Knowing God - From Doctrine to Doxology

Musings from Knowing God by J. I. Packer

Christianity is not instinctive. It is not absorbed by accident, nor is it learned merely “on the street.” The Christian faith has content, and that content must be taught, understood, guarded, lived, and passed on.

Knowing God matters.

The Christian life is not built on vague spiritual feelings alone. It is built on truth: truth about who God is, what He has done in Jesus Christ, how He saves sinners, how He makes us new, and how we are called to live before Him. Doctrine and discipleship belong together. Doing without doctrine is blind; doctrine without doing is dead.

Hermeneutics: Learning to Read Scripture Faithfully

Hermeneutics refers to the principles or methods of interpretation. It asks the question: “How should this passage be correctly understood?”

Good biblical interpretation considers context, historical setting, genre, original meaning, language, whole-Bible consistency, and faithful application. We do not come to Scripture simply asking, “What does this mean to me?” We must first ask, “What did God mean when He inspired this text?”

The Holy Spirit is essential in this process. He is not only the One who inspired Scripture, but also the One who illuminates our hearts and minds to understand it rightly. We need the Spirit as Illuminator and Interpreter, helping us see the glory of God in the Word of God.

The Importance of Catechesis

A catechist is someone who teaches the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, especially to those preparing for baptism, confirmation, church membership, or deeper instruction. A catechist is a Christian teacher who helps people understand the faith in an organized and faithful way.

A catechism is a structured way of teaching Christian beliefs, often using questions and answers. Historically, catechisms have helped Christians learn. For example, “Who is God? What is the gospel of Jesus Christ? What is Baptism? A catechist’s teaching builds up the church, one disciple at a time.

The Christian faith must be handed down from one generation to the next. Paul told Timothy to “follow the pattern of sound words” and to guard the good deposit entrusted to him by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 1:13-14). That is the work of faithful teaching: preserving sound doctrine and passing it on.

A Christian catechism teaches people the core truths they need in order to follow Christ faithfully. It forms the mind, shapes the heart, trains the tongue, and directs the life.

Doctrine and Discipleship Belong Together

Doctrine is not merely information for the head. The whole point of knowing God is to provide direction for life. Theology is practical. It teaches us how to live with God, for God, and before God.

The knowledge of God is not meant to sit idle in the mind. It is living and active, and it demands a personal response.

To know God rightly is to worship Him rightly. To speak of God rightly, we must learn to think clearly and speak carefully. We should strive to communicate, in crisp, concise speech, what Scripture says about God.

Modern evangelical culture often places a premium on having spiritual experiences. Spiritual experiences can be meaningful, but they must not replace spiritual maturity. Maturity involves godly disciplines: habits of life that form Christlike character.

We must also acknowledge the reality of indwelling sin and the biblical means of dealing with it. The Christian life involves confession of sin, repentance, faith, discipline, obedience, and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

By teaching truth, we help others live truth.

Doxology: Doctrine Leads to Praise

A doxology is a short expression of praise to God. It is a word of glory, a spoken or sung statement that gives honor to Him.

We see doxology throughout Scripture. Jude 24–25, for example, ends with praise to the God who is able to keep His people and present them blameless before His glory. Doxology is not merely a formal ending to a prayer or hymn. It is the natural response of the heart that has seen something of who God is.

Doctrine directs disciples toward doxology in everything they do.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we are to do all to the glory of God. The glory of God must be the motivation for every part of life.

Therefore, knowing God matters because if we do not know Him, we cannot rightly glorify Him.

Knowing God Is More Than an Intellectual Exercise

A.W. Tozer famously wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A close second may be what comes into our minds when we think about the gospel.

To know God is not merely to collect theological facts. It is to relate to the Creator of all things as one’s loving Father.

The gospel teaches us that through Christ, we are not merely forgiven; we are adopted. Through propitiation, the wrath of God is satisfied, and through adoption, believers are brought into the family of God.

God knows His people by name as His beloved sons and daughters.

This is deeply personal. Christianity is not less than doctrine, but it is much more than doctrine. It is communion with the living God.

Made New in Christ

The Christian message is not only that individuals are forgiven, but that God is making all things new.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away, and the new has come. John reminds us in 1 John 2:17 that the world is passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever. Revelation 21:1 gives us the vision of a new heaven and a new earth.

The old world is passing away because in Christ and through the Spirit, the Lord is making all things new.

This means Christian doctrine gives us more than ideas. It gives us hope. It teaches us who we are, where history is going, and how we are to live now.

Learn, Live, and Teach

The knowledge of God should move from the mind to the mouth, from the mouth to the life, and from the life to the world.

Find ways to communicate what you are learning. Teach your children. Encourage your church. Disciple younger believers. Speak truth clearly. Live truth faithfully. Worship God joyfully.

The vision is compelling: to teach people how to live with, for, and before God.

That is the purpose of doctrine. That is the goal of discipleship. And that is the path to doxology.

To know God is to glorify Him.
To glorify Him is to live for Him.
And to live for Him is the highest purpose of all.