13-Week Study & Discussion Guide

Desiring God

by John Piper·104 discussion questions

Week 1 — FreeRead the Preface and Introduction of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 16:11; Matthew 13:44

Discussion question your group will work through:

1.Piper opens by describing a kind of Christianity that is marked more by duty than by delight — a religion of grinding obligation rather than glad-hearted pleasure in God. Does that description resonate with your own experience, past or present? Be honest.

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About This Study Guide

At a glance: this is a 13-week study and discussion guide for Desiring God by John Piper, with 104 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.

John Piper's Desiring God opens with a thesis that many Christians find simultaneously liberating and unsettling: the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. Piper calls this "Christian Hedonism" — the conviction that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Drawing on hundreds of Scripture passages, and standing on the shoulders of Blaise Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, and C. S. Lewis, Piper argues that the pursuit of joy is not a distraction from worship but the very heart of it. To seek your deepest pleasure in God is not selfishness — it is the one pursuit that simultaneously honors God supremely and satisfies your soul completely.

This study guide is designed to take you through Desiring God chapter by chapter, one week at a time. The pattern each week is simple: read the assigned chapter before your group meets (or before you sit down to journal), work through the questions slowly and honestly, and then spend time in prayer applying what you've found. Don't rush. Piper is a dense but rewarding writer, and the questions are designed to help you stop, feel the weight of his arguments, and ask where your own heart is. Some weeks will feel theologically stretching; others will feel searingly personal. Both are features, not bugs.

By the end of this guide, you should expect more than an intellectual grasp of Christian Hedonism. You should expect to have examined the quality of your joy in God, identified places where duty has crowded out delight, and been pointed — again and again — to Jesus Christ as the all-satisfying treasure at the center of Piper's vision. Whether you are reading alone or with a group, let honesty be your guide: the questions are not asking you to perform spiritual maturity, but to honestly encounter the God who promises that in his presence is fullness of joy.

Preface & Introduction — The Longing That Demands an Answer

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Read the Preface and Introduction of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 16:11; Matthew 13:44

Before Piper builds his case, he tells you where he is coming from and what he hopes this book will do to you — take time this week to engage his opening honestly and ask whether you share the longing he describes.

1.Piper opens by describing a kind of Christianity that is marked more by duty than by delight — a religion of grinding obligation rather than glad-hearted pleasure in God. Does that description resonate with your own experience, past or present? Be honest.

2.The central thesis of the book is: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." In your own words, what does Piper mean by this? What would have to be true about God and about us for this statement to be correct?

3.Piper coins the term "Christian Hedonism" to describe his position. Why do you think he chooses such a provocative label? What reaction does the word "hedonism" produce in you — and is that reaction something Piper anticipates and addresses?

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13-Week Schedule

  1. Week 1Preface & Introduction — The Longing That Demands an Answer8 questions
  2. Week 2Chapter 1 — The Happiness of God: Foundation of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  3. Week 3Chapter 2 — Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  4. Week 4Chapter 3 — Love: The Labor of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  5. Week 5Chapter 4 — Scripture: The Kindling of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  6. Week 6Chapter 5 — Prayer: The Apex of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  7. Week 7Chapter 6 — Money: The Currency of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  8. Week 8Chapter 7 — Marriage: The Covenant of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  9. Week 9Chapter 8 — Missions: The Overflow of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  10. Week 10Chapter 9 — Suffering: The Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism8 questions
  11. Week 11Appendix 1 — The Indirect Pursuit of Joy / Objections Answered8 questions
  12. Week 12Appendix 2 — How Jonathan Edwards Shaped Christian Hedonism8 questions
  13. Week 13Review & Reflection — Looking Back, Moving Forward8 questions

Chapter 1 — The Happiness of God: Foundation of Christian Hedonism

All 8 questions →

Read Chapter 1 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 104:31; 1 Timothy 1:11; John 17:24

1.Piper argues that the foundation of Christian Hedonism is not primarily about us — it is about God. God himself is a happy God (see 1 Timothy 1:11, "the gospel of the glory of the blessed — happy — God"). Why does it matter that God is happy? How does this change how you think about worship?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 2 — Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 2 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 63:1–5; John 4:23–24

1.Piper opens this chapter by confronting the idea that true worship requires us to set aside our own desire for joy. His counterargument is that worship without delight is not really worship at all — it is mere performance. Do you agree? What is at stake in this distinction?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 3 — Love: The Labor of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 3 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Matthew 22:37–39; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Philippians 2:3–4

1.The title of this chapter calls love "the labor of Christian Hedonism." What does Piper mean by the word "labor" here? How can something that is joyful also be laborious?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 4 — Scripture: The Kindling of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 4 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 19:7–10; Psalm 119:14, 72, 111, 162; Jeremiah 15:16

1.Piper describes Scripture as "the kindling" for Christian Hedonism — the primary instrument God uses to awaken and sustain delight in himself. How does this understanding of the Bible differ from seeing it primarily as a rulebook, a history, or a theological textbook?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 5 — Prayer: The Apex of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 5 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: John 16:24; Psalm 37:4; Matthew 7:7–11

1.Piper calls prayer "the apex" of Christian Hedonism. What does he mean? Why is prayer — rather than worship or Bible reading — the highest expression of the pursuit of joy in God?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 6 — Money: The Currency of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 6 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Matthew 6:19–21, 24; Luke 12:15–21; 1 Timothy 6:6–10, 17–19

1.Piper calls money "the currency of Christian Hedonism" — a paradoxical title. What does he mean? In what sense does money become a tool for joy rather than a competitor with it?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 7 — Marriage: The Covenant of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 7 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Ephesians 5:25–33; Genesis 2:18–25; Hebrews 13:4

1.Piper's central claim in this chapter is that marriage is designed by God to be a living parable of the relationship between Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25–33). How does this vision of marriage differ from the way marriage is typically presented in our culture — or even in much of the church?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 8 — Missions: The Overflow of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 8 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Psalm 67:1–7; Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 15:9

1.Piper describes missions as "the overflow of Christian Hedonism" — not a duty imposed from outside, but joy that cannot keep itself to itself. How does this framing change the emotional texture of the missionary call? Does it make it feel more or less compelling to you?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Chapter 9 — Suffering: The Sacrifice of Christian Hedonism

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Read Chapter 9 of Desiring God. Key Scripture: Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Philippians 3:7–11; Hebrews 12:2

1.Piper calls suffering "the sacrifice of Christian Hedonism" — a phrase that sounds almost contradictory. How can suffering be part of a philosophy built on joy? What does Piper mean?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Appendix 1 — The Indirect Pursuit of Joy / Objections Answered

All 8 questions →

Read Appendix 1 of Desiring God ("The Ethics of Christian Hedonism" or the section addressing objections to Christian Hedonism). Key Scripture: Matthew 5:11–12; Galatians 5:22–23

1.By this point in the book, what is the objection to Christian Hedonism that has felt most compelling to you personally? What has Piper said or not said that either strengthened or answered that objection?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Appendix 2 — How Jonathan Edwards Shaped Christian Hedonism

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Read Appendix 2 of Desiring God (on Jonathan Edwards and the theological roots of Christian Hedonism). Key source: Edwards's 'The End for Which God Created the World.'

1.Piper credits Jonathan Edwards as the primary theological architect behind Christian Hedonism. What was it about Edwards's thought — particularly his work on the end for which God created the world — that shaped Piper so profoundly?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide

Review & Reflection — Looking Back, Moving Forward

All 8 questions →

Review your notes, journal entries, and marked passages from all chapters of Desiring God

1.Before you read *Desiring God*, how would you have completed this sentence: "The chief end of man is to glorify God..."? And how would you complete it now? What, if anything, has changed — and why?

+ 7 more questions in the full guide
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About the Desiring God guide

How many weeks is the Desiring God study guide?

This study guide covers Desiring God in 13 weeks, with week-by-week discussion questions, reading references, and closing prayers for each session.

How many discussion questions are included?

The complete guide includes 104 discussion questions across 13 weeks — an average of 8 questions per week, designed for group conversation.

Can I use this guide for a book club?

Yes — the questions are written for group discussion and work well for small groups, book clubs, church studies, and couples reading together.

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