Knowing God by J.I. Packer
Week 7: God's Wisdom and Word — Chapters 9–10
Read Chapters 9–10 of Knowing God ("The Wrath of God" and "Goodness and Severity of God"). Key Scripture: Romans 1:18–32; Romans 11:22; John 3:36.
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No attribute of God is less welcome in contemporary culture — or more necessary for an honest reading of Scripture — than His wrath.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.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?
2.Packer carefully distinguishes the wrath of God from human anger. He argues that God's wrath is not a loss of emotional control or a petty vindictiveness but rather the steady, settled, righteous opposition of a perfectly holy God to everything that is evil. Why does this distinction matter morally and theologically?
3.Romans 1:18 declares that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Packer points out that this is present-tense wrath — visible now in the moral fabric of a creation that gives sinners over to the consequences of their sin. Where do you see this "giving over" pattern at work in the world around you?
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