Ch 1: Why We Must Think Rightly About God

Sweet Quote – “A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology, but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple: where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe 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.” (Pg 2)

Ch. 1 Questions

1. What comes to your mind when you think about God?
2. Do you have a real view of God in your heart, or only what you know on paper?
3. Tozer makes a pretty strong statement when he says that the foundation of idolatry is really the wrong thoughts about God, not simply bowing before an idol. Do you guys agree? How does this help you seek to know God if you do?
4. Tozer says, “The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.” Is Salt Company doing this? How could we have a better view of God?

Mike's Thoughts

Tozer’s making some pretty strong statements about the cause of all our problems as individual Christians, as a church, and as a person. I think it’s interesting that with all the problems that we face in life, the questions of “What is God? What He is like? And what we must do about Him?” are really the most important that we’ll have to answer. It’s sweet that Jesus has lifted the burden of how to know this God eternally through giving us a relationship with him when we accepted Him as our savior. Since we have the answer to that question, the Gospel also frees us up to search out an even better viewpoint as we try to answer the question of, “how do I become more like Christ and how God created me to be.”

I think Tozer’s point is pretty interesting when He says that the main point of the “no other gods” command is not only to keep people from bowing down to an idol, but also a command to have a right view of God, and not substitute him for something other than he is. Wow! I don’t know how many times a day I do that. And the hope is, that if myself and Salt Company would put on a right view of our God, He would change us from the inside out. I’m excited to see that happen.