[x] Crossway+ members can shop select books and Bibles at 50% off in our 2024 Christmas Gift Guide. To receive your order by Christmas, choose UPS 3rd Day Air.

A Brief Bibliography of the Writings of J. I. Packer

A Legendary List

J. I. Packer’s written productivity is legendary.

Even more impressive than the number of his publications is the remarkable extent of the topics he addresses. The biblical and theological scope of his insights and the resultant written contributions are quite simply breathtaking.

Don J. Payne’s book The Theology of the Christian Life in J. I. Packer’s Thought: Theological Anthropology, Theological Method, and the Doctrine of Sanctification (Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2006), lists no fewer than 388 books, journal articles, book reviews, and entries in biblical and theological dictionaries, as well as a staggering array of forewords to other books. I have no intention of reproducing or expanding upon Payne’s list, but rather wish to mention the primary resources I used in writing Packer on the Christian Life.

(Note that there are ninety-one theologically substantive and often lengthy articles in the four volumes of Packer’s Collected Shorter Writings.)

Primary Sources

The following are listed chronologically, according to their original publication dates.

“Fundamentalism” and the Word of God: Some Evangelical Principles. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1958. 191 pp.

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1971. 126 pp.

Knowing God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1973. 316 pp.

Keep in Step with the Spirit. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1984. 301 pp.

Meeting God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1986. 64 pp.

Hot Tub Religion. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1987. 230 pp.

A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1990. 367 pp.

Rediscovering Holiness. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant, 1992. 276 pp.

Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993. 267 pp.

“The Empowered Christian Life.” In The Kingdom and the Power: Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today?, edited by J. I. Packer, Gary S. Greig, and Kevin N. Springer, 207–15. Ventura, CA: Regal, 1993.

Growing in Christ. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994. 288 pp. Crossway has also published this book in three small volumes: Affirming the Apostle’s Creed, Keeping the Ten Commandments, and Praying the Lord’s Prayer.

Truth and Power: The Place of Scripture in the Christian Life. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1996. 251 pp.

Celebrating the Saving Work of God. Vol. 1 of The Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1998. 235 pp.

God Has Spoken: Revelation and the Bible, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998. 174 pp.

Serving the People of God. Vol. 2 of The Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1998. 392 pp.

Honouring the Written Word of God. Vol. 3 of The Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1999. 336 pp.

Honouring the People of God. Vol. 4 of The Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 1999. 338 pp.

“The ‘Wretched Man’ Revisited: Another Look at Romans 7:14–25.” In Romans and the People of God: Essays in Honor of Gordon D. Fee on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday, edited by Sven K. Soderlund and N. T. Wright, 70–81. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Why I Walked: Sometimes Loving a Denomination Requires You to Fight.” Christianity Today (January 1, 2003): 46–50.

“The Atonement in the Life of the Christian.” In The Glory of the Atonement: Biblical, Historical, and Practical Perspectives: Essays in Honor of Roger Nicole, edited by Charles E. Hill and Frank A. James III, 409–25. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004.

Packer on the Christian Life

Sam Storms

Offering readers an accessible portrait of J. I. Packer’s life and theology, this book explores his insights into prayer, Bible study, indwelling sin, and true godliness.

Puritan Portraits: J. I. Packer on Selected Classic Pastors and Pastoral Classics. Fearn Ross-shire, UK: Christian Focus, 2012. 188 pp.

Taking God Seriously: Vital Things We Need to Know. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. 175pp.

Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013. 125 pp.

Packer, J. I. “The Lost Interview.” By Joel Belz. www.worldmag.org. December 7, 2013.

Finishing Our Course with Joy: Guidance from God for Engaging with Our Aging. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014. 106 pp.

Coauthored Books

Packer, J. I., and Carolyn Nystrom. Never beyond Hope: How God Touches and Uses Imperfect People. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000. 178 pp.

Packer, J. I., and Thomas C. Oden. One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004. 223 pp.

Packer, J. I., and Carolyn Nystrom. Praying: Finding Our Way through Duty to Delight. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006. 319 pp.

Packer, J. I., and Mark Dever. In My Place Condemned He Stood: Celebrating the Glory of the Atonement. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2007. 188 pp.

Packer, J. I., and Carolyn Nystrom. Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life’s Decisions. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008. 270 pp.

Packer, J. I., and Gary A. Parrett. Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old- Fashioned Way. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2010. 238 pp.

Secondary Sources

Lewis, Donald, and Alister McGrath, eds. Doing Theology for the People of God: Studies in Honor of J. I. Packer. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1996. 280 pp.

McGrath, Alister. J. I. Packer: A Biography. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997. 340 pp.

Payne, Don J. The Theology of the Christian Life in J. I. Packer’s Thought: Theological Anthropology, Theological Method, and the Doctrine of Sanctification. Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2006. 321 pp.

George, Timothy, ed. J. I. Packer and the Evangelical Future: The Impact of His Life and Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009. 253 pp.

Ryken, Leland. J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015. 431 pp.

This bibliography was adapted from Packer on the Christian Life: Knowing God in Christ, Walking by the Spirit by Sam Storms.



Related Resources


Crossway is a not-for-profit Christian ministry that exists solely for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel through publishing gospel-centered, Bible-centered content. Learn more or donate today at crossway.org/about.