The true and living God is too much for us to bear, to handle, to conceive, to adore, to know, to trust, to understand, and to worship. The Incomprehensible One is simply too much for us in every conceivable way.
That is how Mark Jones starts out his book on the attributes of God. God Is is an entry in what appears to be a resurgence in interest in the theological discipline known as Theology Proper. This discipline generally covers the attributes of God (that which is common among the three persons of the Trinity), the Trinity, and occasionally the unique person of the Father (as a companion to Christology and Pneumatology). Jones intentionally positions his book, as the subtitle suggests, as a guide which serves to drive Christians to further devotion as they ponder the attributes of God.
Similar to his former book, Knowing Christ, this work contains short chapters that are oriented toward piety. Less technical than Knowing Christ, God Is includes in each chapter a brief description of the titular attribute, an explanation of how it is that the God-man reveals this attribute to us, and how the Christian ought to apply this doctrine to their life. The length of the chapters makes this perfect for a small group study, or just as a theological addition to one’s devotional reading.
Jones covers familiar ground with attributes like Divine Simplicity, Infinity, and the Omni- attributes. But he also topics that do not fit into the traditional systematic treatments (eg Yahweh, Blessed, and Anthropomorphic). What is different from many other treatments of this topic in modern theology is the Christological approach. Committed to the thesis that the one who is “too much for us in every way” is revealed to us “through Christ, who makes the attributes of God more delightful to us,” he carefully explains in each chapter exactly how Scripture accomplishes this.
Overall, this was a solid entry in the field and I greatly enjoyed the read. It is not overly technical, and some who are familiar with Jones’s other work may be disappointed at how cursory the book seems. However, this is to misunderstand the audience and intended aim. While this is a book which covers the subject of Systematic Theology, it is intended to increase devotion.[ref]These two things are, of course, not contradictory.[/ref] This book fulfills that purpose handily.