Does theology matter?

When Darkened Glass Reflections was born, the articles were primarily devotional. The “reflections” part of the name referred to the fact that most of the particles came out of reflection and meditation on the Word of God rather than academic theological research. Even though the posts have become more “theological” recently, this blog remains committed to being written on a somewhat devotional level. People who are eager to grapple with heavy-duty scholarly theological questions will have to look elsewhere. Even when writing about theology, I hope the reader comes away with encouragement, insight, or inspiration to walk closely with the Lord. Whether they can explain, compare, and contrast amillennialism, premillennialism, historism, and full preterism is irrelevant to me.

Nevertheless, theology does matter. Since Christianity is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we need to know who He is and what He is like. You cannot have a genuine relationship with someone if you do not know who he or she is, where that person is from, what they are like, etc.

The entire Gospel, the Christian faith, has its roots in the nature of God. The Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds answer questions like these: Who is God? What is He like? Who is Jesus? What is His relationship with God? How is He the Son of God? The creeds say little about mankind. They start and end with God. Scripture begins and ends with God:

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1; unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version).

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20–21).

(Emphasis added in both passages.)

The Bible begins and ends with the Alpha and the Omega: God, who revealed Himself most visibly through His Son, Jesus Christ. The person and nature of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are central to the faith. The answers to questions about who God is affect every doctrinal or theological statement that churches or pastors can make.

If you forget to begin with God, you will eventually reach wrong answers. Most heresies, cults, and false religions build upon a foundation of false views about who God is. Recently, fellow blogger Shofar/Liz shared the following quote by an unnamed “religious leader” in a post on God’s Enduring Love, in which she spoke of the dangers of deception within the church:

“My understanding of a loving, compassionate God supports the basic right of all loving couples to have the full benefits of marriage.”

I will point out two errors that are rampant in modern American Christianity, which are reflected in the quoted speaker’s thinking:

• Preachers like this quoted “leader” frequently emphasize “my understanding” with limited or no reference to Scripture. If they do quote Scripture, it is generally taken out of context. To them, “my understanding” takes precedence over Scripture and doctrine. The committed follower of Jesus will say “yes” to God and His Word even when it goes against the believer’s wishes or desires.
• Preachers like this one will focus on one or two aspects of God’s nature and ignore those that make them uncomfortable. The committed follower of Jesus acknowledges and accepts the complexities of God’s nature. I do not deny that God is loving and compassionate: Actually, my spiritual survival depends on those qualities. If I forget God’s love and compassion, I will quickly spiral into despair. However, the true disciple will also recognize that God is holy and righteous. You cannot ignore any aspects of God’s nature without becoming spiritually imbalanced or thoroughly heretical.

Therefore, over the next few months (only an omniscient God knows how many at this time) I will share a series of meditations and devotions about different aspects of God’s person and nature. My prayer and goal is that you not only become more theologically balanced, but that you grow to love God more as you come to know Him more. Perhaps together we can grow beyond merely recognizing those attributes of God that we are tempted to ignore and thoroughly embrace Him in His fullness.

Copyright © 2019 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.