I’ve been hearing a lot said about Theology lately, and particularly discussions about what is good theology and what is bad. That got me thinking about what actually IS theology, and what does it mean? Being a simple Devonshire lad I decided to have a trawl through the web and find out what I could about the subject. What I found out is that it pretty much boils down to two points. Firstly theology can be described as ‘Analysis and argument of the bible to help understand and test our own religious tradition’. Secondly, quite simply it’s the ‘science of God’.
Immediately I realised that the above two definitions could potentially disagree with each other. Science is definite, but using this to understand ‘our own’ walk with God suggests that different people could have different theologies? Psalm 139 shows that we are uniquely made, and therefore we could interpret the bible differently from others. For example: I love blue cheese, but my wife hates it. We both have the same taste buds and digestive systems, but we interpret that food in our mouths in very different ways indeed! In fact, going back to reading God’s word, I can read the same passage multiple times over different occasions and always glean something new out of it, and I guess that’s just God trying to tell me what He wants me to hear on that particular occasion? Can we therefore have different theologies as Christians? It’s an interesting thought.
I then got to thinking about the science of God. Everything we need to know about Him is written in the bible, and therefore is up for intense study and scrutiny (which many people I’m sure have carried out this task in much more depth than me)! But surely is science a term that I would use to describe my heavenly father? I could write a book about myself, detailing every single thing I have ever done, my life story, what food I like, what clothes I like, what winds me up, what my first day at school was like, what I had for that Chinese takeaway the other night, and the list goes on. Someone on the other side of the world could take this book, and know everything there is to know about me, but would they actually ‘know’ me? Of course not, because the only way to know me properly means that you actually need to have relationship with me (and regularly over a long period of time).
God is no different. Our walk is based on relationship as well as knowledge. How can He share anything with us if we’re not listening to Him in the first place? He is always there for us as a friend, and very much wants relationship with us so that we can benefit from the riches of His grace. Romans 5: 8-11 NLT clearly shows the importance of friendship and relationship:
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
In conclusion, I believe an understanding of God and the study of His word is essential, but not at the expense of a good strong relationship with Him. Likewise, it’s not all about relationship with no understanding. There has to be a balance between theological knowledge and relationship with our friend and father.
Thanks for reading.
Leighton
Immediately I realised that the above two definitions could potentially disagree with each other. Science is definite, but using this to understand ‘our own’ walk with God suggests that different people could have different theologies? Psalm 139 shows that we are uniquely made, and therefore we could interpret the bible differently from others. For example: I love blue cheese, but my wife hates it. We both have the same taste buds and digestive systems, but we interpret that food in our mouths in very different ways indeed! In fact, going back to reading God’s word, I can read the same passage multiple times over different occasions and always glean something new out of it, and I guess that’s just God trying to tell me what He wants me to hear on that particular occasion? Can we therefore have different theologies as Christians? It’s an interesting thought.
I then got to thinking about the science of God. Everything we need to know about Him is written in the bible, and therefore is up for intense study and scrutiny (which many people I’m sure have carried out this task in much more depth than me)! But surely is science a term that I would use to describe my heavenly father? I could write a book about myself, detailing every single thing I have ever done, my life story, what food I like, what clothes I like, what winds me up, what my first day at school was like, what I had for that Chinese takeaway the other night, and the list goes on. Someone on the other side of the world could take this book, and know everything there is to know about me, but would they actually ‘know’ me? Of course not, because the only way to know me properly means that you actually need to have relationship with me (and regularly over a long period of time).
God is no different. Our walk is based on relationship as well as knowledge. How can He share anything with us if we’re not listening to Him in the first place? He is always there for us as a friend, and very much wants relationship with us so that we can benefit from the riches of His grace. Romans 5: 8-11 NLT clearly shows the importance of friendship and relationship:
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
In conclusion, I believe an understanding of God and the study of His word is essential, but not at the expense of a good strong relationship with Him. Likewise, it’s not all about relationship with no understanding. There has to be a balance between theological knowledge and relationship with our friend and father.
Thanks for reading.
Leighton
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