How not to do it. Theology Pt.1

Today, I would like to begin a series of posts over the next few weeks, on the topic of theology. Here are a few important points as we begin this series. First, theology is the study (an increased knowledge of) God, the Bible, Jesus, sin, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and all the other topics the Bible brings to light. Second, every single person is a theologian (more on this in a later post). Third, theology is the center and heart of a Christian, in that, what a person knows and thinks always drives what they do (more on this in a later post also). Fourth, to do theology is the point of both studying theology and living theology. 

Keeping these 4 points in mind, today, I would like to spend a few moments thinking through a few important ways that a person will do theology wrong. I find there are 5 large ways a person will do theology wrong, in both how they study and in how they live out their theological beliefs. 

1)We do theology wrong when we think we do not do theology. 

Every single person is a theologian. Even the professing atheist is a theologian. Every person has thoughts on God. Everyone has a position on Jesus. All of humanity knows something is terribly wrong. Every person has a way of thinking about human salvation. To attempt to deny we are theological beings, is to deny the essence of humanity. This means, everyone has theological thoughts on life, faith, and being. 

Every single person is driven by what they think or believe. If I believe the Steelers are the best sports team, I watch them. If I think Chevy is the best car brand, I buy a Chevy. If I know I need sugar, I eat a candy bar. If I want the best deal because I think money is important, I look for a sale. Every single human is driven by what they think, know, and believe. 

Both points mean, every single human being does theology. To reject the fact we do theology, is to do theology incorrectly. We must realize we are all theologians and know we do theology. We must realize we do theology and seek to do it correctly. We must spend significant time studying theological truths and understanding how to apply them. To not do theology incorrectly, we must realize we all do theology. 

2)We do theology wrong when we do it solo scriptura.

Solo scriptura means, reading, studying, interpreting the Bible alone. The Bible was not written to individuals, but to God's people as a group. The Bible can't be obeyed in isolation. The Bible cannot be applied on an island. The Bible was written so God's people would know what faith and a life delighting in God looks like. All of this means, the Bible is not a book that should be studied or understood alone. 

To not do theology incorrectly, we must turn to others to help us understand. Yes, each believer has the Holy Spirit to help illuminate the Scriptures. Yes, every believer is part of the royal whole priesthood of the saints. Yes, many verses in the Bible are plain and simple for each person to know. But, if we can't live out the Bible alone, we also can't study and know the Bible alone. Theology is meant to be done as a group, with others, in the church. 

Which this leads to the next point....

3)We do theology wrong, when we only listen to a select few people. 

The problem many humans have is they only listen to a select few people on any given subject. For example, I only listen to certain commentators. I only read certain magazines. I only buy certain books. I only watch certain movies. I only listen to certain podcast. Life, time, money, resources, and abilities, are all limited, so in those limits, we as humans only focus on certain aspects. This limitation is ok in many ways. But when it comes to theology, limiting ourselves to certain voices can be a problem. 

To be a teachable person is critical for the Christian life. I am fully convinced, if we are not teachable, we are probably not a Christian (I know that sounds harsh). To be teachable, to be humble, and to be a learner, are all essentials for the Christian life. And to truly be teachable, the student does not pick the teacher, they are given to them by the sovereign hand of God. To be a student and learn, we must learn from many different voices. We must learn from people we agree with. We must learn from those who challenge us. We must learn from the unexpected. And we must even learn from people we don’t agree with. To be a true student of the Word, we must learn from a wide range of voices. 

To do theology correctly, we must not narrow or limit those we learn from. Yes, we can listen to those we agree with. Listening and learning from those we agree with is a good thing and grows our theology. But we must also listen to those we do not agree with. To truly know where we stand, we must also know the other side. To truly have strong convictions (leading to actions) we must understand the other positions. To defend our faith well, we must know how the other side defends. To do theology correctly, we must be open to and listen to all voices. 

4)We do not theology correctly when we do it only in the virtual world. 

God has given His people flesh and blood bodies, not just minds and souls. God has given His people flesh and blood churches. Yes, when God saves us, He puts us in the universal, invisible church. But God also saves us and puts us in a local visible church. The Bible is a real, physical book. Yes, the Bible has spiritual truths. But the Bible and its truths change how we physical carry out our lives. The Christian life is lived out in the visible real world. 

This means we must do theology in the physical visible world. Yes, learning, reading, listening, and studying theology, in the invisible plains of the internet and social media can be helpful. But studying the Scriptures, reading books, listening to live preachers, and interacting with physical humans, is critical to do theology the right way. We are part of a local visible church, so we must do theology with our visible church. We have physical Bibles, so we must spend time turning the pages and reading its words. To do theology in a way that truly transforms and sanctifies us, we must do theology in the physical world. 

5)We do not do theology correctly when we think we have it all figured out. 

This world is fallen. This world is broken. This world is full of sin. This world is going to decay and die and eventually be transformed by God at the end of time. As Christians, we will not be glorified until after we die. Sanctification is an ongoing process, where we are growing and being transformed more each day. We will never have all things figured out in this life. We will always have more room to grow. We will always have more sin to kill. We will always have more to learn. To do theology correctly, we must remain humble and continue to learn and grow in God. 

As humans, we fell from glory because of our pride. As sinners, we sin daily because of the pride of our hearts. As Christians, we repent daily from the pride we commit against God. Pride is a continual wrestling match in our lives. We cannot let pride ruin our doing theology. We must remain humble as we grow. We must remain teachable as we learn. We must realize the truth, we will always have more to learn. A true Biblical theologian is a person who is a growing, learning, humble theologian. To do theology correctly is to continue to grow through doing theology. 

These are the top 5 ways, we do not do theology correctly. If we can master these 5 problems of doing theology, we will be a true theologian and a theologian who glorifies God and is enjoying Him forever.