The Word of God: Shortest Route to

Spiritual Peace

 

By A. W. Tozer

 

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the

knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man.

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of

Christ.                                   -- Ephesians 4:13

   The work of God is not finished in the heart and life

of the new believer when the first act of inward

adjustment has given him a sense of cleansing and

forgiveness, peace and rest for the first time in his life!

   The Spirit would go on from there to bring the total

life into harmony with that blissful "center." This is

wrought in the believer by the Word and by prayer and

discipline and suffering.

   It could be done by a short course in things spiritual if

we were more pliable, less self-willed and stubborn; but

it usually takes some time before we learn the hard

lessons of faith and obedience sufficiently well to permit

the work to be done within us with anything near to

perfection.

   In bringing many sons unto glory, God works with

whatever He has in whatever way He can and by

whatever means He can, respecting always His own

gift to us, the freedom of our wills. But of all means

He uses --- the Bible is the best.

   The Word of God well understood, and religiously

obeyed, is the shortest route to spiritual perfection,

and we must not select a few favorite passages to the

exclusion of others. Any tinkering with the truth, any

liberties taken with the Scriptures, and we throw

ourselves out of symmetry and invite stiff discipline

and severe chastisement from that loving Father who

wills for us nothing less than full restoration to the

image of God in Christ! 

---

Yours in Christ,

Paul N. F.