Week 1: Part One — The Study of God (Chapters 1–2)

1.Packer begins by insisting that "ignorance of God — ignorance both of His ways and of the practice of communion with Him — lies at the root of much that is amiss in Christendom today." Do you agree? What evidence, from your own church experience or personal life, would you offer for or against that diagnosis?

2.Packer distinguishes sharply between knowing *about* God and truly *knowing* God. In his analogy, knowing about a person through their biography is very different from being their personal friend. Where do you honestly locate yourself on that spectrum — and how did you arrive at that assessment?

3.In Chapter 2, Packer draws on Daniel 11:32 ("the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action") to sketch four characteristics of people who know God: they have great energy for God, great boldness for God, great contentment in God, and great thoughts of God. Which of these four is most evident in your life right now, and which is most noticeably absent?

4.Packer warns that studying theology can actually become a substitute for knowing God — that we can become what he calls "theological students" rather than disciples. How does a person guard against that danger while still taking doctrine seriously?

5.Packer quotes Jeremiah 9:23–24, where God says the only legitimate boast is in knowing Him. How does this verse reorder the typical values of intellectual achievement, moral virtue, or financial success that the people around you — and perhaps you yourself — find most worth boasting about?

6.Packer argues that the reason many Christians lack energy, boldness, and peace is not a lack of activity or programs but a shallow knowledge of God. If that is true, what is the implication for how a local church should prioritize its time and resources?

7.How do these opening chapters connect to Jesus's definition of eternal life in John 17:3 — "this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God"? What does it mean that *knowing* God is not merely a means to eternal life but is itself described as eternal life?