Applying the Gospel = Theology

I want to put in a good word for Gospel-centered theology today. It seems appropriate as our church begins its study of A Gospel Centered Life on Wednesdays. What we are seeking to do with this study is good theology, that is, applying the truth of the Gospel to every area of life.

We need theology. The fact that God called Paul to be an apostle is proof of the fact. One of the chief reasons that God chose Paul is that the early church needed a theologian. More specifically, the early church needed someone who was well-equipped to apply the Gospel to the new Gentile believers.

Think about the fact that the early church flourished and grew for several years before God even called Paul to be an apostle. In addition, it was some time before Paul began to exercise influence in the early church. What this tells us is that a clear and full theology are not needed for a young Christian church or individual to flourish. However, theology is much needed as the church or individual grows and begins to confront new circumstances and difficult questions.

Most of us know this by experience. When you first came to rest in Jesus, you probably knew very little of the Bible and its implications for your life, but you loved Jesus and rejoiced in your new life and flourished for a time apart from a clear theology. But as time goes on, if we are to continue to grow and flourish, we need to begin to apply the Gospel to every area of our lives. Without this we very soon begin to drift and loose joy and power and hope in our lives.

Doing theology means asking questions such as: How does the Gospel apply to obeying the law? How does the Gospel apply to what I watch on T.V.? How does the Gospel apply to reading God’s Word and prayer? How does the Gospel apply to the house or car that I purchase? How does the Gospel apply to my sexuality or my bad habits or my loneliness or my hyper-critical spirit?

Many people never ask these questions—they never do theology. Gospel theology that brings life also sustains our life in Jesus and makes us fruitful for His Kingdom.

Gently rebuff those who say that theology doesn’t matter. It matters because what God thinks about everything matters. To not care about theology is not to care about what God thinks.

May God help all of us to be “little theologians” because we love Jesus; we love His Gospel. We want to be more like Him.