Tozer begins this book by essentially asking the question, who is God? He reasons that we are to have faith in God for salvation, but whom are we having faith in? Who is this God? What makes Him special and unique among the myriad of “gods” that have appeared throughout history? I’m not sure that Tozer means that we must know everything there is about God in order to be saved (or to “have faith” in Him), but he makes sense in the fact that if you are a Christian, why wouldn’t you want to know Him better? Would that not give you a deeper understanding of the author of your salvation?

So this is a book for all Christians. This is a book that is full of theological depth. And while we shy away from using that word, “theology,” so often because it denotes an academic discipline that is often viewed as “out of reach” to the layperson, Tozer breaks down this systematic theology subject “Theology Proper” so that it appeases both the layman and the theologian. He also debunks many mythologies that we as Christian often accept as truth but quickly hold little weight when viewed in the light of scripture. So this is a very important book.

I think I made a mistake getting volume 2, as I would have preferred to listen to volume 1 first. But this is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Volume 2 covers such attributes of God as his omniscience, his omnipresence, and his omnipotence. He looks at the God’s self-existence, transcendence, eternalness, immutability, wisdom, sovereignty faithfulness, and love.

Everything about this book is interesting. Each chapter gives you a small peek into who God is. 2000 plus years of people who have written about God have said very much about Him, but it all pales in comparison to the totality of His person. The subject of who God is could fill books and books and books full of information. If since the beginning of time all you did was read books about God, you wouldn’t be even close to fully understanding Him had you read for a million years straight. But that doesn’t mean we should be ignorant. There are certain attributes that no one will ever understand. For example, the self-existence of God cannot be comprehended by humans. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true: it most certainly is. Trying to understand the trinity or omnipresence of God seems like a useless endeavor, but it actually is an essential part of who God is and demands our attention and study.

I think my most favorite chapter is Tozer’s treatment on the wisdom of God. See what Tozer said:

“The point is that it’s got to be God’s wisdom or yours. It’s either God’s way or yours. All that you and I have lived for, hoped for, and dreamed over in our heart of hearts, life, safety, happiness, heaven, immortality, the presence of God, hinges on whether you’re going to accept the ultimate wisdom of the triune God as revealed in the scripture and his providential working in mankind. Or are you going to go your own way? … We go to Church and we pray to give our heart to the Lord… but then things get turbulent and we run and say “Lord let me run this thing!” That’s why we’re so messed up in our Christian lives. We’re not ready to let God run our world for us… The wise God always thinks of your highest good for the longest time. He always does what he does with flawless precision. Seeing the end from the beginning, never making any mistakes and never asking anything from you that you can’t do or don’t have. He never makes any unfair demands, but knows your flesh and treats you with a heart of compassion. Whatever he commands, he gives you the power to obey the command, always. You can trust this kind of God. The problem is we don’t trust this God.”

Another one of my favorite quotes of this book is this gem:

“I wonder if some holy creature who has spent centuries looking at the holy face of God ever listens to our speech; our vain and idle words, the chatter of earth’s busy tribes of men, and the meaningless talk of the pulpits. How strange and how welcomed such talk as this would be, though it would have no more relation to the high truth of it all than a two year old child playing a violin would have a relation to fine music. And yet, any father would smile if, in obedience to his suggestion, his little one took up the violin and tried to play.”

Overall, this is really a refreshing book. Tozer uses some of the greatest analogies that I have ever heard. This really is a must read for all Christian who desire to know more about who God is.