“The problem of the modern Church may be sufficiently boiled down to one statement:
it does not know God.”
For Christmas, my BFF sent me A.W. Tozer’s book, Knowledge of the Holy. When I opened it, the above sentence sprang out at me! I was intrigued.
The sentence was the first line of the introduction, written by Caleb Sinclair. In his intro, Sinclair explains that Tozer’s book, a commentary on the attributes of God, “…can be directly applied and used to elevate the quality of our Christian walk with God.”
A worthy goal – count me in!
The book is short – 105 pages – with 23 brief chapters. I read one chapter a day during my devotional time until I finished the book. Each chapter is rich with revelation about our awesome God. I have enjoyed it so much, I decided it would be worthwhile to share some of the high points.
Rediscovering the Mystery and Majesty of Our Creator
In this blog, I will make a brief comment on each of the attributes of God discussed by Tozer in the book. (The numbered points are chapter titles.) I will not be quoting Tozer, just giving a little flavor of the attributes he discusses. If you enjoy this blog, you will find much more meat and value in the book itself.
When we pause to consider the mystery and majesty of our Creator, it is impossible not to be in awe. He is the Creator of the universe, and yet He still takes time to meet us in our circumstances here on earth. When we contemplate His divine attributes we stand amazed at His perfect character!
- God Incomprehensible
God is an incomparable Being, and His vastness means that He is incomprehensible to us. He is beyond our ability to fully grasp or comprehend; He transcends time and space. We may never be able to understand the depths of God’s wisdom or knowledge, but we can feel His presence and sense His love for us in the world around us. And although we cannot fully understand Him, we can still draw closer to Him through prayer, worship and Bible study.
- The Holy Trinity
God is a Trinity, which means that He exists as three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each Person of the Trinity has distinct characteristics – the Father is our Creator and Sustainer; Jesus Christ is the Son who came to Earth to sacrifice Himself for our salvation; and the Holy Spirit is our constant Companion who works in us to sanctify us and help us grow in our relationship with Christ. The reality of the Trinity is clearly pictured at Jesus’ baptism: Father God spoke from Heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and Jesus stood in bodily form in the Jordan River. Yet, despite the distinct roles that each Person of the Trinity plays, they are all united as one God, whose perfect love and justice we can depend on and who will never leave us or forsake us.
- The Self-existence of God
God is self-existent, meaning He has always existed and will always exist. He is the source of all life and energy in the universe. He is the great I AM – fully independent and sovereignly perfect, yet lovingly involved in our lives. God’s self-existence is a reminder of his faithfulness and omnipresence, which can give us strength in difficult times. Even when the world seems chaotic or unpredictable, we can always rely on God’s eternal presence to guide and sustain us.
- The Self-sufficiency of God
God’s self-sufficiency means that He has no need of anything or anybody, outside of Himself, to be complete. He is the source and sustainer of all life and energy. But here is a wondrous mystery – even though God does not need anyone, He chose to create a spiritual family (the angels, for example) and a human family. And He creates us for a purpose. Anything we do, He could do better; yet He chooses to work through us. And His self-sufficiency is our all-sufficiency. This attribute can bring us great comfort as we remember that no matter what challenges we face in life, He will always be sufficient for our needs.
- The Eternity of God
God is eternal, meaning He has always existed and will always exist. His power and authority are timeless, never growing old or fading away. He is the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end – who was, is, and always will be. Even if everything around us changes or ceases to exist, God will still remain eternally unchanged and unchanging. His perfect love and wisdom have always been, and always will be. We can be encouraged in the knowledge that our eternal God is ever-present, never failing us, as He leads us along life’s journey.
- God’s Infinitude
God is infinite, meaning He has neither beginning nor end and exists outside of time and space. His attributes are boundless, limitless – we can never fully grasp the scope of His greatness. God’s infinitude reminds us how small we are in comparison to Him, yet He deeply loves and values each one of us. As we consider His infinite nature, may we be encouraged to trust in Him, knowing that even though we cannot understand or comprehend all He is, we can believe that He loves us completely.
- The Immutability of God
God is immutable, meaning He never changes or fluctuates in any way. His character and attributes remain constant throughout all time and eternity. This attribute of God brings us comfort and assurance during times of pain, suffering, or uncertainty. Looking to Him for guidance and strength fills our hearts with awe of His unchangeable goodness and grace! And we are encouraged to trust in His immutable nature, knowing that no matter what life throws at us, He remains our rock and our hope.
- The Divine Omniscience
God is omniscient, meaning He has perfect knowledge and understanding of all things. His wisdom transcends our own limited comprehension, allowing Him to see the big picture while simultaneously comprehending every intricate detail. He knows all things past, present, and future; nothing escapes His gaze or eludes His understanding. This attribute of God can bring great peace and comfort as we recognize that nothing is hidden from Him – He is always aware and fully in control. He even knows every thought and action of ours. God’s omniscience means that He has complete awareness of our needs and can provide a perfect solution for any problem we face.
- The Wisdom of God
God is wise beyond measure, capable of discerning the best course of action for any situation. His wisdom transcends human understanding and enables Him to make decisions that are far superior to those we could ever make on our own. God’s wisdom is seen in his perfect timing. He knows exactly when to intervene and act, and when to wait. He works all things together for the good of those who love Him, even if we cannot see how this might be possible in the moment. God uses His wisdom to direct us down paths that will bring us the most joy, peace and purpose. He does not make mistakes, and His plans are always good. We can be confident that whatever God chooses is ultimately for our benefit, even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.
- The Omnipotence of God
God is omnipotent, meaning He is all-powerful and capable of doing anything. His strength surpasses our own feeble efforts, allowing Him to achieve far beyond what we could ever imagine. This attribute of God brings us peace as we recognize that no matter how insurmountable a situation may seem, nothing is outside the scope of His power. As we consider His omnipotence, our hearts cannot fail to be filled with awe of His unfathomable mystery and majesty! We can trust Him, knowing that no matter how difficult life becomes, He is always in control and able to make things right.
- The Divine Transcendence
The divine transcendence of God means that He is beyond all time and space. His power and being are not confined or limited by anything created in the universe, allowing Him to exist everywhere at once and yet still be apart from everything. This attribute allows God to be both near us and far away from us at the same time, as He is not bound by the limitations of our physical world. Perhaps it is God’s transcendence that inspired the writer of Proverbs to say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10, KJV) For as we attempt to stretch our imaginations around some concept of God’s magnificence, we fall to our knees in worship (fear of the Lord.) And we begin to understand that God is our Source, our Judge, and our Salvation.
- God’s Omnipresence
God is omnipresent, meaning He is always present in every moment and every place. His power extends beyond the boundaries of our physical world, allowing Him to be both near to us and far from us simultaneously. This attribute means that God is able to see, understand and be aware of everything that takes place in the universe all at once. We can trust in Him with confidence, knowing that He is ever-present and able to provide us with help and guidance anywhere, anytime.
- The Faithfulness of God
God is faithful, meaning He always keeps His promises and remains ever-dependable. His trustworthiness surpasses our expectations, allowing us to rest assured in His constancy and reliability. This attribute means that God’s love for us never fades or changes, no matter what may happen. We can rely on Him with confidence, knowing that He will fulfill His promises. His faithfulness is a reminder that He always has our best interests in mind, and will never abandon us or leave us alone in any situation.
- The Goodness of God
God is good, meaning He does only what is right and just. His goodness is beyond human understanding and causes Him to act in perfect love at all times. This attribute of God brings us joy as we recognize that no matter what we face in life, He will always be there to provide comfort and care. We can safely trust in Him, knowing that He only desires the best for us and will always work all things together for our good.
- The Justice of God
God is just, meaning He judges all things according to what is right and fair. His justice allows Him to deliver perfect judgments. This attribute of God brings us hope as we recognize that no matter how dark our circumstances may seem, He will always act in righteousness. It is obvious that in our world injustice sometimes prevails. But we can take comfort in the knowledge that the God who rules all time and space is a just God, and a time will come when He will avenge every injustice. In other words, although God’s justice is good news for those of us who love Him, it portends eternal doom for those who reject Him.
- The Mercy of God
God is merciful, meaning He shows love and compassion to those who are hurting or in need. His mercy, like His other attributes, are infinite. He offers grace and forgiveness at all times. This attribute of God brings us sweet solace as we recognize that no matter what we may have done wrong, He will be there to offer us forgiveness and new beginnings. We can ever trust Him to show compassion to His penitent children.
- The Grace of God
God’s grace is a gift of unmerited favor and blessing. By God’s mercy, He refrains from inflicting on us the punishment we have earned; and by His grace, He bestows on us the gifts and kindnesses we have not earned. He gives us more than we could ever ask or imagine. This attribute of God brings us joy as we recognize that no matter what our circumstances may be, He always has something better in store for us.
- The Love of God
God’s love is an extraordinary force of kindness and compassion. It is often described using the Greek word, agape, which is a sacrificial love – the kind of love so deep and unselfish that it will endure brutal suffering, even death, in order to save the loved one. But I am convinced that God’s love also includes tender affection. Suffice it to say that God’s love for us is too vast to comprehend and that it will continue unchanged no matter what we do or fail to do.
- The Holiness of God
God’s holiness speaks volumes about His character. In fact, holiness is an attribute that is unique to God. It does not exist anywhere else in the universe. He is absolutely pure and holy in all He is and all He does. No evil can taint or compromise His holiness in any way. This attribute of God calls forth deep reverence in us, filling our hearts with awe of His unfathomable mystery and majesty!
- The Sovereignty of God
God’s sovereignty means that our omnipotent God is perfectly in control of everything. No matter what happens in the universe, He is the ultimate Master of the outcome. His sovereignty allows Him to work all things for the good of those who love Him. This attribute of God brings us assurance that no matter what comes our way, His will is the guiding force of our lives. We are safe to trust Him, knowing that He is sovereign and all-powerful.
In Conclusion
As you were reading through the attributes of God, I hope you noticed that they affect us believers in comforting and powerful ways. I could almost title this blog “What’s in It for Me?” because every aspect of God’s character bodes wondrous blessings for His children.
But what’s-in-it-for-me isn’t what the book is about. Knowledge of the Holy is about recognizing God’s majesty. It’s about recognizing the magnitude of our indebtedness to Him. And it’s about adjusting our lives to reflect our fresh attention to these facts.
That’s why, when I heard someone singing Steve Green’s “Find Us Faithful” one morning, I knew I wanted to conclude this blog with its message. The perfect message to top off a discussion of the mystery and majesty of God, it describes how we can appropriately and lovingly respond to the glorious Creator who does so much for us.
I’m sure the song is copyrighted, so I don’t dare reproduce all the lyrics. Here are two inspiring lines from the chorus. But if you want to hear the whole song, you can click the link below.
“Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way…”
Today’s church has been richly blessed by those who have gone before us and have left a “heritage of faithfulness passed on thru godly lives.” Because of our spiritual ancestors, we have the opportunity to know our God and all He has done for us. Now it’s our turn to live a life devoted to Him in such a way that future generations will know and love Him too. “May all who come behind us find us faithful…”
How can we choose any other way of life if we have truly taken the time to know Him as He is?
***
Sources:
Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer
“FInd Us Faithful,” Steve Green
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