Can Theology Be For The Young?
It seems that in today’s western Church, the word “theology” has become taboo for many. Some Christians hear the word and think of a lofty system of teaching reserved only for seminary students. Some hear the word theology and think of that Bible trivia jerk they once encountered in a bible study or Sunday school class. Still, others hear the word and find it to be nothing more than an accolade. They falsely conclude by then saying, “I don’t need theology, I just need Jesus.” It seems that those who would identify with one of these false statements are operating with a poor definition of theology.
The Immutability of God
So, is Heraclitus, correct? Is the only constant in life change? No, there is a much more and sure constancy. One of God’s attributes, which is foundational to His nature, is His immutability. This means that God does not change. This doctrine is much more important than you might think. How is it that God does not change?
JESUS: THE GREATER DANIEL
God sent a willing Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar to be a mediator and redeemer of his people. God had also given to Daniel all that was needed to appease the wrath of the king. Jesus was sent by God the Father (John 3:16, Romans 8:3) to do for his people what his people could not do on their own (obey God’s commands and satisfy His wrath). Unlike Adam, Jesus fully obeyed God’s law and fulfilled all righteousness. He stood in his people’s place and satisfied the wrath of God the King perfectly. (1 John 2:2, 2 Corinthians 5:21) He saves completely so that his people can go free and are no longer condemned. (Romans 8:1)
WHAT IS THE CHURCH?
The church is a building. Perhaps you are envisioning a grand cathedral, a quaint chapel, a location in a strip mall, or a school auditorium. While these are just a few of the many places that the church gathers, this is not the sort of building pictured throughout Scripture. In fact, it is ironic that when you ask most people about the church they attend they usually identify a physical building. Yet we see that Romans 16:5 says
SOLA GRATIA
Sola gratia is the Latin term meaning “grace alone.” While the doctrine comes from the Scriptures, the terminology of sola gratia (grace alone) comes from a movement known as the Protestant Reformation. This movement began on October 31st, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg Germany. The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century Church movement that served in many ways as a revolt against the corruption and unbiblical practices of the Church in Rome (The Roman Catholic Church).
SOLA FIDE
Sola Fide is the Latin phrase for “faith alone.” This phrase was the motto of the Protestant Reformation. “Faith alone” was a phrase coined to answer the question, “By what means are sinners justified before a Holy God?” This was considered the material cause of the Reformation and was of such vital importance that it was argued to be “the doctrine by which the church stands or falls.” While the phrase arose during the Reformation, it was certainly not a doctrine that was invented during this time.
WHAT IS THE TRINITY?
The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most significant doctrines found in all of Scripture and foundational to the Christian Church. Knowing and having some understanding of the Trinity is therefore important to knowing God and how we are to relate to Him. The great challenge lies in how to effectively communicate this spiritual truth in a clear manner. There is nothing in our natural world that remotely compares to the Trinity and any attempt to draw from nature or human experience as a way of such comparison falls woefully short.
SOLA SCRIPTURA
The doctrine of Sola Scriptura, Latin for Scripture alone, became prominent during the time of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation principle of Sola Scriptura has to do with both the infallibility and sufficiency of Scripture in all spiritual matters. This doctrine is predicated on the belief that the Bible, by nature, is the divine revelation of God. Scripture is therefore the perfect and only standard of spiritual truth. The Second London Baptist Confession states it this way: “The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience.”
WHAT IS SALVATION?
But what is salvation? What does it really mean to be saved? The word “saved” in the Bible is also translated as “delivered.” So a Christian is a person who has been delivered from something or someone, which begs the question - what or who has the Christian been saved from? For these answers we must look to the Scriptures. Let me also add that this subject is far too exhaustive to explore in one article. We will only scratch the surface of what it means to be saved.
THE NATURE OF BAPTISM
The first thing we must understand is that Jesus commanded baptism to take place as seen in the Great Commission passage (Matthew 28:18-20). Yet we also see in Scripture that salvation is by faith alone, apart from works. So, this leaves us three possible scenarios:
WHO IS JESUS?
Over the last two-thousand years, there have been countless views as to who the person of Jesus was. Some have claimed and believed that Jesus was a prophet of God. Others have said that he was a good teacher, still, others say that he was nothing other than a historical figure; a man, a first-century carpenter from the city of Nazareth. There have been many others who have gone so far as to argue that Jesus never existed and is simply a myth.
THE WRATH AND JUSTICE OF GOD
Is God a God of love? Yes! Is God a God of wrath? Yes, and there is no better place where both of these attributes work together more beautifully than at the cross. The wrath of God is holy justice. I would argue that without an understanding of the wrath and justice of God one can not know the true gospel.
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
You would think such a straight forward question would be relatively simple to answer. However, that is not the case. When the question has been posed to a variety of people it is amazing at the amount of significantly different answers or non answers have been provided. Some of the responses I have heard or read about have included the following.
WHAT IS REPENTANCE?
Repentance means to “change one’s mind”. In the scriptures, we see that true repentance is a change in one’s mind as to who the person of Jesus Christ is and what He has done. In Acts chapter 2, the Apostle Peter delivers a sermon to a group of non-believers in Jeruselum where he proclaims the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
WHAT IS THE LORD'S SUPPER?
Have you ever stopped to realize the strangeness of the Lord’s Supper? Many Christians have taken this meal for years and perhaps have found themselves in a familiar routine: A call to remember the sacrifice of Jesus. A morsel of bread. A sip of wine. This strangeness no longer confronts our senses. But imagine you are attending church for the first time or you are a young child witnessing Christians receiving these elements. As each member holds a piece of bread you hear “This is my body.” Then wine (or grape juice) is received and the pastor says, “This is my blood.” What in the world is going on here?
THE MOTIVATION OF GOD
Charles Spurgeon believed that a theology that promoted the supremacy of the glory of God is worthy of “every second of our attention.” In a day and age in which humanism is the prominent worldview, this is the kind of truth that must saturate our souls. Many would strive to make man be the reason God acts, but that is not what the Bible declares. Why does God do what he does? God does everything for the sake of His glory.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
This is the pertinent question is it not? What is the Gospel? Certainly, the Apostle Paul had the utmost importance of the Gospel when he said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” So, if the gospel is the power of God for salvation, what is it? What is the substance and essence that makes up the definition of the “gospel?”
