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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman
Is
Theology Practical? Over the decades I've
heard many Christians downplay, even express distain, for theology. They
claim to want practical theology, as if theology in itself isn't
practical. Thinking that
theology is not practical is a misnomer.
It's illogical. Properly
defined, theology is the study of God, and what could be more practical
than the study of God, our Lord and Saviour?
The study of our God
first enters our lives through our minds, but it must not stop there.
It must sink into our souls where it becomes the conviction whereby
we live. If our study of God
stays in our minds, we will fail to mature as the Christians we claim to
be. Theology is not
impractical. We are
impractical when we ignore theology. That's
not theology's fault. That's
our fault. With this in mind,
read Hebrews 4:12.
"For the word of
God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it
penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges
the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." John 1:1 tells us that
Jesus is the Word, or Mind of God. The
common consensus concerning Hebrews 4:12 suggests that the Mind of God, at
least in part, has been written into the Biblical text.
For that reason, Hebrews 4:12 states that the Word of God is very
much alive. It's not dead
words in a lifeless book. It's
also productively active, as seen in the Greek word "energes"
that is translated as "active" in Hebrews 4:12. We
derive our English word "energy" from this Greek word, and
energy defines "energes" perfectly. When
energized by the Spirit of God, the Mind of God implanted into the
Biblical text, becomes the divine energy that transforms our very
existence (2 Corinthians 5:17). That
makes theology both practical and important for Christian maturity. Allow me to invent the
word "timology," which means, the study of Tim.
To the degree that I can learn about Tim will be the degree to
which I can have a good relationship with him, and isn't that the goal of
relationships? Would not that
make timology important and practical?
In like manner, don't we desire a good relationship with Jesus?
Would not that make theology important and practical?
Of course it would.
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