Reflections on Theology

This was too good not to share. To kick off our Christian Theology class, my professor, Owen Strachan (pronounced “stran”, rhymes with “man”) shared with us a few reflections to think on before we dive in. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And just to make sure I give credit where credit is due: Everything that follows is a direct quote or paraphrase from Professor Strachan’s lecture. Sources quoted in the lecture are otherwise specified.

Reflections on Theology

1. Theology is the study of God. We are studying God Himself from the Word of God.
2. Theology is thus the study of ourselves and our world.
1. John Calvin: “The sum of sacred doctrine is contained almost entire in these two parts: The knowledge of God and of ourselves.” In theology it is also very important that we study ourselves. The central assertion in Christian Theology is that by studying God you find out who you are.
3. Theology is a multisided enterprise. It involves learning but it also involves formation.
1. You do not study the Bible as a textbook. We do study the Bible but we study it not only to grow in knowledge of God but also to be transformed in our lives.
2. Jonathan Edwards: “God has endued the soul with two faculties: one is that by which it is capable of perception and speculation, or by which it discerns, and views, and judges of things; which is called the understanding. The other faculty is that by which the soul does not merely perceive and view things, but is some way inclined with respect to the things it views or considers; either is inclined to them, or is disinclined and averse from them; or is the faculty by which the soul does not behold things, as an indifferent unaffected spectator, but either as liking or disliking, pleased or displeased, approving or rejecting. This faculty is called by various names; it is sometimes called the inclination: and, as it has respect to the actions that are determined and governed by it, is called the will: and the mind, with regard to the exercises of this faculty, is often called the heart.”
3. In other words we have the understanding – that is the mind – and we have the affections – that is the heart. As we receive information, we are filtering and processing it, discerning whether it is true or not. That is understanding. Then with the heart and affections, we are either inclined or disinclined to what we are seeing or hearing. This applies directly to the study of theology. A right worship of God with the mind sees God for who he is, understands that knowledge to be true, and transforms that understanding into worship and affections from the heart, such that you know what is true and live according to it. Jesus said that even the demons have a right understanding of God, but their problem is that they do not love God. Their knowledge of God does not translate into heart affections for God. So the challenge in our Christian ministry is to engage our minds and our hearts in the study of God.
4. To quote Edwards again: “…every true disciple of Christ “loves him above father or mother, wife and children, brethren and sisters, houses and lands: yea, than his own life.” From hence it follows, that wherever true religion is, there are vigorous exercises of the inclination and will towards divine objects: but by what was said before, the vigorous, lively, and sensible exercises of the will, are no other than the affections of the soul.”
4. Theology also includes a negative element: Defense.
1. Defense is not very popular today. It has fallen out of favor in our day. The postmodern spirit encourages us to be listless in what we believe in and to not hold onto it too tightly. A lot of people will state what they believe but then say, “It is true for me.”
2. The Scriptures challenge us to hold the Faith so closely, that we will even give our lives for it. There are people who have gone before us who have given their lives to defend the gospel and to preserve the Scriptures.
3. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” Guard it. If you are trying to understand you believe and then you are standing up for that Scriptural truth you are doing a profoundly biblical thing if you defend the gospel. People don’t want to be unpopular today. We want everyone to like us. We don’t want to be on bad terms with anyone. And that can mean that we don’t say that things are true and not true. But in the Scripture, the apostles and authors of the Bible do; is they defend the gospel. This is also related to the apologetic task of Theology. We defend the gospel and we try to persuade people of its truth. It is a good thing for you to be equipped to defend the Faith. There are going to be people who try to pervert it, who try to oppose it, and it is your call as a Christian, in some form, to defend the truth.
5. Theology is fundamentally an exercise in glorifying Christ.
1. Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
2. This is ultimately what we are after; the exaltation of Christ, in our study of Theology, in our proclamation of the gospel and the truth of the Bible, and in our daily Christian lives.
3. The Scriptures themselves are Christocentric. The theme of the Bible from every corner testifies to the supremacy of Jesus Christ. He is the one who is foretold and expected in the OT and he is the one who is proclaimed in the NT after he comes.
6. Because of all these things, theology is filled with truth, beauty, drama, and mystery.
1. Theology is filled with these things. Theology is not boring, and dry, and dusty as it sometimes is portrayed.
2. The moment you say that Jesus is Lord, you are making a most profound theological statement. And the moment you start living in such a way that proclaims that Jesus is Lord, you are living your life in the most profound theological way. Indeed all of life is dependent on Theology. If God is truth, then you order your life around that truth.
3. So as we begin our study of Theology, we are like Ezekiel who said “Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking” (Ezekiel 1:28. In other words, through God’s revelation, Ezekiel saw something of the glory of God. In our study of Theology we are going to see something of the glory of God. We see through a glass darkly. We do not see as we will in heaven. But will we see something that will grip us and that will lead us to fall in the dust and worship God.

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