Unknowing God: Toward a Post-Abusive Theology

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The Bible tells us that “All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way. This assumes that such a person is well grounded in Scripture, is humble, manifests the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. The apostle Paul put it this way: “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, New International Version). The first part, recognizing and turning from our sins, is repentance; the second part, trusting in Jesus and His atoning death on the cross to forgive our sins, is faith.

Is it because those who truly want to know God must give up their ownthoughts and ideas about how their life should go?

By definition, however, a catechist must be an ecclesial theologian, someone whose teaching builds up the church, one disciple at a time. Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.

Find a couple of like-minded believers (of your own gender) and meet regularly to pray and encourage one another in your pursuit of Christ. When we make big decisions, we can take comfort in His sovereign will, because no matter what we do, we cannot ruin God’s ultimate plans. Are you growing to know God personally through Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit reveals Him to you through His Word?To save this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. As noted above, Paul had known Christ for many years when he said his passion was to know Christ better. He went on to say, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own” (Phil. The Spirit’s normal way of guiding us in our prayers is by prompting us through the Scriptures to pray for things that are agreeable to the will of God and will be granted (1 John 5:13–14). It can also help to go through some or all of these steps with someone who can help you sort out everything you are considering as you make a decision.

Packer’s discovery of John Owen may not figure in the annals of church history in quite the same way, but to know Packer is, similarly, to appreciate his retrieval of Puritan theologians. Jesus was clear, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me. Paul, the early Christian leader who wrote much of the New Testament, prayed this for the church in the city of Colossae: “We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.

The love affair began in a dusty basement in Oxford, where Packer discovered a set of 24 volumes of the Puritan divine John Owen (1616–83).