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Knowledge of the Holy

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A.W. Tozer:

“Neither the writer nor the reader of these words is qualified to appreciate the holiness of God. Quite literally a new channel must be cut through the desert of our minds to allow the sweet waters of truth that will heal our great sickness to flow in. We cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of.

God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable… Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that standard.”

–A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy. (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1961), pp. 104-5.

Comments

  1. “…a new channel must be cut through the desert of our minds to allow the sweet waters of truth that will heal our great sickness to flow in.”

    Thank You Abba, and TY Jesus that the Holy Spirit does just this!

  2. An amazing thought! Absolutely blessed by these words. It’s incredible to think that Romans 8:29 tells us that He is conforming us into His image. Also 1 Corinthians 12:13 says that one day we will know even as we are known. That now we see Him and qualities of Him through a glass darkly but then as face to face. That glass which we can only see darkly through will one day be removed.

    Praise God! Think of any loved ones that you or I know that have gone ahead of us to be with Him in glory. They finally see as they should and we will join them one day to share in that blessed state. For all eternity with them and, of course we look forward most of all, to be with Jesus who made it all possible!

    Thanks for sharing
    God Bless BLB Blog

  4. Not only is God literally Holy, He is literally Love, plus (but not limited to) all the gifts that the Holy Spirit wishes to develop in us. Sometimes I find myself thinking that God “has,” “possesses” or “contains” holiness, love, etc., instead of realizing the meaning of His declaration when He says “I AM.” It’s amazing to think that without Him, none of these human expressions would even exist. What a wonderful Truth that God IS the very essence of the qualities we can only strive to achieve; and that He, due to His very nature, can never change.

  5. Not just beautifully said, but indeed a profound truth. Sometimes like Marilyn I catch my thinking that God possesses these qualities…when in essence HE IS…Oh to see HIM as HE is….and gaze in awe upon HIS splendor and majesty…