Why do we study theology?  In a Christian culture where getting professing Christians to open up their Bibles is difficult enough, why press more Christianese words and concepts?  Can’t we just live and love like Jesus?  What’s with all the seminarian talk?

As a pastor, you have to answer the question – what am I calling my people towards?  Do you want your people to make a profession of faith?  Do you want your people to experience “life change”?  Do you want the gospel message to go out to a lost world?  These are good things, but these are fruits rather than the foundation of what the church, as a body of believers, should be about.  Why?  Because you can have people who make a profession of faith, who are not saved.  People can have life change, and still not be saved.  People can evangelize, and still not be saved.

Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

I love people.  I’m flawed as anyone, but the greatest desire of my heart is for the joy of all people in knowing our risen Lord, Jesus Christ.  We were made in the image of God, to reflect His glory, and enjoy Him forever.  How will we enjoy Him if we do not know Him?  Should we be satisfied with the scraps from the table, when Christ has prepared for us a feast?  Your affections for God are directly tied to what you know of God.  With the mind you perceive Christ, and with the heart you love and delight in everything you see in Him.  With a heart satisfied in Christ, rooted in Him by faith, your life will overflow to profess Jesus as the Christ, to love a lost world, to evangelize to the ends of the Earth.  You will not need to be taught how to be righteous, the Spirit will lead you into the works God has planned for you, when you love Him with all your heart.

Why theology?  Well, I do not expect that God has called many to become vocational theologians at a seminary.  There are some He calls to that, and we, as a church are blessed by the fruit of those people’s teaching.  I defend and teach theology, as a summarization of truth about who God is.  I do this ultimately, not to be “right” about a Biblical truth, but because I believe one’s joy in God is limited for a lack of knowledge about Him or from wrong beliefs about Him.

In practice, this means I will claim only to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2), because those things directly impact my affection for Him.  Thus, I will exhort believers as to what actually happened on the cross, and who Jesus Christ is as sovereign Lord.  I will seldom be drug into debates, however, on eschatology (end times beliefs), whether it’s right or wrong to baptize infants, whether Christians should drink alcohol or not, etc.  I think the Bible has something to say about all of that, and each should form their own Biblically based opinion on what is glorifying to God, but in the end, it’s not a big deal.

Joy in Jesus Christ is the end of theology.  Theology is only good in so much as it reflects the truth about God.  Truth for a believer is powerful.  Powerful for stirring affections, powerful for breaking the hold of sin, powerful for deepening faith, and powerful to glorify God.  My exhortation, therefore is two-fold; if your theology has become an end unto itself, repent, and turn to Christ.  Likewise, if you are busy loving Christ, apart from a study of theology; be careful that the Christ you love is indeed the Christ of the Bible and not one of your own making.

1 Timothy 4:16 – “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

For your Joy,
Adam

Followup Resources:
The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God – John Frame
Systematic Theology – Wayne Grudem
Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof