Practical Theology

Does your belief impact your behavior?

 

I am one of those kinds of people who enjoy talking about theology. I also like to read theological books that go under the surface level issues and dig into the roots of theological issues. I want to understand the nature of God and of the gospel on their foundational levels. It doesn’t take a builder to understand that the foundation affects the house. If the foundation is not secure, neither will the house be secure. If the foundation has serious cracks, the house could be in danger.

 

Part of my ministry and preaching philosophy is to help people understand the nature of God and the foundation of His plan for our lives. My belief is that people will be more likely to honor God when they understand Him, than they will by being moved by emotional stories that are often used to motivate people. While emotion does motivate, I think we are better motivated by understanding God and the issues at hand. That is why I preach and minister as I do.

 

That is the long way of saying that our theology affects and influences how we live our lives. You live out what you believe about God. You may not like that statement, but you do, and so do I. We may not live it out exactly, but we live it out more than we care to admit.

 

I have begun a series on 1 John on Sunday mornings. This is such a practical book. In essence, John is saying, “God is like this, so live this way.” In other words, “Let your theology impact your lifestyle. Let your theology find a practical expression.” And surely, it does, even when we don’t like what it looks like.  

 

One of John’s major ideas of 1 John is his writings to the Christians telling them to “love one another.”  Again, let your theology impact your lifestyle. The situation had become such that the disagreements in the community John was writing to had begun to influence the relationships in negative ways. The disagreements had become personal. Whenever disagreements become personal, everyone loses. John was telling them to let their love for God supersede their personal feelings of hurt, bitterness, anger, or being wronged. He was reminding them that it really wasn’t about them. He was exhorting them to let their beliefs about God so impact their lives, that they could overlook their disagreements and let love be the single characteristic that defined their community. Why?  Because, Jesus said all men would know that we are His disciples because of our love. Because, without love, nothing of any significance gets done in the church.  Because, without love, our communities will grow stale and cold. Because, without love, the sanctuary might as well be a dance hall. Because, without love, God is not honored among us.  

 

By love, John didn’t mean some sentimental rubbish that helped us “tolerate” each other. Not once, anywhere in the bible, are we called to tolerate each other, and yet often, that seems to be the best we can muster. He meant, “Let your love imitate Christ’s love, which covers a multitude of sins.” He calls us to a love that loves, gives, and serves each other, His body, regardless of if that person has offended you. This love must be seen. If it isn’t seen, it isn’t real. It must be evidenced between two people who disagree. It must lead a person to serve a person who has offended him. It must cause a person to honor another with whom he or she has disagreed. Real love leads people to treat others as Christ would treat them. It must get practical. Love that is not practical is not love. It is sentimental rubbish.

 

So does your theology get practical when people offend you? Do you strive to love, even though you don’t want to? Is your goal to honor Christ, or to get even? Do you want to treat them the way they treated you, or treat them the way you want to be treated?

 

Brothers and sisters, let your theology find practical expression, by striving toward a lifestyle of Christlike love.

 

Sept. 2011