As Christians, we should want to strive to glorify God in all that we do, including our time devoted to studying God’s word. The truth of the matter is that we live in a world with a super- market mentality when considering personal beliefs and worldviews. A world in which it is the normal practice, and even celebrated in most cases, to combine elements of different faith systems into a single package while at the same time maintaining a conviction that all roads lead to the same destiny. It is vital that we as Christians are cautious and do not fall into this trap of espousing an unbiblical theology. In what follows is a basic check list that I received in an Introduction to Pastoral Theology class at Reformed Theological Seminary. I was under the instruction of Dr. Derek Thomas, a wonderful teacher of God’s word and someone passionately devoted to discipleship. This simple, yet very edifying, check list has been a major help to me when considering teaching and preaching. My wish is to share this with you and hope that you can glean some valuable usage from this. After all, according to the Apostle Paul, we are to,
“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” – 2 Timothy 1:13-14 (ESV)
Therefore, our theology is to be:
Accurate– This is a given. You will always want your theology to be accurate and according to Scripture. We want to make sure that our theological beliefs come straight from God Himself through His revealed word. We must be diligent in perusing truth found in God’s word (Psalm 1).
God Centered– All of your theological thought and discourse should be focused around God, the author and sustainer of life (Isaiah 45:12).
Doxological– Your theology should be focused around bringing glory to God first and foremost. In all that you do, consider how your theological understanding should, and does, bring glory to God. In fact, possessing a God honoring theology is motivation for right living (1 Cor. 10:31, James 1:22, cf. #7 below)
Eschatological– Theology should be focused around the promises of Christ that are to come with the hope of a time spent in eternity with Jesus. We should be looking forward to the completion of God’s Kingdom (Revelation 21:1-6)
Christological– Our theology should be centered on the person and work of Christ. If Christ had not come and died in our place, we could not stand before the Father (2 Cor. 5:21)
Ecclesiastical– We should have an extreme love for the church; God’s called ones. We should not forsake the gathering of believers and always be aware that as the church, we are the bride of Christ looking forward to the day when we will feast with our husband (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Motivational– Good Christ-centered theology should motivate us in ways that glorify God all the time. Every time we engage in theological discourse or communication with God, it should motivate us to holiness (1 Peter 1:13-16)
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 