The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life Reviews

• A life-changing book... but not for the faint of heart

  
  By AHXZ0YQ5YKUFO on 2001-07-05
  This book, first published in 1961, two years before the author's death, is, in my opinion, the most compact, and power packed vision of God ever to be put to paper in the last 50 years. In the edition I own, Tozer wrote a foreword in which he makes the statement that he wrote the book on his knees in prayer -- He needn't have told us this; the aware reader will sense the fact as soon as he or she reads the first four pages!

  Although this is a fairly small (and short) book, it is not one that can be read quickly. Each chapter, though less than 10 pages long apiece, must be savored, read slowly and meditated upon. (I should know. I received this book as a Christmas present in 1992 and did not finish it until October 1993.) There are several reasons for this. One is that the book, though written in fairly contemporary English, is written in a highly academic style which most modern readers find difficult to read easily. Modern American readers should be careful on this point.

  The primary reason for the book's difficultly however, is the sheer Presence of God which the reader encounters on every page. Beware -- to open the covers of this book and search its pages is to tread upon holy ground. It is to walk in the cloud at Sinai with Moses; it is to be standing at Horeb in the mouth of the cave with Elijah as the Lord passes by in a gentle breeze; it is to be with Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, and it is to feel the earth shake beneath your feet with the guards at the Garden Tomb as the stone is rolled away.

  Each chapter begins with a prayer for a divinely imparted understanding of that which cannot be conceived by the human mind. It then goes on to discuss a specific attribute of God, attempting to define what each is, what each is not, and the application and impact these have on our daily lives.

  If you are ready for a devotional experience that will change your life, GET THIS BOOK ... but only if you have some time free to really absorb its awesome truths.

  This book changed my life and my perspective of God forever, and if you read it slowly and prayerfully, it will change yours as well.
  
  

• A peerless look at the nature of God

  
  By A1GALZCXD8FHOR on 2003-09-16
  "The Knowledge of the Holy" is another in a series of astonishingly insightful books by Aiden Wilson Tozer, a contemporary of Christian author C. S. Lewis. As much as the latter has been a favorite of many, the lesser-known Tozer is - for me - an even better expositor of the nature of Christian reality in a dying world. Tozer's remarkable adherence to the Bible, his knowledge of ancient Christian texts (and their authors), and his unique blend of modern evangelical thought and Middle Ages mysticism make him a 20th Century writer without peer.

  In this work, Tozer concentrates on the attributes of God. So deep are the words here that despite the text's slim 117 pages, it is difficult to digest the sage wisdom. I'm a fast reader, but three hours of reading only got me to page 70.

  The twenty-three chapters include:
  * The Holy Trinity
  * The Self-existence of God
  * The Divine Omniscience
  * The Faithfulness of God
  * The Justice of God
  * The Sovereignty of God
  and so on. Each section opens with a prayer, then moves into keen analysis, pulling in the Bible, old hymns, the writings of the Church fathers, and more. And each chapter is better than the next; I have never read a more quotable work, nor one more filled with sources for meditation.

  Books like this belong in every serious Christian's library. Tozer's penetrating observations cross all denomination lines and conflict with no Christian doctrinal position I know of. There is no controversy here with the sole exception that 1961's "The Knowledge of the Holy" shows the paucity of genuine Christian thought among today's writers. By looking back, looking at the present, and gazing into the future, Tozer gives us a view of God for the ages.

  One of the finest Christian books ever written and possibly the best on the nature of God.
  
  

• Know WHOM you worship and why you do it

  
  By A1AC9S8U66SNMU on 2007-06-26
  This book is like an oasis in the middle of our busy lives. Here we get closer to God because we learn to know Him and thus, to love Him.
  
  This book reminds us that we are not to mistake God for a nice fellow whose job is to help us out. No, this one is an earth-shaking book. It inspires awe in the hearts of the fainted, it awakes you from your self-deluding day-dreams. By describing His attributes (holiness, immutability, divine omniscience, wisdom, omnipotence, transcendence, omnipresence, faithfulness, goodness, justice, mercy, grace, love, sovereignty...) is describes Him, and it produces a humbling experience in us so great that we feel embarrassed to spend so much time thinking of ourselves and so little of Him.
  
  It is a shame that we only remember Him to ask favors or to thank Him mechanically for blessings; if we only took some time to really focus on Him, to contemplate all His attributes, what He is and does in the world and in our lives. If we could only appreciate Him more completely, and not so narrowly... it would be humbling and awe-inspiring.
  
  This book really helps those who have a mechanical faith: a faith that has stopped growing because the focus has narrowed into attitudes like: "business as usual", or "it's all about me", or "what should I do". And we don't think about Him (the Trinity) actually; we think about things, whether spiritual or worldy, but things anyhow. Well, stop or you'll extenuate yourself. Focus of Him: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. How? Here are His attributes explained. It gives a completely new meaning to the words 'praise and worship' because, when you finish the book, you'll really know Who you are praising and worshipping. It won't be mechanical any longer.
  
  Then we can truly say that knowing Him is loving Him. Amen.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• A must read for thnking rightly about God.

  
  By on 1997-04-20
  A.W. Tozer was known as a man of God, even to those who were not religious. His concern was that the Church was loosing her once "lofty view of God." So he set out to write a book that devotionally considered the attributes of God. That he did, and did it well. His small but powerful book offers a precise and thoughtful account of who the God of the Bible is, and what he is like. Tozer accuately descrides God without limiting Him to the Human understanding. Tozer considers every attribute taught in the Bible and lays them out in plain language. The concepts expounded may be above the common man's understanding, but the language that Tozer uses is not. He puts the "cookies on the bottom shelf so the kids can get them." His thoughts about God helped me tremendously. The language is understandable, the subject is thoroughly covered and the concepts are thought provoking. This is a must read.
  
  

• Would We Had This Knowledge!

  
  By A182D4799ZXOZQ on 2000-03-03
  This book has to be one of the best A.W. Tozer ever wrote. His knowledge of the Holy has certainly put us to shame. We might have all the conveninces of life, better equipment, faster this and faster that, but we LACK the silent time, the place to be along to get to KNOW this Holy One. I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and READ IT, and REREAD IT and let it soak in!
  
  
• A BOOK FOR THE DEPTHS OF THE DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE...
  By A1E64E7UKMNNC3 on 2000-05-15
  This surely is Dr.Tozer's classic work on the deeper, spiritual life of the Christian. Anyone who wants to "go on with God to perfection" and longs to know God FOR WHO HE IS, (not just what one can "receive" from God), should read this book at least once or twice or thrice. There are few today (or yesterday) who can equal the power of the pen of Dr.Tozer when he focuses on his favorite life's passion: To KNOW the depths and the heights of the Infinite and Holy and Eternal GOD of Love and Moral Purity.

  My highest recommendation. LenBenHear. - Seeker and teacher.
  
  

• Tozer challenges us to know the unknowable God!
  By A23QW4T0X8RMEE on 1998-10-26
  This book brings the reader to holy ground indeed. To dare to know the all-powerful, all-knowing, infinite, eternal God is beyond human capacity. Yet Tozer, in appropriate awe of God, tells us that our heart can lead us where our intellect cannot. "That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox best described as Darkness to the intellect But sunshine to the heart." says Tozer quoting a Faber poem/saying.

  It is easy to say terms like life-changing in our glib spin-oriented world. But the challenge of this book got at me in a way few books (outside the Bible) have. Tozer's statement about the church "Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God." touched me on a personal level too.

  If you get one Christian book this year - make it "Knowledge of the Holy"
  
  

• The Best Sort of Required Reading
  By AJSIP3DNKE4PL on 2001-12-15
  This book is desperately needed by Christians in this day and age. Tozer takes us to the very feet of God for 31 chapters (each brief and vibrant) and instructs us from his many visits there.

  This book will challenge and change you in a very profound way. Rather than give you "10-steps" to this or "6-keys" to that, Tozer rebuilds your foundation into a biblical view of God Almighty. He strips away misconsceptions and provides insightful perspectives on God's character and characteristics.
  This is not an *easy* book. I'd label it's style "read a sentence, take a nap," but wrestling with these ideas will grow you like it's grown me.

  Warning: your "god" is way too small! Read Tozer's book to see and celebrate the grandeur and goodness of God.
  
  

• An Undescribable Encounter!
  By A32BK004G7QKUP on 2006-08-01
  Before reading the book, it is recommended that one puts all of one's stereotypes about God aside and carefully read through what Tozer has written.
  
  For myself, it has thus far been a slightly frightening experience (but I mean this positively) in that I was lead to encounter God in a way that I was not expecting, and also was forced to confront those areas within my heart that I foolishly thought I could hide. I find myself wishing that the message of this book be pondered by more invidiuals (Christian or not Christian).
  
  I have not yet finished reading the book, but I have to HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who is serious about seeking a closer relationship with God and sincerely has a desire to know Him more intimately.
  
  
• Tozer Understands the Character of God
  By A1HDOLALES6XRE on 2001-04-19
  Often our spiritual growth can be described in terms of something new we are learning about the character of God. Although information alone will not transform us, true information which we seek to integrate into our lives can be an excellent starting point for growth. Pound for pound no other book contains such powerful descriptions of the attributes of God. The "Insights per Square Inch" rating is off the charts on this one!

  The first chapter "Why We Must Think Rightly About God" is absolutely amazing. Tozer writes "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." The rest of the book is an application of that principle.

  Each chapter begins with a profound prayer and ends with an appropriate hymn or poem, making this book abundantly readable. I've used this book on dozens of occasions in my own ministry, and have encouraged (or assigned) many people to read it for themselves.
  
  

• A Classic Book that All Christians should read
  By A3CDK4Y0MEEOUI on 2005-09-19
  There are many books that try to tell us how we can be more holy. Tozer's profound book takes a slightly different approach. Chapter by chapter we are re-introduced to the attributes of God. The subsequent chapters each build on the preceding chapters. By coming to grips with the whole nature of God as revealed in Scripture, the Bible becomes even illuminating, our faith is strengthened and our worship of God is deepened. This book will challenge some of our weak perceptions, but the reader will emerge like gold from the furnace, the better and purer for the experience. This is a perfect book for an adult Sunday School class, or Bible Study.
  
  
• A TRUE CLASSIC. A MUST FOR THE ARDENT SEEKER OF GOD.
  By on 1999-07-05
  Dr.Tozer always spoke from experience, not just dead or dry theology. His life-long passion was to KNOW the fullness of the greatness and glory and holiness of the ONE TRUE GOD. The thoughts and prayers in this book will be of great benefit to anyone who has any similar high and worthy aspiration. This book should top the list of any serious Christian. I recommend it without the slightest hesitation. Len Hummel/Missionary/Teacher
  
  
• The Spring from Which All Truth Flows
  By A37JBK4CK72VJS on 2004-07-10
  A.W. Tozer was a man of great spiritual wisdom and discernment. This book is an illustration of his great insight into the mystery of the Godhead. Tozer leads the reader on a journey through the many and varied attributes of God. Knowing the nature of our creator equips us to rightly judge truth from error and grace from law. If we see God as He is--in all His glory and majesty--we will not so easily deviate from His blessed truth. If we know that God is omnipotent, then what fear can we not face with faith? If we know that God is immutable, then we can be sure that His promises will always stand firm. If we know that God is gracious, then we will "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

  While Tozer's discussion of God's attributes is brief, what he lacks in verbosity he more than makes up in substance, passion and understanding. His words swell up from a heart that is overflowing with adoration for the Almighty, eternal, gracious, triune God. Tozer so forcefully and zealously describes the attributes of God because he himself has stood in His presence. When you read this book, you are not simply reading the words of one who has learned about God, but one whose "face is radiant because he has spoken with the LORD" (Exodus 34:29).
  
  

• One of the Best
  By A6ZGB2I64IMAD on 1999-12-15
  This book is one of the best I have read - it helped me tremendously to learn what God is about, Who He is and Where He is. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more!
  
  
• The best book on the attributes of God that I have seen.
  By on 1998-10-07
  A friend gave me this book more that a year ago. I have read it over several times and now have several books by Tozer. He is very clear in his presentation, simple but profound. Every person who has any desire to know God should study this book until it is fully internalized.
  
  
• Absolutely Tozer's best
  By A2O1FLF439GX3P on 2000-09-14
  At the time of this writing, there have been 16 reviews. Mine is 17. The average rating: 5 stars. 'Nuff said. If you want to grow in your knowledge of the God of this universe, then read this book. It hits the heart of the issue when God's holiness is considered. And don't forget to get out the new highlighter!
  
  
• a changed worship life
  By A3OF2Y1PAWXYDC on 2001-10-11
  Tozer lead my mind to a place where I examined the way I perceive God. The stressed point of this book is the importance of not
  coming to God and viewing Him as who we see Him to be, but coming to Him as He truly is; which is beyond our comprehension
  as finite beings. The prayers at the beginning of each chapter demonstrate Tozer's conviction about these aspects of God, which
  make the book all the more influential. This book has significantly changed the area of worship in my life in that I better
  understand who I am worshipping and why. If ever you cannot find a reason to worship God, take a look at this book.
  
  
• Breaking God out of the Box!
  By ALYB64FIEUXMQ on 2004-08-17
  I know for myself, I often limit my view of who God is or what He can do in my life. Growing up in the church...I thought I knew it all. However, as I was reading this book, I found that I had placed God in a box. It was very neat, organized, and digestible....this box of mine.
  
  As I was reading this book about 10 yrs ago...I realized what I had done. Page by page...I began to see where I limited God in my mind & in turn....my surrendering control of my life to Him. I wanted something neat and organized, but life is messy. Thank goodness God is so good...and God is sooooooo big...He can deal with that! Knowledge of the Holy allowed me to see this.
  
  
• A Must Read for Christians
  By A176KYQD1CKNET on 2005-08-23
  Tozer's premise for writing this book is that all of us, especially Christians who should know better, have too low a view of God. In our minds we tend to minimize His power and bring Him down to our level, rather than holding Him in reverence. Unfortunately, Tozer claims, this inhibits us Christians from being who we should be in Christ, and there has been a cyclical effect for the last 100 years.
  
  Tozer uses each chapter to describe an attribute of God and how it should be viewed, and uses the Bible and other sources to support it.
  
  Each chapter is short but very deep; take your time reading it and meditating on it. Our Sunday school class is currently doing a Bible study with this book as the source for our discussions, and using each chapter to point us back to Scripture.
  
  Both Christians and non-Christians will enjoy this book.
  
  
• Holy Now!
  By A3CIROQHCK5FNH on 2006-06-01
  The pursuit of God has fallen from its rightful place in our priorities today. A. W. Tozer was passionate about pursuing God and about knowing Him personally, intimately, and practically! This book challenges readers to live lives that are deeply impacted by the knowledge of God! Tozer reminds us that we are expected to reflect God's holiness in our character and in our conduct!
  Harlan D. Betz, author of "Setting the Stage for Eternity"
  
  
• A Personal Library Must
  By A3DAOZAWVB0M6X on 2000-10-18
  Here is another book focusing its readers on the Person of God. It is very well written and covers many, though not all of God's revealed attributes. Any person looking to study the Person of God to know Him more intimately (that should be every born-again Christian) needs to read this book. Place this book next to Pink's "Gleaning in the Godhead" and Packer's "Knowing God" and you will have a 3-book library on the Person of God probably unsurpassed at this time.
  
  
• Ah the depths of the Holy!
  By A3CMOL2SFBZM3J on 2002-01-30
  Tozer so beautifully connected me with the nature of my God that I could not much get through a chapter with out tears. What a joy to be led into the presence of the Holy, shown who He is, and alowed to bow and worship.
  
  
• Knowing God by what He is
  By A2XBAD2BMIHZR on 2004-03-02
  Much like an intimate encounter with God, Tozer's book does a wonderful job of humbling the reader and then filling him/her with great hope and joy. The idea behind this book is that we can't know God. Our finite minds can never truly understand the infinitude of the all-mighty sovereign Lord. But, and here comes the hope and joy, we can know the attributes of God. We can know His goodness. We can know His holiness. We can know His wisdom. His strength. His omniscience. God is alive. He is everywhere doing all things at all times. Perfectly. And while we might not always understand what God is doing in our lives or in the world, we can be confident that He is at work and whatever it is He is doing is exaclty what needs to be done, exactly the way it needs to be done, exactly when it all needs to happen. This book will build your faith, and help you rest in the peace of the Lord. You'll come away from reading "Knowledge of the Holy" knowing that He is inherently and infinitely good and loving and kind and powerful and present. And you will be grateful that all of His divine attributes are at work in your life.
  
  
• Knowledge of the Holy
  By A1ITV6VA4JCU7N on 2006-02-17
  A W Tozer, without exception is one of the finest bible expositors of the early 1900's. He saw what many earnest christians of every generation saw, that is that most christians fail to experience God in the fullest sense. Like many of the classic writers of his day, he endeavors to lead the christian into a deeper relationship with God. This book is one of his finest.
  Salvation is a free gift, but if one wants to walk with God, it will cost them much more than most are willing to give up. This book helps one find there place in that walk.
  
  
• a must read
  By A3960AHNRGH3UU on 2006-05-17
  This book profoundly affected my view of God. For anyone seeking to understand God in a deeper way, Knowledge of the Holy is a must read.
  
  
• Read every couple years or so
  By A2KB65SOJ51T4C on 2006-10-28
  My pastor told us many years ago that he reads this book about once a year. Now that I have been a pastor for 10 years, I have to say that this book is one of the great classics. Each chapter is an anointed, powerful lesson on a quality of God's nature.
  
  One way to read this book is as a devotional on your nightstand. The meditations Tozer gives are a wonderful way to go to sleep at night...pondering the incredible God we serve through faith in Christ.
  It is also a good tool for preaching on God's attributes as a primer for helping a church develop deeper experiences in worshipping God.
  
  The only thing I would change about this book is to cover more attributes of God...in other words...I wish he had given us more of what we have in this book...but then who could fully exhaust the glories of God?
  
  If you have never read this book, it will thoroughly bless you by helping you catch an awe of God that will change you.
  
  
• Know our God!
  By A1W2FV1S1ODI93 on 2007-06-08
  
  For those who are seeking to know more about God, this is a book that should be among the first to be read. As author A.W. Tozer states in the very first chapter of his book, "We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God." "The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems." "There is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignoble thoughts about God." And then he launches into describing the God about whom we truly know so little, by examining, one by one, His attributes: His self-sufficiency, His eternity, His omniscience, sovereignty, holiness, etc.
  
  If the reader's search to know his God is a heartfelt one, he should be prepared to be surprised and awed by what Tozer reveals. For he examines God's attributes thoroughly and with a clarity born of great wisdom. For the seeking Christian, this book will be a treasure. Otherwise, of course, this book will make no sense at all.
  
  For me, an added bonus was the writing style of Tozer. As an author who lived during the first half of the 1900s, he obviously belonged to that age which greatly valued literature, and wrote accordingly. I reveled in the beautiful way he expressed himself: "The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him."
  
  
  
• A Modern Spiritual Classic
  By A2T3KLY0CCKTG4 on 2006-05-13
  A. W. Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy is a modern spiritual and theological classic on the character of God. Written in Tozer's beautiful and eloquent prose, this is a fine book exploring the attributes of God. While not quite as practical as Packer's Knowing God, this book is shorter and perhaps even more worshipful in its flavor. Few books come closer to capturing the beauty of God's majesty than this. This is easily one of Tozer's best books, and a great book for the growing Christian to read.
  
  
• Hidden nuggets
  By A1ZTQT2J6DF7CD on 2007-02-22
  This is not a book you would read on the beach. It is not a light read. Having said that, read it anyway. You will find depth and mystery and treasure in its pages - and best of all, a deeper trust of God.
  
  
• A much needed corrective to contemporary theology
  By A277B71D8B4PU6 on 2007-04-26
  A. W. Tozer begins the first chapter of his classic work with the statement, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." In his discussion of God's attributes that follows, he shows himself as one who spent his life in pursuit of an intimate knowledge of God as God has revealed Himself to be, not as man would have Him be. In a day in which people are often heard to say, "When I think of God, I think of Him as . . ." and proceed to create a God after their own image, Tozer provides a much needed corrective. The first time I read The Knowledge of the Holy over 30 years ago, I found myself in an increasing awe and worship of the God who is. The experience has been the same each time I have returned to this small volume that serves to open a window to the loftiest of visions.
  
  

• The Pursuit of God
• Knowing God
• Keys to the Deeper Life
• God's Pursuit of Man
• The Radical Cross: Living the Passion of Christ