Here are a few paragraphs of Chapter 3 located on pages 51 and 52 of the book, The Pursuit Of God, that will help set the tone for discussion.
It is woven of the fine threads of the self-life, the hyphenated sins of the human spirit. They are not something we do, they are something we are, and therein lies both their subtlety and their power.
To be specific, the self-sins are self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins—egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion—are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders, even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. They are so much in evidence as actually, for many people, to become identified with the gospel. I trust it is not a cynical observation to say that they appear these days to be a requisite for popularity in some sections of the church visible. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.
One should suppose that proper instruction in the doctrines of man’s depravity and the necessity for justification through the righteousness of Christ alone would deliver us from the power of the self-sins, but it does not work that way. Self can live unrebuked at the very altar. It can watch the bleeding Victim die and not be in the least affected by what it sees. It can fight for the faith of the reformers and preach eloquently the creed of salvation by grace and gain strength by its efforts. To tell the truth, it seems actually to feed upon orthodoxy and is more at home in a Bible conference than in a tavern. Our state of longing after God may afford it an excellent condition under which to thrive and grow.
Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us.
Discussion
1. We Were Created for the Presence of God
Pgs. 40–46
Main Thought: God did not merely save us from something; He saved us for Himself.
Tozer begins with the idea that man’s purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him. Through Christ, the veil has been removed and we have direct access to God. Yet it is possible to have access to God without living with a real awareness of His presence.
What is the difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God? How can we tell the difference in our own lives?
Hebrews 10:19 says that through Christ we have boldness to enter into the holiest. If the way into God’s presence is already open, what keeps us from entering and enjoying fellowship with Him?
Tozer argues that we are already in God’s presence but often lack an awareness of it. How would your ordinary day change if you consciously remembered that you were continually in the presence of God?
Can a person be theologically knowledgeable, faithful in church, and genuinely saved while still having very little experiential fellowship with God? What might that look like?
What do you think it means practically to “abide” in Christ in John 15:4?
2. The Greatest Barrier to Experiencing God Is Self
Pgs. 51–52
Main Thought: Christ has removed the veil between God and man, but we can erect another veil—the veil of self.
Tozer identifies the veil as the “self-life”: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and selfishness. More troubling still, these things can survive—and even flourish—inside outwardly Christian behavior.
Which of Tozer’s “self-sins” is easiest for us to recognize in other people? Which is hardest to recognize in ourselves? Why?
Of these—self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love, and selfishness—which poses the greatest danger to your fellowship with God?
Tozer says, “Self can live unrebuked at the very altar” (Pgs. 51–52). How can something genuinely Christian—Bible study, ministry, service, giving, teaching, even prayer—become centered around self?
How can we distinguish between doing something for God’s glory and doing the same thing because we want recognition, approval, or admiration?
Ananias and Sapphira wanted the appearance of sacrifice without making the complete sacrifice (Acts 5:1–10). Where are we tempted to appear more surrendered to God than we actually are?
Tozer says, “Self-sins can feed on orthodoxy just as much in a Bible conference as in a tavern” (Pg. 52). How could sound doctrine itself become a source of pride rather than a means of drawing us nearer to God?
John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” What would “decrease” actually look like in your life?
3. The Veil of Self Can Only Be Removed at the Cross
Pgs. 52–53
Main Thought: The way into deeper fellowship with God is not the improvement of self, but the crucifixion of self.
Tozer’s solution is not managing the self-life more effectively. It must be taken to the cross. But he also warns against turning “self-crucifixion” into another doctrine we agree with intellectually without actually surrendering ourselves to God.
Jesus says, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). What is the difference between denying yourself something and denying self?
Tozer uses Saul’s partial obedience in 1 Samuel 15. Saul destroyed what he considered worthless but kept what he considered valuable.
What are we willing to surrender to God because surrendering it costs us very little? What are the “best sheep and oxen” we are tempted to keep?Can we honestly say that something has been surrendered to God if we still reserve the right to take it back when God’s will conflicts with ours?
What might it look like to believe strongly in the doctrine of self-denial while avoiding actual self-denial?
What part of yourself—your reputation, plans, comfort, ambitions, possessions, relationships, accomplishments, control, or something else—would be hardest to place completely in God’s hands?
Your note on Pg. 53 says, “The victim doesn’t hang on the cross forever…” Why is that important? What do we gain when self loses its position at the center?
If Galatians 2:20—“yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”—became increasingly true of your life, what would actually change?