A Heart For God

Book: 
A Heart For God
Reviewer: 
Joseph J. Adrian

Sinclair Ferguson reflecting upon when he was a young boy, he was interested in "The Knowledge Of God." He wondered who God was, could he know God, and if so, how is this knowledge of God possible? He writes that——"The knowledge of God is the heart of salvation and all true spiritual experience." One of the reasons God created man was "To Know Him." A verse that speaks to "Knowing God" is John 17:3: "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." One of the great promises of the New Covenant is——"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord...." Jeremiah 24:7a.

Is all boasting bad? As a young believer, I would have said I think so. In one of his lead articles for The Banner Of Truth Magazine, Maurice Roberts (the longtime editor for Banner) made this point——"That the Apostle Paul boasted in his weakness, so that God's power would be manifest in him." Sinclair Ferguson highlights another thing that a Christian may boast in——"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength. . . . Let him who boasts boast about this; that he understands and knows me. . . ." Jeremiah 9:23 NIV. The KJV uses the word "glory" instead of "boast" (I think they convey a similar idea).

In chapter five, "The Ever Present One," Ferguson writes——"Knowledge of God is the foundation of all Christian life and service. . . ." He illustrates this in the life of Moses. Moses' life forever changed when——"At Horeb the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush." This encounter with God caused Moses to reflect on two things——"Lord, who am I? . . . Lord, who are you?" Calvin in "The Institutes" taught that the two most important things in life were, "To know God" and "To know ourselves." Pastor Ferguson reveals this great thought——"The presence of God, therefore, does two things: it makes us conscious of who He is, and it makes us aware of who we are in His glorious presence."

The author also considers these aspects of God's character——His wisdom, holiness, faithfulness. . . . I think the theme and purpose of the book is for the reader to grow in the knowledge of the one who fills heaven and earth with His glorious Being.

Sinclair Ferguson is one of the most significant Christian writers of our generation. I taught through "A Heart For God" in an adult Sunday School back in the mid 1990's. It is among his finest works along with——"The Whole Christ," "Grow In Grace," "The Christian Life" and "The Grace Of Repentance."