"What is a
Christian? The contemporary scene is
flooded with all kinds of erroneous ideas of what it means to be a Christian,
most taken from the culture around us.
For some, the Christian is simply a cleaned-up person trying to do the
best he can. Some have crafted a
template into which they try to squeeze the Christian. But the Christian does not fit, and the
result is a caricature, without any power or authority.
In this book,
Dr. Tozer is writing to the Christian whose love and affection for Christ is
the all-consuming passion of his life . . . every day. He is not writing about the carnal Christian
who has not surrendered himself to Christ’s rule in his life. Throughout this book, he makes one
assumption: that he is talking to someone who has experienced a genuine
conversion experience. He insists that
we must have the utmost confidence in our conversion experience and trust the
Holy Spirit to guide us day by day in the way that brings the most glory to the
Christ who died for us. Tozer begins
where most writers end. To him,
conversion is not the end but rather the beginning of a wonderful walk of faith
and trust and, yes, of works.
It was
interesting to me to see Dr. Tozer’s comment about Hebrews 11. Most of us look at that as the “faith
chapter” of the Bible, but Tozer, in his inimitable way, calls it the “works
chapter.” Faith without works is dead,
and there has to be a balance between what we believe and what we live. Nobody can walk far on only one foot—we need
the balance of both feet, and Dr. Tozer gives us quite a spiritual balance as
he describes from God’s Word what the Christian walk is all about.
Certainly, we
need to celebrate what we have been saved from.
That should bring to us a great deal of praise and thanksgiving that God
has saved us from a life of wretchedness.
But, more important, we need to celebrate what we have been saved
unto. The Christian walk is the forward
walk. It is the “looking unto Jesus”
that is most important. Every redeemed
person has a specific destiny to fulfill.
Discovering that destiny and fulfilling it in the power of the
indwelling Holy Spirit is the joy of the Christian’s daily walk.
We must start
with Christ, continue with Christ and, finally, end with Christ. It is always Jesus Christ, our all in all;
anything outside of Christ is not part of the Christian’s life and walk.
Throughout the
book, Dr. Tozer spends time developing the theme of salvation as God’s master
plan for man. The preciousness of God’s
plan of salvation reveals the value He places on man. Salvation is not a casual thing to God, and
should not be thought of carelessly by us.
To use a favorite Tozer illustration, it is not put a nickel in the
slot, pull the lever, take a box of salvation and then go your separate
way. Rather, what salvation does to the
person who embraces Jesus Christ is nothing short of revolutionary, and his
walk from that moment on is nothing short of miraculous.
This amazing
Christian is the reflection of salvation’s glory in the world around him. Not only is salvation a precious and
wonderful thing, but also so is the Christian.
Salvation is not an end in itself, but rather a plan for man to get back
into the center of God’s love and favor.
Everything about the Christian reflects the glory of his salvation. All heaven looks with pride upon this curious
creature called a Christian.
This Christian
can withstand anything that comes against him, including heresy of all kinds
that have infested the Church from the beginning. Tozer describes these heresies and how the
Christian rises above them, including the blatant attack of Christianity’s
archenemy the devil. It also includes
the Christian’s attitude toward persecution and suffering for the cause of
Christ. This remarkable Christian is in
the world, but he is not of it.
Therefore, how he lives in front of the unsaved is crucial.
Because of the
Christian’s position in Christ, seated in the heavenlies, no matter what
befalls, he is above all harm and can rest in the security of Jesus Christ, the
victor. Dr. Tozer says, “No one, no
thing, no circumstance can harm a good man.”
This “good man” is immortal, and when his destiny on earth has been
completed, his destiny continues in what he has inherited through salvation."
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