72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good Introductory Treatment, December 13, 2002
During the first part of the 20th century, Arthur Pink put pen to paper and produced a number of outstanding books that continue to be held in high esteem among many. Pink is famous for 3 main things. First, he held to a very high Calvinist theology. Second, because of the first, he held some highly controversial positions that many Arminians find repugnant. Third, Pink's ability to soak and bathe his views in Scripture are quite extraordinary. It is not at all uncommon to read entire chapters of Pink and encountering a Scripture verse in every other sentence. Such is the case with this particular book.
This book is very short, less than 100 pages. As a result, those looking for a more exhaustive treatment of this topic a la Charnock (whom Pink eloquently quotes a number of times in this book) or the more recent work by Feinberg might be disappointed. However, I'm giving the book 5 stars because even though one could write for a lifetime about the attributes of God and not cover the topic completely, Pink's short work is nonetheless very meaty and is a solid contribution that a number of more recent authors have rightly drawn from in their works.
As is the usual Pink style, he is unapologetic throughout this book in elevating God's ways far above the ways of man, as he believes Scripture does. He is unapologetic about lamenting the wickedness of man generally, and in many cases, directing his most impassioned criticism towards the modern Church for what he sees as the church's coddling of sin, demotion of God to a pleasant afterthought of the human construct, and failing to preach on the unpopular attributes of God such as His wrath. This is not a book aimed at those who want to hear unthreatening and soft peddling thoughts in an effort to feel better about themselves. On the contrary, this is a book that sternly asks Christians to set themselves aside for a minute and examine God for who He is instead of making Him out to be an elevated form of what we see in the mirror. Pink was frighteningly accurate about the mentality of so many Christians who claim to love and understand God while recasting Him in their own image. Scripture plainly teaches otherwise, and Pink's treatment is solid in this area.
Pink's chapter on the patience of God is very good, and His treatment of the immutability of God is outstanding for those who are grappling with the contemporary open theism controversy. Pink wrote before this controversy got legs, but this book along with some others he wrote are quite devastating to the open theist on the questions of foreknowledge, immutability, and sovereignty.
So this book, while not a massive treatise, is nonetheless a Scripture packed analysis that crams a lot of meat into a small book. Excellent for beginners who want to get exposed to these issues without reading a big hardback treatment, and excellent also for more seasoned theologians since Pink has truly emerged over the years as being one of the finest and most impassioned apologists for Calvinism and a high treatment of God in the last 100 years.
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45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Before you buy this book..., March 19, 2004
This book is a great help for growing into the knowledge and understanding of our Creator's character, which is crucial for Christians to acquire; for growing spiritually (theocentrically). Easy read, also great for referencing. BUT!! Before you buy this work, instead I would recommend getting A.W. Pink's, The Nature of God (ISBN: 0802465714), which can be purchased here at Amazon.com as well. It has this entire book, plus much more.
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Attributes of God, January 26, 2000
There is nothing more important than having an accurate knowledge of God. The glory of God has been defined as the sum total of His attributes. As a person comes to know God in increasing measures as He truly exists,they see more of His glory. One of the valuable features in most of the books that Pink has written is that you get numerous quotes from some of the finest works on those subjects that have been written. Mr.Pink quotes from "the" classic,Charnock's "Existence and Attributes of God" no less than ten times. In the preface Pink gives the reader some important directives as to why a book on the attributes of God should be read and how we may profit thereby. He writes,"The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted,served,nor worshipped. ...Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him,submit to His authority,and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments." Our one great aim in life should be to know God and to worship Him in sprit and in truth. This book exalts the God who is and accurately sets forth His person as He has revealed Himself in His Holy Word. Its eternal value is inestimable in helping someone to come to know better the God of the Bible.
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