Knowing God

Rating:
Summary: A Contemporary Classic
Review: Since the first publication (1973) of J. I. Packer's book, Knowing God, it has been widely regarded as a classic alongside the works of other great minds such as Charles H. Spurgeon and C. S. Lewis, selling record-breaking numbers. For those who have read Packer, this is no surprise. The work is rich in content and clarity. It demonstrates that Packer is a scholar in the Reformed tradition that can systematically explicate the deep truths of scripture such that a new believer could easily understand. One should finish the work agreeing whole-heartily with Alister McGrath when he writes that theology for Packer is "not merely wrestling with texts, nor yet with ideas, but with the living God."

Studying theology is crucially important and has far more practicalities than the skeptic will be aware of. Packer wants to unpack these important features of Christianity. In doing so, he separates his book into three sections. The first focuses upon the importance of studying theology and what the phenomenology of knowing the true God is like. The second section appears somewhat as a meditation upon many of the characteristics of God: both His communicable and incommunicable traits. In a similar fashion to section one, Packer begins by exploring the scriptures about a given issue and then follows with an application for the life of the believer. The third and final section of Knowing God deals with the relationship that we (as Christians) have to God beyond the Creator-creature distinction. Various issues concerning this relationship include the "heart of the gospel" or the propitiation of sin, what it means to be adopted as a son of God, ways that God is seen to be our guide, and the adequacy of God, among other issues.

Packer's work summarizes his work in the words of the psalmist: "Thou hast said, 'Seek ye my face.' My heart says to thee, 'Thy face, LORD, do I seek'" (Ps. 27:8 RSV). Ultimately, it is Packer's goal to make the reader seek the Lord, to make the reader realize that knowing God is an intimate and inseparable part of the Christian experience. Packer writes that, "If this book moves any of its readers to identify more closely with the psalmist at this point, [his book] will not have been written in vain" (279). I concur with others whom I have spoken to about this book that this book has not been written in vain.

I do have one small, perhaps uncharitable, criticism. There are just so many issues covered in this work that Packer never spends an extensive amount of time on any given section of scripture. Certainly, he devotes a couple pages to particular passages, but that is hardly an exegesis in comparison to the great theologians whom he cites elsewhere (e.g. John Owen). What the reader finds is an extensive number of strings of sliced up passages followed by brief commentary before moving onto the next point. On the other hand, I believe that Packer did not intend on writing an exegetical work such as what may have been described in the above criticism. Furthermore, doing so would limit Packer's audience to a group of people that most likely already have the relationship with God that he is trying to clarify. In other words, he would be speaking to the choir. Thus, by keeping his work simple, his audience is much broader and he can reach many more people.

Again, this book is rich in content and it is difficult to find any biblical errors in this work. I highly recommend this work for new believers and for people who assume that theology is a useless and impractical study. For Packer, the essence of theology is its knowledge of the living God: such a thought should reside in all of the Christians who finish this book! (This is an extract from a more indepth review found on my web site).

Rating:
Summary: A Book That Keeps on Blessing
Review: Time and again J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God, has proven helpful to unfold the truths of Scripture and make theology practical. J.I. Packer presents a solid, thorough, and always refreshing theological framework for knowing our Creator, the One whom we are to glorify and enjoy forever. I never tire of reading and studying this book that deepens, widens, and elevates my understanding of God and His Word. I attempt to read Knowing God yearly. It's my inspiration to delve into Scripture and get to know God. Next to Scripture, Knowing God is the number one book I recommend. It's a book that keeps on blessing!

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Great book. If you dont have it.. you need it.. check it out.

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Book!
Review: This book was a tremendous book on the attributes of God by a tremendous theologian. My favorite part is when Packer quotes the Puritans. He quotes them a lot, too. The Puritans are an often forgotten group, except for the negative things that happened. Packer shows that the Puritans were amazingly following after God and His statues.

This is the only devotional-type books that I have ever enjoyed. While it was fairly devotional in content, Packer put Theology into it. He doesn't just put milk in the content, but also adds meat to it. I love it when he talked about such things as the atonement, election, etc. These are topics that most devotional writers will not even touch, because they are "too controversial." But, Packer tackles the issues with tenacity.

I love the chapter on the Grace of God. That was my very favorite chapter. Packer talked about how most Christians today really don't believe in the grace set forth in the Word. He also writes a bunch of hymns that the Puritans wrote. This just shows how amazing they really were. This is a great read for someone wanting to study the attributes of God.

Rating:
Summary: Profound book about the God of the Bible
Review: First, I must admit that Knowing God is the first book by Packer that I have read. Luckily, I was not disappointed. Considered a modern Christian classic by many, Knowing God lives up to its reputation. In it Packer presents a balanced view of God - who He is, what He is like, what He has done for us, and what He expects from us in return. I had a pretty good understanding of some subjects before reading this book, but found myself learning a lot as Packer challenged me to dig deeper into the Bible, and apply my faith in order to get a clearer picture of God.

I really enjoyed this book because I have been looking for "deep" Christian books that are neither full of fluff (like a lot of the recent self-help style Christian books), or too full of theology to grasp (thick, boring tomes that most Pastors can't even finish). I found that Knowing God fits nicely into this category. Packer's thoughts about God are deep, yet concise. He includes a lot of scripture to support his perspective, which indicates that it is not written for a "new" or "baby" Christian, and he also includes some historical and academic material as well. I liked the fact the he quotes many sources which enabled me to write down the titles to other books which go deeper into subjects of interest to me.

Overall, I recommend this book to Christians who have a firm grasp of their faith, and are looking for guidance on how to grow a deeper relationship with God. One of the keys is gaining a better understanding of God, and this book offers an excellent starting point for that journey.

Rating:
Summary: Getting to know God's "other side." Idolators beware!
Review: This is a book for Christian idolators. You're probably scratching your head and wondering what I mean by that phrase, since it seems oxymoronic. How can a person be a Christian and an idolator at the same time? Very simply, by worshiping God as something other or less than he truly is. We all do it to a greater or lesser degree, depending on our theological and doctrinal "upbringing." Every Christian, whether a truly born again believer or a merely nominal professor of Christ, knows a certain amount of truth about God, some of us very little, others rather alot by comparison. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, your knowledge of the infinite God is forced to pass through the filter of your finite, sin-tainted human mind. The result is a false or incomplete notion of God's nature and character. In other words, we worship something other than the One True and Living God -- i.e., an idol.

Packer writes to alert complacent Christendom to this seemingly little-recognized phenomenon. He astutely points out, though, that this occurs not simply in ignorance or as a function of limited human capacity to comprehend the infinite. Rather, there is a certain degree of willfulness involved, as many of us choose to disregard or downplay those aspects of God's character which we find less pleasant than others. For example, western Christians love to talk about God's mercy, love and providence. We extol his kindness, longsuffering and forgiveness, as if these "good" attributes were the only ones worthy of mention. But what about those qualities which get fair less play in the Christian bookstores -- things like wrath, justice, righteousness and holiness? When was the last time you saw a bestseller about the wrath of God? Yet wrath is just as much a part of God's makeup as his mercy. He is no less holy and righteous and just than he is good and forgiving. It is to these unpopular and oft disregarded qualities that Packer redirects our attention.

The author also reminds us of the vast difference between knowing "about" God, and actually "knowing God". In other words, our heads can be filled with theology, but if it doesn't translate into a life-altering relationship of love and obedience toward God, we cannot say that we know God. And so Packer sets out to teach us something about how to know God by exploring his attributes, and in particular the "unhappy" ones. He also, in what I think is one of the best portions of the whole book, spends a fair amount of ink expounding the crucial doctrines of propitation and adoption. Even better, he gives the most succinct and eloquent summary of the gospel which I have ever read, by linking these two concepts in a simple three-word phrase: the gospel is the good news of "adoption through propitiation." The theological depth of that statement is simply mind-bending, and Packer's formulation of it, by itself, makes this book worth reading.

My only criticism would be of the book's undue (in my opinion) verbosity. The author could have communicated the same truth with the same impact in a much more concise presentation. I found some of the chapters toward the center of the volume to be a bit labored and dry, and even occasionally redundant. Nonetheless, this has been and will continue to be a classic, and I commend it to the reading of every believer who is serious about diving deeper into the unfathomable depths of God's nature and character. Let us be idolators no more!

Rating:
Summary: A Christian Classic!
Review: Packer has written an excellent book that has impacted people world-wide!

Among the points Packer covers include:

1. We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in the world without knowing God.
2. We cannot know God unless He speaks to us. Do not elevate your thoughts of God over what He has said about Himself in the Bible.
3. God had to bring Abraham and Jacob to the end of themselves.
4. The goodness, patience, and discipline of God.
5. While God is love, He is also a God of judgment.
6. Do not be concerned about your rights - let God vindicate you!
7. God will justify and not condemn us through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Read this great classic and be encouraged!

Rating:
Summary: This should be six or seven stars it is so good!
Review: It is so wonderful for someone like me - the generation that was at University when this magnificent, wonderful and totally life changing book came out, over 30 years ago now, that it is still in print and changing lives, as it did with countless of us at university back in the 1970s. Let it change your life in 2003 as it certainly did mine in 1973 and the thousands in between. A classic by a genius! Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003) and the now out of print FIVE EVANGELICAL LEADERS (of whom JI Packer was of course one)

Rating:
Summary: God Centered
Review: This book's greatest gift is a singular focus on God. It skillfully strips away much of the culture and dogma that encumbers the spirit and offers practical advice for modern Christians on how to get back to the simple truth of our faith.

Rating:
Summary: The Foundationsl Principles of Theology
Review: This book is a difficult read because there is a vast amount of knowledge in the book. It is a very slow read, but a read that will change your life. In the first 2 chapters, one's life comes into a crisis about the lack of knowledge one knows about God. Warning, reading this book will bring issues to your life that one must confront.