The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Week 7: Chapter VI — The Speaking Voice
Read Chapter VI of The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. Primary Scripture: John 1:1-3; Proverbs 8:1-4; Psalm 19:1-4
Previewing Week 7 of The Pursuit of God
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Tozer's sixth chapter is a meditation on the Voice that called the universe into being — and still speaks. The question is whether we have trained ourselves to hear it.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Tozer argues that "self-expression is inherent in the Godhead" — that God is by nature continuously communicating. He says "God is speaking," not "God spoke." What difference does the present tense make? How does it change the way you read the Bible or move through an ordinary day?
2.He distinguishes between the written Word of God (the Bible, confined by ink and paper) and the living Voice of God that fills the universe and gives the written Word its power. This is not a demotion of Scripture but an elevation of it — the Bible is powerful because it *corresponds* to a Voice that is still speaking. How does this help you read the Bible differently?
3.Tozer proposes that the "universal Voice of God" may be the hidden source of humanity's restless conscience, its longing for immortality, its moral intuitions. He suggests that great artists, poets, and moral philosophers may have been "haunted by the speaking Voice, laboring and striving like one possessed." Do you find this a compelling or a troubling idea? Why?
a.How does this relate to what Paul says in Romans 1:20 and 2:15?
b.Does this view undermine the uniqueness of the gospel, or does Tozer guard against that danger?