Chapter 1:

Correct Doctrine:

 

 

 

I love theology.  I want to say that from the outright beginning before I say one word about Calvinism.  I love theology because it shows me more clearly each and every day the God whom I serve and whom I worship when I’m singing hymns in church.  It is through diving into the deep of the reality of God that I come to know God on a more intimate level.

Probably the greatest resistance to this discussion, is one which I feel I should address before I begin, since it is a reasonable objection.  That objection is that God does not want his people to delve too deeply into matters of religion.  Some have told me that since this subject of God’s sovereignty does not save peoples’ souls, and therefore it is a useless endeavor.  I have a suspicion that this sentiment does not extend only to the subjects addressed in this book, but also to any extensive journey into the “deep things of God.”

What is ministry but practical theology?  Theology is the study of God through His revelation in the Bible.  In fact, some of the greatest men in Christian history loved theology.  James loved to talk about theology and its practical application in our lives.  He encourages us to learn about God through His word but then to not simply store that knowledge up in our hearts for a rainy day, but to put it into action!  (James 1:22-27; 2:14-26)

The Apostle Paul engaged quite often in the scriptures in what is often condemned by many, that being theological debate.  Debate; what is it really but a search for truth by two differing parties?  How can we find truth if we do not speak of the truth we have found?  Paul argued against the Judaisers who said that one must be circumcised, participating in the ceremonial aspects of Judaism.  The Judaisers also believed in Jesus (which according to some is quite enough).  Paul did not simply shy away, but he jumped right into the fray and defended the God he knew from the scriptures and from the authoritative revelation he had received.  The entire book of Galatians was written by Paul, addressing subjects which some would say we do not need to engage in.  What is the entire book of Romans but a theological journey (chapters 1-11) ending in Paul’s practical application (chapters 12-16) to his readers’ lives?

            Now, I do not claim to be another Paul or James, but I do seek to show that theology is how we see God, and isn’t it the most important thing, to be able to clearly and truthfully answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”

            What is being undertaken here is not an attempt at argument (although it may cause others to want to discuss or argue).  It is a serious attempt to clarify for myself as well as spell out the truth for others.  Through doing these studies, I have dug into the scriptures and come away with an even greater confidence in the truths of my already present views of God’s sovereignty and salvation.

            Everyone who is a Christian practices theology.  Some will say, “Just give me Jesus!”  But even then when you say that, you are practicing theology.  Who is Jesus?  Do you believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God?  Then you are practicing theology by simply holding an opinion on the matter.  Here is where the importance of theology comes in: If you do not believe that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, then you are not a Biblical Christian.  Such ideas may seem like mere ideas, but if you do not believe in Christ’s deity, how can we call Him Lord at all?  The deity of Christ has always been the dividing line between Christian and sub-Christian theology.  Many theological errors (lies about God) stem from a misunderstanding of the nature of God.  Because of this, theology is very important, for if it is not the truth then it is a lie and if it is a lie, God is as far from it as night from day because He is the Father of lights and truth.  Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”

            I’ve been doing a lengthy study of the Major Prophets lately, and there is one statement, which I hear God make more than any other statement, particularly in the book of Ezekiel.  Ezekiel is delivering God’s sentence of judgment upon rebellious nations such as Israel, Tyre, Egypt, Sidon, and others.  Associated with nearly every condemnation of the nation is the end-result God is working towards: “Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”  (Ezekiel 30:8,19, 26; 33:29; 35:12, 15, 36:11; 9:27; 11:10, 12; 12:16; 13:14; 15:7; 17:21; 20:26, 42, 44; 22:16; 23:49)  It is God’s glory which knowledge of Him brings.  I am convinced by the scriptures that God is glorified when people know about Him, think great thoughts of Him, and know Him in a personal way.  This knowledge of God brings life, for it teaches us about the atonement and the way of salvation.

This is theology.  Theology is to simply know the truth about God.  And if we learn from theology that God is sovereign over all, then whatever we eat, drink, hear, speak, think, feel, anticipate, fear, twist, love, that in fact, is reality.  This is theology, and we live it whether we like it or not.

I would like to say something about the role of theology in Christians’ lives.  Generally when people talk about “theology” they are referring to abstract, silly arguments (at least to them), and useless debates.  Paul said that Christians should refrain from this.  In this kind of theology fits discussions on whether Adam had a belly button or whether God can make a rock too big for him to lift.  In and of themselves, these kinds of useless debates tell us nothing of the character of God or how we can know Him more intimately.

The question most people have is, is predestination one of those silly and useless discussions, which Paul was talking about?  If it is, I think we can agree that on a biblical basis, we should not discuss it.  Many Arminians think that it is a discussion which scripture says we should not talk about.  In their opinion, this discussion is non-important, human moral liberty is not a question, and it doesn’t matter how you see God’s role in salvation as long as you “love Jesus.”

I would agree that the heart of the Gospel is about fixing our relationship with God.  Truly, one can simply live their lives in the love of Christ, never questioning or wondering how it is they came to be saved.  But the scriptures also tell us that we must know who God is in order to know Him personally (Acts 17:22-31).  Paul, when he witnessed to the Greek philosophers at Mars Hill took the approach of first telling the Greeks who God is.  He told them that He created all things and that it is in Him that we live and breathe and move.  After they knew who God was, Paul spoke about relationship, but those things must come in a particular order.  When Paul told the Athenians that it is in Him that we live and move and have our being and that God created everything, he was talking theology.  Certainly one must eventually move beyond knowing about the Lord and who He is into the deep things of God, that is, into a transcendent immensely intimate walk with God.  That is not in any way in question.  The problems arise when people are willing to believe anything that is taught to them by others instead of examining the scriptures in order to seek the truth.

I have begun writing this under several assumptions.  The first assumption I make is that there is a such thing as absolute truth.  The law of noncontradiction says that if two things directly contradict each other then they cannot be true.  If Calvinists say that God chooses some people, effectively saving them but also justly condemns others and Arminians say that God tries His best to save everyone, there is a direct contradiction between the two.  They are mutually exclusive and by the laws of logic cannot both be equally true!  This is my first assumption in this book.  Many have told me that they think both views are right.  This thinking comes from a postmodern mindset that says that since both parties are genuine and really believe what they preach then they are both correct.  Philosophers from Ravi Zacharias to William Lane Craig have labored heavily to emphasize that the law of noncontradiction is absolutely true, and I am not going to address it any further since, as Lewis once said, that is another book.

Rene Descartes struggled with a problem of truth.  How, he asked, can we know that anything is true?  He concluded that all things could be uncertain.  He seeked to find the one thing which he could know for certain to be true.  Many philosophers of his day turned to mathematics, but even Descartes admitted that there could be an evil malevolent demon who twisted his sense of logic, tricking him into thinking that math was true.  The only thing Descartes said he knew for sure was that he existed.  He knew that he was thinking these thoughts at each moment of his existence.  Hence, Descartes’ famous line, “I think, therefore I am.”

As a Christian, I know that I exist; I know that God exists through empirical evidence; and I also know that there is a such thing as truth.  I know that my senses may deceive me.  I know that I could inaccurately think of a theory about God and that that theory could be incorrect.  What we as Christians seek is a source of absolute truth.  There are several potential sources of information.  I could sense in my heart that God is saying something to me, but I could be wrong.  For instance, I could feel that God is telling me to sell everything and move my Arryn and I to Maui, but I cannot know for absolute certain that those thoughts are of God and not simply my own ideas leading me to do that.

As a Christian, I recognize my own fallibility or ability to err, but I know that everything I know about God is based upon absolute truth; an absolute truth which is revealed through the Bible.  This was one of the great doctrines that the Roman Catholics and the Reformers debated so heavily.  The Catholics believed that truth could be learned from not only the Bible, but also from the councils and church history.  They believed that the Pope, when speaking ex cathedra, spoke infallibly.  As Protestants, we recognize that although we can know things and learn them from nature (“for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made”), we cannot know specific things about God.  For us to know truth about God, we must have what theologians call “special revelation”.

Protestants say that the only source of special revelation or unveiling of God’s character is found in the Bible.  This is my second major assumption in writing this: that absolute truth does exist and that the only way of knowing absolute truth is through the Bible.  If the Bible proclaims absolute truth and it does exist, then I also conclude that there is one interpretation of the entire Bible, which could possibly be completely true.  I do not claim that there does exist an entirely correct theological system, but that it would be possible for someone to have a completely correct theological system, based on the Bible.

It is this entirely correct theological system, which all theologians strive to discover.  It is the quest for an absolutely true interpretation of the Bible, which is God’s Word.  Paul exhorts Timothy to avoid “any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:10).  This is a theme that runs throughout the Pastoral Letters (1 Tim. 3:9; 4:6; 6:3; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; 2:2; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1-2).

One may accuse me of journeying upon hallowed ground, a place where only angels tread, a place where men ought to be silent.  But I believe that men have tread here; great men; Christ, Peter, James, Paul, Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, Aquinas, Francis Schaeffer, Sproul, and J.I. Packer.  These men of God were never silent on this issue and they speak without fear even to this day.  They spoke authoritatively because they firmly believed that the scriptures led them to embrace God’s sovereignty; that is where their confidence lay.

May our own confidence lay in the Word of God with His Spirit truthfully guiding our minds as we explore the deep things.

 

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