To Be Near unto God

by Abraham Kuyper

Overview

Draw nearer to God with more than 100 meditations by Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper begins with a reflection on Psalm 73: “As for me, it is good to be near to God,” and throughout the text he offers many others. His simplicity urges you to turn and seek the face of God. As he states in the first reflection, “when the heart can say: ‘I love the Lord,’ the idea of the eternal becomes personified.” This volume offers insight into the spiritual reflections of an influential theologian who sought practical ways to apply Christian doctrine to life, and who had a strong impact on the Reformed community in both Europe and North America.

With Logos Bible Software, To Be Near unto God is enhanced with cutting-edge research tools. Scripture citations appear on mouseover in your preferred English translation. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful topical searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Tablet and mobile apps let you take the discussion with you. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Contains over 100 meditations on Scripture
• Provides the reflections of an influential Dutch politician and theologian
• Encourages a deeper relationship with God

Contents

Top Highlights

“To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our life means to be so vividly conscious of our fellowship with the living God that every morning, noon and night our thoughts go out to Him, that we hear his voice in the soul, that we are aware of his holy Presence within, experience his workings in our heart and in our conscience, and that we carefully avoid the things which we would not dare to do if God stood before us and spoke to us.” (Page 19)

“To have love for God is a different and a much weaker thing than to be able to say: ‘I love God.’” (Page 1)

“Money is a power in hand. But before we know it, it soon becomes a power over us; a power that rules over us and draws us away ever farther and farther from high and noble interests and makes slaves of us in the service of mammon.” (Page 11)

“Rich in God, and therefore rich through God. O, how deeply have we fallen that these riches in God attract so few hearts; and that they who have won these heavenly possessions still hunger at times for the things that wean the soul from God and must needs impoverish it.” (Pages 15–16)

“To understand what constitutes riches in God, imagine for a moment that all your earthly riches had taken wings, and that bereft of all you had, you are forgotten by those who once knew you. In this utter forsakeness of soul ask yourself: What have I left? What do I now possess? This will be our state in the hour of death. We will go into eternity alone. What will we take with us? We must leave money and houses behind. We must part even from our body. There will be nothing to us but the soul, our spiritual self. Shall we be rich then? If so, it can only be in spiritual goods. When we die we are either rich in God or poor in God.” (Pages 12–13)

Product Details

• Title: To Be Near unto God
• Author: Abraham Kuyper
• Publisher: Eerdmans-Sevensma Co.
• Publication Date: 1918
• Pages: 620

About Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905. He founded the Free University in Amsterdam and served as a professor of theology. At the invitation of B. B. Warfield, Kuyper traveled to the United States to deliver the Stone Lectures at Princeton and address Reformed congregations in Michigan and Iowa.

Kuyper studied at the University of Leiden, and received his doctorate there in 1863. He became a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in 1863, and consistently called for the separation of church and state. He also led a secession from the Dutch Reformed Church and united several disparate Reformed churches in the Netherlands.

Kuyper also led an active political life. He served as a member of Parliament in the Netherlands beginning in 1874 and served as prime minister from 1901–1905.

Abraham Kuyper was instrumental in the development of Neocalvinism, and is remembered for his articulation of common grace and for popularizing the notion of a Reformed worldview. He has influenced such notable figures as Francis Schaeffer, Cornelius Van Til, Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Chuck Colson.

Some of Kuyper’s publications, which are available in Logos, include Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art, The Antithesis between Symbolism and Revelation, and Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology: Its Principles.