The Goodness of God

This will be my last post on A.W. Tozer's book 'The Knowledge of the Holy.' I've really enjoyed this book and count it now as one of my favorites.

I highly recommend it.

I especially loved the chapter on the goodness of God. So I'm going to share a little from it here today.


Tozer says of God's goodness:


"Divine goodness, as one of God's attributes, is self-caused, infinite, perfect, and eternal. Since God is immutable He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness. He has never been kinder than He now is, nor will He ever be less kind."

What comfort! He never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness. Never.

"The goodness of God endures continually." Psalm 52:1

Tozer later talks about prayer and God's goodness:

"Prayer is not in itself meritorious. It lays God under no obligation nor puts Him in debt to any. He hears prayer because He is good, and for no other reason."

I love that. God will always hear our prayers because He is good. It has nothing to do with us and what we want, but all prayer depends on His goodness.

And His goodness never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness.

"Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Th. 1:11-12

Tozer than asks a question:

"If I come to God, how will He act towards me? What kind of disposition has He? What will I find Him to be like?"

Then he answers:

"The answer is that He will be found to be exactly like Jesus. 'He that hath seen me,' said Jesus, 'hath seen the Father.' Christ walked with men on earth that He might show them what God is like and make known the true nature of God to a race that had wrong ideas about Him. This was only one of the things He did while here in the flesh, but this He did with beautiful perfection."

I loved this even more.

Sometimes we unconsciously separate God and Jesus. The God of the Old Testament from the God of the New Testament. We fear the God of the Old and Love the God of the New, when they are actually One...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are the same God, the One and Only God.

The God whose goodness never varies in the intensity of His loving-kindness.

"...when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7

Finally, I think this is my favorite quote which Tozer ends the chapter with:

"The greatness of God rouses fear within us, but His goodness encourages us not to be afraid of Him. To fear and not be afraid - that is the paradox of faith."

Tozer included this poem from Charles Wesley. So beautiful:

O God, my hope, my heavenly rest,

My all of happiness below.
Grant my importunate request,
To me, to me, Thy goodness show,
Thy beatific face display,

The brightness of eternal day.
Before my faith's enlightened eyes,
Make all Thy gracious goodness pass;
Thy goodness is the sight I prize:
O might I see Thy smiling face:
Thy nature in my soul proclaim,
Reveal Thy love, Thy glorious name.

Buy it  HERE on Amazon