Knowledge of the Holy #4

Keeping with the tribute to the incredible literary awesomeness of A.W. Tozer and Frederick William Faber I'd like to post a few more bits from "Knowledge of the Holy".  I spent several hours every Wednesday this past semester discussing this book with some awesome guys.  Here were some of our favorite portions.

This post highlights some of our favorite thoughts from the portion titled, "Something True About God".

The study of the attributes of God, far from being dull and heavy, may for the enlightened Christian be a sweet and absorbing spiritual exercise.  To teh soul that is athirst for God, nothing could be more delightful.

Only to sit and think of God,
   Oh what a joy it is!
To think the thought, to breathe the Name
   Earth has no higher bliss.
                         -- Frederick W. Faber

Glory thine attributes confess,
Glorious all and numberless.

If an attribute is something that is true of God, we may as well not try to enumerate them.

If an attribute is something true of God, it is also something that we can conceive as being true of Him.  God, being infinite, must possess attributes about which we can know nothing.  An attribute, as we can know it, is a mental concept, and intellectual response to God's self-revelation.  It is an answer to a question, the reply God makes to our interrogation concerning Himself.

To our questions God has provided answers; not all the answer, certainly, but enough to satisfy our intellects and ravish our hearts.  These answers he has provided in nature, in the Scriptures, and in the person of His Son.

Knowledge of the Holy #1
Knowledge of the Holy #2 
Knowledge of the Holy #3

Knowledge of the Holy #1

I'm a big fan of A.W. Tozer.  He was a big fan of Frederick William Faber.  It's as plain as the nose on my face (which is huge).  For the next couple of days I'm going to be sharing a compilation of various Tozer and Faber thoughts each day in addition to my regular posting.  This first bit comes from Chapter 2 of the book "Knowledge of the Holy" first printed in 1961.

Lord, how great is our dilemma! In Thy Presence silence best becomes us, but love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak.  Were we to hold our peace the stones would cry out; yet if we speak, what shall we say?  Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.  Let faith support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in order that we may believe.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.


That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox best described as ...

Darkness to the intellect
But sunshine to the heart.
 - Frederick W. Faber

Knowledge of the Holy #2
Knowledge of the Holy #3