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denem7
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Joined: 2005/6/8
Posts: 62
Orange Park, FL

 Knowing God :by J.I. Packer

hello everyone, i'm currently reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer. this is my first book that i've read by Packer. any thoughts or advice before i get too far into this book? does packer have sound doctrine? thanks- dennis


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Dennis

 2006/3/12 23:03Profile
Josiah777
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Joined: 2004/2/17
Posts: 99
Sterling, VA

 Re: Knowing God :by J.I. Packer

I read the book and found it very sound in biblical faith and theology. He is heavily influenced by the Puritans (there are some of his sermons on this website that speak toward it as well). There were a few areas I could disagree with, but when reading works like this I "eat the hay and spit out the sticks." Packer wrote this in the 1970's (I believe) and seemed to be on the mark then. I cannot say factually where he stands today. I LOVE chapter 19 called "The Sons of God." I think that was perhaps the best expounding of our sonship with Christ I have ever heard in my life--VERY edifying and it was filled rich thoughts from God's Word to meditate on and apply practically.


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Ken Marino

 2006/3/13 8:13Profile
Graftedbranc
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Joined: 2005/11/8
Posts: 619


 Re: Knowing God :by J.I. Packer

Quote:
any thoughts or advice before i get too far into this book? does packer have sound doctrine?



Packers book is good a far a doctine is conserned. In his first chapters (as I recall) I was inpressed that though he emphaisise a "relationship" with God in a practical way, he never really defines what that relationship is in it's organic sense. His treatment of of the attributes of God are very good and according to the historical "reformed" faith, what is lacking is the revelation of our organic union with Christ.

The Knowlege of God which he proposes is one based mainly in having correct doctrine conserning God and His divine attributes thereby having an accurate and biblical understanding of God, but in my opinion falls short of God's desire to impart the direct knowlege of Himself through the indwelling Spirit.

What one walks away with is more intellectual then experiential. Whereas the revelation of God in the Scriptures is not for our "correctness" or our understanding of this or that attribute of God, but for us to know who this God is who indwells us and to enable us to enter in experientually into Him to live by Him as our life.

In this He follows the puritans and shares in their lack.

Graftedbranch

 2006/3/13 11:41Profile
ginnyrose
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Joined: 2004/7/7
Posts: 7534
Mississippi

 Re:

J.I Packer(EDIT:) book "Knowing God" has such a way of describing God that I am filled with awe of His majesty, his greatness!

My heart swells up in reverence and praise!!! His book evokes a deep sense of worship for our awesome God.

I consider him among the best in contemporary writers.

ginnyrose


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Sandra Miller

 2006/3/14 2:15Profile
rookie
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Joined: 2003/6/3
Posts: 4821
Savannah TN

 Re:

Brother GB wrote:

Quote:
The Knowlege of God which he proposes is one based mainly in having correct doctrine conserning God and His divine attributes thereby having an accurate and biblical understanding of God, but in my opinion falls short of God's desire to impart the direct knowlege of Himself through the indwelling Spirit.

What one walks away with is more intellectual then experiential. Whereas the revelation of God in the Scriptures is not for our "correctness" or our understanding of this or that attribute of God, but for us to know who this God is who indwells us and to enable us to enter in experientually into Him to live by Him as our life.




This is a very precise picture of what I percieved of Packer's writing. Packer describes the attributes of God according to Scripture. In this work one finds a definition of God. And this is good. This effort teaches one to maybe recognize God when He speaks to you. In a way, it trains one to discern what is of God and what is not. But knowing God is something far more than what this book covers. The title itself set Packer up for failure.

1Cor. 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1Cor. 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Paul always prayed that God would give understanding ("increase') to all the believers as he himself had discovered.

In Christ
Jeff


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Jeff Marshalek

 2006/3/14 11:47Profile
Agent001
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Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 Re: Knowing God :by J.I. Packer

Quote:
does packer have sound doctrine?


The answer is a resounding yes. If you are looking for sound doctrine, as one of the major evangelical theological of the past century, JI Packer is a very safe choice. He is also instrumental in reviving interests in Puritan theology, which has much insight for contemporary Christians.

[i]Knowing God[/i] is an excellent book, but as others pointed out, its emphasis is on the theological aspects of the doctrine of God, though not without practical discussions. Be prepared to engage the book with both intellect and devotion.


Another book by Packer that helped me a lot was:
[b][i]In Step With the Spirit[/i][/b], which discusses the Christian quest for holiness.


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Sam

 2006/3/15 11:02Profile
philologos
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Joined: 2003/7/18
Posts: 6566
Reading, UK

 Re:

Packer is one of the greatest champions of the verbal inspiration of scripture of our era. Don't judge a lancet by the criteria you would use to judge a felling-axe. In his field he is a master craftsman.


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Ron Bailey

 2006/3/17 5:10Profile
Graftedbranc
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Joined: 2005/11/8
Posts: 619


 Re:

Quote:
Packer is one of the greatest champions of the verbal inspiration of scripture of our era. Don't judge a lancet by the criteria you would use to judge a felling-axe. In his field he is a master craftsman.



One may be a "master craftsman of doctrine" and that is good. But the issue is what is God after?. Is He after those with "correct doctrin?. Well. He is obvously not after those with "bad doctrine". But is correct doctrine enough? No. Not at all as Revelation 3 shows us in the letter to the church in Ephesis. They had the correct doctrne, but they had left their first Love and were fallen.

Correct doctrine is good, but does not accomplish God's economy. God is after those who love Him. Who know Him. Who experience Him as their indwelling Life and who live by Him, manifest Him, and express Him.

Graftedbranch

 2006/3/20 21:02Profile
Agent001
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Joined: 2003/9/30
Posts: 386
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 Re:

Graftedbranch,

I do not think even Packer would disagree that "correct doctrine is not enough." But let's give credit where credit is due - Packer is a godly theologian who has had made an impact in the past generation, which seems to be getting more and more muddled in their thinking.

Quote:
[i]"To know God well he must think on Him unceasingly... Of course this presupposes at least a fair amount of [b]sound theological knowledge[/b]. To seek God apart from His own self-disclosure in the inspired Scriptures is not only futile but dangerous."[/i] ~AW Tozer~


I think we can all agree on that.


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Sam

 2006/3/21 10:32Profile





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