Theology on Rocky Ground
Posted
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
by
Brian Beers
In many churches today you can find a pastoral infatuation with âapplication.â They are disenchanted with âdoctrine.â The goal is to preach the Scriptures in a way that is relevant to the congregation. The overly-academic sermon is considered boorish, and people must be able to take something home with them
The âdoctrineâ of such churches is that doctrine is not relevant to folks living Godly lives. Their effort then is to take Scripture and refine it into high quality fertilizer. People are emerging from these churches incapable of benefiting from Scripture. We need to remember the connections between doctrine and daily life. The fact that most people donât remember the connection does not mean that it has vanished.
Doctrine is how we make decisions.
When you choose to slow down to 64mph, it is because you believe that those flashing lights could cost you $184, not to mention an afternoon in traffic court. When you donât go back for thirds, it is because you believe that eating less can bring you within 20% of your ideal body weight. We make decisions based on what we believe.
I must credit my pastorâs wife with lodging this permanently in my memory. She once reacted incredulously to someoneâs statement that they wished they would live that they believed. She is simply interpreting James 2:17 âSo also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.â Perhaps we should draw a stronger connection in the comparison in verse 26, âas the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is deadâ You canât wrest this from the text, but unless a body is without a spirit, its actions spring from belief. Bottom line: I live what I believe.
So if we live according to doctrine, these churches have not enabled Christians to live without doctrine. They have given them doctrine without Scripture.
This year at our house, my wife would like our lawn to be healthy. She really does. How many of you wives asked for manure for Christmas? Mine did. She didnât feel she had to have it at Christmas time. She knew I wouldnât do anything with it until about March, but she does want it on our lawn. You may be asking yourself, âDoesnât this man know about Weed-n-Feed? It gives you a thicker, greener lawnâ Yes. Yes, I do know about Weed-n-Feed, but my wife wants a healthy lawn. Not just one that looks healthy. This difference is key, and the principles of a healthy and not-so-healthy lawn apply to theology and doctrine as well.
Five years ago the man who owned our home had a marvelously lush yard. This is on the testimony of the neighbors. For two years another family owned the home, and when we bought it, the lawn was moss. Had the lawn actually been healthy, it would not be so dire now. The lawn required constant attention to be green. The lawn was kept green by plenty of water the application of high-quality fertilizers. Once the fertilizers washed away, the lawn faded. I could repeat this technique and receive the same gratifying rush of grass springing up all over my yard.
Preaching is the same as lawn-care. It is difficult to draw people along into the joys of studying Scripture. Especially when the possibility of quick results can be realized with a little effort on a Saturday afternoon.
Matthew, in chapter 13:3-9, records the parable of the sower.
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: âA sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.â
I make the connection based on verses 5 and 6. The immediate springing up is a pastorâs instant gratification. People respond well to eloquently applied Scripture. A man may hear a powerful sermon and immediately go out to perform good deeds. But character is not formed through excitement. The root of the problem in verse 5 and in much of what passes as theology today is âthey had no depth of soil.â Doctrine without an intimate connection to Scripture leaves us withering when we ought to be thriving.
It has been said many times, "Do your exegesis in your study, not in the pulpit." But where is it that our hearers are supposed to learn good exegesis? Is it not through the preaching of the Scriptures? Of course it is. I went to 4 years of Bible college. I crammed three years of seminary into seven. My wife had two years of Bible college, a few courses from the seminary, but her attentiveness to actually perceive the Scriptures amazes me. Her training was sitting week after week under the tutelage of a Godly pastor who rightly handled the word of truth. Hers was not accredited by any academic institution, but she grew up hearing this man teach the doctrines of Scripture from Scripture.
If you think that I am only railing against the mega-churches, sit back down. Just because your church is small doesnât mean that you are credited with righteousness. Can you articulate the connection between theology and doctrine? How does angelology relate to hospital visitation? How does the doctrine of the Incarnation affect my doctrine (a.k.a. philosophy) of parenting? How does Communion alter my understanding of what it is to be human? I pose these as examples of questions to be pondered. I want us to explore doctrines and be familiar and conversant with them. If you answer these questions to settle them and move on, you have gained nothing.
It is our asking and seeking that makes us good soil, and allows Scripture to sink its roots deep into us. As Scripture grows into us, we begin to understand the connection between Scripture and doctrine. As we discern the foundation of our doctrine, we can perceive the âhowâ and âwhyâ of our decisions. Scripture tempers us, we grow wise, and theology is no longer on rocky ground. It is in rich soil, bearing a rich harvest.
How can we cultivate this kind of thought in our churches? We as Christians need fellowship of with those who ask these types of questions; who long to be intimate with the truth; who delight in the contemplation. What draws you into this kind of profitable interaction? How can we recognize it and cultivate it in ourselves? How can I cultivate it even when I am sitting by myself with my Bible open in front of me?
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