"Knowing God" is overall a good read. I particularly enjoyed the opening section of the book while the following chapters were less exciting. The ultimate theme of the book is the idea of knowing God and breaks down the process into three sections: “I Know the Lord, Behold Your God!, and If God Be for Us….” It begins by arguing that to know God begins with knowing about Him and His character. Knowing God also requires a personal relationship. Knowing God means becoming a disciple of Jesus and having faith that responds in prayer and obedience towards Him. Finally, knowing God requires that we will exult in the adequacy of God, God’s glory, and His grace. I should warn you that this summary is crazy long, but the book had so much information. Reviewing the summary makes me want to read the book one more time.
During my time in The Fellowship Residency Program, I will be reading a long list of powerful books. To read more about my residency experience click here. One aspect of my assignments is to summarize and write key takeaways from each of the books. This is a summary of "Knowing God" by J.I. Packer.
Part One: I Know the Lord
The highest science that can be studied by a child of God is God Himself. The study of God simultaneously humbles and expands the mind. There are five fundamental truths to Christianity with regards to knowing God: God has spoken to us through scripture to make us wise unto salvation. God is sovereign Lord and King over all for His glory such that His creation will worship His perfect splendor. God is our savior through Jesus Christ to deliver us from the guilt and shame of our sin and adopt us as His children. God is a Trinity that works together such that the Father purposes redemption, the Son secures them, and the Spirit applies them. Godliness means that we respond to God’s truth in obedience, by faith, and through the disciplines. Life is lived under the authority of God’s Word.
To know God, we must first ask ourselves “What is God?” God is “a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” Our desire should be to know and enjoy life with God, and we should utilize the increase in knowledge about Him as a means to achieve that. We are to “turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.” Meditation is described as an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.
Such few of us can actually speak truth when saying we truly “know God.” To go even further, the marks of knowing God including goodness, righteousness, and joy are rare among the people who claim to “know God.” “A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge ABOUT Him.” We can both know a lot about God as well as godliness without actually having any real or important knowledge of Him.
You may begin to ask yourself, “How can we see evidence of people who genuinely know God? You will know them because their “losses and crosses” no longer matter to them for what they have gained in receiving salvation is far better. They also have a great deal of energy and excitement for the Lord. Those who know God have great thoughts of the power of God and are bold for Him. Finally, they have great contentment in God. How can be become someone who knows God? Firstly, we must recognize how little we know of God. We must judge this not by what we do, but by our true hearts. Secondly, we must seek the Savior. We must seek the Lord until we find Him. Then, we can be witnesses to the world who truly know God.
Unfortunately for us, the more complex the thing or person being known, the more difficult it is to know. Though difficult, one day in your Christian walk, you will wake up and discover that God is speaking directly to you. At that moment, you may begin to recognize that God is allowing you to know Him and join together in a covenantal partnership. Knowing God requires first, listening to God’s word and tending to the Spirit’s interpretation and application of it. Secondly, recognizing God’s nature as it is revealed to you. Thirdly, following through on the promptings towards obedience. And, finally, rejoicing in the love God has shown in drawing you towards Him.
We are able to know God as: a son knows his father, a wife knows her husband, a subject knows their king, and a sheep knows its shepherd. We look up to the one known and receive care and love from the one being known falling over us. Knowing God is entirely personal and requires dealing with Him as He reveals Himself to you while also being dealt with by Him. Additionally, knowing God requires the use of the mind, will, and feelings. We only know God when we pour all of ourselves into knowing Him. As believers, we are emotionally invested in God’s victories in our world and the injustices He endures in our time. Finally, knowing God is initiated by His immensely perfect grace. We do not choose God, he chooses us. Likewise, we not only know God, but are known BY God. There is immense relief in knowing that God chose to love us in spite of our flaws. There is nothing he does not know about us, and yet He still chooses to love us fiercely. In response, we should worship Him for His desire to save, redeem, and restore, sinners like us.
Parker reminds us that there is only one true God. Christians should not utilize images or pictures of God to aid in their worship as it directly contradicts the second commandment. Images obscure his glory (like Aaron’s golden calf) and mislead us by conveying ideas that are not in alignment with truth about God, Therefore, they are not now to seek visible symbols of God, but simply to obey his word.
Parker also reminds us that the biggest and most difficult to understand mystery of Christian faith is the idea of Jesus being fully man and fully God. John 1:1-14 sets up this idea nicely. “The Word” as used here would be understood accurately as God at work. The Word was described as eternal, as personal, as divine, as creating, as animating and life bringing, revealing and incarnate as coming to flesh. Jesus was not like God minus some traits. Instead He is God with human traits. He who created man was now becoming man. Becoming man was a humbling reminder to being stripped of the privileges of being God such that he could become man. This act was a “wonder of grace. The deity and humanity of Jesus were joined together fully and not to be divided.
One of the biggest takeaways from the book was the idea that Jesus did have limited human knowledge (Mark 13:32), but He also had supernatural power and knowledge from time to time. The Gospel gives us the impression that Jesus was not without divine knowledge, but that there were times he was without it and not concerned about being without. Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity acknowledged and submitted to the authority of the first and knew that his knowledge was dependent on the will of God himself.
Our God is the “triune Jehovah.” The idea of the Trinity is a key systematic theology piece that we must understand. Comforter is one who “encourages, supports, assists, and shoulders responsibility for another’s welfare.” We are promised in the scriptures another comforter in addition to Jesus. This promise is the Holy Spirit. The Father will send the Spirit just as He sent the Son to do His Will and act as His representative and with His authority. Additionally, it is written that the Son will send the Spirit from The Father. Therefore, the Spirit submits to the will of both the Father and the Son. If the work that Christ did for the church matters greatly, then the Spirit’s work shall too. Some view the Spirit as the upmost of religiosity while others view the Spirit as the source of moral conviction. Unfortunately, few even think of Him at all. The Spirit came to the disciples to share with them the truths of Christ, salvation, and the eternal promises. Without the Spirit, there would be no faith or birth or Christians. Only the Holy Spirit can ignite the truths of Christianity by His ability to renew the lost souls. We honor the Holy Spirit by acknowledging the authority and truth of God’s Word, living it out in our lives, and trusting in the Spirit to do what only He can do to authenticate our testimonies.
Part Two: Behold Your God!
We struggle to fully know and understand our God due to the challenge of reading scripture from a distant time period. We struggle to understand how the two worlds link together. It is crucial that we understand that God is the link. The God of Israel and the God of Jesus is the God of you and I today. God’s life does not and will not change. He always was and always will be. Nothing will alter God’s character. In other words, He will never be less truthful, graceful, merciful, and good than He ever has been. Likewise, His truth does not change. Human’s words will falter, but God’s words withstand the test of time. He still upholds His promises, requests, commands, and encouragements. God’s ways do not change. God deals with believers and nonbelievers the same way he dealt with them in scripture. Additionally, God’s purposes do not change. What he planned to do, he will do for all of eternity. Finally, God’s Son does not change. These promises of immutability should bring comfort as we walk through the everchanging stressors of life.
In modern Christianity, we stress that God is personal, but it leads to a poor assumption that God is a weak and meek person like we are. This is not true of the God of the scriptures. The Creator God of Genesis brings life into the world through only His spoken word in a way that provides order in the chaos. You may wonder how we are to understand God appropriately as majestic. First, we remove all limits that seek to make God small, then we compare Him with powers and forces that we regard as great. How can we go about that? Isaiah 40 is a great example. It encourages us to look up at the tasks that God has done through creation and redemption. Then it challenges us to look at the great nations of both the scriptures and today. Next, we are to look at the world. Look at the diversity, its vastness, and its complexity. Then we are to look to the world’s greatest with regards to power (politicians), talent (singers), and strength (athletes). Finally, we are challenged to look at the stars. The majesty of the sky is powerful but minimal when compared with its creator.
“Wisdom is the power and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.” It is the more practical aspect of moral goodness. “Omniscience governing omnipotence, infinite power ruled by infinite wisdom, is a basic biblical description of the divine character [of God].” Wisdom without any power is useless, and power without wisdom is scary. However, the two together is worthy of our entire trust. Many interpret God is love to mean that regardless of one’s spirituality, life should be easy. We wrongfully assume that suffering is an indication that God’s wisdom or power have gone wrong. However, God never pledged to keep the sinful world happy or comfortable. God’s objectives are to draw people to Himself, deliver them from sin, defend them from evil of the world, and utilize His people to spread the gospel. All he asks is that we trust and obey. What we need most is to learn the practice of being and living in the presence of God. God often utilizes his wisdom to order an individual’s sanctification to play a part in fulfilling the ministry of the people of God. So then, how are we to handle our seasons of struggle? First, we must ask how the Gospel instructs us to handle them. Secondly, we are to seek God’s instruction on the specific topic. These two actions are sufficient for God.
Reformed Theologians of God viewed the traits of God as either incommunicable, because they were unique to God and humans would never achieve them, or communicable as God gave men the ability to possess them. For example, independence, immutability, infinity, and simplicity are examples of incommunicable traits whereas spirituality, freedom, omnipotence, goodness, truth, holiness, and righteousness are some of the communicable traits. One of the more important communicable traits of God is that of wisdom. Though all humans have been sinful and ungodly, God imparts wisdom into his created. To gain wisdom, we must learn to reverently fear the Lord and receive His word. To live wisely, “you have to be clear sighted and realistic – ruthlessly so – in looking at life as it is. Wisdom will not go with comforting illusion, false sentiment, or the use of rose-colored glasses. It is important to remember that we will never fully understand the meaning of the world, because we are not God. We mustn’t assume that God’s wisdom will allow us to understand all of His ways with us. The gift of wisdom from God is to make us humble, joyful, godly, sensitive to His will, confident in our obedience to His will, and less troubled by the brokenness of the world
We are God’s subjects and his words speak to us and the things around us. Initially, God speaks “let there be….” And there is. Then, God begins to speak to human beings directly. Here God first issues a command, followed by a testimony, then a prohibition of the eating of a certain fruit. When the prohibition is broken, we hear a promise that contains favorable and unfavorable conditions. All of scripture maintains the insistence that God‘s word is His authoritative instrument of communication with humans. From there, we are to believe and obey His word, because it is truthful and issued as a command. God’s commands are true. How do we know this? There is stability and permanence among them, and they tell us the unchanging truths of our nature. “True Christians are people who acknowledge and live under the word of God.” Christians, by God’s word, are both convicted of their sins and assured of their forgiveness. For this reason, they move forward in trust and obedience
In scripture, God’s love is described as pouring out onto us, filling for all of eternity, and a regular aspect of the Spirit’s ministry. God is love demands that the love He shows for us is a peek behind the curtain into who He is. Wisdom is God’s mind, Power is God’s mighty hand, His word is His mouth, but to understand His love, we are able to understand His heart. However, God who is love is also just. God is spirit meaning that He is not of the flesh nor is He limited by flesh. God has no body, no parts, and no passions, so He is unlimited. God is light means that He is holy, perfect, and pure amidst the unrighteous darkness of the world. God’s love desires holiness for all. Therefore, His word does not align with the belief that since God is love, He will provide happiness for the unholy or protection from necessary troubles for sanctification purposes. “God’s love is an exercise of His goodness toward individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, He has given His Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation.” His love is the nature of grace and mercy. He loves those who have become unlovable. He was happy long before us, but now He will not know “perfect and unmixed happiness again till he has brought every one of [us] to Heaven.” Packer ends the chapter by asking a convicting and important question. Could people learn anything about the greatness of God’s love to me in the way that I show love to the people around me? It is important that we consider this message thoroughly
Grace is “God’s riches at Christ’s expense.” Such very few people actually understand that concept. Why? Because modern men and women have such a high opinion of themselves. In the moral realm, people are overly kind to themselves. They believe that in their heart, they are good people and imagine God as a more powerful image of themselves who also deals with complacency. The idea that they are unclean and fit only for condemnation never enters into the heads of modern people. Grace is not earned or deserved. It belongs closely with salvation as grace is the pardon for our sin. By justification through faith we are able to transform from criminals awaiting our sentencing to heirs to a throne that is lavishing in riches. Justification comes to us freely, but was oh so costly for the Son of God’s atonement. God’s grace is the motive of the plan of salvation and is the guarantee of the preservation of the saints. Therefore, we should prayerfully respond to the knowledge of God’s grace to us. “For love awakens love in return; and love, once awakened, desires to give pleasure.”
We see throughout scriptures that God’s actions of judgment are overshadowing the narratives. Even the NT emphasizes the coming day of universal judgment in which all will be judged. God as judge has all authority as both our lawmaker and our judge. He is identified as loving of what is good, just, and right. He does not desire to punish unjustly. Also, God is able to discern truthfully in his omniscience as the “searcher of hearts and finder of facts.” Finally, He can execute the established sentences. As a witness to His character, God presents His nature as desiring retribution. In other words, offering to people exactly what they deserve. God is perfect in His judgment. Jesus has also been given authority to act as our judge. Who better to be our just judge than the true God and perfect man of Jesus Himself? The gift of justification shields us as sinners from being thrown into the lake of fire. However, we will still be judged for the good that we did or did not do on behalf of Jesus. Some will forfeit treasures dues to their lackadaisical attitude towards following Christ. Still, the final judgment will be just and in alignment with our knowledge of who God is. In the meanwhile, we are to “call on the coming Judge to be [our] present Savior.” If we run from Him out of fear, then we will meet Him without hope. But, if we seek Him now, then we will find that we approach the idea of judgment with joy knowing that our eternity consists of the promised goodness.
Our world today has made the discussion of God’s wrath taboo, but they are missing a key attribute of God. Often times, God’s wrath is retributive action taken against those who have sinned against Him. God is only angry when anger is called for. When He allows anger, it is in righteous indignation. Therefore, God’s wrath, when seen in the scriptures, is only something that people are choosing for themselves. We have the option to respond to the call of Christ or not. No one endures the wrath of God without choosing to do so. In response, God’s action in wrath is to give men what they have chosen. Nothing more and nothing less. Thankfully, there is deliverance from God’s wrath through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus was our propitiation, the sacrifice that prevented wrath by atoning for our sins and canceling our guilt. If we are to intimately know God, then we must face the truth of God’s wrath. We need to become aware and understand God’s detestation of sin and develop a true fear of God deep in our souls. Only then can we be drawn to praise in worship of Christ delivering us from experiencing the wrath of God.
We are called to dwell on both the goodness and severity of God. People have gotten into a confusion of the faith of God, because they are not learning about God from His word. They think all religions are equal and do not recognize the perversity of their own sinful natures. They are in the habit of separating the thoughts of God’s goodness from that of His severity. God’s goodness is intricately related to the moral qualities of His perfection. In particular, His generosity of mercy and grace. God’s goodness is made up of His truthfulness, trustworthiness, unfailing justice and wisdom, tenderness, forbearance, adequacy, kindness, holiness, and love. These make up the totality of His “revealed excellences.” Packer defines generosity as “a disposition to give to others in a way which has no mercenary motive and is not limited by what the recipients deserve but consistently goes beyond it.” God is generous for his common grace of creation, preservation, and blessings in our life as well as the special grace that is gifted with salvation. I love the reminder that “God is good to all in some ways and to some in all ways.” However, every display of God’s immense goodness is accompanied by a threat of severe judgment is the goodness is thwarted or twisted. God is slow to severity and just in His patience. We must appreciate the goodness of God and seek for guidance on how to repay Him. It is also necessary to appreciate the patience of God bearing with us when are lives are unworthy of Him. Finally, we must appreciate the discipline of God. He only uses the discipline to make our need so great that we continually seek His mercy and goodness.
Biblical scriptures about God’s jealousy are anthropomorphisms, though His jealousy is not human in nature. God’s jealousy is a “praiseworthy zeal to preserve something supremely precious.” There are two kinds of jealousy among humans, and only one of them is sinful. The jealousy to protect a relationship or to avenge it when broken can be out of righteous love for one’s beloved. God demands from those that He has loved loyalty and will evoke severity against those who try to betray His love by unfaithfulness. His jealousy leads Him to restore Him people and protect His name. We are to respond by being zealous for God, as Christ was, with a “burning desire to please Him, do His will, and advance His glory.”
Part III: If God Be for Us….
The idea of propitiation, or appeasing God’s righteous anger with an offering is seen throughout the scriptures. It is directly mentioned 4 times. First, in Paul’s rationale of God’s justification for sinners. Also, in Hebrews’ rationale of the Incarnation of God the Son. Again, in John’s testimony to the heavenly ministry of God, Finally, in John’s definition of the love of God. Some translations replace propitiation with expiation. Expiation is “an action that has sin as its object that denote the covering, putting away or rubbing out of sin so that it no loner constitutes a barrier to friendly fellowship between man and God.” Propitiation is all of that in addition to the appeasing of God’s wrath. We must understand that propitiation is the work of God himself. God took it upon Himself to send His Son to propitiate His wrath.
Propitiation is achieved through the blood and death of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a representative substitution for the guilty sinners. He was representative by the sinner identifying Him and Him with them and was killed in place of or subbing for the offenders. Propitiation as an action is a manifestation of God’s righteousness. Our sins are punished, retribution has been served, and judgment is inflicted for our sins, but on Jesus in place of us. In this way, God is good, just, and righteous on our behalf. Our Creator becomes our Savior, and therefore our Redeemer. Sometimes Jesus’s death is described as a reconciliation, a redemption, a sacrifice, an act of self-lessness, sin-breaking, and blood shedding. However, all the descriptions are followed up and given a tone of propitiation.
If you are to study Jesus, you will begin to realize that He is a man of action, a man who knew Himself to be divine, a man who knew His messianic mission was centered on being put to death, and a man whose experience of death was the most fearful experience. The driving force of Jesus’s life was “His resolve to be obedient to death – even death on a cross, and the unique dreadfulness of his death lies in the fact that he tasted on Calvary the wrath of God which was our due, so making propitiation for our sins.” We must also consider the destiny of those who reject God. Some will argue that there are none in that category, but the Bible argues otherwise. God describes that “it would be better for him if he had not been born.” For those who reject God will face an eternity of rejection from God’s presence just as they chose.
We are also called to think on the gift of God’s peace. Many will think of peace as inner tranquility, happiness, and a carefree attitude. However, one of my favorite quotes came from Parker’s explanation of God’s peace. God’s peace brings us “power to face and to live with our own badness and failings, and also contentment under ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Peace of God is firstly peace with God where He is for us and not against us. Then, the peace of God is a relationship of forgiveness and acceptance that flows from the propitiation of Christ. Finally, we are called to think on the dimensions of the love of God. God’s love is free, eternal, unreserved, and sovereign. The center and heartbeat of the Gospel is the joyful news of redeeming love and propitiating mercy that then spurs us to an everlasting praise of our Creator, Savior, and Redeemer.
Not all are promised to be sons of God. Only those who have received the sonship as part of the gift of God’s grace. We as Christians are adopted as a child of Christ when we accept Christ in our heart. In the Old Testament, God stresses His holiness by His greatness and His purity. The New Testament then adds the element of Christians receiving God as their father. God models this fatherhood with His son, Christ. His fathership implies authority, affection, fellowship, and honor for us. All who cry out to God are given justification, provision, protection, and are sealed for redemption, inheritance, and eternal salvation. Parker argues that adoption by God is the highest privilege of the gospel. Justification is the primary blessing as it meets the highest spiritual needs. However, it is a forensic idea that is in the terms of law and views God primarily as judge. Conversely, adoption is a family idea, in the terms of love and views God as father.
We must understand the entire Christian faith through the lens of adoption. Adoption is the basis for Christian conduct when giving instructions for living in God’s family. We are commanded to imitate, glorify, and please our Father in Jesus’s teaching on Christian conduct. Adoption is also the basis of our prayers. Our prayers are not to be impersonal or mechanic. Likewise, our prayers should be free like a child who asks his parents for anything and everything. God’s intention is to give us good things that we need. In our limited wisdom, we ask for things that are unhelpful for us. Like a wise parent, God will say no to those requests. Adoption should also be the foundation for our lives in faith. We are to trust God for our material and practical needs as we seek God’s kingdom and righteousness.
Adoption also gives us insights into God’s love, the glory of Christian’s hope, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the meaning and motives of gospel holiness, and the problem of Christian assurance. God loves us with the same affection that He loves Jesus. Christianity is a faith that looks forward towards the promised inheritance of a share of the glory of Christ. Finally, we are hopeful in the truth that heaven will be a family gathering of our Father, Jesus, and all of God’s children.
Our adoption helps us understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit that teaches us the mind of God, glorifies Jesus, and is the primary agent of new birth and understanding that allows us to know God, obey Him, and be filled with His fruits. Many will approach the Holy Spirit in a way that seeks a euphoric experience over an inward conversation with God. However, when used appropriately, the Spirit makes us conscious and, in a sense, convicted in addition to moving and prompting us with respectful boldness and unlimited trust. The Spirit also encourages us to reflect the image of our Father, love our fellow brothers, and seek the glory of our God. In addition, our adoption shows us the meaning of authentic Christian living in contrast with legal holiness that lives by rules, routines, and appearances. In this, we must remember that, “The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” This idea provokes the faith and works argument. It is true that justification removes us from ever needing to keep the law to earn life, but it is equally true that the adoption leads to an obligation to uphold the law such that we may please our Heavenly Father.
Assurance must also be viewed through the lens of adoption. There has always been great debate around “story-faith,” or faith in the idea of Christianity without response or a commitment to the faith. Assurance comes with confidence in the truths of God’s promises as well as the application to ourselves as believers. There is debate as to whether or not assurance can exist within a person who under immense temptation feels that they do not exist with Christ and have no hope in God. However, if we believe that God is perfect and loves his children, then we must believe two things. First, that the adoptive relationship is an abiding one that endures forever. Secondly, God will intentionally make the effort to show His love to His children so that they will know their privilege and security that comes from being a part of His family.
Next is the idea of guidance. To believe that God guides us, we must believe that God does in fact have a plan for us, and He is able to communicate that plan to us as well. God as our father has an obligation just as earthly parents do to guide His children in the way they should go. He may use scriptures or the Holy Spirit, but either way He seeks to glorify Himself in our lives when we obey His will. Competing options are not easily answered with scripture alone, so many believe that God cannot and will not guide us. This myth lacks faith in God’s sovereign rule over our lives. God will use inward inclinations from the Spirit. However, it is crucial to note that no inclinations will ever be pushing the Christian towards sin or in a way that goes against the Word. The Spirit and The Word will always be in perfect alignment.
Christians fall into common pitfalls when seeking guidance. They are unwilling to think or consider the options. They are unwilling to look forward and consider the long-term consequences. They are unwilling to seek wise counsel and take advice. They are unwilling to suspect one’s own judgment or discount personal magnetism, and they are impatient and unwilling to wait. We must remember that guidance from God can and will likely bring troubles for us just as it did Jesus. Still, God’s guidance is a perfect act of sovereign grace. Not only does He hope to guide us down our paths, but also to ensure we safely arrive at home. We can be confident that God “will not let us ruin our souls.”
One last issue to address is the misrepresentation of the God and gospel that we know. A misrepresentation of grace that scales down the problems of sin minimizes the work of grace and leaves people with a gospel that is too small to cover their spiritual needs. We must not water down the gospel and give the impression that there will be no troubles or problems once we are saved. Likewise, we must not give the impression that Christianity is gloomy and miserable most of the time. Not all seasons of struggle and hardship are a result of poor faith. God will exercise His children’s will and faith just as He did Job. Saying otherwise dismisses the teaching on sanctification and loses sight of the purpose of grace. Grace is “God’s love in action towards people who merited the opposite of love,” and its purpose is to restore our relationship with God.
In the final chapter of the book, Parker unpacks the book of Romans for us. He argues that Romans is supreme on all the reasons to read scripture. It is doctrine truth about God taught by God and is written as a book of life that teaches you the life of faith, serving God, and worldly brokenness. Romans can also read as a book of the church as it is the gospel statement by which the church lives. Finally, it can also be read as a personal letter to God’s spiritual children. Romans sets up itself by ensuring the readers understand that they are lost sinners (Chapters 1-3), that Jesus died for us and rose again (4-5), and that we may be new creatures, but our souls are in confliction between evil and good (6-7). Paul uses chapter 8 to explain that the law will lead to feelings of failure and guilt. He quickly reminds us that it is not about what the law says of us, but what the gospel says that is most important.
We are first reminded that there is adequacy in the grace of God and adequacy in the God of grace. God gifts righteousness, the Holy Spirit, sonship, and security for eternity to all who accept his grace by faith. Paul urges us to look up from our problems and look towards the God of the scriptures to allow “evangelical thinking to correct emotional thinking.” The answer to the question “if God is for us, then who is against?” is easily answered. No opposition will ever fully crush us. Instead, God is committed to protecting us for eternity His covenant promises to be our God will never fail us. To be reminded that God is for us assures us that God has not overlooked us. It also gives us confidence that when we call on God, He will fight our battles, and it supports the trust that squelches our fears.
A true believer who knows that God is for them will praise God, pray to God, and pay God with vows and thanksgiving. We also learn that God will not keep His goodness from us. He is our “sovereign benefactor” due to his “redeeming work” done for us. Our redemption was costly, effective, and consequential. As a result, God’s demand for allegiance is not simply a matter of theology but of loyalty and not solely of the mind but also of the heart.
My final major takeaway came from the idea of half-hearted believer. As modern Christians, we are afraid to whole heartedly live in Christianity. “We feel obliged to break the first commandment just a little, by withdrawing a certain amount of our time and energy from serving God in order to serve mammon.” “We are afraid to go all the way in accepting the authority of God, because of our secret uncertainty as to his adequacy to look after us if we do.” We must be rebuked for our unbelief. Do we fear God lacks strength or wisdom or that His purpose is not always good? Or do we doubt His constancy? Paul also addresses that “no accusation can ever disinherit us.” We are reminded of God’s grace in His election, His sovereignty in judgment, and His effectiveness in mediation. The final question Paul addresses is that “no separation from Christ’s love can ever befall us.” God is our “sovereign keeper” and uses His “divine love” to settle our eternity. God is adequate as our keeper and our eternal lover. Nothing can or will separate us form this truth.