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The Soul's Quest for God

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Sproul understands the Christian's restlessness, our search for more, our hunger for reality. He brings us all back to walk the ancient paths of the Scripture. God can only be known if he makes himself known (reveals himself). He has made himself known through the written word (the Bible) and through the Living Word (Jesus Christ). In a time when people seek mystical experiences of all sorts, desire strange esoteric knowledge from spirits, and seek to fill the void in their own lives, here is a reminder that God has not left himself without a testimony! This book challenges us to seek the Lord by feasting on His word, keeping His commandments, joining ourselves in worship and fellowship with His church, and truly communing with Him.

Christians often become spiritually hungry, spiritually thirsty, and spiritually naked. R.C. Sproul argues these things happen out of neglect in the Christian walk. The neglect comes with the avoidance of the corporate worship or in the individual's fellowship with God. Corporate worship includes singing praises with other Christians, listening to a message with fellow believers, studying the word with other Christians, or the taking Communion with like believers. Christians need to take time read scripture and pray to the Creator of all things. In their daily behavior, Christians need to seek God . Dr. Sproul is not talking about nonChristians or "carnal" Christians.

R.C. Sproul comtinues the discussion by talking about the mind and the heart. Each has its own primacies. The primacy of the heart is to love God. The primacy of the mind is to know God. To know God one must study the scriptures. To love God one must worship Him. One must know God to love God. Otherwise one is worshipping a false God. To know scripture and not respond with love for God, means that person has no relationship with God. To know the word and not respond is empty. To love God, but not know God is a form of idol worship.

Ezekiel and Jeremiah found the word of God sweat like honey. Others rebelled against the word because they found it bitter. That is why some hear the word but refuse to listen. R.C. Sproul shares many passages from the book of Ezekiel. Not a description of a happy life. It describes a life of woe because the people sought the wisdom of the World. This message did not bring general acceptance, but Ezekiel was obedient to God in declaring the words of God.

Jesus did not give an easy message to hear. He did not promise an easy life to the Disciples or other believers who followed. John 16:1-4 tells the disciples that they will be persecuted who rationalize they are doing the Will of God.

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be caused to stumble. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the hour cometh, that whosoever killeth you shall think that he offereth service unto God. And these things will they do, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I spoken unto you, that when their hour is come, ye may remember them, how that I told you. And these things I said not unto you from the beginning, because I was with you. (John 16:1-4 ASV)

No one can have a right relationship with God without correct doctrine. This does not happen without earnestly seeking the truth and seeking to do God's Will. One can know the truth but it is meaningless unless the truth pierces ones soul into one having a "right relationship" with God.

Jonathon Edwards urged Christians to find the devine excellency of scripture. This is accomplished through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works with you as you study the word and having fellow believers challenge your understanding of the word. Scripture is the eternal testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Recipimus "we receive" No church or man created the cannon of scripture, but we as Christians have received God's Holy word. autopisti "self faith" The Holy Spirit does not bring new revelation out of the bible. The Holy Spirit reveals to the Christian what mere man could never find. The devine authority and devine character of the word of God known as the bible.

Indicia things that indicate of Bible's divinity. The Holy Spirit illuminates the meaning of scripture, so he can accept Jesus as Savior. Further scripture illuminates the Christian into the word of God, so he can apply it to his daily walk.

The Bible presents models of obedience.{ Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1 ASV)}

R.C. Sproul discusses the duality of man. Man exist in Body and Soul. The Soul is the self. While on earth the soul inhabits the body. To seek God's will is to feed the soul - not the body.
{ And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28 ASV)}

The word of God the Bible is the chief means to feed the soul. To exhort and instruct in the word of God is a high calling. To be used by the Holy Spirit to illuminate others about the meaning of the Bible To give the soul understanding. So the self while in the human body can seek the will of God. This furthers man's ability to worship God.

The soul is not fed through physical food nor exercised through cardiac behavior. One feeds the Soul by reverencing God -giving proper weight to whom God is- and by forsaking other "gods". One feeds the soul through prayer(adoration, supplication, thanksgiving) along with preparation of the heart in a right and godly manner. The is exercised through godly fellowship with like believers.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature. For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:3-9 RSV)

R.C. Sproul argues the heart that does repent will not seek God. Only those who have repented and accepted Jesus as Savior who will have a quest for God. To have a relationship with God one must have a quest for the things of God.

"Spirituality" has become a catch-phrase of contemporary life as many people seek to find a deeper meaning to existence beyond the materialism of modernity. However, much of the "spirituality" that one finds today is little more than diluted, feel-good emotionalism. In this readable text, Sproul convincingly contends that true Biblical spirituality does not begin with emotional experience but with thoughtful reflection on the Word of God disclosed in Scripture. Sproul uses examples from men who were committed to both the mind and the spirit: Augustine, Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards. In addition, Sproul reflects on the key role that obedience plays in the spiritual life.

This is an excellent book. RC Sproul really challenges his readers to a deeper relationship with the Lord. It can be easily summed up by Sproul himself, "We cannot reasonably expect the Spirit to give us the excellent sense of the Scripture in our hearts if we are unwilling to work to get it in our minds. A cavalier approach to Scripture will not do. The only "devotional" reading of God's Word that pleases him is a devout study of his Word." And to that I say, Amen and Amen.