Theology Is Practical

In other words, Theology is practical: especially now. In the old days, when there was less education and discussion, perhaps it was possible to get on with a very few simple ideas about God.  But it is not so now.  Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed.  Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God.  It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones--bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.  For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties today, are simply the ones which real Theologians tried centuries ago and rejected (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 136-137).

C. S. Lewis is always good for a turn of phrase.  He had a way with words to which few have attained.  Here we see him put forth the idea that theology, the study of God, is practical.  Many in his day did not agree, and now fifty-some years later, the opinion hasn't changed much.

However, he was correct.  Theology is practical.  It is not an abstract study, as some would have you to believe.  Yes, there are some difficult concepts for us to explore within the study of God.  There is mystery and paradox.  How could we expect less from a God who is incomprehensible?

I don't mean that we cannot understand God at all.  God can be understood, or else theology would not be practical.  In fact, God must be understood, if our lives are to have meaning and purpose.

We don't "feel out" God like a blind person in a movie tries to get a "feel" for what a person looks like.  Theology is not a jump into the unknown.  We can know God, and study him, because he has made himself know to us through his Word and his world.

The world around us, often referred to by theologians (people who study God) as natural revelation, can teach us many things.  It can teach us that God is there.  It can teach us something of his power, his wisdom, his intelligence, his vastness, his beauty, etc.  But natural revelation is limited in what it can teach.  It is not a perfect guide, because it has been affected by the Fall (Adam's rebellion to God's will which brought all of creation into subjection to death).

To know God, we need a perfect guide.  We find that perfect guide in the Scriptures.  In the Bible, God reveals himself to mankind.  The Bible is the story of God, and as we read and study it, we learn about God.  Sometimes God gives us straightforward truth concerning his nature: "Be holy, for I am holy."  Sometimes, we must infer things about his nature from the narratives.  For example, Joseph's response to his brothers, "You meant it for evil, God meant it for good" (rough paraphrase), teaches us that God, who is not the author of sin, can turn a sinful situation into vehicle of grace and redemption.

The next time your tempted to shy away from theology or doctrine, remember that theology is practical.  It is especially practical for a follower of Christ, because the goal of our existence is to worship God in spirit and truth.  We worship the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit.  Theology is wear the rubber meets the road, it is the life-blood of faith, because as followers of Jesus, we are students of God.  It is also good to remember: if you aren't studying good theology, you're probably absorbing bad theology.