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A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom from the Book of Nehemiah
Using a Bible-study approach, J.I. Packer looks at how Nehemiah, one of the Bible's greatest leaders, led the people--and how God led Nehemiah-- to ultimately build up His Kingdom. Through this book you will discover a model for revival in your church.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1994
22 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
J.I. Packer
448 books932 followersWhat do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2025
Might add more favorite quotes but maybe not haha
The following is one of my favorites: “Christ will build his church, using us as he wills, in ways that involve the appearance of triumph and disaster over and over again. Our part is not to let either appearance fool us, but to maintain an unflinching fidelity to the particular tasks and roles we know we have been given to fulfill, all for honoring and pleasing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who by their joint action are the true agents of the entire building process.”
The following is one of my favorites: “Christ will build his church, using us as he wills, in ways that involve the appearance of triumph and disaster over and over again. Our part is not to let either appearance fool us, but to maintain an unflinching fidelity to the particular tasks and roles we know we have been given to fulfill, all for honoring and pleasing of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who by their joint action are the true agents of the entire building process.”
February 12, 2018
Excellent. A wise and motivating look at Nehemiah.
May 8, 2020
Lots of challenging and helpful insights from the life of Nehemiah. It was good to re-read it, including the call to faithfulness amid life. I am glad to have done so. Much stirred in me about having a clear vision of who God is, about prayer, keeping on with the calling, for justice, care for the poor for righteousness.
In places, for me, it did read a bit like a rant against everything that is supposedly wrong with modern times. Not sure how helpful that is to equip Christians to engage with others around them.
Also reading Satan back into the text from New Testament theology, may be understandable but there needs to be more caution I think on this. JI Packer acknowledges in his book that Satan is not mentioned but then what follows is as if he is. Clearly Nehemiah was opposed and that may well have been stirred by unseen spiritual forces. But I think we need to be a bit more cautious about it with Nehemiah than other places in the Bible.
This said, I am not dismissing the book, worth reading.
In places, for me, it did read a bit like a rant against everything that is supposedly wrong with modern times. Not sure how helpful that is to equip Christians to engage with others around them.
Also reading Satan back into the text from New Testament theology, may be understandable but there needs to be more caution I think on this. JI Packer acknowledges in his book that Satan is not mentioned but then what follows is as if he is. Clearly Nehemiah was opposed and that may well have been stirred by unseen spiritual forces. But I think we need to be a bit more cautious about it with Nehemiah than other places in the Bible.
This said, I am not dismissing the book, worth reading.
March 16, 2017
This book is a very sound exegetical overview of the book of Nehemiah One particular section at the close of the book was very helpful, where Packer deals with “spiritual highs”, or “revival”, or seasons of really “feeling close to God”, or whatever else you want to call it. His words here are very encouraging. He does not belittle these seasons of revival or “peaks” or “highs”, or come across as some high-browed theologian looking down his spectacles at people in these seasons, but he particularly points to what the Christian life looks like when these seasons are not taking place (or, perhaps, right after them). He points out how the New Testament shows the history of some of these seasons developing (the Gospels, Acts, new church-plants, etc.), but ends on a note of these seasons having now passed (Revelation). Packer states, “This is how the New Testament finishes.” Nehemiah 13 shows some of the practical, biblical, spiritual steps to take after one of these “spiritual high” seasons has passed.
September 14, 2018
Classic Packer: Warm, wise, readable and thought-provoking. Packer works through the biblical memoirs of Nehemiah to outline valuable lessons for godly leadership.
I do have one reservation about this book, especially for those using it as an exposition of Nehemiah. My concern is Packer's elevation of the person of Nehemiah in the biblical narrative, which distorts his reading of the text, and thus the lessons that he draws. For example, I don't see how an "obvious" reading of Nehemiah 3 is that Nehemiah "must be honored as builder of the whole of [the wall]." Rather, God is at work through his people as a community. Packer similarly overplays Nehemiah's role in the gathering of chapter 8, and skips over large sections of text that don't talk about Nehemiah. Perhaps godly leadership is not so much about one man and one God after all!
I do have one reservation about this book, especially for those using it as an exposition of Nehemiah. My concern is Packer's elevation of the person of Nehemiah in the biblical narrative, which distorts his reading of the text, and thus the lessons that he draws. For example, I don't see how an "obvious" reading of Nehemiah 3 is that Nehemiah "must be honored as builder of the whole of [the wall]." Rather, God is at work through his people as a community. Packer similarly overplays Nehemiah's role in the gathering of chapter 8, and skips over large sections of text that don't talk about Nehemiah. Perhaps godly leadership is not so much about one man and one God after all!
January 17, 2025
This reads as a character study and biography rather than an exact exposition, but it serves its purpose well. The life of Nehemiah is one of faithfulness and zeal (in the true and genuine sense of the word). Packer does a wonderful work of establishing the foundation of Nehemiah’s example was not anything particularly exciting about the man himself, but that he was one fully committed to God, and that faith in the same God can be emulated by any leader seeking to further God’s kingdom and will.
June 12, 2025
This book has been exciting to where he brings out Nehemiah’s devotion to his God and his people. He relates to his countrymen by identifying with them that he too is responsible for their neglect.
We can also apply these lessons to our church by applying what he has done in dealing with leading his people into building Jerusalem’s walls back up.
I have been inspired in how he has addressed the problem and how Nehemiah stayed strong to the finish.
We can also apply these lessons to our church by applying what he has done in dealing with leading his people into building Jerusalem’s walls back up.
I have been inspired in how he has addressed the problem and how Nehemiah stayed strong to the finish.
May 9, 2019
I was hoping this was a commentary, and though it was not I am not disappointed in this book. It was very good. Every page encouraged me. It read more like a collection of sermons that Packer might have used when preaching through Nehemiah. Good, good!
June 12, 2024
I must say, this book really spoke to me. Challenging and encouraging. Down-to-earth yet hopeful; sobering yet uplifting. Highly recommended, especially to anyone involved in Christian ministry. I will be returning.
December 23, 2020
J.I. Packer does it again! Great lessons from the book of Nehemiah, I was especially blessed by the Epilogue.
September 17, 2025
Un buen libro que ayudará a cualquiera que aspire al liderazgo dentro de su Iglesia local.
October 28, 2016
This is classic Packer. Is his exegesis that lock tight? No. However, it was refreshing to read him. While he is talking about Nehemiah with regard to leadership, he cannot help but catechize and start speaking about different facets of evangelical doctrine. Did I expect to find these in a book about Nehemiah and leadership? No, but it was a pleasant refresher.
I really appreciate how Packer:
1) Takes spiritual warfare seriously. Satan's desire is to thwart the kingdom of God, and we must be alert to that.
2) Doesn't treat Nehemiah like a paradigm for success. He doesn't propose a 10-step process although it does feel that way at times. He encourages Christian leaders to emulate Nehemiah's zeal and faithfulness for God's cause, namely the church.
3) Deliberately targets ministry "success." He believes current trends (in 1995 but show no sign of slowing today in 2016) toward counting ministry success in the numbers and the emotional highs is short-sighted. Rather, he exhorts pastors to the care of souls.
I really appreciate how Packer:
1) Takes spiritual warfare seriously. Satan's desire is to thwart the kingdom of God, and we must be alert to that.
2) Doesn't treat Nehemiah like a paradigm for success. He doesn't propose a 10-step process although it does feel that way at times. He encourages Christian leaders to emulate Nehemiah's zeal and faithfulness for God's cause, namely the church.
3) Deliberately targets ministry "success." He believes current trends (in 1995 but show no sign of slowing today in 2016) toward counting ministry success in the numbers and the emotional highs is short-sighted. Rather, he exhorts pastors to the care of souls.
March 24, 2016
Packer packs in plenty of pastoral wisdom for leaders and for non-leaders from Nehemiah.
Its not a commentary, it doesn't cover the whole book - instead Packer focuses on Nehemiah himself, and draws lessons from him in terms of godliness, passion, faithfulness, leadership, prayerfulness, perseverance and many other areas.
His last chapter on the twin imposters of Success and Disaster is a helpful corrective in a world that only looks at short term results.
I rather enjoyed it.
Its not a commentary, it doesn't cover the whole book - instead Packer focuses on Nehemiah himself, and draws lessons from him in terms of godliness, passion, faithfulness, leadership, prayerfulness, perseverance and many other areas.
His last chapter on the twin imposters of Success and Disaster is a helpful corrective in a world that only looks at short term results.
I rather enjoyed it.
July 4, 2014
Nehemiah was a exceptionally gifted leader/manager and provides us with an even more compelling example of faithful perseverance. Dr. Packer's book will serve anyone who has a leadership or management role and I highly recommend it.
October 7, 2012
Classic Packer! His chapter on Spiritual Opposition is worth reading, if you only have time to read one.
June 22, 2012
One of my favorites.
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February 20, 2016Another great book on the life and leadership of Nehemiah. He was a man passionate for God's Agenda and Glory to be known among his people and surrounding nations.
May 13, 2016
A good devotional guide while studying Nehemiah.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews