Meditations on the Trinity: Beauty, Mystery, and Glory in the Life of God

by A.W. Tozer

From one of the 20th century's most beloved spiritual writers

A. W. Tozer is known for many things. He's known for his powerful writing style. He's known for being vigorously biblical. And he's known for gazing upon God intently in Scripture, and then telling readers plainly what he sees.

These aspects of Tozer shine through in Meditations on the Trinity. Tozer's writings are first and foremost about our triune God. This hard-cover volume--beautifully designed with a two-color interior--compiles excerpts from his writings into a collection of daily readings on the Godhead. It consists of four one part on each respective person of the Trinity, and one on God three-in-one.

Can a Christian ever finish contemplating the Trinity? It is an inexhaustible mystery, but one that rewards continual reflection. Readers of Meditations on the Trinity will receive a more accurate view of who God is, and in turn--as Tozer would be quick to point out--offer Him truer worship. Knowing God is the chief end of man, and this book will help readers nearer that goal.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Devotional

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2017

About the author

Aiden Wilson Tozer was an American evangelical pastor, speaker, writer, and editor. After coming to Christ at the age of seventeen, Tozer found his way into the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination where he served for over forty years. In 1950, he was appointed by the denomination's General Council to be the editor of "The Alliance Witness" (now "Alliance Life").

Born into poverty in western Pennsylvania in 1897, Tozer died in May 1963 a self-educated man who had taught himself what he missed in high school and college due to his home situation. Though he wrote many books, two of them, "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy" are widely considered to be classics.

A.W. Tozer and his wife, Ada Cecelia Pfautz, had seven children, six boys and one girl.

Reviews

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

He keeps your attention for as long as he has asked for it, or, rather, he uses very short devotionals to focus your attention on theology. In his hands, with his heart transparency, I doubt not that many readers will discover that is what they have been longing for all along.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: Just because God cannot tell us what He is, He very often tells us what He is like. By these “like” figures He leads our faltering minds as close as they can come to that “light which no man can approach unto” (1 Tim. 6:16).

Premise/plot: Meditations on the Trinity is a new devotional published by Moody featuring one hundred selections by A.W. Tozer. The book is divided into four sections: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and God Three In One. The devotional readings are excerpts from Tozer's sermons and/or books.

If you're unfamiliar with A.W. Tozer and his work, this Tozer quote serves as a great introduction:
"Are you contented with nominal Christianity? If you are, I’ve nothing for you. Are you contented with popular Christianity that runs on the authority and popularity of big shots? If you are, I’ve nothing for you. Are you content with elementary Christianity? If you are, all I’ve got for you is to exhort you earnestly to press on toward perfection. But if you’re not satisfied with nominal Christianity, popular Christianity, and the first beginnings of things and you want to know the Triune God for yourself, read on."
My thoughts: I would definitely recommend this one! I would especially recommend it to those new to A.W. Tozer's works. I think it would make a very good first book. I personally have read a LOT of Tozer. (Though there are still some books I don't own and thus haven't read just yet.) The more I read Tozer, the more I love Tozer. I love his zeal and passion for the glory of the Lord. I love his reliance on the Bible. I love seeing someone so JOYFUL so PASSIONATE about the Word of God. Tozer was a man who loved God first and foremost. And because he loved God, because he treasured the Word of God, because God was his 'one thing' he fought to uphold truth no matter the cost. Tozer was not afraid to speak up and speak out.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The early fathers in the church, in illustrating the trinity, pointed out that God the eternal Father is an infinite God, and that He is love. The very nature of love is to give itself but the Father could not give His love fully to anyone not fully equal to Himself. Thus we have the revelation of the Son who Is equal to the Father and of the eternal Father pouring out His love into the Son, who could contain it, because the Son is equal with the Father! Further those ancient wise men reasoned, if the Father were to pour out His love on the Son, a medium of communication equal both to the Father and to the Son would be required, and this was the Holy Ghost! So we have their concept of the Trinity-the ancient Father in the fullness of His love pouring Himself through the Holy Ghost. Who is in being equal to Him, into the Son who in being equal to the Spirit and to the Father!

So much in the above statement! If you have trouble grasping with the concept of the trinity and the workings of the trinity, you will appreciate this text. A study, a encouragement and a revelation of who God is. Who can fathom!?? It is only by the trinity that we can truly know God. It is only by the trinity we can do the work of the church and in our own hearts.

It is sad and unfortunate that teaching of the trinity is sparse if not nonexistent, however, it is plumb line of our walk and what we worship. This is small sampling of Tozer's writing on the Trinity so it will not overwhelm a reader but cause a reader to thirst for more of God. It gives knowledge and adoration of what God is doing and his glory.

The devotion is set up in 4 parts. Each part focus on the trinity with the last part focus on how the trinity works together. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I certainly recommend this book! It helped me focus on specific aspects of my God.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

How pleasantly this book surprised me! Tozer is very orthodox in his Christianity (I most certainly am not), yet he is able to explain some of the more difficult and abstract theology of Christianity very clearly, coherently, and without condescension. The Trinity is a doctrine that is accepted yet no one really understands. I thought perhaps this was a new phenomenon, but reading religious history, it is the one thing over millennia that comes back as too much nonsense for non-Christians and haunting the church in cyclical outbreaks of "heresy." Three is a universally important number in religion: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva; creation, preservation, destruction; Heaven, mankind, earth; dharmakaya, samboghakaya, nirmanakaya; past, present, future. Groups of three are not objectionable archetypes in religion. It is obfuscatory statements and creeds and swearing loyalty to something the people advancing the theory can not explain. In my formal religious education it was never explained to me. I certainly asked. As I have found usual, it was when I went to another tradition that things started making sense. Studying and practicing Buddhism, one of many trinities is the "trikaya." Kaya is Sanskrit for 'body.' These kayas are the means that the enlightened state/buddhanature manifests. It was easier for me to see three 'bodies' of a singular essence than 'persons.' A body can be alive or dead, whole or partial, many states in which it is a body. A person is a combination of personality, social expectations, and a body. A body may be more than one 'person'. It is much more difficult to spread a person over multiple bodies.

For as good as Tozer's presentation of the Trinity is, I still have my question: what, exactly, is a "person"?

[Shannon Whitehead · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When I say God, I mean the triune God." What a wonderful devotional. I enjoy Moody's Tozer collections so much. This is only the second one that I've read but it didn't disappoint. The short sections in this one are completely saturated with biblical truth that focuses on God and God only. In each, the selected writings from Tozer emphasized the triune nature of God and what that means in relation to the character and work of God. Not once did he veer into any other territory. It's incredible how he was able to write in such a clear, understandable way when the topic was theological and complicated in nature. Everything was beautifully explained through a Trinitarian lens including explanations on why that's important. Buy this devotional for someone; it would make a wonderful gift, especially the beautiful bonded leather version.

*This review is based on a free digital advance copy provided by the publisher. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book comes in a cardboard box, and the slick leather book cover means that the book keeps sliding out every time I start to lift the box. This book is set up as a devotional with 100 readings. Each devotional is 2-3 pages long. Each devotional had a verse, commentary, and a brief prayer. In each, the author focused on the character and nature of the Trinity or one of the persons of the Trinity. I enjoyed these focused readings and the topic. Overall, I'd recommend this book to fans of the author.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

[Melody Dowdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Our insensibility to the presence of the spirit is one of the greatest losses that our unbelief and preoccupation have cost us. We have made Him a tenant to our creed, we have enclosed Him in a religious word, but we have known Him little in personal experience.” Tozer is always a 5 star theologian and writer in my book. This edition is a compilation of his writings on the Trinity. It’s beautiful leather binding and compact size make this copy a tiny treasure to hold and glean truth from. This book will be reread and gifted to friends and family. It’s a masterful work!

[Sydni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic devotional. Full of revelations but simple enough to read before bed. Tozer really grounds you in truth and makes you think more highly and deeply of God. My only criticism is that the scripture didn't always match the message of the chapter, and sometimes the point wasn't very clear. Could've used a little more careful editing. But it was still great regardless of that.

[J. Alfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is composed of 100 short strong devotional snippets cut from Tozer's sermons. It's hard to know how anyone can be so certain about everything all the time, but it reads well and will help you see how abstract theology can touch the practicalities of one's prayer life and the experience of one's Bible reading better. Makes for good bracing reading with your morning cereal.

[Donna Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for understanding the Trinity!

[Zachary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tozer is a theological powerhouse, and this collection of his writings on the Trinity helps one to expand their understanding of our triune God. The editors compiled

[Karen Charnigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The readings were helpful to understand the magnificence of the Trinity!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really excellent. So good to take a little time each day to meditate on the Trinity and learn more.

[Yibbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a devotional, please let me recommend this one to you. For a devotional, it is very deep and coherent. By that I mean each of the four sections focuses on just one theme. The first is about the attributes of the Father, the second is about Jesus, etc. Every section in this book has so much to meditate on and learn.
The only thing that bothered me was the format. It was broken up into such small section; each was only a couple of very short paragraphs or so each. It was almost a book of quotes.
I received this as a free ARC from NetGalley.

[Logan Carrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is something I try to read annually. It isn't a theological textbook or a breakdown of all things related to the Trinity. This is something that should be read meditatively, one little chapter at a time. Every chapter is thick with rich insight and thoughts on the Trinity and should be marinated in rather than rushed through. Take your sweet time with this one. It is well worth the time spent in it.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gem of an anthology is the first book by Tozer that I've read and hopefully will not be the last. In well-selected excerpts from various of his works, Tozer uses simple language to draw us into the anything-but-simple contemplation of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I often found myself lingering over passages that I want to go back to again. Based on an ARC from Netgalley.

[Rose Lafreniere]

Very uplifting ! A lovely devotional written by someone who loves God. Will be reading during rough tines