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 A Must-Read for the Christian January 6, 2009
I cannot recommend J.I. Packer's Knowing God too highly, primarily because I have never read a book that has more practically changed my own life. No work - obviously excepting the divinely inspired Word of God - has taught me more truth, opened my eyes more often, or spurred me to love God more strongly. As the dustcover says, "J.I. Packer's classic has revealed to over a million Christians around the world the wonder, the glory and the joy of knowing God." I can't think of a better, more enticing tagline to put on a book than that.
Quoted on the cover of another book is Packer's sentiment that, "To rush to God...with no pause to realize his greatness and grace and our own sinfulness and smallness, is at once to dishonor him and to make shallow our own fellowship with him." I believe that the true worth of Knowing God is that it leads the reader to meditate on each of those issues by sharing Dr. Packer's own meditations on God. The book builds up God's greatness and glorifies his grace, while it forces the reader to realize his own sinfulness and smallness in light of God's character. In so doing, this book leads the reader to honor God rightly, thereby deepening his fellowship with the Lord.
In a chapter entitled "The Majesty of God," Dr. Packer asks, "How may we form a right idea of God's greatness?" His answer is that the Bible shows us the two steps we must take:
"The first is to remove from our thoughts of God limits that would make him small. The second is to compare him with powers and forces which we regard as great."
To serve this end, the author gives a stirring exhortation at the end of the chapter: "How slow we are to believe in God as God, sovereign, all-seeing and almighty! How little we make of the majesty of our Lord and Savior Christ! The need for us is to `wait upon the Lord' in meditations on his majesty, till we find our strength renewed through the writing of these things upon our hearts."
I, personally, have committed to reading this book at least once a year, because it has done more in bringing me to meditate upon God's majesty rightly than has any other book I have read. I feel strongly that every Christian ought to read through Knowing God at least once, for Dr. Packer's simultaneous uses of wisdom and encouragement lead the reader into a deeper knowledge of God. It seeks to drive the reader from a passive, intellectual knowledge `about God' to a powerful, life-changing knowledge `of God.' This book, more than any other, has taught me what it means to seek to be "knowing God."
Masterpiece by a Master Theologian January 6, 2009
In the early 1970's, the editor of Evangelical approached J.I. Packer and asked him to write a series of articles on God "angled for honest, no-nonsense readers who were fed up with facile Christian verbiage." Packer, a longtime professor of theology at Regent University in Vancouver, then began producing articles at two-month intervals for the now bygone publication. This series was later edited and packaged into this book. Thirty years and more than one million copies later, this work is still widely acclaimed as one of the finest examples of readily-accessible, evangelical theology.
Packer claims, "As clowns yearn to play Hamlet, so I have wanted to write a treatise on God. This book, however, is not it...anyone who takes it that way will be disappointed." With all due respect to the wise professor, I must disagree. It is virtually impossible to read this book and walk away disappointed. It is also about as close to a treatise on God as one will find in such a concise volume.
Far from being a book written by a professor living in an ivory tower, separated from the daily struggles of the common Christian, Packer's Knowing God contains valuable theological wisdom applicable to daily living. Though full of orthodox doctrine, Packer deftly ensures the content of the book is deep but not inaccessible; profound yet easily understood. And therein lays the genius of Knowing God - at its heart it is a practical book written to help Christians live a life that properly magnifies and glorifies God yet, unlike so many books of the Christian living genre, it is rooted in deep theology and sound Reformed doctrine.
The chapter's in the heart of the book are devoted to different attributes of God including God's love, majesty, immutability, wisdom, wrath, truth, grace, jealousy, severity, and goodness. These chapters paint an accurate and fairly thorough picture of the God of scripture. Packer not only uses numerous scriptural references to underline his points, he also shows us how to properly think of God in light of these divine characteristics. For instance, in his chapter "The Majesty of God" Packer writes, "How may we form a right idea of God's greatness? The Bible teaches us two steps we must take. The first is to remove from our thoughts of God limits that would make him small. The second is to compare him with powers and forces which we regard as great (pg. 85)."
Packer also addresses one of the more neglected doctrines of the Bible in the book's lengthiest chapter, "Sons of God." Packer contends that while justification is unquestionably the "primary and fundamental blessing of the gospel," he maintains that adoption "is the highest privilege that the gospel offers." He writes, "Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love, and viewing God as father. In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship - he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater (pg. 207)."
What to like: The book's usefulness and impact stem from the fact that Packer truly understood the biggest problem facing the church- ignorance. He states, "The conviction behind the book is that ignorance of God - ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him - lies at the root of much of the church's weakness today (pg. 12)."
This conviction is what drives the book. Packer understands that living right begins with orthodox theology and sound doctrine. All too often Christians get this wrong today by focusing on their actions and behavior first, all the while believing the theology behind their conduct to be of secondary importance. This line of reasoning, however, is putting the cart before the horse. In Knowing God, Packer makes it his priority to ensure his readers understand the vital role theology and doctrine play in the Christian's life.
Beyond this, Packer does an incredible job of covering so much rich and enlightening material in such a concise volume. From the Triune Godhead to the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God to the doctrine of adoption to God's absolute sovereignty and adequacy, Packer covers a wealth of material for a book weighing in with less than 300 pages. It is rare to find such a wide variety of topics covered thoroughly in anything less than authoritative systematic theologies, often containing thousands of pages. It is rarer though to find some of these topics covered in such an accessible manner.
R.C. Sproul once called Knowing God a "masterpiece by a master theologian." Dr. D. James Kennedy coined it a "contemporary classic." Mark Dever credited the book with being at least partially responsible for the recent surge in popularity of Reformed theology.Pastors and laymen alike are all fairly unanimous in referring to Knowing God with high praise and acclaim. For over thirty years it has been, perhaps, the finest, most accessible evangelical theological treatise available. Rare is a book so full of rich theology, yet also brimming with life-changing practical wisdom. If one is interested in better understanding the God of scripture, the one true omnipotent Creator of the universe, Knowing God is a great place to start.
Good Read December 30, 2008
I believe this book "Knowing God" by J.I. Picker will help expand your mind about God. It will help people see God as a compassionate, loving Creator. Packer includes lots of scripture which I believe is important in a book of this nature.
I see from reading the reviews on this site some people have recommend my book, "The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone," and again I just want them to know how much I appreciate their recommendation, especially at such a excellent site. I wrote this book out of love and for the glory of God and Jesus, not for my own fame or fortune. I welcome people to read my book, I'm sure you'll find this non-fiction account of a loving God just as positive and inspiring
I really liked it. December 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I truly enjoyed this book. All Christians should pick up a copy. Yes it's a heavy read that tries to explain all the attributes of God, but still one gets a sense of the grace of God through it all. The book also tries to explain the love of God. If you truly want a greater understanding of God I suggest you read the book entitled The Enlightenment, What God Told Me After One Million Prayers: A Message for Everyone. This book will bring you closer to understanding who God is more than anything else. [...]
Convicting November 13, 2008
this is not and easy to digest book. It will take some time to process all the information, which is awesome.
read this book with your Bible in hand and take ALL the time necessary to read, check your Bible and meditate about it. YOU WILL NOT REGRET READING THIS BOOK. Highly recommended to make a book study with other Christians
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