Knowing God

J I Packer

Class notes #12 – December 14, 2005

1. Review from last time
   
   

2. In what ways is Roman’s the “high peak” of scripture? (pp 254)

1. In doctrine – “truth about God taught by God”

2. A Book of Life

3. A book of the Church

4. A personal letter to God’s spiritual children
   
   

3. Romans 8:31: “What shall we then say to these things? Of God be for us, who can be against us?”

1. What is Paul telling us about God here? About ourselves?

2. How should we respond?

3. What does this verse mean about the adequacy of God as our sovereign protector?

4. We have a covenant commitment (p 261) -
   
   

4. What does this entire chapter of Packer (and Romans 8!) tell us about God’s persistence and sufficiency in our salvation? (pp 258)
   
   

5. What do we mean by Christian “assurance” (pp 256)
   
   

6. What are the four gifts Paul tells us we receive from God? What do they mean and how are they applied to us?

1. Righteousness

2. The Holy Spirit

3. Sonship

4. Security
   
   

7. What might the costs of our faith be? (pp 266)

1. “We must avoid the wrong inference that following Christ will mean the loss of things worth having, uncompensated by any corresponding gain”.

2. What are our responsibilities? Pp 268-269

3. Pp 270: “The meaning of “he will give us all things” can be put thus: one day we shall see that nothing – literally nothing – which could have increased our eternal happiness has been denied us, and that nothing – literally nothing – that could have reduced that happiness has been left with us.”
   
   

8. pp 272 What does Packer mean when he refers to “two sorts of sick consciences, those that are not aware enough of sin and those that are not aware enough of pardon”? What are the problems each of these can lead to?

1. Not aware enough of sin

                                                               i.      Libertine

                                                             ii.      Lack of repentance

                                                            iii.      “no need of grace or forgiveness”

2. Not aware enough of pardon

                                                               i.      No love of God

                                                             ii.      Helplessness and hopelessness.

9. pp 273 - What do we learn about biblical “Royal Prerogative”? – the royal judge was expected, once he had settled what a person’s rights were, to take action to see that the person got them”. How does this understanding apply to God as our supreme ruler and judge?
   
   

10. How does Christian assurance comfort us? (pp 274-276)

1. Nothing can separate us from God.

                                                               i.      We need not constantly seek the answer anew about God’s commitment or love for us – we are assured of it always.

2. God will give us the strength and faith necessary: “Your faith will not fail while God sustains it; you are not strong enough to fall away while God is resolved to hold you”.
   
   

10. pp 278. What does Oswald Chambers mean when he says: “The best measure of a spiritual life is not its ecstasies, but its obedience”?

1. Faith is a work that can bring joy but does not always bring emotional “lift”. It is, sometimes, work.