The Knowledge of the Holy

1.Tozer argues that God is not only unknown but unknowable in His fullness — yet he also says we can truly know God. How does he hold these two things together without contradiction?

1.Tozer defines a divine attribute as "something true about God" — something He has revealed about Himself, not something we have invented. Why is this distinction between revealed attributes and human projections so important?

1.Tozer acknowledges that the Trinity is a mystery that surpasses human reason, yet he insists it is not irrational. What is the difference between something that is *above* reason and something that is *against* reason?

1.Tozer explains the concept of aseity — that God is self-existent, deriving His being from nothing outside Himself. How does this differ from everything else that exists, including angels, the universe, and human beings?

1.Tozer distinguishes between God's self-existence (that He derives being from nothing outside Himself) and His self-sufficiency (that He needs nothing outside Himself to be perfectly complete). How do these two truths reinforce each other?

1.Tozer explains that God does not experience time sequentially — past, present, and future — but dwells in an "eternal now." What does it mean that God sees all of history simultaneously rather than experiencing it as we do?

1.Tozer defines infinitude as God having no limits or boundaries of any kind — not in power, not in knowledge, not in time, not in space. How does this differ from saying that God is simply "very, very large" or "extremely powerful"?

1.Tozer explains that God's immutability means He cannot change — not because He is rigid or inflexible, but because He is already perfect. What is the difference between the unchangeability of perfection and the unchangeability of stubbornness or limitation?

1.Tozer defines omniscience as God knowing all things — past, present, and future — simultaneously and perfectly, without having to learn or discover anything. What distinguishes this from even the most brilliant human knowledge?

1.Tozer defines omnipotence not as God being able to do literally anything (including contradictions like making a rock too heavy for Himself to lift) but as God being able to do everything consistent with His own perfect nature and will. Why is this clarification important?

1.Tozer carefully distinguishes omnipresence from pantheism — the idea that God and the universe are the same thing. How is God's presence *in* all things different from God being *the same as* all things?

1.Tozer defines God's faithfulness as the quality by which He always acts consistently with His own nature and always fulfills His commitments. How does this make His faithfulness not merely a promise He keeps but an expression of who He is?

1.Tozer defines God's goodness as the essential quality of His moral excellence — not merely that God does good things but that He is the standard of goodness itself. What changes when you think of God not as conforming to some external standard of goodness but as being that standard?

1.Tozer defines justice as the equity of God — His treating all things rightly according to their true nature and moral reality. How does this make God's justice an expression of His goodness rather than its opposite?

1.Tozer defines mercy as God's goodness confronting human guilt and wretchedness. How does this distinguish mercy from mere niceness or leniency? What does mercy require of the one who shows it?

1.Tozer draws a careful distinction between mercy and grace: mercy withholds deserved punishment; grace bestows undeserved blessing. In your own experience, which of these feels more difficult to fully receive and believe?

1.Tozer warns that "God is love" is often sentimentalized — reduced to a kind of cosmic niceness that tolerates everything and demands nothing. How does he argue that God's love, properly understood, is both warmer and more demanding than the sentimental version?

1.Tozer says that holiness is not just one attribute of God among others but is, in a sense, the attribute that describes all His other attributes. What does he mean? How does it make a difference to say that God is not just powerful but *holy* in His power, not just loving but *holy* in His love?

1.Tozer defines God's sovereignty as His absolute, universal rulership over all things — that nothing happens apart from His will, either by His active decree or His permission. What distinction does he draw between what God ordains and what God permits, and why does the distinction matter?

1.Tozer describes the recovery of a worthy concept of God as an "open secret" — something available to all but known by few. What makes it a secret? And what makes it open?

1.Tozer argues that true knowledge of God is not merely rational but spiritual — it requires the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. What is the difference between understanding theological statements about God and actually knowing God through the Spirit's ministry?

1.Tozer opens his book with the church's loss of majesty and closes with a call to its recovery. Looking back across the entire book, what does "majesty" mean to him, and how has your understanding of that word deepened or changed?

1.Tozer opens the book with the claim that "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Having completed the book, how has your honest, functional picture of God changed? What old images or assumptions have been enlarged, corrected, or replaced?