At the Passion 06 conference in Nashville this past January, I went to a breakout session by John Piper in which he pleaded for a new generation of “bold & brokenhearted theologians” who are passionate about the whole counsel of God as revealed through the Holy Scriptures. Piper’s hour-long message resonated deep within my soul, leaving me with an earnest, joyful desire to be part of such a generation.
Not long ago, theology was something I just pushed aside, considering it a bothersome subject that merely divided the Church. Gradually, through various means, God began to show me the danger of this kind of thinking. In particular, I started seeing that Paul’s letter to the Romans, which I had once ignorantly breezed through in the One-Year Bible, was a vast sea of unparalleled depth, filled with treasures so precious that the greatest earthly gain suddenly became utterly trivial. Paul himself, after writing the first eleven chapters through the power of the Holy Spirit, bursts out in a moment of worship in what is one of the most mind-blowing passages in all of Scripture:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?’
‘Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?’
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”
(Romans 11:33-36 ESV)
The Apostle Paul surely trembled as he penned those wondrous words about the everlasting God. The God Who created the universe out of nothing (!) and Whose right hand spread out the heavens (Isaiah 48:13). The God Who in His astonishing mercy sent His eternal Son to bear the sins of His people, enabling sinners like us to escape His coming judgment and enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him. The God who through Jesus Christ upholds the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). O how we ought to fall on our faces in worship of this infinitely righteous God!
So what is a bold & brokenhearted theologian? Isn’t it someone who is puffed up by a wealth of head knowledge and is more interested in debating others than in evangelizing the lost? I answer with a resounding No! That is certainly the mark of many theologians, but not brokenhearted ones. Let me first say that, broadly speaking, theologians aren’t a specific class of people; rather, every human being is a theologian because every human being has thoughts about who God is. Thus, there are various degrees of good theologians and bad theologians, depending on how accurate one’s understanding of God is when measured against the objective, revealed Word of God.
So brokenhearted theologians are those persons who have been thoroughly humbled by the truth of the Gospel and have cast themselves on the mercy of Christ in saving faith & repentance. They are those who, in examining the vileness of their own sin and the corruption of their own hearts, resolve to continually put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5). They are those who, in walking humbly with God, recognize that it is only because God has had mercy upon them that they no longer see the cross as folly but rather as the power of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18). They are those who, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, are willing to suffer for Him and live lives of sacrificial love so that others may see and rejoice in this all-glorious Redeemer.
And such theologians are also bold, for they are immovable in their biblical, Christ-exalting convictions. The world likes to define humility as being relativistic and uncertain in one’s conviction. Friends, this is not true humility but rather a lie from the pit of hell that will only do people harm in the long run!
I am fully convinced that to be indifferent to doctrine is to be indifferent to Christ. Why, you might ask? Because loving Christ is inseparable from knowing Christ. And how can we know Christ but through the divine revelation of the Bible? As Martin Luther once said, “We teach nothing save Christ crucified. But Christ crucified brings all these doctrines with Him” (The Bondage of the Will, pp. 107-8). Of course, we can never know God fully, for He is the infinite Creator and we are His finite creatures; yet, we can indeed know God truly through His Word as illuminated by the Spirit. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:18). The desire to grow in this way is a mark of all genuine believers.
A bold & brokenhearted theologian loves true doctrines and propositions about the Triune God for the purpose of seeing and treasuring more and more of the beauty of Christ Jesus. The more we truly know Christ, the more our affections for Him will be set ablaze, and the more we will long for those around us to experience the joy we have found.
Brothers and sisters, let us be bold & brokenhearted theologians for the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Not long ago, theology was something I just pushed aside, considering it a bothersome subject that merely divided the Church. Gradually, through various means, God began to show me the danger of this kind of thinking. In particular, I started seeing that Paul’s letter to the Romans, which I had once ignorantly breezed through in the One-Year Bible, was a vast sea of unparalleled depth, filled with treasures so precious that the greatest earthly gain suddenly became utterly trivial. Paul himself, after writing the first eleven chapters through the power of the Holy Spirit, bursts out in a moment of worship in what is one of the most mind-blowing passages in all of Scripture:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?’
‘Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?’
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”
(Romans 11:33-36 ESV)
The Apostle Paul surely trembled as he penned those wondrous words about the everlasting God. The God Who created the universe out of nothing (!) and Whose right hand spread out the heavens (Isaiah 48:13). The God Who in His astonishing mercy sent His eternal Son to bear the sins of His people, enabling sinners like us to escape His coming judgment and enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him. The God who through Jesus Christ upholds the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). O how we ought to fall on our faces in worship of this infinitely righteous God!
So what is a bold & brokenhearted theologian? Isn’t it someone who is puffed up by a wealth of head knowledge and is more interested in debating others than in evangelizing the lost? I answer with a resounding No! That is certainly the mark of many theologians, but not brokenhearted ones. Let me first say that, broadly speaking, theologians aren’t a specific class of people; rather, every human being is a theologian because every human being has thoughts about who God is. Thus, there are various degrees of good theologians and bad theologians, depending on how accurate one’s understanding of God is when measured against the objective, revealed Word of God.
So brokenhearted theologians are those persons who have been thoroughly humbled by the truth of the Gospel and have cast themselves on the mercy of Christ in saving faith & repentance. They are those who, in examining the vileness of their own sin and the corruption of their own hearts, resolve to continually put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Romans 8:13, Colossians 3:5). They are those who, in walking humbly with God, recognize that it is only because God has had mercy upon them that they no longer see the cross as folly but rather as the power of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18). They are those who, because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, are willing to suffer for Him and live lives of sacrificial love so that others may see and rejoice in this all-glorious Redeemer.
And such theologians are also bold, for they are immovable in their biblical, Christ-exalting convictions. The world likes to define humility as being relativistic and uncertain in one’s conviction. Friends, this is not true humility but rather a lie from the pit of hell that will only do people harm in the long run!
I am fully convinced that to be indifferent to doctrine is to be indifferent to Christ. Why, you might ask? Because loving Christ is inseparable from knowing Christ. And how can we know Christ but through the divine revelation of the Bible? As Martin Luther once said, “We teach nothing save Christ crucified. But Christ crucified brings all these doctrines with Him” (The Bondage of the Will, pp. 107-8). Of course, we can never know God fully, for He is the infinite Creator and we are His finite creatures; yet, we can indeed know God truly through His Word as illuminated by the Spirit. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:18). The desire to grow in this way is a mark of all genuine believers.
A bold & brokenhearted theologian loves true doctrines and propositions about the Triune God for the purpose of seeing and treasuring more and more of the beauty of Christ Jesus. The more we truly know Christ, the more our affections for Him will be set ablaze, and the more we will long for those around us to experience the joy we have found.
Brothers and sisters, let us be bold & brokenhearted theologians for the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ!
5 comments:
Hey dude,
Great thoughts. I love what you said and appreciate your convictions and challenges to me. I have had many the same thoughts on theology and doctrine as being divisive, but am only recently seeing the deep value as related to truly pursuing and knowing God more. I want to be a bold and brokenhearted theologian. I look forward to working with guys like you as a servant to help this generation become passionate lovers of Jesus.
-peace.Justin
dear shane,
thank you for making those of us with blogs devoid of real meaning feel completely... devoid of real meaning... : )
no, seriously, enjoyed this. i'd love to see you expound on the "bold" aspect of this post, as i think the false humility you mentioned is so often used as a tool to relativise ( that's a word... i think ) truth, and dillute the power of the gospel.
i see the need for doctrine in this light: if i do not learn, i cannot know. if i do not know, than i cannot assert, and if i cannot assert, then i certainly cannot assert bodly... and geez, who is ever going to want something that i'm indifferent to?
but there's definitely a balance, and i believe you've captured it well in this post. keep up the good work.
Hey Shane, I just found your blog. Keep it up, man (I am preaching to myself here)
Hey man, I just found your blog. Looks good so far... and blogspot is waaaaaay better than xanga.
Wow what a great post!
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