The Pursuit of Man: The Divine Conquest of the Human Heart

Some of the stuff in this book didn’t really land for me, but I think part of that has to do with me not knowing the cultural context in which Tozer wrote this. Also, this printing had several spelling errors, which made me side-eye the publishers pretty hard sometimes. But that’s not an issue with the actual content. The parts that did hit were wonderful. I love the heart with which Tozer writes. He’s one of the few authors that to me has been able to integrate heart with mind in his writings, so not only do I agree with him intellectually, but I feel my heart resonate, too. I adore his perspective of trying to find what really matters, and how relational but not soft he writes.

I've read several books by Tozer, and this is by far the best and most personally challenging. Doctrine, theological ideas, religious teaching...are all worthless if we have not had a genuine encounter with God. There is a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. We must experience God! Can a person become a believer in Christ and be no better than he was before? No! Real faith must always mean more than passive acceptance. A genuine encounter with the Savior should begin the "divine conquest" of our lives. Our life motives are changed and our inward drives made new. Too often we "fear" the Spirit because we are nervous of being labeled charismatic. But in our re-treat from the extremes of the charismatic movement, we have gone too far and out-rightly neglected the doctrine of the spirit! We Bible believing Christians need to put a moratorium on religious activity, and set our house in order. We need a period of self-examination. Only the Holy Spirit can show us what is wrong in our lives and prescribe a cure. We need an invasion of power from above! Tozier describes the Holy Spirit as buried dynamite. And its awesome power awaits discovery and use by the church. When the spirit illuminates our heart, a part of us "sees" which never saw before. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. The most brilliant mind may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. With the Spirit we can understand the deep things of God. Those were just a few of the challenging thoughts in this book. When I finished reading this book, I actually turned right back to page one and started to read it again! So much in this book personally challenged me. I highly recommend it.

This book, originally published as "The Divine Conquest," takes up where "The Pursuit of God" leaves off. Tozer speaks powerfully and movingly of the God who seeks after His creatures. While "The Pursuit of God" focuses on man's hunger for God, "The Pursuit of Man" focuses on the doctrine of prevenient grace--or God's election and sovereign calling of man. But don't read this book expecting some dry theological treatise--Tozer isn't satisfied with describing God's sovereign work of salvation in theological terms, he wants this truth to be living and active in the lives of all who are willing to recieve it. The first half of the book speaks passionately of God's desire for man to be saved and the action He takes as He pursues or "conquers over" sinful man. The second half of the book deals with the sanctification of the one God has chosen, the power and promise of the indwelling Spirit, and the blessing of the Spirit-filled life. Tozer plainly and forcefully sets forth the truth declared in the scripture: that before man may seek God, God must first seek man. His seamless movement from the election of God to the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit within those chosen of God is both refreshing and welcome in a day of rationalism and pragmatic theology. Tozer always places God in His rightful place of glory and honor. Calvinists will be uncomfortable with Tozer's synergistic approach to salvation and cessationists may feel uneasy in the later chapters of the book, but whatever theological persuasion you may be you cannot walk away from Tozer's writings without having caught a glimpse of the glory of the Almighty and the beauty of our Savior Jesus Christ.

In the preface, Tozer states: "The argument of this book is the ESSENTIAL INTERIORITY of true religion. I expect to show that if we would know the power of the Christian message our nature must be invaded by an Object from beyond it; that That which is external must become internal; that the objective Reality which is God must cross the threshold of our personality and take residence within." Tozer is against the popular notion that "theological assent" (which some call `faith') "is all that is required to make Christians." He is against the idea that merely learning the Word of God, and even assenting to its truths, is all that one needs to be a Christian apart from a holy, dynamic, and life-changing discipleship via the Holy Spirit to the Living Word, Jesus Christ. Tozer would probably lean towards the position of men like John MacArthur, James M. Boice, and Dallas Willard regarding the Lordship salvation controversy, especially Willard's position as expounded in his book "The Divine Conspiracy" (see especially his chapter titled "The Gospels of Sin Management"). See, for example, Chapter 2 (In Word, or in Power) in The Divine Conquest. Tozer here takes exception to those who say that "A Christian is not morally better than a sinner, the only difference is that he has taken Jesus, and so he has a Savior." Tozer responds: "I trust it may not sound flippant to inquire, `A savior from what?' If not from sin and evil conduct and the old fallen life, then from what? And if the answer is, From the consequences of past sins and from judgment to come, still we are not satisfied. Is justification from past offenses all that distinguishes a Christian from a sinner? Can a man become a believer in Christ and be no better than he was before? Does the gospel offer no more than a skillful Advocate to get guilty sinners off free at the day of judgment?" Tozer's answer is an emphatic "No!"What about the so-called "mystics" that Tozer lists in his preface as some of his mentors to desiring "the better way"? I can only conclude that Tozer considers himself in their company as living the `essential interiority of true religion'. Tozer thinks that the dividing line today (in his day and ours) is between what he calls "evangelical rationalists" and "evangelical mystics". What does he mean? Here's another quote: "There is today an evangelical rationalism which is the same doctrine held by the Jewish religion in the day of Jesus. They said the truth is in the word, and if you want to know truth, go to the rabbi and learn the word. If you get the word, you have the truth. That is also the view of evangelical rationalism in our day: 'If you learn the text you've got the truth!' This evangelical rationalism will kill the truth just as quickly as liberalism will, though in a more subtle way. The evangelical rationalist wears our uniform but he insists that the body of truth is all you need. Believe the body of truth and you are on your way to heaven

In this little book, A.W. Tozer takes us on a journey to the center of the Heart of God as he illustrates the "Divine Conquest of the Human Heart". Without mincing any words, Tozer makes it clear that the reality and the essence of God, are beyond the scope of human logic and understanding. The simple yet profound fact of God, as we see so clearly in Tozer's words, is that truth is a deep, personal, spiritual experience given to each of us by God alone, through His Son, Jesus Christ. You will come away from this book with a sense of awe and humility as you explore the depths of your soul and pear with open eyes into the face of the Saviour.