The two brief prefaces help explain several of the stylistic and structural features of Knowing God. One gets the sense from the rest of the book that there is not a great deal of overarching development meant to tie the book together from beginning to end; aside from a few characteristic themes, each chapter stands more or less on its own. The prefaces both acknowledge this, and Packer’s “string of beads” analogy (11) is apt. The chapters were meant to be standalone magazine articles when originally written, and though revised somewhat for their publication as a book, they still retain that flavor. In addition to their discrete nature, though, their source as a series of articles also explains their practical, plainspoken directness. Although Packer is an academic theologian, this book is not academic in its nature; it is written for the lay Christian and focused on the theological issues and practical problems that come up in their daily walk with God.

Most of the book’s major themes are not really in evidence yet, as the prefaces are far too brief to raise and deal with significant thematic elements in any depth. Nevertheless, one theme at least draws a mention: The Importance of Knowing God Personally. Packer diagnoses the problem of modern Christian experience as a problem of ignorance—in other words, of not knowing God, either by doctrine or by personal experience. Too many people, in Packer’s view, have taken up the viewpoint of the “balconeer,” assessing matters of religion from a detached viewpoint, as would be the case of someone who enjoys debating matters of knowledge about God but does not seek to know God himself. Knowing God is written for those who engage with the knowledge of God in their everyday lives and not simply as an academic or philosophical exercise. The book thus focuses on the personal and practical aspects of the Christian life, of knowing God not only by intellectual learning but also by the experience of being drawn into relationship with him.