“Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10 ESV
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10 ESV
Dear Friends,
“What comes to your mind when you think about God?” (Tozer 1961)
Right now, I just want you to take a minute and answer that question. What do you really think about God?
God is the beginning of all existence.
One of my favorite books from seminary was The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. I highly recommend reading or re-reading this book. In chapter one, Tozer lays out the fact that what we think about God shapes who we are and how we live. Therefore, we must “think rightly” about God. Everything begins with God. Whether or not you believe in Him, shapes your worldview, belief system, and life choices. If you do believe in God, what you believe about Him further shapes these things. If you do not believe in God, then that shapes your views and choices as well. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (Tozer 1961)
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10)
“The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.” (Tozer 1961) Fear in these verses is more about having awe and reverence towards God. God is above all. He is holy and majestic and, frankly, more than we can fully comprehend. Yet, through the Bible, God shares with us about Himself. Many people know of God’s love, and there have been movements within the Church to emphasize God’s love. However, His love…even though He is the source of all true love…God’s love is merely one attribute of God. We need to appreciate God in all His glory as He is the source of wisdom, truth, grace, and holiness. Nothing exists without God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV)
Tozer says that our real idea about God may be buried under traditional religious teachings. We need to really dig down deep to what we really believe about God, not necessarily just what we have been taught, but what we actually think. Within the Church or other Christians, we may hear false or corrupted teachings of God and the Bible. Not all religious teachings are corrupted. Traditional teachings do have great value, but they must be grounded in the Bible. Each and every one of us is fallen in sin and imperfect. Therefore, anything we develop may be tainted, intentionally or unintentionally. So, how do we figure out what we believe or how do we correct false teachings? A good place to start any search is to go back to the beginning.
“In the beginning was the Word…” – Here “the Word” is a reference to Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, the source of our salvation. However, we also have God’s Word, the Bible. Our first step should be prayer to God, followed by a personal, intense study of His Word. If the beliefs do not align with the Bible, then something has gone awry. Many times, if a Church has corrupted teachings, it is best to go back to their basic theology: “What do they think about God?” And is that thinking rooted in Scripture?
I want to leave you with one final thought from Tozer: “Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech.” (Tozer 1961) This is not just true of the Church as a whole, but also of the individual Christian.
My challenge to you is to take some time to really examine your belief system and answer the basic theological question: “Who is God?”
Until next we meet,
Pastor Jessi
Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961.
“What comes to your mind when you think about God?” (Tozer 1961)
Right now, I just want you to take a minute and answer that question. What do you really think about God?
God is the beginning of all existence.
One of my favorite books from seminary was The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer. I highly recommend reading or re-reading this book. In chapter one, Tozer lays out the fact that what we think about God shapes who we are and how we live. Therefore, we must “think rightly” about God. Everything begins with God. Whether or not you believe in Him, shapes your worldview, belief system, and life choices. If you do believe in God, what you believe about Him further shapes these things. If you do not believe in God, then that shapes your views and choices as well. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (Tozer 1961)
The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:10)
“The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.” (Tozer 1961) Fear in these verses is more about having awe and reverence towards God. God is above all. He is holy and majestic and, frankly, more than we can fully comprehend. Yet, through the Bible, God shares with us about Himself. Many people know of God’s love, and there have been movements within the Church to emphasize God’s love. However, His love…even though He is the source of all true love…God’s love is merely one attribute of God. We need to appreciate God in all His glory as He is the source of wisdom, truth, grace, and holiness. Nothing exists without God.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1 ESV)
Tozer says that our real idea about God may be buried under traditional religious teachings. We need to really dig down deep to what we really believe about God, not necessarily just what we have been taught, but what we actually think. Within the Church or other Christians, we may hear false or corrupted teachings of God and the Bible. Not all religious teachings are corrupted. Traditional teachings do have great value, but they must be grounded in the Bible. Each and every one of us is fallen in sin and imperfect. Therefore, anything we develop may be tainted, intentionally or unintentionally. So, how do we figure out what we believe or how do we correct false teachings? A good place to start any search is to go back to the beginning.
“In the beginning was the Word…” – Here “the Word” is a reference to Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, the source of our salvation. However, we also have God’s Word, the Bible. Our first step should be prayer to God, followed by a personal, intense study of His Word. If the beliefs do not align with the Bible, then something has gone awry. Many times, if a Church has corrupted teachings, it is best to go back to their basic theology: “What do they think about God?” And is that thinking rooted in Scripture?
I want to leave you with one final thought from Tozer: “Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech.” (Tozer 1961) This is not just true of the Church as a whole, but also of the individual Christian.
My challenge to you is to take some time to really examine your belief system and answer the basic theological question: “Who is God?”
Until next we meet,
Pastor Jessi
Tozer, A. W. The Knowledge of the Holy. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1961.
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