Recently someone close to me made the comment that theology was not worth studying. In fact, this person expressed a deep-seated hatred for theology. I felt quite confronted by this and surprised as this person is a Christian. Yet they believed that theology was not important because being a Christian is "all about relationships".

 

This raised alarm bells in my head. On the one hand being a Christian is all about our relationship with God. This is what defines us and redeems us. Also we are called together, as Christians, to be one church body. In this sense being a Christian is about having relationships. However, it does not end there. Jesus encourages us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14). Similarly Paul encourages us to:

 

"Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."

Philippians 2:14-16

 

We are called to stand and reflect the glory of God in the public arena. Even in the face of persecution. This, my friends, is a call greater than just having relationships. Perhaps then we are charged with being too legalistic. People will challenge us saying "Jesus was about love and not about legalism, ethics or public policy". Yep, certainly one of Jesus' chief attributes was love but this does not displace the need for the law. As Jesus, himself, said:

 

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:17-20

 

Jesus was very interested in maintaining the teaching of scripture. Or what we now call theology. And herein lays the danger. Many Christians are satisfied with the biblical teachings they receive directly from their minister. Now I believe that some degree of healthy scepticism can alleviate many doctrinal issues. There is nothing preventing Christian teachers from getting doctrinal issues wrong, either by negligence or for more malicious reasons. It can be helpful in flushing out poor exegesis if we have some knowledge of scripture.

 

This is why I would encourage all Christians to undergo theological training of some kind. We are not called to be ignorant in our faith but to continuously strengthen our understanding about God's character and His plans for us which are found through His Word. This is what a true relationship with God looks like (and this is the most important kind of relationship). Ironically the only way to do this properly is by using theological methods. As Albert Mohler remarks:

 

The absence of doctrinal precision and biblical preaching marks the current evangelical age. Doctrine is considered outdated by some and divisive by others. The confessional heritage of the church is neglected and, in some cases, seems even to be an embarrassment to updated evangelicals. Expository preaching-once the hallmark and distinction of the evangelical pulpit-has been replaced in many churches by motivational messages, therapeutic massaging of the self, and formulas for health, prosperity, personal integration, and celestial harmony.....

As our Lord stated concerning the Scriptures, "Thy Word is Truth" (John 17:17). And, as Paul wrote to Timothy, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Made clear in this text is the inescapable truth that our task is to teach and to preach this Word; to reprove, to correct, and to train in righteousness. Should our churches return in faithfulness to this fundamental charge, the secular worldview would lose its grip on the believing church.

Compromise and Confusion in the Churches, Albert Mohler

 

It is very much as Dr. Greg Bahnsen said "[w]hen the church begins to look and sound like the world, there is no compelling rationale for its continued existence". If we are to avoid falling into the trap of mimicking the world then theology is our salvation and not something to be scorned. I am very encouraged by those getting proper theological training and I encourage all my readers to start interacting with theology as a viable and living thing. In the end it is the only truth that we can rely upon. For this reason it is certainly the only thing that may save this nation from damnation.

 

http://www.albertmohler.com/2005/03/10/compromise-and-confusion-in-the-churches-2/