Why read about men's lives who have finished the race, or of theology or of church history?
Hebrews 10:36
English Standard Version (ESV)
36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Hebrews 6:11-12
English Standard Version (ESV)
11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
(Dude's emphasis)
Its important to learn Church History. With the "deviance of the norm" from each coming new generation; the new generation is more used to something else from the previous. How can we stand on a solid ground as to how Christians historically always followed Christ before? It is a good guidance for us to know and to be able to compare with the direction and current of all of history. Nothing is new under the sun; if a "new" teaching is coming about, it is almost certainly heresy. Not necessarily a black and white truth, but it is a guiding principle. There have been a lot of great men and women who have walked with the Lord and have drank deeply of Christ. Some of these words were written through sweat, blood, tears, prayer, and in the midst of persecution.
(Dude's emphasis)
Its important to learn Church History. With the "deviance of the norm" from each coming new generation; the new generation is more used to something else from the previous. How can we stand on a solid ground as to how Christians historically always followed Christ before? It is a good guidance for us to know and to be able to compare with the direction and current of all of history. Nothing is new under the sun; if a "new" teaching is coming about, it is almost certainly heresy. Not necessarily a black and white truth, but it is a guiding principle. There have been a lot of great men and women who have walked with the Lord and have drank deeply of Christ. Some of these words were written through sweat, blood, tears, prayer, and in the midst of persecution.
John 17:17
English Standard Version (ESV)
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
The word of God is truth, and is what sanctifies us and teaches us and grows us. But those who have been strengthened and led by the Lord can sometimes help us through Jesus guidance to understand and know God's word better. But let us not forget that if we read other men, that the one who is most important to read of is Jesus himself.
But we should examine every Spirit and every teaching thrown at us. It should never contradict God's word. It is important to always look at context, and to use the new testament apostles for interpreting the Old Testament because they were guided by God and had their eyes opened in how to understand the scriptures.
Why learn about theology?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2DUKPUKgAI
The word of God is truth, and is what sanctifies us and teaches us and grows us. But those who have been strengthened and led by the Lord can sometimes help us through Jesus guidance to understand and know God's word better. But let us not forget that if we read other men, that the one who is most important to read of is Jesus himself.
But we should examine every Spirit and every teaching thrown at us. It should never contradict God's word. It is important to always look at context, and to use the new testament apostles for interpreting the Old Testament because they were guided by God and had their eyes opened in how to understand the scriptures.
Why learn about theology?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2DUKPUKgAI
Hebrews 5:12-14
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Scripture tells us to crave spiritual milk when we first come to the faith, but then we are to like growing children, to desire meat and heavier foods. Or tough cell walls to chew up for all of you vegetarians.
Theology is extremely important because it is what we think of God. Imagine if you have the wrong God in your mind that you have loved. Certainly no one is perfect, but there are many who who love a God that they have formed with their own mind and not the true Jesus.
I feel with the sentiments of Leonard Ravenhill in "Agony":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eSk9YTXxtg
Spiritual babes. So many. Wandering younglings needing leaders. IF we never find ourselves entering adulthood spiritually, perhaps it is evidence that we have instead not truly loved Jesus. Because as we grow in Him, we will thirst and hunger more. If you think "theology is for other people," "that's not my thing," then are you saying that JESUS is not your thing? Understanding and loving Jesus isn't your thing? Be very careful of such language.
The dangers of theology does not outweigh the danger of not seeking to know theology. The danger of having false theology and being to afraid and cowardly or lazy and slothful to truly seek what is right. Can you imagine loving your wife but never truly desiring to know who she is? Haven't you heard that the cowardly do not make it to heaven? (Rev. 21:8). Now if you are new to Christianity, we should slow down. We are not a works based belief system. We should not put rulers of holiness to everyone in the church of whether or not they are just holy enough at the moment. Rather, is our affections actually for him? If we are cowards it seems it could begin to reveal true affections overtime that are not for Christ but for health, for acceptance or other things. But do not forget! If we are in Christ, it is no more of the law, no more of following rules to earn acceptance in God's eyes, salvation through mercy through faith. Yet, the key is how do we know when we are in Christ or if we have not come to know him? Plus, our goal is to glorify Him, we are wasting our lives and choking ourselves not to go to the one who helps and loves us. Stubbornness is slow suicide (sometimes quick--you never know). Why bite the hand that feeds you? The danger of "theology" can be that we get too focused on ideas, and words, and forget that Jesus is a person. We are falling in love a with somebody, not just an idea. Affection is the goal. If affection and joy in Christ are our goals then we should be a people of prayer and study; of memorization and worship, discipline and dancing, of theology and singing, boldness and gentleness. Like Jesus, who was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Or as John Piper puts it, we are to seek after having a backbone of steel in theology coupled with tendered heartedness.
Another danger is the problem of pride or arrogance. We do not want to become big headed but to be a people who are violently after humility as Pastor Tim Conway puts it.
"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” --1 Peter 5:5
Scripture tells us to crave spiritual milk when we first come to the faith, but then we are to like growing children, to desire meat and heavier foods. Or tough cell walls to chew up for all of you vegetarians.
Theology is extremely important because it is what we think of God. Imagine if you have the wrong God in your mind that you have loved. Certainly no one is perfect, but there are many who who love a God that they have formed with their own mind and not the true Jesus.
I feel with the sentiments of Leonard Ravenhill in "Agony":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eSk9YTXxtg
Spiritual babes. So many. Wandering younglings needing leaders. IF we never find ourselves entering adulthood spiritually, perhaps it is evidence that we have instead not truly loved Jesus. Because as we grow in Him, we will thirst and hunger more. If you think "theology is for other people," "that's not my thing," then are you saying that JESUS is not your thing? Understanding and loving Jesus isn't your thing? Be very careful of such language.
The dangers of theology does not outweigh the danger of not seeking to know theology. The danger of having false theology and being to afraid and cowardly or lazy and slothful to truly seek what is right. Can you imagine loving your wife but never truly desiring to know who she is? Haven't you heard that the cowardly do not make it to heaven? (Rev. 21:8). Now if you are new to Christianity, we should slow down. We are not a works based belief system. We should not put rulers of holiness to everyone in the church of whether or not they are just holy enough at the moment. Rather, is our affections actually for him? If we are cowards it seems it could begin to reveal true affections overtime that are not for Christ but for health, for acceptance or other things. But do not forget! If we are in Christ, it is no more of the law, no more of following rules to earn acceptance in God's eyes, salvation through mercy through faith. Yet, the key is how do we know when we are in Christ or if we have not come to know him? Plus, our goal is to glorify Him, we are wasting our lives and choking ourselves not to go to the one who helps and loves us. Stubbornness is slow suicide (sometimes quick--you never know). Why bite the hand that feeds you? The danger of "theology" can be that we get too focused on ideas, and words, and forget that Jesus is a person. We are falling in love a with somebody, not just an idea. Affection is the goal. If affection and joy in Christ are our goals then we should be a people of prayer and study; of memorization and worship, discipline and dancing, of theology and singing, boldness and gentleness. Like Jesus, who was full of GRACE and TRUTH. Or as John Piper puts it, we are to seek after having a backbone of steel in theology coupled with tendered heartedness.
Another danger is the problem of pride or arrogance. We do not want to become big headed but to be a people who are violently after humility as Pastor Tim Conway puts it.
"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” --1 Peter 5:5
Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter:
http://media.sermonaudio.com/mediapdf/911112156502.pdf
Also get this! Any book that you copy and paste from this website to google and add "pdf" will get you a link to the full book. By the grace of the good Lord, God has provided great thoughts from Dr. John Piper for the world in easy access. Even in some other languages:
http://www.jesuseveryday.com/free_christian_books/free_John_Piper_books.htm
Even more from desiringgod's website!
14 Free E-books from desiringgod:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/14-free-ebooks-for-you
More free writings from old theologians. Men like John Bunyan, Arthur Pink, Augustine, John Newton, John Murray, E.M. Bounds, John Owen, John Calvin, John Reisinger, J.C. Ryle, Jonathan Edwards, Samuel Rutherford, John Flavel, Spurgeon (he can be found easily on Blue Letter Bible), John Gill, A.W. Tozer, Matthew Henry, Thomas Watson, William Wilberforce, George Whitefield, and Martin Luther....to name a few. This is a solid recourse.
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/books/onlinebooks.html
Theologian R.C. Sproul's commentary on John:
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/rc-sprouls-commentary-john-free-ebook/?utm_source=ET&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FreeJohn
This is a book being read by this couple, if you haven't heard this story, it is worth watching:
http://vimeo.com/38033654
This Momentary Marriage by John Piper:
http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_bmm/bmm.pdf
Also, if you have not heard of "Blue Letter Bible," it is a great recourse online.
http://www.blueletterbible.org
Just search a verse and click on it; and you can get the Greek, the Hebrew, commentaries, and cross-references.
