None Else: 31 Meditations on God’s Character and Attributes

Joel R. Beeke and Brian Cosby

Reviewed by: D. Christian Khanda

None Else: 31 Meditations on God’s Character and Attributes, by Joel R. Beeke and Brian Cosby. Reformation Heritage, 2020. Paperback, 218 pages, $5.00. Reviewed by OP pastor D. Christian Khanda.

God calls his people to “know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him” (Deut. 4:35). Therefore, the highest pursuit of every Christian is to meditate on the triune God whom he loves. None Else focuses on the Lord’s manifold perfections, as revealed in the Bible, to encourage God’s people to commune with him and delight in his character. The authors provide thirty-one brief meditations on the character and attributes of God so that “you will grow in both knowledge of and love for the Rock of your salvation by the Spirit’s grace” (2).

Each meditation (after the introduction) has five sections: The first begins with a full Scripture passage used to focus on a particular aspect of God’s character. The second section has a written prayer to ask God for his help and blessing as we engage in this joyful pursuit of knowing him. The third, “Biblical Perspective,” explains in a simple and helpful way the particular attribute of God under study in light of the Scriptures. This section also shows how each attribute is related to the gospel and points us to Christ. The fourth has reflection questions that encourage us to linger over the truth of God’s character and how it transforms our lives. The final section, “Digging Deeper,” provides further Scriptures passages and recommends helpful resources on each characteristic of God.

None Else offers a worshipful call to meditate on God in his Word. The devotional expositions in the book faithfully teach biblical truths about him. The more we know him from his Word, the more we love and delight in him. None Else is thoroughly Trinitarian and gospel-centered and teaches the exclusivity of the Lord Jesus Christ through whom alone we can know and enjoy God as our God. Each chapter contains a treasure trove of Scripture verses and references that provides opportunities for in-depth Bible study. Additionally, biblical and theological terms are explained and applied in a simple and clear manner.

This would be a wonderful resource in private or family worship or in a Sunday school setting. The brief meditations could easily be read aloud to children.

Luther once exposed the problem of Erasmus by saying, “Your thoughts concerning God are too human” (5). This book challenges us to depart from such thoughts and pursue God, by the Spirit’s help, in his holy Word.