Does God choose who will go to heaven? If yes, does that also mean He chooses who goes to hell? Is this basically what predestination is all about?
Does GENESIS believe in predestination, and if yes, then how does that belief interact with free will? Do we even have free will?
What about the sovereignty of God… is God sovereign over everything, or just some things? If God is sovereign over everything, then why does He allow evil to exist… is He not powerful enough to stop it, or does He just not care?
What about the Bible… does GENESIS believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God? What about the Old Testament… do we pay attention to those 39 books, or do we just focus on Jesus and the 27 books in the New Testament?
Whether you’ve wrestled with one or all of the above questions, the wrestling match taking place is theological in nature. In other words, all of those questions delve into theology… the study of God.
EVERYONE EVERYWHERE IS A THEOLOGIAN
Yes, you read that correctly… everyone everywhere has thoughts on God. Even the atheist is a theologian because the atheist is making conclusions on what they ‘think’ about God, namely, that He does not exist.
Whether we’ve given voice to this or not, our THEOLOGY impacts and influences literally every aspect of who we are and how we live.
Your theology…
it shapes how you think about and relate with God…
it shapes you, very specifically, your identity…
it shapes how you think about and relate with those around you…
it shapes how you approach work or school…
it shapes how you think about money, finances, and stewardship…
it shapes how you think about relaxation and rest…
it shapes how you think about… WELL EVERYTHING.
As we continue this series of devotionals entitled ‘THIS IS US’, a series in which we are peeling back the curtain as it were to all things GENESIS (missions, vision, DNA, values, etc.), for today’s devotional, I wanted to begin to unpack our THEOLOGY.
But before I can do that, for today, I just wanted all of us to sit with the above statement…
EVERYONE EVERYWHERE IS A THEOLOGIAN
To err on the side of clarity here… EVERYONE INCLUDES YOU.
You are a theologian… you have thoughts about God… we ALL do.
Are you a good theologian?
Are you a bad theologian?
These are interesting questions to ask, but they are ultimately not the right questions to ask. Rather, THE QUESTION you must have an answer for would be this…
ARE YOU A BIBLICAL THEOLOGIAN?
In other words, is how you think about God consistent with how God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word? That is our starting point.
Next Wednesday (10/29), I’ll begin to unpack how GENESIS thinks, lives, and operates ‘theologically’ speaking, but before we go there, please take a moment to consider THE QUESTION…
ARE YOU A BIBLICAL THEOLOGIAN?
Is how you think about God, who He is, what He is like, and how He has chosen to operate within the world He created consistent with God’s character, mission, and methods as revealed in His Word?
Not seeking to be overdramatic with this, but that one question is HUGE! And here’s why I say that… if our thoughts on God are not consistent with who God is and what God is like, then in time, things like culture, or politics, or even our experiences will begin to shape how we see, think, and interact with God. And to state the obvious here, that’s not good.
But what is GOOD is when our thoughts about God are shaped by His Word, because thinking rightly about God leads to living life rightly with God, ourselves, and the world around us.
