The Concept of Majesty
Labels:
Important messages
 |
| "Sunlight upon the open field" |
Today, I finished reading "The Knowledge of the Holy" for the third time. At the very end, A. W. Tozer said that knowledge is given "as sunlight falls free upon the open field". However, he pointed out, it is not gained by mental toil, but is spiritually discerned. Its difficulty lies in the obstinate nature of man, opposing God's conditions.
He gave seven conditions taught by the Bible and by the "holiest, sweetest saints the world has ever known". I was particularly taken up with the fifth condition, which is perhaps at the fore of all the difficulties that Christians face in the 21st Century. For your own spiritual well-being, please take notice:
Love that Covers Sins
Labels:
Important messages
 |
| We must be "People of the Book" |
Apostle Peter wrote of the need to stimulate the memory of the
believers by repeating things that they had already learned (2 P. 1:12, 13, 15;
3:1). This is especially necessary, when an error is commonly proclaimed. Just
the fact that it is heard many times over by different speakers is enough for many Christians to accept it as truth. Unfortunately, a lie often repeated becomes truth in their ears.
One Bible phrase that is often misinterpreted in our day is this:
“Love covers a multitude of sins”. To
mistake the meaning of it can lead to many doctrinal errors, open the door to
bad relationships and hinder biblically sound disciplinary practices that must
be maintained among believers. For this reason, even though I posted an
article, relating to this matter in September, 2013, I am going to renew it
again, because “I intend always to
remind you of these qualities”, so that you might be “established in the truth that you have”. Please study carefully,
in order that you may escape deception that comes from hearing falsehood often
repeated.
We begin to see evangelical leaders carried by the current of
tolerance. Some years ago, I listened to an interview with the new leader of a
well-known, conservative Christian organization. He said that the conservative
Christian has a reputation for rigidity and hardness, so we need to reach a
better understanding of our opponents and have dialogue with them. He
ascertained that we have to be more tolerant of those who are not in agreement
with us. Because I work in Spanish circles, I am aware of some of the
statements of world famous leaders among the Spanish-speaking people. One
singer was interviewed on CNN and proclaimed that his concerts have adopted the
purpose of bringing people together on common ground and that includes uniting
Christians and Moslems. (There is a movement today among Arabic people called
Crislam – a combination of Christianity and Islam.) Another singer in Spain
preaches that since Christ was born, we no longer have to deal with the wrath
of God, nor should we refer to it in our evangelistic efforts, but rather to
the love of God.
Update 2018: Articles Most Read
During 2016, we had a great
increase of readers to this blog, mostly from the United States, some of which
no longer follow us. I do not know what was the reason for the increase, nor
what became of them, but because of this, articles from 2016 became the most
frequently visited. These writings continue to have the highest numbers of
readings, although some others have been added last year and the order has
changed a little. I suppose it will take time before things normalize and some
of the older writings rise to take the place that they had previous to 2016.
Following are a list of the
ten most read articles from 2017 and after them the ten most visited in 2018. I
normally look at these statistics in March, but this year we were traveling
from March through May, so that I am now updating in June. Instead of a
12-month period, these will cover a time of 14-15 months. As of today, the total number of visits to
this English blog has risen to 124,251, since this blog was put together by our
grandson, John, in 2011. This last year, we have had 39,820 visits. When we add
the visits to our Spanish blogspot, the total number of visits increases to 326,255,
and the number over the last year to 100,439 (obviously, we have more Spanish
than English readers).
To Express the Unspeakable
Labels:
Important messages
“To
know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” Ephesians 3:19
 |
| A. W. Tozer |
Just two days ago, I
presented on this blog, A. W. Tozer’s clarification of the well-known statement
of the apostle John, “God is love” (1 Jn.4:8). He felt obligated to do so,
because of the common misunderstanding and misinterpretation of that verse. That
was the apologetic side of his chapter on love in The Knowledge of the Holy.
In what I have read or heard
by many preachers, who attempt to present the love of God to their readers or
audience, few reach the level that Tozer ascends to in his sermons. I have a
recording, in which Tozer claims to use John 3:16 as his text for the first
time. Although he had referred to it thousands of times, he said that, in his
more than 40 years of ministry (at that time), he never felt capable of
preaching specifically on the text, John 3:16, that magnificent statement given
to us by the Word of Life Himself. I have yet to listen to that tape without
tears coming to my eyes.
I will include again in the
first two paragraphs of this article, this clarification, as well as the
correspondence of the love of God with His other attributes. Then we will
proceed. Even though Tozer recognizes his lack of ability, along with the
inability of any human, to worthily put the love of God into human language, I
think you will find that he does as well as possible in his attempt.
Love is not God!
Labels:
Important messages
Below I will cite several lines from A. W. Tozer´s book, The Knowledge of the Holy, specifically the chapter on the love of God. Before he entered into the subject, he had to address a misconception, which is common among believers. That is, that the apostle's statement, "God is love", is not meant to be a definition of God.
I have tried to deal with this same issue, wherever I have preached and taught, throughout my years of ministry. If you would ask a congregation, "How would you describe God? What is He like?", the answer would commonly come back, "God is love."
Please notice similar statements in the same epistle of John, regarding other attributes of God. In 1:5... "God is light." In 2:29 and 3:7... "He (God) is righteous." It is just as true that God is light and that He is righteous, as it is true that God is love. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." He is as much the way, the truth and the life, as He is love.
I hope that you will be able to capture Tozer's thinking and let it form your concept of God; if necessary, I hope that it will correct any mistaken ideas that you might have. Please pay attention, as Tozer expounds on this matter in no uncertain terms: "The apostle John, by the Spirit, wrote, 'God is love,' and some have taken his words to be a definitive statement concerning the essential nature of God. This is a great error. John was by those words stating a fact, but he was not offering a definition.
 |
| A. W. Tozer |
I have tried to deal with this same issue, wherever I have preached and taught, throughout my years of ministry. If you would ask a congregation, "How would you describe God? What is He like?", the answer would commonly come back, "God is love."
Please notice similar statements in the same epistle of John, regarding other attributes of God. In 1:5... "God is light." In 2:29 and 3:7... "He (God) is righteous." It is just as true that God is light and that He is righteous, as it is true that God is love. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." He is as much the way, the truth and the life, as He is love.
I hope that you will be able to capture Tozer's thinking and let it form your concept of God; if necessary, I hope that it will correct any mistaken ideas that you might have. Please pay attention, as Tozer expounds on this matter in no uncertain terms: "The apostle John, by the Spirit, wrote, 'God is love,' and some have taken his words to be a definitive statement concerning the essential nature of God. This is a great error. John was by those words stating a fact, but he was not offering a definition.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
