Knowing God Book

If, like me, you were raised going to a Christian church, reading the Bible, and participating in Bible studies, you might think you know all there is to know about God. But the goal of the Christian shouldn't be merely to know about God. We must realize, first, how little we know God and secondly, why it's important to do so. In "Knowing God," Packer stresses the importance of really understanding who God is and attempts to excite and motivate the Christian to strive towards knowing Him better. Theology is often downplayed and seems to receive little attention in many churches these days. But every professing Christian should have as a lifelong pursuit the subject of theology, which is simply the study of God. And as a student of God's Word, Packer says, the Christian must ask himself, "What do I intend to do with my knowledge about God, once I have got it?" Packer points out that one may know a lot about God and godliness, and still hardly know Him.

Possessing a true knowledge of God will have an effect on and be evident in a person's life. Packer names four things that will be the result of knowing God: Great energy for God, Great thoughts of God, Great boldness for God, and Great contentment in God.

In order to really know God, He has to speak to us and teach us about Himself. We must come to know God as He revealed Himself to the prophets and apostles as given to us in the Scriptures. The Westminster Catechism tells us, "The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man."

With this in mind, Packer discusses why it is important to know who God is, what He is like, and God's relationship with and actions towards man. Packer discusses and explains the important doctrinal concepts of propitiation, regeneration, justification, and adoption -- doctrines of Christianity that set it apart from all other religions and belief systems.

A favorite quote of mine from the book is this one:

"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...We do not fully feel the wonder of the passage from death to life which takes place in the new birth till we see it as a transition not simply out of condemnation into acceptance, but out of bondage and destitution into the 'safety, certainty, and enjoyment' of the family of God."

Packer ends his book with a chapter on the adequacy of God. He expands on the ideas that God is adequate as our sovereign protector, benefactor, champion, and keeper. To the person who has come to trust Christ as his Savior and who has come into a personal relationship with God, He is all these things and more, and we need no other beside Him.

For a more thorough discussion of this book, visit my blog: ImAllBooked.com