Theology Thursdays: Behold Your God
Isaiah 40:9–10
[9] Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah,“Behold your God!”
[10] Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. (ESV)
I’m going to dive right in. I believe the greatest need for the church today is to really know who God is. J.I Packer writes, “Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit; the spirit that is, that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God.
I believe J.I. Packer is absolutely right. As H.B. Charles says in his book “On Worship, “Without a proper view of God, you have nothing. Only when you see God properly, will everything else be brought into focus.”
Only when we understand who God is: infinite in holiness and power, majestic in his sovereignty, perfect in his goodness, consistent in his faithfulness, will we truly understand everything else.
As noted in yesterday’s blog post, the reason why most modern worship is so anemic is that many have such a low view of God. The reason evangelism doesn’t happen is because we have a low view of God, and therefore a low view of salvation.
In many cases theology seems to become a merely academic exercise for pastors and seminary students. But theology is immensely practical.
So what are the practical benefits of having a right view of God:
A Deeper relationship with God. The point of theology is not so we will be puffed up with information, but that we know God better. For example, we don’t study the love of God, just to have intellectual knowledge about God’s love. We do so that according to Ephesians 3:19, “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Seeking guidance: When we know God’s omniscience and wisdom, we will seek him for guidance in various aspects of our life. the Bible assures us that God is all knowing (Psalm 147:5) and that He grants wisdom to those who ask (James 1:5).
Finding comfort and strength. When we understand God’s sovereignty and that he has a purpose behind our suffering., and that he is good, and works “all things for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28), then we can trust him even when life seems to be spinning out of control, because we know that even though life is chaotic and troublesome to use, he is upholding and sustaining all things, and sovereignly orchestrating them for our good, and His glory.
Encouraging Worship and Adoration: This was the point of the post yesterday. When we grasp his holiness, majesty, and glory we are moved to praise and exalt Him above all else.
Guiding Christian Living: As people who bear the image of God and called to reflect this image in the world, Knowing God and his attributes help us to live rightly in the world. For example, knowing God’s holiness, we know what it means to live a holy life. In 1 Peter 1:15, “As he who called you is holy, so be holy in all your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy for I am holy.” We are called to live a holy life, but we do not understand what that means until we can first grasp what it means for God to be holy. Understanding God’s holiness helps us to live our lives of holiness. Also, when we understand that God is love, and knowing how God loves us, we are to love others as he loved us (1 John 4:11). We do not truly understand how we ought to be loving, until we first understand biblically what it means for God to be loving.
Strengthening our Faith: When we know God’s attributes, namely his faithfulness and trustworthiness, we can put all of our hope in him, even when things don’t make since to us, or when circumstances are hard.
So, as we embark on our study of God on Theology Thursdays, I don’t want you to be afraid of the word “theology” because you heard someone say theology and doctrine are divisive. Sure they can be and sometimes rightfully so when it comes down to truth verses error, but sometimes unnecessarily so when christians divide over their particular views over lesser theological matters. But Theology is a Word about God, and it is crucial to our lives as Christians to know God rightly and biblically. It is important that we submit what our grannies and our pastors taught us at the feet of biblical authority. What does the Bible say about God? That is exactly what we are going to do in the weeks ahead, and I hope you are just as excited as I am.
Next Week we will dive into exploring: Our Unchanging God.
