If ever there was a grand list of recommended reads for believers, greenhorns and old-timers alike, Knowing God is one that is sure to make it to the list, by my reckoning.
As the title fittingly tells, it offers a helpful foundation for a good understanding of God’s nature and character – a subject matter so vast, yet so crucial. So well does the book’s cover capture the endless path it takes for a finite mind to truly know the infinite.
A book for travellers
The book’s foreword provides a comparative analogy between two distinct experiences of the Christian life – ‘balconeers’ i.e., those who grapple with ideas at the theoretical level, and ‘travellers’ who often live life in the frontline of the practicality of ideas and truth claims. This distinction helped the author direct his focus to his target audience as he makes clear from the start that this is a book for travellers. The structure and delivery of themes give credence to his effort at maintaining that focus.
Author J.I. Packer draws primarily from the Bible and throws in a handful of wisdom and experiences of saints of old; one of the ways the latter features prominently in the book is in the inclusion of lyrics of old hymns. Each hymn is appropriately included in a manner that succinctly summarizes the preceding idea discussed.
To what end?
Early on in the book, readers are faced with the question of motivation, i.e., “what is my ultimate aim and object in occupying my mind with these things?”, “what do I intend to do with my knowledge of God once I’ve got it?”
Admittedly, there is a world of difference between knowing about God and knowing God. The author helps readers understand the interplay between the two aspects – knowing God starts with knowing about Him. Answering the crucial question of how we move from knowing about God to knowing Him, he gives a simple but demanding rule – ‘we turn each truth that we learn about God into a matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God’.
Knowledge applied
As with all books that offer insights and solutions to practical problems, the real test of true learning is in the action that stems from knowledge gained. Each section concludes on a practical note that serves to provoke thoughts and a right response. Included also is a study guide for each of the 22 chapters, offering discussion questions suitable for use in study groups.
Knowing God is a book that turns the searchlight on the nature of God in a personal and practical way. It is a book that deserves to be read purposefully with the intent of allowing timeless truths penetrate head and heart.
The book ended on a very encouraging note as it takes readers on a tour of ‘the high peak’ of ‘the high peak’ of The Bible – Romans 8. The concluding chapter leaves readers with the picture of the one who knows God as the one who lives in Romans 8, exulting with Paul in the adequacy of God.
What greater goal could there be than to know Him who knows us through and through?
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga