Knowing God

1.Packer makes the striking point that in Scripture the phrase "knowing God" often has to be understood in reverse — it is God who knows us first, and our knowing Him is a response to that. How does this reframe what it means to pursue knowledge of God? Does it feel more humbling, more comforting, or both?

1.Packer opens by lamenting that modern Christianity tends to think of God as a "cosmic bellhop" — always available, never overwhelming, existing to meet our felt needs. Where do you see this small-God mindset expressed in contemporary worship, prayer, or preaching?

1.Packer argues that the incarnation is "the most profound and far-reaching event that has ever occurred in the history of the world." Why does he make such an absolute claim? Do you find it convincing, and why?

1.Packer argues that God's love is not a vague general benevolence toward humanity in the abstract, but a specific, personal, costly love for real individuals. How does that distinction change the emotional and devotional weight of a phrase like "God loves you"?

1.In Chapter 7, Packer insists that understanding God as Lawgiver — holy, righteous, and demanding full obedience — is not the Old Testament version of God to be replaced by grace. Why does he argue that the law is essential background for understanding the gospel? What happens to grace when the law is softened or abandoned?

1.Packer opens Chapter 9 by noting that many Christians are embarrassed by the wrath of God and try to explain it away. Why do you think the doctrine of divine wrath feels so unacceptable today, even in many churches? What cultural assumptions drive that embarrassment?

1.The word "jealousy" typically has negative connotations in human experience. Packer argues that God's jealousy is fundamentally different — it is not the insecure jealousy of someone afraid of losing status, but the righteous jealousy of a committed lover who will not share His beloved with a rival. What makes God's jealousy a mark of His love rather than a character flaw?

1.Packer famously argues in these chapters that adoption is "the highest privilege that the gospel offers — higher even than justification." Why does he rank it so highly? Do you find that claim convincing or surprising?

1.Packer argues that the shepherd image in Psalm 23 is not a soft sentimental comfort but a robust, concrete promise of God's active guidance through the full range of life's terrain — including "the valley of the shadow of death." What does it mean to trust God as shepherd in a way that is actually strengthened rather than destroyed by hard circumstances?

1.Packer argues that the great goal of knowing God is not merely correct doctrine but a transformed character — what he calls "true godliness." How do you define godliness? How does your definition compare with Packer's emphasis on a person whose life is shaped by a deep, active awareness of God's presence?

1.Packer draws on Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12) to address the experience of prayers that are not answered in the way we hope. How does Paul's story model the right response to unanswered prayer — and how does Packer use it to reframe what "God answering prayer" actually means?

1.Packer argues that present-day knowing of God, profound as it can be, is still a partial and mediated knowing — "we see in a mirror dimly" (1 Corinthians 13:12). How does that acknowledged incompleteness affect how you hold both your theological convictions and your unanswered questions?

1.Packer's central claim is that there is a life-changing difference between knowing *about* God and actually *knowing* Him. Having read the whole book: do you believe that distinction more deeply now than you did at the start? What has shifted in your understanding?