Theology: The Blog and Butter (For Now)
Theology is simply words about God. Everyone has words about God. To be human is to have words about God. But not everyone has true, beautiful, proportionate, wonderous, helpful words about God.
Through these newsletters, I want to help your words about God to be those things. True. Beautiful. Proportionate. Wonderous. Helpful.
But let me take this first post to explain why.
First, because this is what I’m thinking about. I’m teaching an ongoing Sunday School series through systematic theology. My mind is there. My heart is there. I’m putting a good amount of work into it, and I’m generally pleased with the class so far. So I’m talking here about what I know and love.
Second, because theology is for wonder. As a millennial, I live in a world of disillusionment and disenchantment. And that’s exhausting. But theology is about wonder; it brings back that old practice of contemplating God.
Theology used to be the queen of the sciences. Simply thinking about God was the greatest good. David famously prayed, in Psalm 27:4:
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
In theology, we get to do that. We get to inquire of God and gaze upon His beauty.
And, therefore, don’t be expecting this to be a quick series of emails. Wonder takes time. It’s about enjoyment, not progress.
Augustine, in On Christian Doctrine, wrote:
There are some things… which are to be enjoyed, others which are to be used… Those things which are objects of enjoyment make us happy. Those things which are objects of use assist, and (so to speak) support us in our efforts after happiness, so that we can attain the things that make us happy and rest in them.
There’s a danger that exists of using the things that exist for happiness. God exists to be enjoyed, not to be used. And so, I want to help you enjoy God through these posts on theology.
After all, Psalm 111:2 says, Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
Third, because of Love. In Bobby Jamieson’s excellent book Sound Doctrine, he points out how doctrine ought to lead to love.
The Doctrine of God leads us to love God
The Doctrine of man leads us to love our neighbor
The Doctrine of providence leads us to love our enemies
The Doctrine of redemption leads us to love our spouse (Ephesians 5)
The Doctrine of God’s love leads us to love our fellow believers (John 17)
The Doctrine of justification leads us to unity (Galatians 3)
The Doctrine of Christ’s incarnation leads us to humility (Philippians 2)
To quote Augustine again,
“Whoever thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this two-fold love of God and our neighbor does not yet understand them as he ought.”
Your study of scripture, or of theology, isn’t done until it leads you to love God and your neighbor. Let’s do theology for love.
Fourth, because theology is unavoidable.
It would be helpful to read this part in a Jeff Foxworthy voice.
If you love God, you might be a theologian. All relationships are based on knowledge and trust. Loving God necessitates theology.
If you answer questions about Christianity, you might be a theologian. Whenever your kids/neighbor/coworker/parents/friends ask you, “What does the Bible say about ____” or “What happens when we die” or “How do you become a Christian” or “What’s so special about Jesus?”, you’re doing theology.
If you prioritize scripture, you might be a theologian. If you think some passages are more important/relevant/helpful than others, that’s the work of theology.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15,
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
How did he know that was of first importance compared to everything else? He did theology.
If you share your faith, you might be a theologian. Wait, that makes me an evangelist – yes- and a theologian. The message entrusted to Christians of “be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5) is a theological message. Christians are called to be Christ’s ambassadors, and an ignorant ambassador doesn’t do anyone much good.
If you’re a Christian, doing theology is unavoidable. So it’s worth it to read and study theology.
So in these forthcoming posts, I’m hoping to share my excitement about the doctrines I’m thinking about. Things about wonder and love. So that your words about God might become true words, beautiful words, proportionate words, helpful words, and wonderous words.