Humble Orthodoxy

"I really dig theology." Those are my own words, but I'm pretty sure Luther or Calvin or Spurgeon said them, too. Those guys were giants, however, and I'm just 5'11" and have been since high school.

Theology is fascinating, of course, because of the subject matter and is more rewarding than wealth, strength or brainpower. Just hover your mouse over Jeremiah 9:23-24 to find out more about that. Even in the knowledge of God, however, we can become boastful.

I quote Josh Harris from his book "Dug Down Deep" :

"Do you want to keep your orthodoxy humble? Try to live it. Don't spend all your time theorizing about it, debating about it, or blogging about it. Spend more energy living the truth you know than worrying about what the next guy does or doesn't know. Don't measure yourself by what you know. Measure yourself by your practice of what you know."

Theology must go beyond knowing facts to understanding the subject (even though we may begin to apprehend, we will never fully comprehend Him!). There is a qualification in the verse above, that those who know God should understand, not facts only, but also that He exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth. One should be able to say, yes, I know God - but more importantly, I have seen His works, I am known by Him and belong to Him.

I've found that I can be prone to get excited about knowing things about God without an equally increasing zeal for God Himself. What I know should change my heart, and therefore my actions as well.