The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Week 8: Chapter VII — The Gaze of the Soul
Read Chapter VII of The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. Primary Scripture: Hebrews 12:2; Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15; Psalm 34:5.
Want the full guide for The Pursuit of God?
Free Week 1 sample in 5 min · $24.99 for all 13 weeks · 7-day refund
Faith, Tozer argues, is not primarily a transaction or an intellectual assent — it is a *gaze*, a continuous looking toward Jesus. This chapter is one of the most practically freeing in the book.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Tozer is dissatisfied with most teaching on faith, which he says reduces it to "believing a promise" or "reckoning the Bible to be true," often illustrated with stories of answered prayer. What is missing from these accounts? What does Tozer think is the essential nature of faith?
2.He turns to the story of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21. The bitten Israelites simply had to *look* at it to live. Jesus interprets this in John 3 as a picture of saving faith. What does the *looking* capture about faith that other descriptions miss?
a.What is required to look? Is it strenuous? Does it demand a certain level of spiritual achievement?
b.What happens to the self when the eyes are directed outward to Christ?
3.Tozer says: "Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God." He then adds that it is "not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God." How does this definition connect the moment of conversion to a lifetime of Christian living? Does it change what you think conversion is *for*?
You're on Week 8 of 13
Don't lose momentum — get the rest of The Pursuit of God
All 101 questions across 13 weeks, with closing prayers and a downloadable PDF for your group.
One-time purchase · 7-day refund · Covers your whole group