Why Theology Matters More Than You Think

Theology, what is it and why should we study it? According to Merriam-Webster, Theology is, “the study of God and of God’s relation to the world.” That answers the what, but what is the why? The why can be found in 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul tells Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Of course, there is more to the why, and this article will delve into that, but for brevity’s sake, that verse sums it up well enough. The purpose of this blog is to not only understand God, but to understand His relation to creation. It is not enough to teach on His aseity or immutability. Knowing about Him is not nearly as important as knowing Him. You may ask, “but what is the difference?” The difference is astronomical. You may know that He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. But those are just His attributes. To know God is to know why He does what He does. It is not enough to know that He can. I want to know why He would.

The culmination of all my study, the crescendo of every book I’ve read, the pinnacle of every prayer I have prayed can be summed up in this. What motivates God? What is His heartbeat? What is His purpose in everything that He does?

Theology and our day-to-day lives

I may have lost some of you by this point, but fret not. Theology is not just for the seminarian or the clergy, but it is also for you, the laity who do not feel like they need to devote much time to the subject. Theology is not something that can be contained within the confines of academia. But rather, it influences our day-to-day life. Theology directly influences our vertical and horizontal relationships. Vertical meaning our relationship with God. Horizontal meaning our relationship with man. Someone who is genuine in their walk with Christ cannot study theology without themselves being shaped into His image. The more you learn, the more you will take on His persona.

Theology and the fruit of the spirit

This is my personal opinion, but I am not sure that the fruit of the Spirit can be nurtured without theology. Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit as, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Time and time again, Scripture compares us Gentiles to branches grafted in. We are the branch, He is the tree. The fruit are not our fruits, but they are His fruits growing through us. If we fail to bear the fruit, it is not His failure, but ours. So how do we encourage the cultivation of fruit in our lives? It is through theology. The more we study Him, the closer we will be like Him and the fruit of the Spirit will correspondingly start to grow.

Theology and Worship

According to Sailer, “Theology is tested by the reality of worship, whether or not it stays with its center, namely, with the living God and his church. Conversely, worship, in its concrete historical form, is constantly called to spiritual responsibility through ‘sound doctrine.’”¹ Worship is always dependent upon theology. Sure, you can still carry out the procedures of a worship service. That is evident by the children of Israel having a “worship service” while Moses was on the mount. But is that the kind of worship we want to have? Do we want to create an atmosphere of emotionalism that is utterly devoid of right doctrine? Some say, “the results speak for themselves,” but that is a fallacy. You can ride the emotional rollercoaster, you can jump and dance on the right verses and stanzas, you may even feel His presence start to come in the room, but causation does not equal correlation. Revival isn’t trademarked by the Apostolic Church. In fact, America has experienced two Great Awakenings. 

There are songs that do not exude biblical truths with the same precision as others, so why do we sing them? We sing them because they get a reaction from the congregation. It seems that in some locales, among some congregations, there is an emphasis on the receiver of the worship service, and not necessarily the worship itself. One doesn’t have to receive a degree in worship studies to know what it is. Worship is a song that you sing that brings glory to the Creator, if He isn’t receiving all of the glory, there’s a problem. When you have the right theology, you will have the right worship. True worship always follows true doctrine, and never vice versa.

Why Study Theology?

Theology is far more than an academic discipline. It affects our everyday life, our spiritual growth, and our worship of the Creator. If you want to learn of God, you study His Word. There is no fancy answer as to why we should study Theology. We should study simply so that we may know Him. This blog will endeavor to understand Him, His Word, and His relation to our world, and our relation to others. The direction for the blog may change, and I may get some things wrong, but what matters is that we continue pressing toward the mark together. Thank you for taking the time to read this introductory post, and I look forward to taking this theological journey together.

1. William Sailer et al., Religious and Theological Abstracts (Myerstown, PA: Religious and Theological Abstracts, 2012). ↩︎