Why Study Theology?
Doctrine? Isn't it just all about following Jesus?
Many wonder, “Why should I study theology or doctrine as a disciple of Jesus?”
Let me answer that by asking a question: What is eternal life? Or more specifically, what is eternal life according to Jesus?
Answer: to know God (John 17:3).
The 19th-century Dutch Theologian, Herman Bavinck, said, “To know God is to live.”
When we explore Theology, that word should not scare us or cause trepidation. Rather, Theology, which is the “study of God”, is what eternal life consists of and we can enjoy it right here and now.
Eternal life doesn’t start when we die; the glory of the age to come has broken into this present age.
To say, “know God” and “study God” presupposes something: That God can be known. If there is a God who exists and who created the world, has this God revealed Himself?
We study doctrine because we get to experience the beauty of eternal life which is knowing God, and that’s only possible because Christianity is a “revealed” religion. Thankfully, the glory of the age to come as broken into the present age because the Infinite has revealed Himself to the finite more fully in the person of the eternal Son of God.
And because we’re finite, when we come to study what is infinite our approach must be one of humility and meekness since God truly is incomprehensible. He cannot be known fully by human minds. But just because we cannot know God fully or exhaustively does not mean we cannot know Him truly and personally.
God has given us not only creation and nature by which we can have some semblance of the knowledge of Him, but He has given us His Word in the form of writing. This is special revelation; in the 66 books we call “the Holy Bible,” we have powerful words which bring God’s people to a saving knowledge of Himself. Therefore, we can call this redemptive revelation.
The Great End of Studying Theology
Like when you hike up to the peak of a mountain to take in the beauty of what is seen at the top, Theological study also has an end in view: Beholding God. We ascend the hill of theological inquiry that we would take in all of His perfections and worship Him in response.
We were created to not only behold the goodness of God on display (His Glory) but we are called to enjoy Him forever.
If studying the bible or theology does not lead to deeper worship of God, we are doing it wrong. Our worship should be authentic, heartfelt, and life-altering because of studying the scriptures more deeply, not despite it.
Getting to know the intricate details about my wife is indicative of my love for her. Knowing what she is like (and not like) is an expression of my love and a way for my love for her to deepen.
Likewise, there’s Someone who saved our soul, there’s Someone who rescued, freed, and brought us to Himself. We ought to know Who this is and what He is like (and not like). And you know what inevitably happens?
We become like what we worship and what we behold.
A.W. Tozer famously quipped, “What comes to mind when you think of God is the most important thing about you.” All of the things that are important to us — our marriages, our parenting, our singleness, our cultural engagement — are shaped most deeply by what we think about God because we are shaped by what we think about God.
2 Corinthians 3:18
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit
How can this become a reality? Only in and through Christ.
The glory of God is most fully displayed in the gospel. Thus, only those who have seen the risen Christ as the expressed image of the invisible God and have experienced true redemption through repentance and faith can enjoy this privilege of knowing God. And as Christians, it’s only through resting and rejoicing in the gospel of Christ that we can grow to love a sound doctrine of God and love the God of all sound doctrine.