You know you have one. A Theology. Theology (the study of God) is something everyone does. Now some do it well and some do it poorly. Some may say they do not do it at all I wrote about them yesterday. I am very thankful to the Lord it is not our Theology that is the basis of our relationship with God, but instead God only wants us to have faith.
You see if it was Theology that saved us, we would all have to study and study and then study some more to know all the facts about God and all of the History of God's dealing with His people. This would mean we would have to learn to spell names like Melchizedek, Ahithophel, and Sennacherib and not only spell them correctly, but pronounce them correctly. We would have to know all the dates and places of the battles and every event on the Jewish calendar as well as all of the types of sacrifice of the Old Testament. It is a little staggering how much knowledge we might have to have in our brains in order to get our Theology "right."
Theology as we know however varies among those who do know which king was born to Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. (It was Josiah 2 Kings 22) Even amnong the most biblical scholars there is great variation of belief. There is a term to describe this; pervasive interpretitive pluralism. It scares me a little to say it, but I read a book on it recently.
So while Theology varies among people, we all have one. Your theology is the collection of what you believe about God.
Now there are some fundamental facts that you must get down I believe in order to have a "relationship with God" (NOTE: I used the words I BELIEVE - translation of that is MY THEOLOGY) None the less I believe that a person must have an awareness of thier own condition without God and realize that God has made a way to know him through His love and forgiveness which he has demonstrated in Jesus Christ. And then place a trust of their life in this realtity.
Now I struggled to choose the right wording for the last two sentances as some theologians would argue with the statements, and some would say lots more some might say less.
Good theology is of course based on the Bible and the promise of God to us in His Word. When God Speaks we should listen and be aware of what He has said and continues to say in His Word.
Here is a good theological study in 3 passages of Scripture. Read this for good theology boost this morning.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:1-4 NASB
16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20“For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21 NASB
1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 NASB
I saw the Wisdom of Linus on Donna S. Facebook early this morning and it sparked my thought on this subject. So he is right Sound theology takes a load off of our minds.
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