Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his
going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain,
as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
Hosea 6:3
Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace,
which, briefly stated, means that before a man can seek God, God must first
have sought the man.
Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there
must have been a work of enlightenment done within him. Imperfect it may be,
but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking
and praying which may follow.
We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an
urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. “No man can come to me,” said our
Lord, “except the Father which hath sent me draw him,” and it is by this
prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for the act
of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of
that impulse is our following hard after Him. All the[…]”
The greatest need of the human personality is to experience
God Himself. This is because of who God is and who and what man is.
–AWT in That Incredible Christian
In this divine “upholding” and human “following” there is no
contradiction. All is of God, for as von Hügel teaches, God is always previous.
In practice, however (that is, where God’s previous working meets man’s present
response), man must pursue God. On our part there must be positive
reciprocation if this secret drawing of God is to eventuate in identifiable
experience of the Divine. In the warm language of personal feeling, this is
stated in Psalm 42:1-2:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my
soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when
shall I come and appear before God?
This is deep calling unto deep, and the longing heart will
understand it.
The doctrine of justification by faith—a biblical truth, and
a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort”
“The greatest need of
the human personality is to experience God Himself. This is because of who God
is and who and what man is.
–AWT in That Incredible Christian
In this divine “upholding” and human “following” there is no
contradiction. All is of God, for as von Hügel teaches, God is always previous.
In practice, however (that is, where God’s previous working meets man’s present
response), man must pursue God. On our part there must be positive
reciprocation if this secret drawing of God is to eventuate in identifiable
experience of the Divine. In the warm language of personal feeling, this is
stated in Psalm 42:1-2:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my
soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when
shall I come and appear before God?
This is deep calling unto deep, and the longing heart will
understand it.
The doctrine of justification by faith—a biblical truth, and
a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort—has in our
time fallen into evil company and been interpreted by many in such a manner as
actually to bar men from the[…]”
“ailing self-effort—has in our time fallen into evil company
and been interpreted by many in such a manner as actually to bar men from the
knowledge of God. The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made
mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the
moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be
“received” without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the
receiver. The man is “saved,” but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact,
he is specifically taught to be satisfied and is encouraged to be content with
little.
There are two reasons for loving God: no one is more worthy
of our love, and no one can return more in response to our love.
—Bernard of Clairvaux
The modern scientist has lost God amid the wonders of His
world; we Christians are in real danger of losing God amid the wonders of His
Word. We have almost forgotten that God is a person and, as such, can be
cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know
other personalities, but full knowledge of[…]”
Excerpt From: A. W. Tozer & Edythe Draper. “Pursuit of
God: A 31-Day Experience.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/KxWQY.l
