Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs

This book truly delivers on its title! Before I bought this book I was familiar with J.I. Packer's Knowing God and was intrigued when I found out that he had written a concise overview of theology. I read in the introduction to Knowing God that Packer is accustomed to writing shorter articles on various topics, the material of which was put together to make Knowing God. So the format of this book allows Packer to do what he does best, writing 95 condensed studies on theological topics, and he does this extremely well! The book is a superb presentation of theology in bite-sized sections with 95 chapters each only a few pages long. The sweep of theology is covered from revelation, theology proper, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, sin, salvation, the church, some Christian living topics, and the end times. Each chapter is direct and well explained as Packer has a wonderful way with words and noting relevant verse references leading to sections that are very informative and deep, making this book refreshing as a theological read that encourages theological reflection. Packer masterfully writes in a devotional and practical style that consistently remains on point with whatever topic is being addressed. His background is Covenental and Anglican, but I rarely found this to be a hindrance in this theological study because he is charitable to other positions. The title really explains some of the limitations this book has that should not count against it: 1) it does not reference other theological literature frequently, 2) every theological nuance or possible question is not addressed in the book; but again this book does not set out to be a lengthy systematic. I wonder (and hope) that the author might produce a more lengthy systematic in the future! This is a book that would be great for a group study. It is also works very well as a theological reference as I find myself turning to it again and again. I highly recommend it to all as a refreshing walk through theology and a useful theological tool.

Get this book! This is a great book for those of us looking for a means of getting into the study of Christian theology and truly understanding our faith. Theological terms are described very well with a lot of Bible passages to support the explanation. This is only an introductory level book so, if you are looking for even more information to go along with this book or following this book, Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology is the next step. It is an intimidating looking book but basically takes the idea of Packer's book and greatly expands it. As a Christian, I think it is necessary that we each understand our faith (as opposed to what most Christians do which is just let someone else talk at them on Sunday mornings) so we can defend it from the constant onslaught society is making on our religion and the Bible's positions, that is God's positions, on what is right and what is wrong in His eyes. Remember, we as followers are not making up what we view as sin, it comes from our Almighty Father.

So many questions I have, so many answers I need. The Bible is the #1 place to go for answers, but sometimes translations are confusing or not clear. Everyone has their interpretations and this is so with this book too (Reformed Theology view), however one thing I appreciate about this book is that Packer points you right back to scripture. His statements and views are backed up with the soundness of the Word of God. He uses clarity when he writes and shows you directly in scripture where to look. I need that. I am often referring to this book on different topics because I have so many questions about Jesus, the church, and Sovereign election. Packer splits the book up into sections: God revealed as Creator, God revealed as Redeemer, God Revealed as Lord of Grace, and God revealed as Lord of Destiny. Within each of these sections is topics relating to the section. Topics like "Fall of Man", "Election", "Baptism" and "The Unpardonable Sin" are just a few of the many topics he covers. You don't have to read this front to back, you can simply find a topic you are trying to learn more about and read the few pages which contain huge amounts of wisdom from God's word. This book doesn't cover these topics in-depth, but it does give you plenty to understand the foundations of the Bible.

A terrific resource — deeply Biblical, always faithful, and loaded with riches. This is one of Packer’s gifts and enduring legacies: to teach, to catechize the Church with the aim to be rooted and established in sound doctrine... and so rooted in right relationship, love, and worship of God through Christ.

It's a concise guide to the topics and very clear,

A must have theology book!

The book delivers what the title promises. His writing is clear while comprehensively explaining core Christian concepts and beliefs. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Christianity. It also pairs well with the New City Catechism!

A huge breadth of subject matter treated in such a way as to make it readily accessible to the ordinary (if there is such a description) reader. The author's writing style flows, is logical, informative, and conclusive.