KNOWLEDGE
OF GOD: CONTINUOUS PURSUIT

There is a vast and important difference between a Pauline creed and a Pauline life.… Tens of thousands of believers who pride themselves on their understanding of Romans and Ephesians cannot conceal the sharp spiritual contradiction that exists between their hearts and the heart of Paul.

That difference may be stated this way: Paul was a seeker and a finder and a seeker still. They seek and find and seek no more. After “acceptg” Christ they tend to substitute logic for life and doctrine for experience.

For them the truth becomes a veil to hide the face of God; for Paul it was a door into His very Presence. Paul’s spirit was that of the loving explorer. He was a prospector among the hills of God searching for the gold of personal spiritual acquaintance. Many today stand by Paul’s doctrine who will not follow him in his passionate yearning for divine reality. Can these be said to be Pauline in any but the most nominal sense?

1 Corinthians 9:24–27; Philippians 3:10–14; 2 Timothy 4:6–8

Keys to the Deeper Life, 29.