Knowing God in the Real World

About the Author:

Dr. Jon Paulien is a professor of New Testament interpretation at the Andrews University Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. He is internationally recognized as a specialist in the book of Revelation. He writes primarily for the Seventh-day Adventist audience. Some of the books he authored are The Millennium Bug, Present Truth in the Real World, Armageddon at the Door: An Insider’s Guide to the Book of Revelation, Knowing God in the Real World etc.

About the Book:

Knowing God in the Real World is a 159 page book published in year 2000 by Pacific Press Publishing Association in the United States of America.

In the bid to have an authentic faith in a faithless society, a world that has gradually become a global village where internet has changed the way of life and thought of people, Jon Paulien in his Knowing God in the Real World attempts to deal with the issue of salvation at a personal level. He does this by explicating the basics of the gospel message and how the message can be better delivered to an increasing secular mind. In the pursuit of an in-depth experience with God in this jet age, Paulien, in this book, addressed questions like: “What does it mean to have a relationship with someone you cannot see, hear, or touch?” “What does it mean to pray in a computerized world?” “What difference does it make to know Him?” Finding that thorough authentic experience is the crux of this book.

In the first of the six chapters in this book, “Life’s Bottom Line,” Paulien writes in a clear and effective manner using examples of various means by which people determine their self-worth and how these means still do no satisfy their deepest yearnings. He articulates his points particularly well such that the world today could better relate to the everlasting good news as found in Jesus Christ. He presents the gospel this way that the secular minds might make sense out of it and that they may see that the gospel in the light of what Jesus did on the cross does not only make a difference but that it is the only lasting solution to the problem of building self-worth. To Jesus, every human is worth as much as the whole universe and because He placed an infinite value on us, He was willing to die for the human race. Paulien concludes the chapter by affirming that the only way to a genuine sense of self-worth is through a relationship with Jesus.

He progresses into the second chapter, “Batting 1.000 in the Game of Life,” by providing balance to the gospel. He does this by educating the reader with a contextual insight to Romans 3:23-25. One of the major highlights in his exposition of the above text is that every believer is justified by grace, in Christ, and through faith. Another highlight of Paulien is the fruit of people who live by grace: they know they are not deserving of Jesus’ grace and because of that, they cannot point a finger at somebody else; they do not build themselves up by criticizing others. The disservice done to the gospel when it is presented in a confused or unbalance manner such that its hearers do not fully appreciate its essence and power cannot be overemphasized. In summary, the chapter addresses the how and the veritable grounds people get their relationship right with God.

“Keeping the Faith,” being the third chapter of the book, expounds extensively on the question of how to develop and maintain a living relationship with a God that cannot be seen, heard or touched.

Chapters four and five provide the readers with practical suggestions for making prayer an integral part of one’s everyday experience. He does this because of the prevailing challenge people who are greatly influenced with secular thinking are faced with.

The concluding chapter of this book, “Are You For Real?” seeks to examine how a deeper relationship with God could have a far reaching effect on the various spheres of one’s life—thoughts, feelings and motivations. Does Christian faith make a difference people could notice? Is it a genuine expression of reality or escape from reality? What does it mean to be a real Christian? These and many other salient questions were closely addressed by Pauline in this chapter. He concludes that only an authentic experience with God, one that makes a difference in every aspect of life, will have an indelible impact on secular society.

Knowing God in the Real World, as noted by the author, is highly recommended to those who may have contact with Christian faith, but who are looking for a deeper relationship with God, and to those Christians who want to be better equipped to share the gospel of salvation in the real world.

Reviewed by Gabriel Agbojo