“The doctrine of justification by faith-a biblical truth, and a blessed relief from sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort-has in our time fallen into evil company and been interpreted by many in such a manner as actually to bar men from the knowledge of God. The whole transaction of religious conversion has been made mechanical and spiritless. Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. Christ may be “received” without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the receiver. The man is “saved,” but he is not hungry nor thirsty after God. In fact, he is specifically taught to be satisfied and is encouraged to be content with little.” -A.W. Tozer
In the last blog we ended by looking at one way justification can be taught in a way that bars men from the knowledge of God. This time we will look at a second way that a sterile teaching of justification bars men from the knowledge of God. The first way (last time) was how men come to Christ. The second way is how men are to behave toward God after conversion. Tozer points out how this mechanical and spiritless way of religious conversion leads to a faith that does not jar the moral life. Christ can now “be “received” without creating any special love for Him in the soul of the believer. Can we imagine that the Lord Jesus Christ will live in a soul and not give that soul a love for Himself? The very definition of a believer is one that has the life of Christ in his soul and one that has the love of God poured out in his heart (Rom 5:5ff). A believer is one that the love of God has set on this person and has given that person a love for what is best. What is best is for God to give a person Himself and a love for Himself. It is not possible for a person to be converted and not have a love for God in his or her soul. If a person does not love God, that person is not savingly loved by God. It is impossible. All believers know God and eternal life is in knowing God (John 17:3). I John 4:7-8 is quite clear on this issue: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” All those that love God (everyone) are born of God and know God. The person that does not love does not know God. Any individual that does not love God is an individual that is lost and unconverted. There must be a love for God in the soul or the person is not converted.
The importance of focusing on the love for God is seen in the modern teaching that men can be saved and yet not hunger and thirst after God. We have diminished justification and evangelism into such a mechanical and easy thing that we don’t see that men must be turned from self-love to a pursuit of God out of love. Those that are justified are reconciled to God and adopted as His children. All those that have God are one with Christ and are His bride. All those that have Christ have the Holy Spirit and He works His fruit of love in the hearts and lives of His people. There is no such “critter” as a believer in Christ that does not love Christ. Therefore, all those that are of Christ have some hunger and thirst after spiritual things. We are known by our chief love and if our chief love is God it will be seen by hungering and thirsting after Him. However we teach men justification, it must include a heart that hungers and thirsts after God. If our teaching of justification does not lead to that, we are not teaching justification in its biblical parameters.
Tozer goes on to say that men are “specifically taught to be satisfied and is encouraged to be content with little.” What an indictment on anyone who does this. Where is there room in the Greatest Commandment for being satisfied and content with just a little religion or just a little Christ? Men and women must be directed to pursue God with panting hearts. A doctrine of justification that allows for men and women to be cold toward God and the things of God is not a doctrine within the confines and life of Holy Writ. Perhaps we are careless in pressing men on to pursue God because we don’t want to offend them. Perhaps we are content to have people cold toward God because we are content with their church attendance and tithes and we don’t want to have them stop that. Whatever the case, men must be taught the Gospel in ways that are to goad them on to seeking the glory of God. If we don’t do that, then we are not being faithful to God or to the people.
Pastors are to teach the whole counsel of God and not just focus on one or two teachings. Pastors must teach the people to pursue God and not be satisfied with the present state of things. Those in the congregations must urge their pastors to preach and teach the whole counsel of God. All must begin to teach justification in such a way that it urges men to hunger and thirst for God. The Gospel of God should produce a faith that works by love.
God Loves... Himself 
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