incomparable

The author was new to me. The title didn’t grab me. It was first published 15 years ago without ever catching my eye. In the end I didn’t even buy the book. It arrived in my mailbox a couple of years ago, as a gift. Is it any wonder that it just sat on my shelf gathering dust?

But in looking for something devotional to read on an extended trip away, my eyes did settle, finally, on Andrew Wilson’s Incomparable: explorations in the character of God to be my companion. What a good decision it proved to be. Again and again, I found myself reading parts of it aloud to Barby and, in the end, I succumbed to a growing compulsion to buy a copy for each of our children. There can be no higher praise for a book from me…

So, let me try and round-up the reasons why I loved this book so much, as succinctly as I can.

It is brief

That is not a word we associate often with discussions on the character of God, is it? But it’s true here. Sixty little chapters—I counted them up!—and each one can be read aloud in 10-12 minutes (max).

It is accessible

That is not a word we associate often with discussions on the character of God, is it? Older readers will remember JI Packer’s classic Knowing God, given to me as an 18th birthday present by Phillip Allen—and, as has been said, the author is “packer by name, packer by method”. It is such a dense book. Today you could not do better than to give an 18 year old Incomparable for their birthday. It is light-er without being lite-er.

One evening, on our travels, we had a meal with a young couple trying to establish God-honouring marriage and family routines. They asked me whether I knew of a book they could read together. In that moment, I was stumped. In the morning I was reading the next chapter in Incomparable. “Duh—why didn’t I think of this one? This is the perfect book for them.” I messaged them immediately.

I didn’t notice it with my first reading, but Andrew Wilson does state his vision for the book:

I would like to think that people could use these reflections in any setting—in their devotional times, to prepare preaching, to read on the train, or even in the downstairs bathroom. Theology and worship are for all times and all places (19).

My sentiments—exactly! This is accessible theology prompting anytime worship.

It is full

That is not a word we associate often with discussions on the character of God, is it? There is this tendency to treat God, even Jesus, a bit like a buffet. Fill your plate with the dishes you like and just move on past the ones you don’t like. Alternatively, it is as if the attributes in the character of God are lining-up for a 100m race. Our preferred favourites win the medals—Grace and Justice and Faithfulness—while Holiness, Wrath, and Judgement lag far behind. But God doesn’t work like that! The outcome of the race is a dead heat across all the lanes. They cannot be separated. Each and every attribute is critical.

This is the intent in which this book is written.

For example, he starts his chapter on The Wrath of God (256-259) with ‘If we could choose which attribute of God we could remove, just like that, I think most of us would choose his wrath’ (256). A few sentences later, after reflecting on its presence in Scripture, he writes: ‘To our horror, we discover that the wrath of God is everywhere. Clearly, Scripture is not as bothered by it as we are’ (257). Then, in two pages, he makes a case for its importance. It is masterful.

Alternatively, consider the chapter on God the Judge (66-69), another troublesome topic for many of us. Here, let me extract a longer piece from the book:

But what does it mean for God to be a judge? In the legal systems of most Western countries, there are five main players, each with different functions. There are politicians, who write the law. There are policeman, who deter people, often by their presence alone, from breaking it, and see that criminals are captured and put on trial. There are jurors, who weigh the evidence and reach a verdict. There is a judge, who interprets the law and passes a sentence, based on the jury’s verdict. And there is a prison system, which implements the results of the judge’s sentence. To avoid corruption, we prevent any individual doing more than one of those jobs.

Yahweh [God], on the other hand, does all five… (67).

And then, in two pages, he explains how this is true.

I could give one example after another to demonstrate how this is the full buffet—with the loved and familiar attributes, as well as the hard and resisted ones, all mingling together as it should be.

Just one more observation with this fullness, if I may. Each chapter is sparked by a verse, or two, from somewhere in the Bible. As I was reading, I was noticing how well he seemed to be making his way around the full Bible. It’s true. I did a tally. If you divide the Old Testament into thirds (Pentateuch/Historical; Psalms/Wisdom; Prophets) and the New Testament into halves (Gospels/Acts; Epistles/Revelation) to create five sections—then the ratio is 14:11:13:8:14. to create the 60 chapters in total. It is a small, maybe even unintentional, feature of the book—but it is still an admirable one.

[NB: Hmmm… I was puzzled with the use of the word ‘imminent’ (134, 191). Surely he means ‘immanent’? Or, am I missing something?]

It is fresh

That is not a word we associate often with discussions on the character of God, is it? But this freshness comes through in so many ways. We can start with the way he opens so many chapters with such arresting lines:

We tend to struggle with the things we cannot see (58).

Describing the love of God is like trying to tackle a pool table (70).

Four words can change the world (186).

Let me tell you about the most humiliating moment in my adult life (207).

It makes you want to hear the next sentence, doesn’t it? It is such effective communication.

Another fresh thing he does is that the chapters are interspersed with ‘Selah’ sections. This is a word associated with the Psalms. It is an invitation to pause. Like pulling over into a Rest Area when taking a journey in the car… I counted Sixteen Selahs, named in different ways—but each with a little gentle alliteration going on. Stop and Study. Pause and Pray. Wait and Worship. Read and Reflect.

Then there is my favourite freshness feature. His way with illustration. The key lies in the juxtaposition of the familiar next to the unfamiliar, encouraging an osmosis-like flow from one to the other. NT Wright is a genius at doing this, especially in his For Everyone series. Well, Andrew Wilson ain’t too far behind. His relentless juxtapositions free the book from the jargon that would normally afflict a book on this topic. I really don’t know where to start! Let me offer three sentences, two paragraphs and one chapter.

In ‘God the Craftsman’, he writes, ‘And as the pinnacle of his creativity, the Mona Lisa in his collection, God made you and me in his image’ (40). In ‘God is Faithful and True’, he asserts that ‘For God to be unfaithful would be the equivalent of there being a mistake in arithmetic’ (81). In ‘The Lion and the Lamb’—’An animal that can rip other creatures to pieces has come in the form of one that gets carved for Sunday lunch’ (196).

I wonder if he has a science background because he sees so many things in the natural world—like this illustration using nitrogen and oxygen:

I’m sure you learned at school that the air we breathe is almost all made up of nitrogen (80 percent) and oxygen (20 percent). If I asked you if you believed in nitrogen, you would certainly say yes. But if I asked you how nitrogen affected your life, you would probably admit that it made no difference. You would believe it was there, but you would never have thought about it or even particularly wanted it, and it certainly would not affect your decisions. Oxygen is a different story, though. You would believe in it, but you would also know how dependent you are on it; to breathe, to burn fuel, and so on. You would know how difficult life is without enough oxygen, and it would drive all sorts of your decisions, from holding your breath underwater to using an asthma inhaler to preserving the rainforests.

Most people are “nitrogen believers” in God. They believe he is there, but they never acknowledge their need of him or let him influence their thinking … Believing in God is not enough. To be a disciple is to be an oxygen believer: someone who realizes how earth-shakingly important God is… (101).

Finally, check out this beautiful illustration. I read it aloud to Barby while sitting on the cramped stairwell in our tiny loft-apartment atop a building in old Kolkata over Christmas…

It is needed

That buffet comment above is a real worry. I reckon the situation is getting worse, by the decade. It is not surprising. I am being educated and socialised, facilitated by the media, to commence my life in the world with my self. I am my first principle. I am my reference point. Everything I experience is seen through the lens of me and of how it can be meaningful to me—including God. I save the bits about him I like and that can be useful to me, while I delete the bits that are difficult, remote or irrelevant to me. It is BYO-DIY meets theology—a bit like the comment on Facebook yesterday about Jesus being peoples’ consultant, rather than their Lord (from Tim Keller, I think). It is a problem, with a sad outcome: God becomes remade in my image—and such a god is hardly worthy of worship.

My hunch is that this is a major factor in the way so many in the last generation (or two) have fled the Christian family in such huge numbers. Their god was too small. Their conversion experience was not complete. Can I go back to the lens imagery? Transformation happens when we move from looking at God through the lens of me to looking at me through the lens of God, his character, his story and his purposes. God and the revelation of himself in Scripture and in Jesus is to be the starting point, the first principle.

I started reading this book soon after my mother passed away. As I read (and travelled) it dawned on me that this was the way my mother lived her life. She had switched the lens. She took God at his word and moulded her life around him. As a consequence her faith was simple and deep, but not naive. The truths in this book were her starting point, her first principle. God was ‘her strength and her song’ (252-255). She would have delighted in the brief, accessible, full and fresh way in which Andrew Wilson writes about him. I want to be like her when I grow up.

nice chatting

Paul

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About Me

paul06.16

the art of unpacking

After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.

6 Comments

  1. Mark R Windsor on January 12, 2024 at 9:00 am

    Great read, Bob!
    I’m asking around to see who has this book, thinking of it being used in our life group.
    Thanks

    • Paul Windsor on January 13, 2024 at 5:00 pm

      Yes, real possibilities for a life group.

      If you ever want to buy bulk, write to Ben Carswell’s brother (jonathan@10ofthose.com) and say you are my brother 🙂

      Thanks Boz

  2. Ben Carswell on January 12, 2024 at 9:56 am

    Glad you enjoyed it! I think it’s the best of his work I’ve read so far, though others rave about some of his other work too.

    • Paul Windsor on January 13, 2024 at 4:58 pm

      Yes, as the giver of the gift — a big thanks to you, Ben.

      His book entitled 1776 is also on my little list…!

  3. Peter and Elizabeth Anderson on January 12, 2024 at 11:42 am

    Sounds brilliant. Powerful pictures, illustrations.

    • Paul Windsor on January 13, 2024 at 4:57 pm

      Hope you get a chance to read it!

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