Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Dear COAH,

As you may have already heard, our Book of the Year is Knowing God by J.I. Packer. This Wednesday, we begin a 7-week study on the book. And I encourage you to sign up as we delve deeper into this very important Christian classic.

“I wrote Knowing God over a period of years,” Packer reflects, “during which I was deeply concerned…to help people realize God’s greatness.” Packer then confesses that before his conversion he was “self-absorbed in just about every way, a silly, twisted adolescent who needed a great deal of straightening out.” One milestone in this journey of spiritual growth was discovering that the first thing to ask of Scripture isn’t what it tells us about ourselves but what it says about our God.

But what exactly does knowing God mean? He wrote, “Knowing God involves, first, listening to God’s Word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself; second, noting God’s nature and character, as his Word and works reveal it; third, accepting his invitations and doing what he commands; fourth, recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown in thus approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship” (37).

Packer’s Knowing God is about actually knowing God. He divides it into three sections: why we should know God, what God is like, and the benefits of knowing God.

The second section of Knowing God is the largest and it emphasizes characteristics of God that are especially highlighted in Scripture. These attributes are essential for every Christian seeking to mature in their knowledge of Him. For Packer, every truth about God is spiritually transformative. It is not about picking and choosing who you think God is or who you want Him to be. But we must diligently explore the multifaceted ways in which God has revealed Himself in Scripture. As we closely study God’s attributes and actions, it deepens our fellowship with God and leads to adoration and celebration of who He is and what He has done.

This book is not a quick read. But it will illumine your mind, stir your affections, and strengthen you to face a lost world with hope rooted in the character of a great God. Consider what Packer says:

“We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul” (19).

As we read, study, and discuss this book, my hope and prayer is that God will renew our minds, revive our hearts, and refresh our souls as we go deeper in knowing Him. When Packer wrote this book, he did not imagine the impact it would have on millions of Christians. It still speaks to Christians today.

 This is how Packer concludes his book: “Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye my face.’ My heart says to thee, ‘Thy face, Lord, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8 RSV). If this book moves any of its readers to identify more closely with the psalmist at this point, it will not have been written in vain (279).

Amen. May we resonate with King David’s heart and seek to know God.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim