First sentence: I remember Saturday mornings.

Enjoying God: Finding Hope in the Attributes of God by R.C. Sproul is a book that has been previously published under several different titles by several different publishers: The Character of God, Discovering The God Who Is, and One Holy Passion. I believe it was initially published in 1987. It is a book worthy of staying in print. (Though part of me wishes that it would keep the same title!)

In Morning by Morning, Charles Spurgeon writes, "He who grows not in the knowledge of Jesus, refuses to be blessed. To know him is "life eternal," and to advance in the knowledge of him is to increase in happiness. He who does not long to know more of Christ, knows nothing of him yet." Sproul, I believe, would agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment. Enjoying God reflects that sentiment in fact. We are to ENJOY God, and to enjoy God we first have to know God. Sproul encourages readers to KNOW God and to study his attributes.


Enjoying God has twelve chapters. In each chapter, Sproul examines an attribute (or two) of God. The chapter titles are: "Who Are You, God?" "Who Made You, God?" "I Want To Find You, God" "How Much Do You Know, God?" "Where Is Truth, God?" "The Shadow Doesn't Turn" "The Just Judge" "The Invincible Power" "Can I Trust You, God?" "The Love That Will Not Let Us Go" and "The Name Above All Names."

This one is now subtitled "finding hope in the attributes of God." It's not a bad subtitle. Our hope is GROUNDED in WHO God is. Growing in knowledge of who God is--as revealed in the Bible, in the Word of God--can only increase our hope. When our hope is in anything else--in ourselves, in our families, in our friends, in our government, in society--it's doomed to disappoint us. The only one who will never fail us is God himself.

I would recommend reading this one--whether it's a new edition or an old one. It is not perhaps as accessible as other books on God's attributes--I'm thinking of those by A.W. Tozer--but it is biblically sound and thought-provoking. If you make the effort, you will be rewarded for your time.

R.C. Sproul, a theologian, explores who God is by examining his attributes. Each chapter begins with a scripture passage pertinent to an aspect of God and then explicates that attribute. The prose is crisp and clear, easy to follow even when complex concepts are discussed. Sproul’s in-depth treatments leave the reader in awe of God, but also understanding that humans can never fully grasp the eternal “I am.”

"Enjoying God" looked at several of God's attributes, like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, infallible, truth, justice, love, unity and diversity. Though written for the lay person, it's more an exercise in logic and philosophy than worshipful contemplation. For example, he tried to explain infinity (though he admits that finite beings have trouble with this concept). He delved into what is a being and how this shows that God is the Supreme Being. He explained how God is present in all places, yet He's not creation. He talked about how omnipotence means that God has complete power over His creation, not that He has the power to do things that go against His nature.

I appreciated the author's theology and enjoyed what he wrote. He did a decent job of explaining concepts that most people have trouble grasping. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting book.

R. C. Sproul's latest work is a soaring, worship-inspiring piece that encourages the heart while engaging the intellect. His exploration of the attributes that are unique to God puts into proper perspective how majestic and mighty the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit truly are—all the while remaining practical and pertinent to the every day life. I thoroughly appreciate Sproul's ability to cause my heart to sing while satisfy the "so what?" question asked by my own curiosity.
While written with the layman in mind, Sproul tends to climb quite high in order to get a view of the whole landscape, occasionally creeping into more philosophical or scientific discussions, and so this book won’t be for everyone. At the same time, Enjoying God is a wonderful resource that encourages every Christian to plumb the deep waters of the beauty of our great God who knows us and has made himself known. Enjoying God will cause you to see that the more we know God, the more we understand how worthy he is of our worship, and our lives as well.