Theology is the study of God, and as such, it is faith seeking understanding using divine revelation as the primary source of authority, but not neglecting the use of philosophy, science, culture, tradition, and the plethora of other readily available information that might be utilized to help us better understand, apply, and express the Christian faith.
What we think about God shapes every aspect of our lives. It affects the basis by which we are able to trust in God, it makes a difference on whether we will have confidence in Him or not. Our level of commitment to understand who God is will determine whether we will know God as He has revealed Himself to us, or craft images of God that are more appealing to the fallen world in which we live.
With this in mind, it seems irrefutable that the single most important area of the Christian life is the forming, nurturing, and cultivating of correct conceptions of God, all of which fuel correct affections for God. You cannot have the latter, namely, a warm, vibrant, abiding trust in our living God, if you don't first know Him for whom He truly is. Might we all, therefore, do as the apostle Paul exhorted us to do, namely, "be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).
In Christ by God's Amazing Grace,
SDGiese |
