D.A. Carson began the day with an explanation of the Gospel Coalition. This was followed by breakout sessions on various topics (I Personally attended the Q&A session with J. Ligon Duncan and Crawford Loritts on preaching). Then we came back together to sit under the preaching of John Piper. Piper preached from Romans 8:18-25 on the topic of the relevance of the new heavens and new earth. The text reads:

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

In his self-proclaimed “long introduction,” Piper mused on why we experience cancer, death, suffering, etc. In other words, this question that has been so often so publcly discussed, why do bad things happen? Why does God allow tsunamis, cancer, deformities, and the like? Drawing from the doctrine of the new heavens and new earth and in particular, Paul’s verses here in Romans, Piper passionately argues that we experience these things because of sin.

Genesis 3:17 tells us the terrifying truth that because of Adam’s sin, the ground itself is cursed. The ground didn’t do anything, but man is not for the creation, the creation is for man and our surroundings are representative of our hearts. God allows suffering to teach the seriousness of sin. When was the last time you were violently ill because of your sin? Surely we’ve all wailed at the suffering of this world, but the suffering of this world is a direct result of our sin.

Piper meditated extensively on the relationship between sin and suffering. When we object to God’s sovereignty over suffering by saying that God would never want anyone to suffer, we minimize sin. He told Adam that creation itself was subjected to bondage to futility and decay because of sin. Tsunamis, cancer, death, suffering are living, active, horrible reminders of just how horrible sin is. When is the last time you nearly or did vomit because your sin was so repugnant? Nearly every one of us has wailed under the suffering of this present age, but nearly none of us have truly felt the seriousness of our sin. Suffering in this age teaches us the seriousness of sin. Piper then offers four observations from the Romans text:

1. God promises that there will liberation for this creation from its futility and its bondage to corruption
2. This liberation will be a participation in the freedom and glory of God.
3. The arrival of the new, liberated creation is compared to a birth, so there is not only continuity with this world but discontinuity
4. The hope of having redeemed bodies in the new creation is secured by our salvation which we received by faith in the Gospel. But this is not our best hope (receiving new bodies).

The gift of the new heavens and earth is not the absolute gift of the Gospel, it is salvation! Creation follows fallen man into decay and redeemed man into glory, we must not reverse this relationship. The Gospel terminates, not on the new heavens and earth, as much as we long for them, but on Christ. Piper noted that:

The ultimate reason there is a new heavens and new earth, it is because the risen Christ will never lay down His human body but keep it as an everlasting emblem of Calvary where God’s neverending grace was shown most fully. Don’t let anyone tell you we will not sing of the slaughter of the Son forever.

Suffering changes our perspective while teaching us of the weight of sin. It drives us all to the Cross as our only hope of redemption, both spiritually and physically. The Cross will never cease to be the center of everything. Amen, come Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

• Read Justin Taylor’s notes from Piper’s concluding session
• Read Justin Buzzard’s notes