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J.I. Packer
J.I. Packer (1926–2020) was a British-born Canadian preacher, theologian, and author whose profound writings and teaching shaped evangelical Christianity for over half a century. Born in Gloucester, England, to a lower-middle-class family, Packer suffered a severe head injury at age seven from a bread van accident, redirecting him from athletics to a scholarly life. Converted at 18 in 1944 while studying at Oxford University—where he earned a BA, MA, and DPhil—he embraced evangelical faith through the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union rather than his nominal Anglican upbringing. Ordained in the Church of England in 1953, he married Kit Mullett that year, raising three children while serving briefly in parish ministry before transitioning to theological education. Packer’s influence soared through his academic and literary contributions, teaching at Tyndale Hall and Trinity College in Bristol, then moving to Canada in 1979 to join Regent College in Vancouver as Professor of Theology until his retirement in 1996. His book Knowing God (1973), selling over a million copies, cemented his reputation as a clear, accessible voice for Reformed theology, while works like Fundamentalism and the Word of God and Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God defended biblical inerrancy and divine grace. A key figure in the English Standard Version Bible translation and a signer of the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Packer preached and wrote with a focus on Puritan spirituality and practical holiness. He died in 2020, leaving a legacy as a theological giant whose warmth and wisdom enriched the global church.
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Greek Word Studies delves into the meaning of 'anakalupto,' which signifies the unveiling or uncovering by drawing back the veil. Paul uses the analogy of Moses veiling his face to illustrate the passing glory of the Old Covenant compared to the eternal glory of the New Covenant in Christ. Believers, both Jew and Gentile, experience the removal of the spiritual veil upon turning to the Lord, enabling them to see and reflect the glory of God. The transformation that occurs in believers allows them to radiate the glory of God, a privilege made possible through Christ.
Characteristics of Maturity
1. The first mark of maturity is the ability to deal constructively with reality to face facts, to not cover up reality or call it something else, but to deal with it as it is. Mature people do not kid themselves. 2. The second mark is, adapting quickly to change. We all experience change, whether it be physical, at work, in the family, or whatever. I am amazed at how much some of you have changed through the years while I remain exactly the same! Immature people resist change. It makes them nervous. But the mark of maturity is to adapt to change because change is inevitable. 3. The third mark is freedom from the symptoms of tension and anxiety. The worried look, the frown, the ulcers, the palpitations of the heart -- come because you are upset, anxious and worried. Maturing means you have begun to see that God is in control of this world. He is working out purposes that you do not always understand, but you accept it. He will take you through the deep water, not drown you in it. Maturity means you are learning to trust. 4 Fourth, it means to be satisfied more with giving than receiving. Some of you have recently learned that the joy of Christmas is not getting presents but giving them. To see the joy in someone else's face when they get something they either need or want. That is a sign you are growing up. You are discovering the true values of life. 5. The fifth mark is, to relate to others with consistency, helpfulness and mutual satisfaction. Maturity is learning to get along with other people, to be a help, not a hindrance, to contribute to the solution and not to be always a part of the problem. 6. Finally, maturity is sublimating and redirecting anger to constructive ends. Maturity is the ability to use the adrenaline that anger creates, not to lose your temper and add to the problem, but to correct a situation or to contribute to changing the nature of the difficulty.
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J.I. Packer (1926–2020) was a British-born Canadian preacher, theologian, and author whose profound writings and teaching shaped evangelical Christianity for over half a century. Born in Gloucester, England, to a lower-middle-class family, Packer suffered a severe head injury at age seven from a bread van accident, redirecting him from athletics to a scholarly life. Converted at 18 in 1944 while studying at Oxford University—where he earned a BA, MA, and DPhil—he embraced evangelical faith through the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union rather than his nominal Anglican upbringing. Ordained in the Church of England in 1953, he married Kit Mullett that year, raising three children while serving briefly in parish ministry before transitioning to theological education. Packer’s influence soared through his academic and literary contributions, teaching at Tyndale Hall and Trinity College in Bristol, then moving to Canada in 1979 to join Regent College in Vancouver as Professor of Theology until his retirement in 1996. His book Knowing God (1973), selling over a million copies, cemented his reputation as a clear, accessible voice for Reformed theology, while works like Fundamentalism and the Word of God and Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God defended biblical inerrancy and divine grace. A key figure in the English Standard Version Bible translation and a signer of the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Packer preached and wrote with a focus on Puritan spirituality and practical holiness. He died in 2020, leaving a legacy as a theological giant whose warmth and wisdom enriched the global church.