Avoiding Spiritual Deformity
A.W. Tozer warns against spiritual deformity, which occurs when we allow our efforts to be right to lead us astray and cause us to become spiritually deformed.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the dangers of spiritual deformity that can arise from our well-intentioned efforts to be right. He warns against the pitfalls of becoming brazen in our boldness, rude in our frankness, and suspicious in our watchfulness, all of which can lead us away from Christ-like qualities. Tozer illustrates how true courage and meekness coexist in Jesus, and he reminds us that love should temper our honesty and vigilance. He highlights the importance of maintaining a spirit of charity and humility, even in the face of opposition, to avoid falling into the traps set by the enemy.
Text
There are areas in our lives where in our effort to be right we may go wrong, so wrong as to lead to spiritual deformity. To be specific let me name a few: 1. When in our determination to be bold we become brazen. Courage and meekness are compatible qualities: both were found in perfect proportion in Christ and both shone in beauty in His conflict with His enemies. Peter before the Sanhedrin and Paul before Agrippa demonstrated both qualities, though on another occasion when Paul's boldness temporarily lost its charity and became carnal he said to the high priest, "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall." It is to the credit of the apostle that when he saw what he had done he immediately apologized (Acts 25:1-5). 2.
When in our desire to be frank we become rude.
Candor without rudeness was always found in the man Christ Jesus. The Christian who boasts that he always calls a spade a spade is likely to end by calling everything a spade. Even the fiery Peter learned that love does not blurt out everything it knows (1 Peter 4:8) 3. When in our effort to be watchful we become suspicious. Because there are many adversaries the temptation is to see enemies where none exist. Because we are in conflict with error we tend to develop a spirit of hostility to everyone who disagrees with us on anything. Satan cares little whether we go astray after a false doctrine or merely turn sour. Either way he wins.
Sermon Outline
- 'Spiritual Deformity: A Warning'
- The Dangers of Spiritual Deformity
- The Importance of Balance
- Areas of Spiritual Deformity
- Examples of Spiritual Deformity
- Becoming Brazen Instead of Bold
- Being Rude Instead of Frank
- Being Suspicious Instead of Watchful
Key Quotes
“Courage and meekness are compatible qualities: both were found in perfect proportion in Christ and both shone in beauty in His conflict with His enemies.” — A.W. Tozer
“Candor without rudeness was always found in the man Christ Jesus.” — A.W. Tozer
“Because we are in conflict with error we tend to develop a spirit of hostility to everyone who disagrees with us on anything.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must strive for balance and humility in our efforts to be right, lest we become spiritually deformed.
- We should aim to be bold and courageous without becoming brazen or aggressive.
- We should strive to be frank and honest without being rude or insensitive.