Recently, I was asked by a stranger what I studied in school. For me, this question is quite revealing. I have a bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and a Master’s degree in Theology. So by necessity, this means that I am going to talk about God and theology with anyone who asks me this question.
So in response to the question and as I began to explain what I studied, I was met with an interesting reaction. He asked me, “Why?” “Why did you choose to study something like the Bible or Theology? Weren’t you concerned that it would destroy your faith?”
I was absolutely struck by his question. I began to think to myself… Why would studying the Bible destroy my confidence in it? Why would studying God destroy my faith in Him? In fact, the purpose for my journey in school was the exact opposite. I hoped to deepen my faith through my studies.
So, I asked him to elaborate, and he began to explain his faith to me. For this man, faith was meant to remain unseen and unstudied. For this man, a further study of the object of his faith would reveal his lack of faith. For this man, the Bible was to be believed without question and did not require further study. His faith was simple; love God and love people.
Now, on the surface this viewpoint can seem positive and even attractive. There is a beauty in this man’s simplicity. However, we must consider this man’s understanding of faith more deeply.
First, To Love is To Know.
This man reminded me of Jesus’ command to “Love God and love others.” This is an incredible and all-encompassing command for us as followers of Christ that will inevitably drive us to want to know God better.
Consider a marriage relationship. I cannot say that I love my wife well if I refuse or have no interest in knowing her better. My love for my wife leads me to study her, to learn what she likes, and to understand her more fully. My growing affection for my wife leads me to an on going pursuit of knowing her more and more. The same is true in my love for God. To know Him is to love him, and to love Him is to desire to know him more.
Theology simply means, “The study of God.” We, who follow Christ and have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, should be driven to theology! Our love for Christ should drive us to know Him more, to study Him, and to grow in our knowledge of who He is. To love God is to love knowing Him. In other words, to love God is to love theology!
Second, Our Faith is not Flimsy
Growing up, I had an old trampoline. It had seen better days, and it had spent one too many days in the hot south Texas sun. I loved this weathered trampoline, but I also know that it was not as resilient as it once was. Toward the end, I remember jumping with caution, as doubt began to grow that the old springs would be able to hold for much longer.
Sometimes I feel as though we see our faith like this. As though it were an old trampoline and we are unsure how much pressure that it will be able to take. We can be afraid to ask tough questions in fear that our faith won’t have the ability to sustain it. We can be afraid to think deeply about what we believe in fear that it will lead us to ask the difficult questions that may weaken our faith.
However, we must understand that the Christian faith is not flimsy! The Christian faith can handle our honest and thoughtful questions. We are not called to “blind faith.” Rather, we are called to follow Christ, to trust Him, and to rest on what God has revealed to us about Himself in His word.
There is an old saying found in the early church that sees the task of the Christian pursuit of theology as “faith seeking understanding.” * Not only has our God revealed Himself to us through His word, but our faith is strong enough in Christ to handle our pursuit of seeking understanding. Not only is our faith strong enough, it is strengthened through this pursuit! Our faith is not flimsy.
By the way, my old trampoline did in fact break. I will never forget jumping up in the air and coming down on my rear end, expecting to by sprung back up into the air, only to crash down through the trampoline on to the grass on my rear end. Our faith is not like my old trampoline!
Third, A Real Faith
Our faith is not whimsical non-sense. It is real. It is founded on a real God. Jesus really came to this earth. He lived a real life, and died a real death. Jesus really rose from the dead. Our faith is not whimsical and theoretical. Rather, our faith is real, because it is founded on a real God.
Paul places so much emphasis on this as he wrote,
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:14 (ESV)
And again as he wrote,
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. – 1 Corinthians 15:17 (ESV)
Paul is driving us to understand that our faith is not based in fairytale. Rather, our faith is based upon the literal, physical, historical resurrection of Christ. Our Faith is real because He is real, and because He really rose from the dead!
Since this is true, not only can our faith withstand scrutiny, but it is strengthened as we pursue understanding. It is like a detective collecting more and more evidence in order to get to the truth; with each new article of evidence, faith grows.
Human reason and understanding will never earn faith. However, true faith is not threatened by a deeper knowledge and understanding of the object of faith.
*”Faith seeking understanding” is attributed to Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109)