Knowing God

by J.I. Packer

Book Overview

A lifelong pursuit of knowing God should embody the Christian's existence. According to eminent theologian J.I. Packer, however, Christians have become enchanted by modern skepticism and have joined the gigantic conspiracy of misdirection by failing to put first things first. Knowing God aims to redirect our attention to the simple, deep truth that to know God is to love His Word. What began as a number of consecutive articles angled for honest, no-nonsense...

Customer Reviews

Tremendous Book!

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 book 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 quotes 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.

Profound book about the God of the Bible

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.

A Real Eye Opener - In My Top 50 All time Favorite Books

Fortunately for me I read this book about the third year that I was a Christian. The book had such an impact on me that several years later I read it again. Packer shoots a straight shot into the heart of Theology Proper. The attributes, nature, and actions of God are delineated with great care and sound theology. The book is divided into three major parts and each part discusses the God who is, Knowing God, and the God who acts. For a better grasp of theology proper (direct study of God Himself) this book along with a solid translation of the Bible will carry you a long way.

Ground yourself in the truth of who God is!

If you want to be grounded in the truth and find out who God is, I recommend you to read `Knowing God'. This book tells of the attributes of the almighty, loving, compassionate God. However, for those who perhaps are not ready for such heavy reading, it would be best to use the `Knowing God Study Guide' to supplement the book. This will further explain what is already discussed in the book such as God's grace, love and majesty, and can also be used as a resource in your devotional time to help you grow as a Christian.