Is Theological Knowledge Beneficial or Detrimental?
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Athanasius of Alexandria
a 4th century theologian
Image found at http://www.ntcanon.org/Athanasius.shtml
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Often times in the church, we see issues of theology and knowledge stirring up strife. Some church goers who seem very familiar with the Word and very knowledgeable when it comes to theological topics come across as prideful, arrogant, and condescending. This
raises the question: does God desire for us to have a rich knowledge of Him and
His Word, or would it be more beneficial for us to not
have a developed theological mind and rather to just "love Him and love others"? It is appealing to believe that the second
option would lend itself to less arguments with one another and a trouble-free, unoffensive love for God. However, I
think that a person who truly knows God and is in a loving relationship with
Him will be drawn to feed upon God’s Word, thus knowing Him more intimately,
and in so doing be transformed to truly love as God has loved him.
Knowledge without a loving heart
is worthless, but love without knowledge is equally problematic. Knowledge
without love causes arrogance, and in the church, arrogance breeds disunity and can hinder the spread of the Gospel. Love without knowledge can lead to false teaching, can deceive people and possibly prevents others from hearing the life saving message of the true gospel. If we take either one without the other we
are in danger of committing a grave error.
Love must always be in accordance with the truth, and the truth must
always be steeped in love.
This is where it's right to say that any deep study of theology should be primarily focused on the Word of God - using other authors and resources only to supplement Scripture. Also, such a study should be saturated in prayer, and the learner should rely on the Holy Spirit to ultimately renew the mind and transform the whole person. When this happens, it would seem that growing biblical knowledge would be accompanied by a recognition of the Great and awesome God of Scripture, the lavish love of the Savior, and would result in proper humility of the believer. Someone who is transformed by Scripture should exude a passion for God's Word that causes them to share truth in a loving, exuberant way rather than a belittling, condescending way.
The Bible itself teaches that the pursuit of Scriptural knowledge, and theological understanding, is vital but it must be accompanied by humility and love. The following passages point to this.
This is where it's right to say that any deep study of theology should be primarily focused on the Word of God - using other authors and resources only to supplement Scripture. Also, such a study should be saturated in prayer, and the learner should rely on the Holy Spirit to ultimately renew the mind and transform the whole person. When this happens, it would seem that growing biblical knowledge would be accompanied by a recognition of the Great and awesome God of Scripture, the lavish love of the Savior, and would result in proper humility of the believer. Someone who is transformed by Scripture should exude a passion for God's Word that causes them to share truth in a loving, exuberant way rather than a belittling, condescending way.
The Bible itself teaches that the pursuit of Scriptural knowledge, and theological understanding, is vital but it must be accompanied by humility and love. The following passages point to this.
Hosea 4:1-9 (NASB)
4 Listen
to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,
For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land,
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
Because there is no faithfulness or kindness
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery.
They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,
And everyone who lives in it languishes
Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky,
And also the fish of the sea disappear.
4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 So you will stumble by day,
And the prophet also will stumble with you by night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they multiplied, the more they sinned against Me;
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
I will change their glory into shame.
8 They feed on the sin of My people
And direct their desire toward their iniquity.
9 And it will be, like people, like priest;
So I will punish them for their ways
And repay them for their deeds.
Romans 10:1-16 (NASB)
10 Brethren,
my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with
knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish
their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ
is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone
who believes.
5 For
Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based
on law shall live by
that righteousness.6 But the
righteousness based
on faith speaks as follows: “Do
not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that
is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring
Christ up from the dead).” 8 But
what does it say? “The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of
faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you
confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,
and believe in your heart
that God raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved;10 for
with the heart a person believes, resulting
in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting
in salvation. 11 For
the Scripture says, “Whoever
believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 12 For there
is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord
of all, abounding in
riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”
14 How
then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they
believe in Him whom
they have not heard? And how will they hear without a
preacher? 15 How
will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”
16 However,
they did not all heed the good
news; for Isaiah says, “Lord,
who has believed our report?” 17 So
faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the
word of Christ.
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
12 Therefore 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. 2 And 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.
1 Timothy 2:1-15 (NASB)
14 Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a
workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB)
2 Therefore, putting aside all malice and
all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babies,
long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in
respect to salvation, 3 if you
have tasted the kindness of the Lord.
Ephesians 4:1-16
4 Therefore
I, the prisoner of the
Lord, implore you to walk
in a manner worthy of the calling
with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing
tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There
is one body and one
Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope
of your calling; 5 one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one
God and Father of all who is
over all and through all and in all.
7 But to
each one of us grace
was given according
to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it
says,
“When He ascended on high,
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”
He led captive a host of captives,
And He gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now
this expression, “He ascended,”
what does it mean except
that He also had
descended into the
lower parts of the earth? 10 He who
descended is Himself also He who ascended far
above all the heavens, so that He might fill
all things.)11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building
up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried
about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from
whom the whole body, being
fitted and held together by
what every joint supplies, according to the proper
working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building
up of itself in
love.
~Trev
~Trev
