception is?and has always been?gargantuan. Reflecting on over forty years of matrimony, John Piper exalts the biblical meaning of marriage over its emotion, exhorting couples to keep their covenant as a display of Christ?s covenant-keeping love for the church. He aims to lift the church?s low view of marriage to something infinitely greater, namely, a vision of Jesus?s unswerving allegiance to and affection for his bride. This Momentary Marriage unpacks the biblical vision, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications for married, single, divorced, and remarried alike. Review "Theologically, this book exalts human marriage as a metaphor for the ultimate love story in Christ. Practically, it applies that glorious vision of grace to our daily experiences in marriage, singleness, parenthood, and the most universal of human realities-sin. This book opens our eyes and guides our feet with the grace of Christ."?Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., Pastor to Pastors, Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee "This book is a treasure in an era when the common perspective on marriage has been more shaped by sitcoms and self-help books than by Scripture. Dr. Piper lifts our hearts and minds to God's vision for marriage. Embracing God's design and purposes for marriage can make our homes tastes of heaven."?Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author; Teacher and Host, Revive Our Hearts "This is not a 'how to' book on marriage. Instead, this is a 'why to' book. And that's what this culture desperately needs."?Dennis Rainey, President and CEO, FamilyLife; Host, FamilyLife Today; author, Stepping Up "Miss the radical message of this book and you'll miss the joyful point of marriage. Heed the surprising call of this book and you'll appreciate the sacred privilege of marriage that our culture fails to see."?Larry Crabb, Jr., Distinguished Scholar in Residence, Colorado Christian University "A highly original contribution to Christian teaching on marriage. A copy should be put into the hands of every couple preparing for lasting and loving wedlock."?Charles Colson, Founder, Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview "This book grew out of John Piper's forty years of experience in marriage and many years of parenting, pastoring, and studying Scripture. It is filled with rich, practical wisdom about the nature of marriage as a wonderful but temporary gift from God. I have taught about marriage for over thirty years, and I still found much that I could learn from this book."?Wayne Grudem, Distinguished Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary; author, Christian Ethics "The reason this book is so delightful is that it sets marriage within the matrix of the Bible's fundamental themes: the glory of God, the outworking of justification, the relationship between this life and the life to come, how husbands and wives are to interact with each other this side of the cross, and much more of the same. This is not another little 'how to' book-yet if its God-centered and gospel-centered theology is genuinely absorbed, so many of the 'how to' questions will be robustly answered."?D. A. Carson, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Cofounder, The Gospel Coalition "John Piper's new book on marriage is an instant classic. It is at once biblical and devotional, the fruit of seasoned theological reflection and four decades of 'momentary' marriage."?Andreas J. Köstenberger, Director, Center for Biblical Studies and Research; Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Founder, Biblical Foundations About the Author John Piper (DTheol, University of Munich) is the founder and teacher of and the chancellor of . He served for thirty-three years as the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the author of more than fifty books, including Desiring God; Don?t Waste Your Life; This Momentary Marriage; A Peculiar Glory; and Reading the Bible Supernaturally. Noël Piper (BA, Wheaton College) and her husband, John, ministered at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota for over 30 years. She is the author of Treasuring God in Our Traditions and Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God.