A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God | “God Is” Book Recommendation

C.H. Spurgeon once said, “the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead”. For much of Western Christianity, this idea has been lost or surrendered to the “experts” in seminary or ministry roles. But when “study” in plain terms just means “devoting time to learning about”, we need to ask how the study of God could not be every Christian’s chief priority.

Remember Jesus summing up the law of God with the great commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind” (Matt. 22:37)? This means devoting our mind to knowing God. And it’s an essential part of every Christian’s “true and proper worship” (cf. Romans 12:1).

We may not all be called to be intellectuals, but we are called to love God with all of the intellect he’s given us. And this means studying God to the best, and even the stretching, of our capabilities.

Toward this end, Mark Jones’ book, God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God, is a gift to the church. By leaning on Scripture and many great Christian minds of the past, Jones presents the deep and wonderful truths that God has revealed about himself to us in a way that is accessible for the everyday Christian.

Following are some of the main reasons why I appreciate this book.

It’s accessible for regular people

Jones writes God Is in a way that is accessible for the average reader. It’s solidly biblical without being overly academic. The book is laid out in a devotional manner, with 26 chapters that are only about 8 to 10 pages each. So, you could easily read through one chapter a week for 26 weeks. 

It’s practical

Jones is committed to the fact that theology should be practical and impact our daily living. In each chapter, he ends with practical application questions that help you consider how knowing each attribute of God should change your day to day living.

It’s Christ-centered

The third thing I really appreciate is that the book is centered around Jesus. For this, I’ll let Jones speak for himself:

“Apart from Christ, the attributes of God remain meaningless to us. In Christ alone can we understand the true and living God… Any so-called supernatural revelation of God apart from Christ is a lie, and any study of God’s attributes is true only when it comes with a connection to his Son.”

This is shown throughout the book, as Jones seeks to connect each of the attributes studied of God with the person of Jesus.

Final Thoughts

If you really want to become deliberate about knowing God better, God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God is a tool that will both stretch your mind and bless your heart.