Knowing God in 2008: The Study of God

"As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, drop him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it."

So notes J.I. Packer in ch.1 of Knowing God, entitled “The Study of God.”

The message: Don’t be cruel.

We should not be cruel to ourselves, or to others, by seeking to live in this world while disregarding God. This disregard may be out of malice or ignorance; but once we realize there is an opportunity to know God, we should seize it. We will not only come to know Him (what a privilege!) but also best know ourselves and our world.

Packer notes that entering into the study of God is to seemingly enter a battlefield; so many claim God cannot be known. Packer was writing in 1973, but clearly in this regard his book remains quite contemporary! Let me just say that between 1973 and today, I have come to know God – as have countless others around the globe. Don’t believe those who say it cannot be done: it is a falsehood and a cruelty.

Yet to know God is not an achievement that we can boast about. It is a relationship initiated by God, who gave His Son to provide the way. In knowing God, we know God's grace.

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Note: This is our first week of reflecting on Packer's book. We will try to cover one chapter per week, and you are invited to join in the reading or simply overhear these discussions.