Knowing Christianity

Explore Enduring Truths with a New Edition of J. I. Packer's Timeless Work

In a culture that grasps at the latest self-improvement plan or trendy spiritual experiences, J. I. Packer, author of Knowing God, turns our attention to realities far better than anything our self-absorbed society can offer.

In Knowing Christianity, Packer lays out his grand panorama of the magnificent landscape we call the Christian faith. This book centers on the bedrock truths of Christianity, aiming to help ordinary believers deepen their devotion into discipleship.

Knowing Christianity covers key elements of spiritual life, Christian living, and our ultimate end, laying out the doctrines of



- God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit;

- spiritual growth;

- prayer and worship;

- fellowship and renewal in the church;

- citizenship as a Christian; and

- the afterlife, God's judgment, and Christ's ascension.



As the currents of culture shift, Packer's wise insights help believers lay a solid foundation on which to build the Christian life. Though spiritual fads fade from the scene as quickly as they arise, Knowing Christianity explores the lasting, unchanging truth of the God who has been our help in ages past and will be our hope for years to come.



J. I. Packer (1926–2020) is regarded as one of the most well-known theologians of our time. Once named to Time magazine's list of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America, Packer served as Board of Governors' Professor of Theologyat Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. His books include Knowing God, Praying, A Quest for Godliness, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, and Rediscovering Holiness.







Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Ojai in Ojai, California. He was previously a research fellow for the Creation Project at the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Finding the Right Hills to Die On, Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals, and Anselm's Pursuit of Joy.



Foreword by Gavin Ortlund



To the Reader



1. The Most Important Thing of All



2. Revelation and Authority



3. Who Is God?



4. The Person of Christ



5. Why the Cross?



6. The Holy Spirit and Christian Growth



7. Some Lessons in Prayer



8. Come and Worship



9. Fellowship in the Church



10. Renewal and Charisma in the Church



11. Christian Citizenship



12. The Untruth of Universalism



13. Christianity and World Religions



14. The Reality of Hell



15. His Ascension, Our Future Hope



Scripture Index



"In preparation for writing my book, Packer on the Christian Life, I did my best to read everything he had written. I'm sure there were articles here and there that I overlooked, but my immersion into all things Packer was one of the greatest blessings of my life. I'm thrilled to see Knowing Christianity once again available to the church and to the world. If you are looking for a solidly biblical, theologically lucid, imminently practical treatment of the basic truths of Christianity, look no further. Packer will do."



"In an age of AI-mediated knowledge, when we are drowning in heaps of unhelpful (or, at best, semi-helpful) information, trustworthy human sages are more important than ever. The late J. I. Packer is a voice like that, and his Knowing Christianity is a classic every Christian should have in their library. There are nuggets of wisdom in every paragraph of this book. For both new converts and lifelong believers, this is a meaty but accessible work to read slowly and return to often."