The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Week 5: Chapter IV — Apprehending God
Read Chapter IV of The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. Primary Scripture: Psalm 34:8; John 14:21-23; Hebrews 11:6.
Tozer insists that God is not merely an inference or an ideal but a reality to be apprehended — tasted, heard, seen — through spiritual faculties we actually possess. This chapter invites you to reckon on what is already and really there.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Tozer says that for most people, God is "an inference, not a reality" — a deduction from evidence rather than a personally known Person. He says this is true even for "millions of Christians." Does this description fit anyone you know, or your own experience at certain seasons? What is the difference between believing God exists and knowing Him?
2.He draws attention to the sensory language the Bible uses for knowing God: "taste and see," garments that "smell," sheep who "hear," and the pure in heart who will "see." What is Tozer arguing by pointing to these passages? What does this suggest about how God intends us to know Him?
3.Tozer carefully distinguishes between *reality* and *imagination*. He says faith does not visualize or project — "imagination projects unreal images out of the mind and seeks to attach reality to them. Faith creates nothing; it simply reckons upon that which is already there." Why is this distinction important? How might confusing imagination with faith lead someone astray?
Closing Prayer
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