Obviously, living as Christians entails living obediently by the Bible’s ethical standards, and it is thus necessary to study and learn Scripture, if we are going to be able to do so. Orthopraxy (correct action) requires orthodoxy (correct belief). To do the things we are called to do by God (like being an artist), we must study the Bible to be able to understand how to do our calling (such as art) in ways which please the Lord Who has called us. Yet, if our primary goal as Christians is to feel good about our relationship with God, then, rather than studying the Bible as a guide for our lives and callings, so that we can live obediently to please God, Bible study becomes only a “quiet time,” when we seek to have some emotional experience of God, Our attendance at church becomes primarily a quest for a feel-good experience, rather than a ministry to God (an ethical action) of praise and an opportunity to hear God speak to us through His Word and Sacraments, equipping us to please Him further by obediently performing His Will outside the walls of the church-building. Bad theology of this sort drives many from church to church seeking an emotional experience (sometimes called a “blessing” or “meeting my spiritual needs,” or any number of other spiritual-sounding euphemisms for self-fixated emotional idolatry), rather than finding a place where they are needed and can help build up Christ’s Body. To do our callings, we must attend to God’s Word, and we must do so on His terms, not our own, with our focus on the fullness of what He wants us to take away from Scripture, not on a partial understanding which reinforces our self-centeredness and laziness. Lord willing, more on bad theology in the next issue. ~via Kemper Crabb
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 03:39:45 +0000
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