Is Theological Knowledge Beneficial or Detrimental?

Is Theological Knowledge Beneficial or Detrimental?

Athanasius of Alexandria 

a 4th century theologian 

Image found  at http://www.ntcanon.org/Athanasius.shtml

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (NASB)

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.”

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