John Piper identifies 3 challenges to reading through the Bible in a year: 'Satan hates the Word of God'
Pastor and author John Piper has challenged Christians to read the entire Bible in 2025 but issued a clear warning — the path will not be without challenges, as “Satan hates the Word of God.”
In the latest episode of his “Ask Pastor John” podcast, the 78-year-old chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, addressed a listener named Mike, who asked for advice as he reads through the Bible this year.
“Let me give you three negatives to scare you off and nine positives to suck you back in,” Piper said.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
First, the Don’t Waste Your Life author cautioned readers to “expect opposition,” as “Satan hates the Word of God and will disincline you, blind you, distract you, bore you.”
“He will fight with all his might to keep this from happening. So pray and fight and ask God to make all four of those things that Satan tries to do to backfire, to blow up in his face as you become a stronger warrior against him — your heart inclined, your blindness removed, focus instead of distraction, excitement instead of boredom,” he said.
Second, the Bible’s unflinching portrayal of sin and judgment can also be unsettling, Piper noted, so “expect to be shocked.”
“The outrage of sin and its graphic descriptions and the horrors of God’s judgment and the failures of God’s people are appalling in the Bible,” he stressed. “The Bible is stunningly graphic in its description of both our outrageous sin and God’s breathtaking judgment on sin. You will want to throw up if you have any kind of sympathetic engagement with the Bible at times when you see what God ordains against sin in this world. So, expect your views of man and God to be blown up — in a good way.”
Finally, Piper acknowledged that confusion is a natural part of the journey and advised readers to “expect to be confused.”
“God conceals many things that we’d like to know,” he said, citing Deuteronomy 29:29, while also pointing to the inherent complexity of certain biblical texts. He emphasized the value of prayer, study and the guidance of experienced teachers to navigate difficult passages.
“[P]ray for illumination,” he said. “Do whatever digging in study helps you. Put things together that you can put together, and what you can’t figure out, put on the shelf for later attention and keep on moving. If you get bogged down with what you can’t understand, you’ll never finish the reading for the day.”
Listen to John Piper's "Desiring God" podcast on the Edifi Podcast Network
Despite these challenges, Piper encouraged Christians to embrace the year-long commitment, highlighting nine benefits of reading the Bible, including strengthened faith, sanctification and unshakable joy.
"Expect new power in war with Satan, because that’s the way Jesus defeated him in the wilderness. He quoted Scripture to the devil, and the devil could not stand before it. He won’t stand before you either. He’s a liar; he’s a deceiver. He can’t abide the truth. You’re filling your head up with the truth. You’re going to be a valiant warrior more than you dreamed against Satan," he said.
“This is a great resolve before you,” Piper concluded. “You’ve got a great intention on your heart. Be valiant. Make a vow to the Lord to keep it, and you won’t regret it.”
A recent study from The American Bible Society found that twice the number of Gen Zers surveyed (21%) said their Bible reading increased over the past year than those who said it decreased (9%). Sixteen percent of baby boomers and those born before 1946 witnessed an increase in Bible reading, along with 15% of Gen X adults. By contrast, 10% of the oldest adults and 9% of Gen X adults reported a drop in Bible reading.
In recent years, podcasts and digital platforms dedicated to Bible reading and discussion have seen a surge in popularity.
At the start of the podcast, Piper emphasized the use of the Navigators Bible Reading Plan, a resource he has followed for over two decades. The plan, which breaks the Bible into manageable daily readings, is designed to be completed in 300 days with just 15 minutes of reading per day.
Meanwhile, The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) and The Bible Recap podcast with host Tara-Leigh Cobble are among Apple’s top 10 podcasts, each receiving about 6 million downloads a month. Last year, the podcast series "Bible in a Year with Jack Graham" hit the No. 1 spot on Apple's charts for religious podcasts and has surpassed 70 million downloads worldwide. The podcast began airing in Spanish last week.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, said that at a time when truth often seems relative and cultural values shift rapidly, Christians must make an effort to see the world through the lens of Scripture rather than allowing culture to dictate how they interpret the Bible.
“Jude 3 says we are to earnestly contend for the faith, and that reminds us that with all the worldviews that we hear and see out there, with so many lies in the culture, so many lies we tell ourselves, the only way to overcome this attack on truth is using truth to support our faith and our beliefs,” he said.
“In a world that is filled with unbelief, we should graciously, but yet forcefully, understand our Bible and proclaim this message without apology,” he added. “In the culture today, it's important that we give reasonable evidence for the faith, and that we proclaim Scripture with confidence and certainty and conviction. And when we do that, the Word of God works, and there's power in the Scripture to counteract all the works of darkness.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
