thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

In The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer sets forth a number of the Lord’s attributes in hopes of reinvigorating hearts and minds with the majesty of God. Though written in the 1970s, this book is as relevant now as it was then. Tozer was compelled to write this book due “to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind.”1 He believes this has happened even though the church did not do this intentionally. Not only does Tozer believe contemporary Christians have lost a sense of the majesty of God, but he believes they have also lost a sense of “religious awe and consciousness of the divine presence.”2 While the church has grown numerically, the same cannot be said of our personal spiritual growth. Thus, Tozer states the problem in no uncertain terms: “The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles.”3 Tozer does not, however, only state the problem. He also provides the solution. Our cure is a robust rediscovery of the majesty of God.

Essentially, the book has two parts: In the first section Tozer outlines the importance of thinking rightly about God. In the second section Tozer takes readers on a study of twenty attributes of God. Tozer wastes no time informing readers of the central importance of recovering a right view of God. Early on in the book Tozer writes, “The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of him—and of her.”4 It is this thought that is carried on throughout the first part of the book. Tozer shows the absolute necessity of thinking rightly about God. Believers can only love, delight in, and enjoy God to the extent that they know him as he is revealed in the Bible. Tozer writes, “That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us.”5 This is due to the fact that “Low views of God destroy the gospel for all who hold them.”6 Fundamentally, the reason we must think rightly about God is because to fail to do so is to engage in idolatry. Tozer is right to say that “The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”7 While for many this may seem like an overly critical comment, Tozer asserts that fallen mankind’s reason is insufficiently equipped for the endeavor of explaining God. Thus, he says, “A god begotten in the shadows of a fallen heart will quite naturally be no true likeness of the true God.”8 In light of this, Tozer encourages believers, “Let Him be the God in our minds that He is in His universe.”9

Before beginning to discuss some of the attributes of God, Tozer sets forth his own definition of the word “Attribute.” He writes, “For the purpose of this book an attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself.”10 From there he goes on to say that theologians are not in agreement about how many attributes of God there are. He notes that Frederick Faber sang of the “God of a thousand attributes,” and that in one of Charles Wesley’s hymns he wrote, “Glad thine attributes confess/Glorious all and numberless.” Tozer seems to think we should bypass criticizing these men since they “were worshipping, not counting.”11 Though some theologians would take issue with saying that God has a thousand attributes, Tozer says, “we might be wise to follow the insight of the enraptured heart rather than the more cautious reasonings of the theological mind.”12 At first glance I read over that sentence twice, not knowing what to make of it. My initial response was to wonder why I had to choose between having an “enraptured heart” versus a “theological mind.” I am not suggesting that Tozer presents readers with a false dichotomy. Tozer does not say that Christians must choose between either an “enraptured heart” or a “theological mind.” It is the synthesizing of these two characteristics, however, that is difficult to achieve.

For some reason, I have found that many people assume that those with a “theological mind” cannot have an “enraptured heart.” It is as if the theological enterprise specializes in engendering cold hearts. Interestingly enough, I have not found this to be the case for me, my friends, pastors, or professors. Rather, our study of theology has only served to increase our devotion and praise. Thus, we serve as examples that theology does, in fact, lead to doxology. Tozer supplies students of theology with the method by which this can be done. After candidly admitting that not everything in the Bible is easy to grasp, he outlines how students are to go about understanding the things of God: “They must be sought by prayer, by long meditation on the written Word, and by earnest and well-disciplined labour.”13

If one takes Tozer at his word here, it does not seem like a stretch to suggest that one’s sanctification can be increased through a study of theology. It seems to me, therefore, that it is through the painstaking process of exegesis, historical research, and theological reflection that God causes growth in our lives. Thus, as disciples of Christ, if we commit ourselves to following Tozer’s advice to devote ourselves to prayer, to long meditation on the Word, and to earnest labor, we will be able to break free from the diminished view of God that is rampant in our society and in the church.

Given all of Tozer’s words about how one’s knowledge of God is increased through personal study, I was caught off guard as he began his chapter on the Trinity. He begins by noting that, “Some persons who reject all they cannot explain have denied that God is a Trinity.”14 In contradistinction to these persons, Christians believe what God declares to be true. However, I find what Tozer says to be troubling. He writes, “What God declares the believing heart confesses without the need of further proof.” Then he states, “Indeed, to seek proof is to admit doubt, and to obtain proof is to render faith superfluous.”15 He then goes on to commend the words of a supposed church father, though Tozer does not cite his source: “I believe that Christ died for me because it is incredible; I believe that He rose from the dead because it is impossible.”16

These statements are difficult to reconcile with what Tozer had just stated. Five pages earlier we are told that the difficult truths of God “must be sought by prayer, by long meditation on the written Word, and by earnest and well-disciplined labour,” and now we are told that to seek proof is to render faith superfluous. In one instance Tozer is speaking about the disposition of our hearts as we prepare to study theology, and in the other instance he is specifically dealing with the doctrine of the Trinity. Both cases are dealing with our study of the Word of God. These two issues, therefore, are related. While it is true, as Tozer says, that “a limited mind [cannot] grasp the unlimited,”17 this is not to suggest that we are incapable of obtaining any knowledge of God. The question, however, is how we should go about pursuing our knowledge of God. I would assert that Tozer is correct when he says it should be done by prayer, through deep meditation on the Word of God, and earnest labor. One additional necessity, I think, would be to interact with the great theological minds of the past.18 It is worthwhile for students of the Bible to consider what those who came before us had to say.

Regardless of Tozer’s comment about how seeking proof is admitting doubt, I would say his charge about how students should pursue their theological studies—with prayer, long meditation, and earnest labor—is a good reminder to all of us, and a thesis worth evaluating. Tozer’s thesis is a good reminder of the fact that we are to love God with all our minds (Mark 12:28-30). Therefore, since God has given us minds, it is important that we use them for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). One’s love for God should only increase as he or she considers the things of God deeply. Furthermore, believers need to realize that the Holy Spirit was not given to us to make study unnecessary, but to make it effective. Thus, John Piper is right to say that experiencing the Holy Spirit “is not like a hypnosis or electric shock or drug-induced hallucinations or shivers at a good tune.”19 Rather the work of the Holy Spirit is to give us “unspeakable joy in response to the mind’s perception of . . . Jesus Christ.”20

Thus, as we pursue our theological endeavors, we should view them as opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work in and through the material we are considering. He will bring unspeakable joy as we study the Person and work of Christ. He will bring conviction as we study the doctrine of sin. We will be humbled as we think deeply about the doctrine of salvation. However, as Tozer suggests, the Holy Spirit works in us as we are working and reflecting upon the biblical truths we are reading and studying. As Piper points out, we ought not to expect the Holy Spirit to work if our heads are empty.21 I think what Tozer is encouraging students of the Word to do, is to have scholarly minds and pastoral hearts. This can be somewhat difficult since most people lean in one direction or the other. This truth ought to cause us to pray with even more fervency. We must ask the Lord to give us sharp minds and loving hearts.

All things considered, I thought Tozer’s book started out strong but did not finish well. I found myself losing interest as I read. Aside from a few poignant statements here and there, I was not blown away by the book. If I had to compare it to a similar work, I would recommend A. W. Pink’s book The Attributes of God. That being said, I agree with Tozer’s assertion that the church must recover a biblical understanding of the majesty of God, and I wish to join him in that fight. Further, I appreciate his words about the importance of not erecting a false dichotomy between head and heart. He shows readers that it is possible to be both scholarly and pastoral. May students of the Word pursue God passionately, work to recover a proper understanding of who God is, and seek to grow in their intimacy with God through their studies.

1 A. W. Tozer. The Knowledge of the Holy. Reprint. (Colorado Springs: Authentic, 2008), xvii.
2 Ibid, xviii.
3 Ibid.
4 Ibid, 2.
5 Ibid, 2.
6 Ibid, 4.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid, 42.
10 Ibid, 15, emphasis in original.
11 Ibid, 15.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid, 17.
14 Ibid, 20.
15 Ibid, 23, emphasis mine.
16 Ibid.
17 Tozer defines God’s infinitude as limitlessness; Ibid, 52.
18 I am not suggesting that Tozer would disagree with this, he simply did not mention it.
19 John Piper. Pierced by the Word: Thirty-One Meditations for Your Soul. (Sisters: Multnomah, 2003), 86.
20 Ibid, emphasis mine.
21 Ibid, 87.