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Why Does Theology Matter?

Why does theology matter? It seems fitting that the first post of an everyday theology blog be about this subject. This will serve to evaluate the importance of this blog’s message and mission from here moving forward.

What is Theology?

Before discussing the importance of theology, it would be good to first define the term. Theology comes from the Greek words theós, meaning God, and lógos, meaning word. Quite simply, theology is the study of a divine being. It is asking questions such as is there a god? who is this god? what is he like? how do we know him? and what is man’s place in relation to this god? I use the lower-case form of “god” as a generic because people of all religious backgrounds ask these questions. For the Christian, these questions are pointed towards the Judeo-Christian God, his Son Jesus of Nazareth, and the Holy Spirit – together forming what the Church has called the Holy Trinity, one God in three persons.

God’s people have been asking these questions for centuries, going back as far as Moses. When Moses first encountered the Lord in the burning bush, he asked: “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?" (Exod 3:14). Theology is the disciples of Christ asking themselves “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 3:14). That is theology; the discipline of asking God who he is and what is his character.

Asking the Question

Asking God who he is and what he is like can appear to be a daunting task at first glance. After all, he is wholly “other” than anything we know. However, the good news is that God wants us, encourages us really, to ask him these questions. He invites us into a relationship with him, and in that reveals himself to us.

One of the ways we can come to know God is through prayer. Another and more pointed way, which honestly pulls people into the first, is his inspired word and the testimony of his faithfulness throughout history, also known as the Bible.

More specifically, we come to know God through his son Jesus of Nazareth – who has been fully the Lord from the beginning but also became fully human. In Jesus, the "otherness" of God is in some sense stripped away, and the divine becomes accessible. Like us, he became bound by time, he needed food and water, he slept, could be physically embraced, and struggled with temptations. As Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.  Let us, therefore, approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:15–16). We learn about Jesus best through the Gospels and early letters of the Church.


Why it Matters

All of this leads us back to asking why theology matters. To put it plain and simple, the way we go about answering these questions changes the way we as a people see God. How we see God ultimately shapes the way we view everything else in our world.

For example, if we have a theology that shows God in the Old Testament as purely wrathful and trigger-happy, we may find ourselves living a life centered around a lie that we need to already come to the Father clear of sin before we pray to him. It could also create a notion that Jesus and the Father are at odds with each other when the Gospel of John tells the exact opposite. The early Church combated this lie at great lengths. 

Everyone has a theology about God, even if they are unaware of it. It can either be a tool for the Church to better love the Lord or a weapon of the enemy to twist what is true. What matters most is whether or not one's theology draws them closer to the beautiful mystery of God's nature and being.
Eric J. Blessing


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