Knowing god ji packer9/3/2023 We are not all God’s children: we become His when we believe on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Packer says the most basic definition of a Christian is that he or she is a person who has God as Father. Packer, I still wanted to do a general review, partly for those who did not want to keep up with the weekly readings, and partly for me to have a general review to link back to.Įven though this book has been considered a classic and has been in print for over 40 years, somehow I had never gotten around to reading it before, though I had heard of it and wanted to. The last chapter, “The Adequacy of God,” is the grand finale.Even though I’ve been posting weekly summaries of my reading from Knowing God by J. In the penultimate chapter entitled “The Inward Trials,” Packer points out two major errors that evangelicals often make with new believers: (1) they don’t prepare them for the trials that will come when they trust Christ as Lord and Savior (2) and they give them the wrong remedy when they’re hit hard by trials and temptations. The last two chapters are especially important for the Christian life. Packer’s book, though doctrinal, is immensely practical for the life of the believer. In addition, he uses the great hymns of the faith by Toplady, Wesley, Watts, and Newton. In Knowing God, Packer employs numerous stories from the Bible to illustrate theological truths. You will enjoy your salvation even more by gaining an understanding of important biblical terms like propitiation and adoption. Through this book you will grow to appreciate God – who He is and what He has done for you. In this way, doctrinal study really can become a danger to spiritual life, and we today, no less than the Corinthians of old, need to be on guard here.” … There can be no spiritual health without doctrinal knowledge but it is equally true that there can be no spiritual health with it, if it is sought for the wrong purpose and valued by the wrong standard. ![]() We need to guard our hearts against such an attitude, and pray to be kept from it. “To be preoccupied with getting theological knowledge as an end in itself, to approach Bible study with no higher a motive than a desire to know all the answers, is the direct route to a state of self-satisfied self-deception. Packer’s goal is not just that the reader know the doctrines of God, but that he or she know God personally. Better yet, read it with others and discuss it as you go along. Instead read it like you would the Bible – slowly, thoughtfully, and with an eye to obedience. ![]() If you’re a Christ-follower who hasn’t read this book, move it to the top of your reading list, but don’t plan to read it like a novel. ![]() Knowing God is biblical, practical, and readable. Packer is a British-born Canadian theologian with an insightful mind and an extraordinary ability to exegete and apply the Word of God. I truly believe that with each reading, I will get to know God in a deeper and more intimate way. This was my second time to read it, but it probably won’t be my last. Knowing God, written four decades ago, is in my opinion already a classic. If I could recommend only one book besides the Bible to an intelligent young disciple of Jesus Christ, it would be this one.
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