Why Christians Need Theology

The word theology has gotten a bad rap over the last few years. I maintain that all Christians need Theology. The word comes from two Greek words theos meaning God and logos which means rational utterance or understanding.

You don’t have to be a seminary or Bible college graduate to be a theologian. Whether we admit it or not, every Christian is already a theologian. In an article on his website author and pastor Bob Kauflin writes: “…are you a good theologian or a bad one? We’re good theologians if what we say and think about God lines up with what Scripture says and affirms. We’re bad theologians if our view of God is vague, or if we think God doesn’t really mind sin, or if we see Jesus as a good example and not a Savior, or if we think our God is too small to overcome evil or too big to care about us.” (worshipmatters.com)

In the book Worldliness, Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World, author and pastor C. J. Mahoney discusses the sad fact that many Christians mentally cut and paste sections of the Bible to make their own personal scripture. If they don’t like what the Bible says they simply choose to ignore it (clip it out). This is the reason that Christianity in America is loosing ground. We say that we are a people of The Book, but the majority of Christians spend very little time reading let alone studying the Bible.

In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul writes: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
This single verse has a great deal of truth in it. First of all it tells us to study. Not only must we read the Bible, we are to study it. We are to study it because God approves. He wants us to know and understand Him through His written word. By reading and studying the Bible we gain an intimate knowledge of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that we will be workers that are not ashamed of the Gospel when we follow this direction. Notice how the scripture instructs us to not only study the Bible, but also to understand how the Bible fits together (rightly dividing).

I encourage each of us to look at our personal Theology. Is our Theology good or shaky? As we enter the New Year at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, we need to examine ourselves as individuals and ask God to guide us as we strive to follow Him daily. I pray that each of us will give careful attention to our reading and study of God’s Word. If you don’t already read your Bible each day, I encourage you to make that a New Year’s resolution.

How Firm A Foundation

One of my favorite hymns is “How Firm a Foundation.” This hymn was first pub-lished in a 1787 in “Selection of Hymns,” a hymnal published by John Rippon, a Bap-tist minister in London. Many hymnals list the author of the text as “K.” It is now believed that the author was John Rippon’s assistant, Robert Keene.

I have loved this hymn since I was a young child. As an older child learning to play the piano, I was attracted to the music. It was simple enough for me to learn to play. Along with “Just As I Am” and “Nothing But the Blood,” it rounded out the first songs that I ever played in church.
As I have became older, I have come to realize the depth of meaning in the verses of this great hymn. Like many great hymns of the faith, this song is a sermon in a nut-shell.

Verse 1 is an affirmation of the truth established in the Bible, God’s Holy Word.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Verse 2 is based on Isaiah 41:10 and is God’s promise to always be with us.
Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

Verse 3 is based on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and is the promise that God’s grace is sufficient for all of our trials and heartaches.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to remove and thy gold to refine.

Verse 4 is my favorite and is based on Hebrews 13:5. This is God’s promise that He will never leave or forsake us.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!

As we enter this new phase in the life of Pleasant Valley, I pray that each of us turns our heart toward Revival. I pray that each of us reaffirms our trust in the firm Foundation of God’s Word. I look forward to the days ahead as we move forward under the leadership of Bro. Keith.