J. I. Packer shows leaders how to move from knowing about God to knowing Him, and how grace changes the one who is known.
- 1
Truth Turned to Prayer. Meditation carries truth from the head to the heart.
- 2
Known Before Knowing. God knows us fully and loves us still, so security replaces striving.
- 3
Grace That Humbles. Undeserved love ends boasting and turns gratitude into worship.
- 4
Adopted as Sons. God as Father reshapes identity, holiness, prayer, and trust.
- 5
Contentment in God. He is enough, so leaders can endure, risk, and rest.
Developing Virtues with the Spirit Shelf
Packer roots wisdom in a true knowledge of God. Seeing His majesty forms reverence. Grasping grace turns study into devotion, where truth becomes worship. Being fully known and freely loved breeds humility, since no one boasts about a gift. And finding God enough in every trial grows a contentment that circumstances cannot shake.
Try This Week
Each morning, choose one truth about God, such as His grace, His care as Father, or His wisdom. Spend five minutes turning it into prayer: thank Him for it, ask what it means for today's decisions, and note one way it should shape how you lead.
The Resilient Leader's Library · J. I. Packer
Knowing God Playbook
Packer separates knowing about God from knowing Him. Grace makes the difference: God knows us first, welcomes the undeserving, and adopts us as sons, and that changes who we are.
Knowing About vs. Knowing
- Facts filed away
- A subject to master
- Can puff a person up
- A personal relationship
- Mind, will, and emotions engaged
- Begun by God, not us
The Bridge: Truth Turned to Prayer
Truths we bring before God change us. Facts we file away don't.
Why Grace Feels Small
We lose sight of four truths- Our sin is real and deserves judgment
- God is just; He does not wink at sin
- We cannot fix the relationship ourselves
- God owes no one mercy
Four Movements of Grace
Known
- God knows us fully and loves us still
- He took the initiative, not us
- Security replaces striving
- No need to perform or pretend
Pardoned
- Undeserved love toward those deserving judgment
- Reaches us through Christ's sacrifice
- Boasting ends; gratitude becomes worship
- Assurance rests on His faithfulness
Adopted
- God is Father, not only Judge
- The gospel's highest privilege
- Identity as sons, not hired hands
- Holiness becomes family likeness
- Prayer and trust toward a caring Father
Sustained
- If God is for us, He is enough
- Trials are part of the path
- Staying power through struggle
- Change that is real but gradual
Marks of People Who Know God
Energy for God
Prayer and action flow from the relationship.
Great Thoughts of God
A large, true view of who He is.
Boldness for God
Secure enough in Him to take a stand.
Contentment in God
He is enough, whatever comes.
A leader who knows he is fully known and fully loved stops leading to earn approval. Settled in grace, he can serve, take risks, and admit failure.
Source: J. I. Packer (IVP, 50th anniversary ed., 2023; first published 1973), especially chs. 1–3, 13, 18–19, and 21–22. Ideas are paraphrased.
"Four Movements of Grace" is this playbook's arrangement of Packer's themes, not his own framework.
Cover image courtesy of Open Library.
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