Practical Theology: The Wonder of God Assignment
Caleb Willis
THEO525: Systematic Theology 1 (D03)
November 18 , 2023
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Contents
1. Journal Entry #1…………………………………………………………….2
2. Journal Entry #2…………………………………………………………….3
3. Journal Entry #3…………………………………………………………….4
4. Journal Entry #4…………………………………………………………….5
5. Journal Entry #5…………………………………………………………….6
6. Journal Entry #6…………………………………………………………….7
7. Bibliography…………………………………….…………………………..9
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Journal Entry #1
What is Theology?
When it comes to theology, I can honestly say that I had a limited grasp of the concept
until beginning this course. My definition of theology was simply the study of God. This is most
likely acceptable in most circles, but the definition actually goes much deeper than that. Erikson
states
A good preliminary or basic definition of theology is the study or science of God. The
God of Christianity is an active being, however, and so this initial definition must be
expanded to include God’s works and his relationship with them. Thus theology will also
seek to understand God’s creation, particularly human beings and their condition, and
God’s redemptive working in relation to humankind.1
My definition of theology began to expand, and I realized that there is so much more to God than
we can even begin to imagine. I was reminded of Paul’s words when he said, “Now to him who
is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us”
(Ephesians 3:20 Christian Standard Bible). This was a great turning point for me and helped me
to nail down what I believe and why I believe it.
A question that constantly persisted in my mind however was what is Systematic
Theology? I had heard that term used before throughout my undergraduate studies at Lee
University but didn’t feel confident that I could answer it. Through further study I learned that
Systematic Theology draws on the entire bible as it attempts to relate various portions to one
another in a harmonious and coherent whole. In other words it takes what is said in different
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portions of the scriptures and attempts to relate them into one understandable work. This made so
much sense to me and illuminated what I had already been learning for years.
Journal Entry #2
1 Millard J. Erickson, , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 8.Christian Theology
2 Ibid.
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Postmodernism
I currently am on staff at my local church as the Young Adult Pastor and one of the
greatest challenges I feel that I face is teaching biblical truth in a post modernistic world. This
was one of the main reasons I felt called to ministering to young adults. In our culture today
there seems to be a persuasive theme of truth as relative rather than objective. Postmodernists
insist that truth and knowledge are conditioned by your environment and surrounding situation
which would make the knowledge itself relative to the individual. To me this is such a
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dangerous slippery slope because if truth is relative to the individual then you can essentially
create any version of God you want and leave out any of his divine attributes that don’t cater to
your worldview. For example, we hear a lot about the Love of God and its very comforting to
understand that God loves us, but his love is only enhanced and fully understood when you
understand how righteous and just he is. Recently we spent some time in Ephesians in Young
Adults and in Ephesians 2 Paul explains to the Gentiles how by nature they are “Children of
wrath” (Ephesians 2:3 CSB). It was interesting hearing the response from each of the young
adults there about what it feels like to understand that this is our nature as humans outside of
Christ. A postmodernist would most likely reject this because it doesn’t feel good to understand
that our nature isn’t inherently good as humans. This however is what makes the Gospel so
beautiful. There have been times in my life when I have dabbled in postmodernism and didn’t
even realize it. Viewing truth as objective rather than relative gives us a framework by which to
understand the bible clearly and correctly.
Journal Entry #3
God’s Love
3 Millard J. Erickson, , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 27.Christian Theology
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Sometimes I will just sit and reflect on how God could love someone like me. I try my
best to follow him, but it seems that I always have moments where I will go my own way or do
what I want when I know it grieves his heart. God’s love is really unfathomable. I have been
pondering it recently as I have been struggling with a personal issue. How could he go to the
cross for me? Johnson states that
God’s decision to save us reveals that God is a loving God. If God’s acts are always
purposeful, then his act to save us must have been performed for a specific purpose.
Fortunately, Jesus explains this purpose to us: “For God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16–17). This makes God’s motivations
clear: he saves us so that we might have eternal life, and he does so because he loves us.4
It is this love that leads me to want to serve him. It is this love that draws me to him when I am
struggling and feeling down. To me this is what makes the Gospel so beautiful. I am so
undeserving and yet even in my sin he chose to step down and rescue me (Roman’s 5:8). It is this
very love that extends to the darkest and deepest parts of the human soul with light and life. I
think that the love of God gets heavily mischaracterized in today’s society. This goes along with
some previous journals I have written. I hear the phrase a lot that “God loves me just as I am.”
While he does love us where we are, he calls us out of our sin and into a growing relationship
with him. This is where I feel that the mischaracterization takes place. His love is so beautiful
when understood in the context of who we truly are and who he truly he. Outside of this it loses
impact.
Journal Entry #4
God’s Self Sufficiency
4 Keith L. Johnson, (InterVarsity Press Academic, 2015), 47.Theology as Discipleship
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Heading into the holidays, my wife and I are a part of a Christmas play at church called
“The Journey of Christmas.” In this play the narrator Mitchell is going through his life telling the
story of how he learned the true meaning of Christmas through the years. My wife and I play him
and his wife during the teenager scene and the young adult scene. During the Young adult scene
Mitch and his wife Rita (my wife and I) find themselves overwhelmed with bills as they struggle
to wonder how they will afford Christmas. Rita reminds Mitch that Christmas is so much more
than what they are facing and it’s really about the hope and life found in Jesus. Recently I have
been struggling financially and have found myself in a similar situation as this play. It was as if
God used this play to remind me that he is self-sufficient. He has everything I need and all I have
to do is come to him and drink from his never ending well of goodness, peace etc. Jesus says
“For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the son to have life in
himself” (John 5:26 CSB). It really blows me away that God always knows what we need when
we need it. It also blows me away even more that whatever I need he has an abundant supply of.
God has no needs because he is self-sufficient. Even reading over what I have written now
causes me to stop and contemplate the depth of what I am writing. If I need peace he has it, If I
need joy he has it, if I need comfort he has it etc. This revelation makes me want to go out into
the world and proclaim this to everyone I come across. People today are searching far and wide
for any and everything and God is the true source of it all. The question I constantly ask myself
is” what would happen is the entire world knew and lived according to this principle?” I think
that if that were to happen then the world as we know it would be completely different.
Journal Entry #5
God’s Omniscience
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When I am going through a struggle or feeling defeated, there is something that always
seems to bring me comfort. This is simply knowing that God is Omniscient and knows where I
am and what I am feeling in that specific moment. It’s almost as if God can empathize with me
because he knows. One of my favorite passages of scripture on this topic comes from the writer
of Hebrews who says “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens-Jesus the Son of God-let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way
as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that
we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16 CSB). It also
brings me hope because if he knows what I need then I can trust that he will work out things in
my life accordingly. Erikson states that “God so works in relationship to our wills that we freely
choose the good. God, being omniscient, knows precisely under what conditions we will freely
choose what he wills, and works in such a way as to bring about those conditions.” As I ponder
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this idea of God being all knowing, I can’t help but look back over my life and think about all the
times that I could have gone one way, but God took me another. My senior year of high school I
was on my way to Campbell University on a music scholarship and at the last minute my parents
were denied the loans to be able to get me there. They didn’t know this, but God had also been
speaking to me about not attending there but going somewhere else. When I told them about
what he had been speaking and they told me about the loans we both knew that God had different
plans. The best part about it is that God knew all along and had I gone to Campbell I would not
have met my wife or be in ministry today.
Journal Entry #6
5 Millard J. Erickson, , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 844.Christian Theology
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The Wisdom of God
Being a pastor can be really hard sometimes and its funny that I am saying that since I am
still so young in my ministry. Nevertheless, recently I have begun to truly learn just how much I
need to lean on the wisdom of God vs my own finite human wisdom. I listen to my lead pastor
all the time talk about needing God’s wisdom and unless you find yourself in a tough situation
it’s really hard to understand and grasp this. We are currently going through a situation at church
that is extremely multifaceted and the need for God’s wisdom has never been more imminent.
Something I have learned is that when I try to figure out situations on my own then it leads to
great anxiety and stress. God’s wisdom however is limitless. Paul says “Oh, the depth of the
riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements and
untraceable his ways!” (Romans 11:33 CSB). He not only knows what I need but his wisdom
stretches longer and farther than I could ever imagine. This same wisdom keeps me out of
situations that I shouldn’t be in and helps me to see when I am falling and in need of help. There
is a choice that we must make to choose this wisdom, however. Its available, we just have to
choose it. This is where I find myself falling short more often than I want to admit. Leading the
young adults at church has really helped me to lean into this more than I did in my younger
years. I mentioned to my senior pastor a few days ago how I was beginning to understand the
weight of being a shepherd. If I didn’t lean on his wisdom in certain circumstances, then I would
be so lost. I also mentioned how the more I read and study, the more I realize my need for him.
His response to me was simply “absolutely.” He knew exactly what I was talking about. I knew
he did, but it just gave me confidence that I was on the right track. Through this I really
understood that my human wisdom is really nothing in the grand scheme of things. I need him
and his wisdom each and every day.
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Bibliography
Keith L. Johnson, (InterVarsity Press Academic, 2015).Theology as Discipleship
Millard J. Erickson, , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013).Christian Theology
