Three Reasons Every Christian Must Be A Theologian
Every Christian must be a theologian or so I’ve heard. What does it mean to be a
theologian? Well “theology” comes from the Greek words theos (God) and logos (word)
—simply means “ the knowledge (or study) of God.” If you claim to be a Christian, you
must by definition know God. As a Christian your known as a disciple of Jesus, easily put
a student-follower of Jesus. God has graciously revealed himself through the Word, and
every follower of Christ should take pains to know him well. In this, every Christian is
thus a theologian.
We all know we could spend hours on this topic and there’s far more then three
reasons so we are just going to focus on these three in this post.
1. For the Church
The church was built on the “foundations of the apostles and the prophets”
(Ephesians 2:20). The main teaching Elder or pastor should be consent in the Word (2
Timothy 2:15). The pastor’s job is the protection of the flock or sheep from false
teachers. Even though this is true, what about the everyday laid person?
Eight times in the New Testament Christians are told to “make every effort” to add to
our faith—eight times! Everyone in the church doesn’t matter if it’s the custodian, should
“make every effort” to add to his or her faith—best way is simply by studying and
growing in the Word.
So why for the sake of the Church? Ask yourself when have I every received dumb
advice? Proverbs says to give “ wise counsel” not just words. In order to serve those your
serving, to give good advice, to bear burdens, to provide wisdom, to be an example of
gratitude and of joy—you have to know your manual (The Bible) and know your maker
(God). It’s not up for debate.
Oh! So you don’t care about theology? That could translate into your don’t care about
the Body, which ultimately means you don’t care about God. I get it, your desire is
pulling you in a different direction, well pray that your desires are of God and pull those
desires towards the study of His word. After all, it’s hard not to pull closer to your maker
when your studying of his past and yours intertwined.
2. For God’s Glory
Glory is to God in the Highest! Right? It’s in our blood to want to honor, please, and
bring glory to God, so my question is, is the pursuit of theology relevant to be bringing
Glory to God? A known theologian, J.I. Packer once said, “The world becomes a strange,
mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who
do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to
stumble and blunder through life blindfolded as it were, with no sense of direction and no
understanding of what surrounds you.”
Three questions come to mind here, 1) How do you glorify god? By enjoying Him. 2)
How do you enjoy God? By Glorifying Him. 3) What is a prerequisite for both?
Knowledge of Him, Sure the world is filled with smart people, but what’s a brilliant mind
with a diseased heart? What’s worse is having knowledge to stay on the right path but
your actions reflect the wrong one.
Your heart is the key, you just have to listen to unlock the mind’s potential and you
can’t live right until you think right. Theology starts with the head but it takes years of
prayer and surrounding of fellow believers to transform the heart and life. Don’t settle for
sideline Christianity, know your God; “Doxology without theology is idolatry,” (Shai
Linne)
2. For Your Joy
My childhood years were rough at best. I couldn’t sleep; I was constantly dealing
with feeling of abandonment, and had no joy even when I was surrounding with God’s
love because my family was a family of bible thumpers and teachers of the word. My
reason for all this was because I loved the world more then God. It turned into anxiety
over everything in my life.
That all changed in my sophomore year when I learned the doctrine of God’s
providence. I learned through Scripture, Jerry Sr. Old Sermons, and lots of John Piper
podcasts that God predestines all things that come to pass, and that he is both sovereign
and good. Nothing can come to pass unless divine providence says it will. As a result of
my studying a peace started to come over me and sleep became better, anxiety became
less and less till it wasn’t there anymore and I walked around with an overwhelming flow
of joy that could only be described as divine healing.
Understanding providence set me free. David Qaoud once said, “Your joy in God will
not be high if your knowledge of God is low.” So let me get this straight I’m suppose to
read, read, and read some more, only to stop every 10-15 minutes to pray and mediate
over what I just read? Sounds like a lot right? John Piper says it like this, “ God is not
honored when people get excited about how little they know of him.”
References:
Jr. Hamilton, James M., (2014). What is Biblical Theology: A guide to the Bible’s story,
symbolism, and patterns. Crossway 1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois.
Goldsworthy, Graeme. (1991). According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in
the Bible.
Presentation: Introduction to Theo 360
Presentation : What is Biblical Theology
The Holy Bible ESV
