Our highest good is God, so let’s study theology

Studying theology by reading our bibles, bible study, reading books, listening to sermons, talking with others, and partaking of the sacraments is for our ultimate good.  Why, because our ultimate good is God.  Polanus (1561-1610) put it clearly is this nice syllogism.  You can find it in volume one of Richard Muller’s Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics page 246.

            1.  That which is our salvation, glory, strength, shield, and, indeed, all things whatsoever are necessary to our blessedness, that is our highest good.

            2.  God alone is our salvation, glory, strength, shield and all things whatsoever are necessary to our blessedness:

            3.  Therefore God alone is our highest good.

The blessedness of all rational creatures then, is the contemplation of and communion with God the Father, Son, and Spirit in eternity, consisting in the vision of God, conformity to God, sufficiency in God, a freedom from all evils, and a possession of all true good.

Here are some Scriptures which show this.  Psalms 27:1; 28:7; 62:2,7; 3:3; 18:2; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Colossians 3:11.

Of course good works and loving our neighbour as ourselves would come under the category of true good.  Being in fellowship with God, and being shaped into conformity to him involves doing the good works of God.  We come into fellowship with God through the good work of his good Son, and therefore we are created in Christ for good works.  Ephesians 2:10   For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

God gives us theology, but how do we get it?

Reading in Richard Muller’s Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics I came across an excellent explanation of where theology comes from and how we get it.  The short answer is God Almighty.  However, a two sentence blog post is to short so here are the little-bit-longer answers.

God Almighty is the cause of our knowledge about God and his world. That is to say, by the grace of God the Father in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit’s teaching work, we come to know God.  God has the perfect theology of God, “for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:10-11).

Well, how do we get this knowledge?  Answer: God by his grace.  This comes in basically three parts.  Muller only lists two in the section I read today, but in other places he cites the third part. 

Part one: “God as he wills, gives us to know the mysteries of his heavenly kingdom by means of his Holy Spirit”  (Muller. vol.1, Pg.242). 

Part two: “An attentive meditation on the divine Word, by the grace of the Holy Spirit’s illumination.”  (Muller. Vol.1, Pg.242).    Getting the knowledge of God is a supernatural blessing.  God the Spirit gives it by grace as he speaks through the Scriptures which he has also given by grace. 

Part three and best of all: Jesus Christ the Word of God.  Through him, the eternal and immutable Word of God we come to know God the Father, God the Spirit, and God the Son. 

John 14:9-11  “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.”

Matthew 11:27  “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Praise God Almighty.  He gave us theology!  We can worship him and love our fellow man because of his gift of theology.

Studying theology and glazed eyes

In the monotony of everyday work people with glazed eyes sometimes ask, “Why am I doing my job?” The pastor/theologian can get to this place too. Studying the Bible and theology for the church to prepare sermons, lessons, and life can become monotonous.


In reading Richard Muller’s, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics I came across some encouraging words from Johann Alsted on what the work of theology is and some reasons for studying theology.

The scope of studying theology takes in the church and the world. Calvin laboured in Scripture, preaching and teaching so that people in the church and world might hear the gospel and be saved on that final day. Alsted put it this way, “The work of academic theology…is the activity that occupies the student in his study of divine things for the sake of teaching them to others. The scope of theological study seeks the glory of God and the eternal blessedness of the believer and, in a less ultimate sense, the perfection of the intellect, will, and speech: it is an effort of the whole person that relates directly to the conforming of that person to the image of God” (Muller, vol.1, Pg. 211).

This leads me to list Alsted’s five reasons for studying theology. I paraphrase them here.

1. Its divine origin.
2. The majesty of its arguments. It is about Christ, the wisdom of God; and how to live the life of faith in union with Christ.
3. The use and goal of the theology is eternal life and the glory of God.
4. Jesus Christ revealed the Father to us.
5. It is pure and blessed by God, for he gave us his word.

So the pastor’s work in the Scripture and theology though laborious, frustrating, and puzzling at times, is nonetheless also joyful and full of potential as Jesus Christ is displayed. The scope of studying and then teaching Christ takes in both the church and the world. The reasons for studying and teaching theology are ultimately for the glory of God, and the sinners good.

If there is no resurrection…then what? (Point #5)

You might recall that old Latin hymn The Strife Is O’er, the Battle Done. It’s about the resurrection. Once you sing it you realize that if there was no resurrection the Christian life would have no meaning. The second line reads,


The pow’rs of death have done their worst,
but Christ their legions hath dispersed:
let shouts of holy joy out-burst.
Alleluia.

If there was no resurrection then death is not dispersed and there is no joy in the world.

Paul in 1 Cor 15:12-34 gives us the “if there is no resurrection then…” argument. In this entry we look at v.29-34. Notice the word “otherwise” in v.29. Paul still wants us to imagine, “Just think if the resurrection was not true?” He gives two answers.

Answer one: Christian funeral practices make no sense if we don’t have the resurrection to look forward too (v.29). This verse has been foggy to the church for a long time. There is no other mention of it in the OT or NT. So what does it mean? Definitely, it something this church did, and it is clear what they did…some people were baptized on behalf of the dead.

There are two possible meanings. First, some believers had died without being baptized, so others were baptized on their behalf. Secondly, it could refer to an unbeliever(s), who after the death of relative or friend who was a Christian; decided to become a Christian so he could be with his loved one in the resurrection.

We don’t know the exact meaning, but the point is understandable. Christian funerals and what we say at them, and the hope given makes no sense if there is no resurrection! Yes, heaven is a hope for us…but not the final hope. It’s not even mentioned in this chapter. Resurrection is what Christians look forward to. In the new Creation we will be with our loved ones.

Answer two: Suffering for Jesus Christ, and even being martyred for him makes no sense if there is no resurrection (v.30-33). Paul is speaking of the dangers he went through. He lived in danger very often. He died daily to his needs. He even endured physical abuse.

Why endure hostility and risk your life for the sake of the gospel if Christ is not risen? There is no gain, because God has gained nothing if there is no resurrection! If there is no resurrection we suffer for the gospel’s sake for nothing. If there is no resurrection, “Give up on Jesus, and then live it up for tomorrow we die.”

But as Paul intimates, this is completely deceptive, and we are commanded to not believe the lie that there is no resurrection, and watch out for those who deny it. Notice v.33. Quoting a phrase from Menander, Paul applies it to the church. He says in essence, “Bad company, like those who deny the resurrection of the dead, will only have a corrupting influence on the godliness God has worked in you! People want to seek the good life, so they don’t want to suffer.”

But Christian’s have a different mind-set. Realizing the glorious resurrection of the dead is yet to come, we are willing to give our lives for others for the sake of Christ. Yes, death is still alien, and we know its pain, but in Christ we don’t fear it…so we can give ourselves for the gospel. A Christian can risk his or her life because; his or her life is not at risk. Life after life after death ahead!