Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. ~Matthew 7.24
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. ~II Peter 3.18
Life is really hard! Whether we are dealing with relational issues, health issues, life plans not panning out the way we ever really plan them to, 
money issues, employment issues, or whatever the case or situation might be; this life, to be real, often sucks! That’s why having a solid foundation on the “Rock” (and I mean Jesus, not Dwyane Douglas Johnson the actor) is paramount. All Christians need to be good theologians! I am more convinced of that now than I ever have been; I know, I know, being a theologian or biblical exegete is only really the job for “some” “elite” crew of Christians (nonsense! do you think that category carries over into heaven? I don’t!). All being a theologian really means, denotatively, is someone who studies and thinks about the Christian God (well Christian theologians); by virtue of that basic definition all Christians “ought” to be theologians! As Jesus said, and Peter admonishes, we need to build on the “Rock,” by growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ; which by the way is eternal life (cf. John 17.3).
I’ve gone through some real crap lately (still am in some ways, unemployed, still dealing, at points, with the angst of health issues etc.), and without a solid foundation of “knowing” (not intellectually, per se) who God is; by building on the foundation Jesus Christ, in the past; life would have been much more topsey-turvey than it had been (that’s not to say it wasn’t or isn’t at points, but it could’ve been worse). Indeed, we need to be prudent, we need to prepare (constantly) for the storms of life (which is pretty much ongoing). The cool thing about our God, is that He works through the crucible of a theology of the cross (as Martin Luther might say). It’s when we have the sentence of death written upon us that we no longer trust ourselves, but depend completely upon the One who raises the dead, living out of the resources of his vicarious life for usΒ (cf. II Cor. 1.7ff); and it’s as we depend upon Him by the Spirit,Β that the house we’ve been constructing on the solid foundation is made to stand, and in fact is driven futher into its moorings in the solid rock upon which we stand (if we stand, in Christ).
My fear is that too many Christians think that being a theologian or Bible student is only for special people, it’s not! Theology (even the “intellectual” kind) is for all Christians. Maybe not knowing all of the ins-and-outs (who wants to really know all of that), but being grounded in sound theological and exegetical method (knowing what that is, even). Thinking through what it means to worship a triune God of love. Thinking through what salvation looks like in relation to the vicarious humanity of Christ. Delving deep into a union with Christ theology. Saturating oneself in the deep wells of Scripture, over and over again! If these are things that you want to do, then do them! Ask Jesus to give you a thirst for Him. Make it a priority to spend substantial chunks of time in the Scriptures. Pursue an understanding of the development of Christian doctrine. Seek out teachers in the Church whom you can trust to point you in the right directions. Share your faith with others. Develop a prayer life, so that you walk in prayer. I’m not giving a list of spiritual disciplines or habits, I’m challenging you to live a life of gratitude and love; and thus walk in that (Col. 2.6). Come on, be a theologian, Christian!
Great post Bobby, it really was encouraging, thanks.
Great post! It is a shame that so many Christians are so disinterested in theology π I love how God our Savior is continually is continually pressing Himself upon my heart and my mind calling me to engage Him in the Spirit. I love sharing in the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.You had mentioned that people often think that theology is for a certain group, and I have also come across this as well. But do you think a disdain for theology amongst western Christians has anything to do with the common misnomer that TULIP Calvinism and Arminianism is all there is? Do you think people are worn out from those theologies? Do you think that people are wearing the been there and done that T-shirt and are dissatisfied? Please share some more thoughts…
In the Communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Chris Singer π
Minus one of the “is continually” from the second sentence of the previous post… π
Great post! I’m waiting expectantly on that McDonald stuff to hit the blogosphere..so I don’t have to exert the intellectual energy to post on it myself.
Agreed. Great post. Of course, as theologians, I think we are all works in progress, or maybe that is just me. π I feel like I am dedicating as much time as I can to reading and learning and this means my boat is constantly being rocked, but such fantastic things come from it. I value theology more, but in some ways, I now hold it with a more open hand as I come to see that it is our best attempt to understand God, not God himself. As Christians, it is for all of us to undertake this task.
@Kenny,
Thanks, brother . . . glad it encouraged!
@Chris,
Thanks, man! I think so, to be honest before I hit seminary, and after Bible College, I was worn out; I was disconcerted by what I had learned about theology (it was dry and arid, and didn’t fit with the God I continued to encounter in Christ as I read Scripture). Thankfully once I hit seminary I was introduced to Trinitarian theology, not of TFT at that point, but Colin Gunton. And I also came to realize that Calvinism had a much richer heritage than typically understood amongst the typical polemic between Calv/Arm; so I became reinvigorated! To me, the main thing has always been Bible study (and just plaine ole’ Bible riding, meaning spending more time doing that during the day than reading theology books or even books “about” the Bible etc. π ). Torrance, and even Barth, and now others have really got me excited (in the last 8 yrs) for dogmatic theology again (I actually find dogmatic theology, often, more refreshing [certain theologians] than Biblical studies — because with bib studies, at a “critical level,” you often have to weed through the “higher critical” nonsense which takes away from the relational/triune aspect of knowing God through Scripture for me [which explains some of my turn to dogmatic theology — although I still read bib studies stuff, but less frequently than dogmatic theology and then just simple bible reading— I also enjoy reading my Greek NT and continuing that stuff]). Anyway, all that to say, yes, for many I think they are burnt out; but I would also say for most, there is such a dearth of actual theological exegetical studies available in the local churches, that most Evangelicals have never had the opportunity to get burnt out. Do you think that might be the case?
@Randy,
Thanks, bro. McDonald’s book keeps staring at me, and I keep putting off these posts; because what I need to do, really, is provide some lengthy quotations just to let her provide the context. I have my quotes all picked out, I just need to do it; stay tuned π . I have a book review for Myk that I really need to do first; hopefully I’ll finish that today, then McDonald for the blog π .
@Penny,
Thank you for sharing that, that is very encouraging to hear! I think there are ways for us to maximize our understanding of God, by having a theological method, that in principle starts with God’s own self-revelation in Christ. I think many Christians don’t realize that there are really, at least, two competing ways of doing theology in the Western church. MOst Christians work from a philosophically oriented approach (called the “analogy of being”); what I like to try and promote here is what has become known as the “analogy of faith,” which in a principled and methodological way starts with “Revealed theology,” or Christ as God’s self-interpreting Word to man from God [cf. Jn 1.18; 5.39] (and in God actually). This way, we can say amen to what Jesus said in Jn 14 “when you see me, you see the Father.” Keep pressing on, sister! π
@ Bobby I believe that could be the case for many..Trinitarian material has been costly for me in some sense, but it has definitely been worth it..;-)…The whole Trinitarian (EC) approach to Scripture really has been unheard of here in a sense, but I believe that it is really starting to take root here in the West :-)…..A Christocentric approach to the Scripture cannot be overemphasized…..Thanks for your thoughts…I am thinking about investing in Introduction to Torrance theology…:-)
In the Communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Chris
Great word!
@Chris,
When you say Trinitarian material has been costly for you, in what sense do you mean that (financially buying books, or relationally with those whom disagree with you)? We can only hope the tide starts to turn amongst Evangelicals, I’m not seeing it yet, Chris; well, it is turning, but more toward “Liberalism” and less on Trinitarianism.
@Aaron Darrisaw,
Hey there, welcome, bro! Comment anytime you feel led! Thanks for the good word in response.
@Bobby I meant that it has been financially costly….;-)….One example that I have seen of Trinitarian theology (EC) taking root here is with Steve McVey, who was a TULIP Calvinist for 26 years, and is now Trinitarian (EC) in his theology….He has a pretty substantial following here in the U.S. as well as worldwide…A lot of people are hearing and being blessed (including myself ;-)) through his ministry…..I have a teaching series about the basics of Trinitarian (EC) theology…I have listened to it once through already…. π Steve, along with you π and those at GCI, have really helped me work through the basics of it…I also recently met Steve at a conference in Atlanta which I was blessed…Be encouraged Bobby…There is fruit from your labors….Hebrews 6:10
In His Great Love and Mercy,
Chris Singer
Bobby, you nailed the subtitle of my blog! π I realized long ago that it was futile and destructive to let other men think for me.
@Chris,
Thank you for the encouraging words! And thanks for clarifying. I know, all of these books can be spendy (I’m blessed to have my alma mater’s theological lib. close by). Amen, I know the Lord is working, and there are plenty of folks seeing the “light” on the issue of God’s triune nature; so to speak! Thanks brother π !
@Steve,
Amen, amen. We are all priest’s unto God, we need to be Bereans, and hold eachother accountable as we see the day approaching! Keep up the good work, and keep up the Christian thinking, brother!