Knowing God. By J. I. Packer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023. 400 pp. $29.99 (hardcover).
Thanks to the Colson Fellows Program, I read Knowing God by the late great Rev. Dr. J.I. Packer for the first time. I knew about Packer’s work, but never encountered it at a bookstore or had someone personally recommend it to me. Instead, over the years, I had an assumption that this book was a general introduction to Christianity, like C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, and one could argue it is – but not in the same way. You are absolutely introduced to God, but the emphasis and walkthrough are not like Lewis’s introduction to the faith. Unfortunately, I put this work mentally in the same file as Mere Christianity and, in my hubris, thought I did not need to read it. I could not have been any more wrong. Therefore, regrettably, I never dove into its riches, until now. I am immensely thankful that the Colson Fellows Program required this classic on its reading list, as I had previously missed out.
My initial statement that Knowing God differs from Mere Christianity should be tempered by one important characteristic they share – readability. This book is one I shall return to time and time again. Packer has an irresistible voice in his writing and handling of topics of great depth. Although he is tackling the great question of who is God and how we may know Him, Packer does so at a level where any person, regardless of age or education, can understand the great truths he is joyfully writing to us. Yes, joy is the word I would use to express Packer’s writing style. You can tell this saint loves God. And my, is it infectious.
I will stop bringing in Lewis’ Mere Christianity momentarily, but allow me to suggest that these two books go firmly hand-in-hand. I strongly encourage every parish catechist to incorporate these works into their new member class, confirmation class, youth groups, and parents to read and incorporate these works in their own children’s education in the faith. Chaplains should have a few paperback versions of the work on hand to deliver to those they encounter. This is an Anglican work that brings traditional Christianity in a succinct and enriched form. Packer naturally interweaves the Articles of Religion and prayer book services into his chapters. Surprisingly, the man who did so much to influence the formation of the Anglican Church in North America is often overlooked. This should be remedied by utilizing Knowing God and an accompanying study guide more often within ACNA parishes.
Perhaps, like me, you think of Packer and think about his particular churchmanship or his theological Calvinism and judge the book based on the author’s convictions? Friend, do not do so. This work is thoroughly Anglican in its references, and therefore Augustinian, but does not “throw shade,” as the kids say, on churchmanship or one’s branch of Augustinian thought. It is simply not the purpose of this book.
Packer makes his purpose known in the title – we are on a journey to truly, really, and actually know the Lord God Almighty: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He interweaves flawlessly the Holy Scripture and great Christians of old – both contemporary to when he first wrote the work in 1972 and updated in 1993 – and the church fathers. As an “old” or classical evangelical, Packer has much to say about a “personal relationship with God” and what it should mean versus how it has been degraded into a toothless god in a box, an idol. He reminds the squishy and trendy evangelicals of our day that putting God in a box or making Jesus your homeboy is far from knowing God, who reveals Himself in majesty, as Almighty, is all-sufficient, omnipotent, and sovereign. Packer’s admiration and respect for the Almighty do not make the reader feel downcast, but instead lift us up to the deep, deep love of the I AM WHO I AM who dares to love His creatures so greatly that He would die for us. My heart and spirit were radically shaken, inspired, and filled with God’s love through reading this book. I can only say that about a handful of books beyond the Holy Scriptures.
Packer organizes his book in three parts, stretching over the course of twenty-two chapters and 360 pages in the Crossway edition. If you do not consider yourself a reader, do not let the page number dissuade you, as the chapters are easily digestible, the print is not small, and has good spacing. Speaking of the Crossway edition published in 2023, the book cover is a stunning design, a deep and rich green with a beautiful and decorative golden design (also on the physical spine of the book) that evokes the feeling one is gazing into a cathedral stained glass window. However, I digress, back to the content. The three parts Packer organizes the book into are Part 1 – Know the Lord; Part 2 – Behold Your God!; and Part 3 – If God Be For Us… covering, respectively, how we come to know the Triune God, the characteristics of the Lord God, and the wonderful life-giving Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Friends, if your faith is lacking, failing, or you do not hear the Lord in your life, please pick up this work and read it or listen to the audio version. It is a tool for catechesis for new believers and inquirers, but it is also a soothing balm for the soul of the weary Christian on the road of salvation, stuck in the ditch of despair. Perhaps instead, you are fighting the good fight, but are in a denomination, a church, or a context where the faith is being compromised. Take up this work and be inspired, encouraged, and renewed to know God and never to deny the One who knew you before you were born. Allow me to share a single paragraph that lifted my heart providentially at the right time:
When we read our Bibles, therefore, we need to remember that God still stands behind all the promises and demands and statements of purpose and words of warning that are there addressed to New Testament believers. These are not relics of a bygone age, but an eternally valid revelation of the mind of God toward his people in all generations, so long as this world lasts. As our Lord himself has told us, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). Nothing can annul God’s eternal truth. (86)
Truly, all I can say is “Amen.” These words from one Anglican to another need distribution and heeding across the province, which Packer was instrumental in during its founding and shaping. Lest we forget, Packer chaired the committee that produced To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism, served on the task force creating the ACNA Book of Common Prayer, and was general editor of the English Standard Version of Holy Scripture (and theological editor of the ESV Study Bible), which is cited throughout ACNA’s prayer book, catechism, and canons. However, I dare say this book is an even greater legacy due to its ability to directly engage the reader with who the Living God truly is and how He is trustworthy in His promises and mighty to save us weary sinners.
Packer’s work, although originally authored over fifty years ago and updated thirty years ago, addresses the same issues relevant today. He reflects upon St. John’s revelation that “God is love” yet distinguishes the true doctrine from those outside (and sadly within) the Church who wish to justify their sins because, after all, “God is love.” Packer dispels this faulty logic through the Scriptures and notes that because “God is love,” He has provided salvation for sinners. Justification comes at the cost of God becoming man and hanging dead on the tree, and thanks be to God, He does not leave His sinful creation to wallow in sin but to be uplifted and sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, because God is love, He will not forever tolerate injustice, sin, and evil. There is a judgment and wrath on the Day of the Lord, but for the believer in Christ, there is good news. The Judge is the Savior Himself, whom we find our identity within and by whom we are being transformed by grace for renewal. See Titus 2:11–14.
Packer concludes with a chapter titled “The Adequacy of God.” The chapter was an incredible reminder that God is sufficient. Not merely self-sufficient, which He is, but sufficient and adequate for all of my desires, concerns, troubles, wants, and needs. We should not seek “more” from the world, for its riches turn to dust. We cannot seek glory in the kingdoms of this world, for Satan’s claims are dethroned and “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15, ESV). There is nothing to be gained, apart from God Himself, and He gives Himself completely, abundantly, and wholly so sinners are saved, saints are made, and this old creation is transformed into the new. In other words, sin, death, and the devil have nothing for us and no claim on us. Everything to be gained is the gift of Knowing God.
Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book in order to write this review. My review was not contingent nor influenced upon receiving the review copy.
