God is not just a chapter in the story of your life, he’s the author of your story, the one who makes sense of all the chapters of your life.
– Trevin Wax and Thomas West in The Gospel Way Catechism
Tag: Theology
Theology Is An Invitation
Theology isn’t an arduous task of arranging irrelevant details. It’s an invitation into greater knowledge of this Jesus who has saved us.
– Trevin Wax in The Thrill of Orthodoxy
God and Our Vision of Life
We believe in the one true and living God,
who eternally exists in three unique persons –
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Each one is identical in nature and substance,
with the same attributes and perfections.
Our culture tells us that it is all about you.
You create your own story,
your own identity,
your own reality.
You do whatever you want to do,
because you are center,
everything revolves around you.
Is it not obvious that this doctrine of God refutes this vision of life?
Flips it upside-down?
Or rather right-side up?
There is one true living God, and I am not Him.
So everything revolves around Him, not me.
He is center, not me.
I am to do whatever He wants.
Because this is His great story.
He determines reality.
He gives me my identity.
He makes me part of His story.
So I am going to live for Him, not me.
This doctrine totally changes our vision of life,
and so will change how we live each day.
Doctrine Matters for Our Relationship with God
What is required to have a growing relationship with God, to know God more and more? I must learn about Him. Doctrine teaches us about Him – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – so that I might know Him better.
Imagine a young man and a young woman meet, and they want to get to know each other. What do they do? They spend time together. They talk to each other and listen. They learn about each other.
If you want to get to know God better, you need to learn about Him – who He is, what He has done, what He is doing now, and what He will do in the future. That’s doctrine. It’s not dry! It is relational. It is exciting!
And as we learn more about God – His love, His faithfulness, His mercy, and what He has done to save us by becoming one of us to die on a cross – we not only get to know Him better, but we love Him more. Our love for Him grows. We learn of His love for us, and we grow in our love towards Him. Our relationship is not dry, but a loving relationship between God and us.
And as we learn about Him through doctrine, this love then leads to worship. Theology should always lead to doxology. Doctrine should always lead to praise. In Ephesians 1-3, Paul lays out the doctrines of salvation and then closes in 3:20-21 with worship to God. The same thing happens in Romans. Paul lays out wondrous doctrinal truth in chapters 1-11, and then closes in 11:33-36 with praise to God. As Paul reflects on doctrinal truths, he can’t help but break into joyful worship.
Doctrine teaches us about God, that we might grow in our relationship with Him, loving Him more, and falling down before Him in worship.
Doctrine Collection
Here are some good posts on doctrine:
Doctrine Matters: Eternal Life Depends Upon It – Kevin DeYoung
Christianity is much more than getting your doctrine right. But it is not less.
Take a Quiz on Christ – Tim Challies
How well do you know what the Bible teaches us about Jesus?
Your Highest Privilege – Tim Challies
Of all the privileges that are ours through the gospel, which is the greatest? According to many theologians, there is no privilege higher than adoption.
Passion Points
Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:
How Do You Know You’re Repentant? – Jared Wilson
We name our sin as sin and do not spin it or excuse it, and further, we demonstrate “godly sorrow,” which is to say, a grief chiefly about the sin itself, not just a grief about being caught or having to deal with the consequences of sin.
3 Reasons Why You Aren’t Allowed To Be Theologically Dumb – Chris Martin (ME)
When you love God with your heart but not your mind, you end up loving the god of your imagination, not the God of the universe.
Theological Black Holes – Tim Challies
And this is one of the reasons God places us in church communities where we are surrounded by people who are that much wiser and that much more mature than we are.
Making the Most of Sunday – Joe Thorn (TCC)
As we look forward to what God will do among us as we gather let’s remember that there are three ways to get the most out of your Sundays with the church: prepare, participate, and reflect….
Hope you make the most of the Lord’s Day this week as you gather with your local church!
Good or Bad Theology
The question at issue, then, is not whether we will have a theology but whether it will be a good or bad one, whether we will become conscious of our thinking process or not, and, more particularly, whether we will learn to bring all of our thoughts into obedience to Christ or not.
– David Wells in No Place For Truth
Brian J. Mikul 