J.I. Packer’s “Knowing GOD”

Date Teacher Topic Chapter

5/27/12 John Love of God – Part II 12

6/3/12 Ray F.  Grace of God 13

6/10/12 Ray F.  God the Judge 14

6/17/12 John The Wrath of God 15

6/24/12 Peter Goodness 16

7/1/12 Peter The Jealous God 17

7/8/12 Happy Sons of God 19

7/15/12 Happy Our Guide 20

7/22/12 John Inward Trials 21

7/29/12 John Adequacy of God 22

 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,   does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;

 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

There are two general comments that help our understanding of John’s statement “God is love”.

1.“God is Love” is not the complete truth about God so far as the Bible is concerned.

2.“God is Love” is the complete truth about God so far as the Christian is concerned.

1. God’s love is an exercise of His goodness.2. God’s love is an exercise of His goodness

toward sinners.3. God’s love is an exercise of His goodness

toward individual sinners.4. God’s love to sinners involves His identifying

Himself with their welfare.5. God’s love to sinners was expressed by the

gift of His Son to be their Savior.6. God’s love to sinners reaches its objective as

it brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relation.

Leon Morris states: “The Love we are dealing with here is a love for the utterly unworthy. A love which proceeds from a God who is love. It is a love lavished on others without a thought on whether they are worthy to receive it or not. It proceeds from the nature of the lover than for any merit in the beloved.”

Isaiah 57: 15: For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit, In order to revive the spirit of the lowly, And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Isaiah 61: 1-2: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me, To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners;  To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,