Digital Logos Edition
What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ”? During his lifetime, renowned teacher A. W. Tozer was often invited to speak at seminaries, churches, and Bible conferences on the topic of the cross and its meaning for the Christian life. Now, in this never-before-published distillation of his best teaching on the subject, you will gain a fresh understanding of the cross’ centrality to your walk of faith in Christ.
The Apostle Paul declared in his letter to the Galatians that he had been “crucified with Christ.” But what does that mean? Is this a claim every believer can and should make? The Crucified Life is a comprehensive examination of these questions, answered with the deep, biblical thinking for which Tozer is revered. “God is ingenious in developing crosses for his followers,” Tozer was fond of saying. At the heart of this book, you will find a call to follow Christ to the cross and be raised to new life—a call to live the crucified life.
The Logos Bible Software edition of this volume is designed to encourage and stimulate your study and understanding of Scripture. Biblical passages link directly to your English translations and original-language texts, and important theological concepts link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. In addition, you can perform powerful searches by topic and find what other authors, scholars, and theologians have to say about the Word of God.
A. W. Tozer (1897–1963) was born on a small farm in what is now Newburg, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Akron, Ohio, when he was just a young boy. At age 17, Tozer heard a street preacher, responded to the calling of Christ, and began his lifelong pursuit of God. After becoming an active witness of Jesus as a lay preacher, he joined The Christian and Missionary Alliance and was soon serving as the pastor of West Virginia’s Alliance Church. In 1928, he transferred to the Southside Alliance Church in Chicago, and his ministry continued there for 31 years. During that time, he preached on the Moody Bible Institute’s radio station. In the 1940s, Tozer was invited to speak at Wheaton College, and seldom a year passed after World War II that he didn‘t preach in the college’s Pierce Chapel. In 1950 he became the editor of The Alliance Life magazine and served in that capacity until his death.
Self-taught, with no formal Bible training, Tozer has been called a twentieth-century prophet within his own lifetime. Through years of diligent study and constant prayer, he sought the mind of God. A master craftsman in the use of the English language, he was able to write in a simple, cogent style the principles of truth he had learned. For Tozer, “there was no substitute for knowing God firsthand.” He wrote many of his books with one idea in mind—that his reader would achieve the heart’s true goal in God and maintain that relationship with Him.
James L. Snyder is the pastor of the Family of God Fellowship in Ocala, Florida, a Christian and Missionary Alliance church (1973–present). He is recognized as an authority on the life and ministry of A. W. Tozer, and has written a number of books as well as numerous essays in Christian periodicals about Tozer. He has a weekly radio ministry, writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column carried by 35 newspapers, as well as over a dozen monthly magazines, both online and print.
“Quite simply put, a Christian is one who sustains a right relationship with Jesus Christ. A Christian enjoys a kind of union with Jesus Christ superseding all other relationships.” (Page 24)
“What I mean by ‘the crucified life’ is a life wholly given over to the Lord in absolute humility and obedience: a sacrifice pleasing to the Lord.” (Page 15)
“The crucified life is a life absolutely committed to following after Christ Jesus. To be more like Him. To think like Him. To act like Him. To love like Him. The whole essence of spiritual perfection has everything to do with Jesus Christ. Not with rules and regulations. Not with how we dress or what we do or do not do. We are not to look like each other; rather, we are to look like Christ. We can get all caught up in the nuances of religion and miss the glorious joy of following after Christ. Whatever hinders us in our journey must be dealt a deathblow.” (Page 16)
“First, living the crucified life involves completely forsaking the world. Second, the crucified life means turning fully to the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Page 90)
“The important question to ask, then, is not just ‘what is a Christian?’ but ‘what think ye of Christ?’” (Page 25)
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4/12/2015
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