Would you donate to us today?

×

“How does this apply to my life?” (Or Why Doctrine Helps Me Stay a Christian)

Over the years of teaching theology, I think the number one question I’ve often been asked is: well that’s all nice and good, but how does this help me in my life right now? How does this apply to me?

In many ways, this question is right and good. Teachers and pastors ought to make clear that the message of Scripture is relevant precisely because it’s true. We ought to tease out all of the rich implications of God’s word in order to equip the listener for every good work. We ought to communicate these truths with utter urgency. Heart and head go together.

There are, of course, ways that this question can also be unhelpful. It feeds into our cultural instinct of wanting to evaluate what you receive or hear on the basis of whether it’s useful rather than beautiful in and of itself. We live in a pragmatic and consumerist culture. We binge on Buzzfeed “listicles”, demand instant gratification, and expect quantifiable, mechanical, results.

I agree much with this response, and often resort to it. We do well to emphasize that sanctification and the development of wisdom are not mechanically quantifiable but a matter of organic, personal, and communal growth which stems from union with Christ. Wisdom is irreducible to a list of do’s and don’ts, nor can it be summed up in a technique comprising quick-fixes to be implemented. The Word of God transforms one from the inside-out so that we might live attuned to God’s revealed will. And often, the best response to this question is to rebuke it, turning our attention away from what we think God ought to help us within the immediate moment, but to the question of why God might help us, sinners, at all.

Growth in the gospel requires precisely such a shift: we begin to realize that we ought to come to God not primarily so that he becomes an agent of alleviating my life’s problems, but rather that my sins are the problem – only then can we become astonished that Christ has dealt with our deepest need.

However, I do think one helpful way to answer this question is this: theology, that is, doctrine, helps me persevere as a Christian. That is, how does the Bible’s content and theology help me today? How do I apply this theology to my life? Well, I find myself more drawn to the answer that it simply helps me stay a Christian another day. And that’s what we need. God’s word is our bread in the wilderness. And without food, we’ll simply wander and perish.

Let me just give three concrete examples from three core doctrines that I need to be re-teaching myself daily.

God’s transcendence

The older theologians have always recognized that God is not just higher than us in degree, but rather in quality. A chasm of being separates us from God, and for us to know God truly requires God to condescend in order to reveal himself to us. He accommodates, stooping down and speaks to us in our language and ultimately in Christ Jesus. God’s thoughts are not like our thoughts, and his ways are inscrutable, beyond human comprehension. He is not just a higher version of ourselves – and thus we can’t infer what he must be like on the basis of the circumstances he has given me in my life.

I often think, well, if I were wise and loving, I would surely order the world and my life in this and such a way, but God isn’t doing that, so surely God is not wise or loving, or does not exist. But this reduces God simply to be in the same circle of being as us, and he isn’t. He is metaphysically other. He is holy. I need to remember this to stay a Christian.

God’s providence

The Westminster Confession of Faith summarizes the Bible well when it says that God ordains ‘whatsoever comes to pass’ and yet that this divine decree does not violate secondary causes or genuine contingency, but rather establishes them (WCF 3.1). This is a paradox, of course: God’s presence is not like our presence, so God can be present where I am, and not violate my presence. In other words, his presence is analogical to my presence, and precisely because of this his presence doesn’t negate my presence, but instead in him I live, move, and have my being.

In the same way, the confession is saying that God’s control is not univocal with my control. His control thus does not conflict with or violate my control, but rather establishes it. Hence, when I mess up and sin, I know that I’ve truly messed up (God’s control doesn’t negate but rather establishes our responsibility), but yet, Christians can know that we can’t mess up our lives, precisely because God is in control. We can thus be repentant, for here we must turn from sin and obey God, but never be paralyzed by regret or fear of repeating our failures. We can mess up, but we can’t mess up our lives. We are always within God’s sovereign, and for the Christian, fatherly, will. All things work together for good. I need to remember this to stay a Christian.

Original sin

The Bible teaches us that when mankind fell, we’ve inherited both pollution and guilt from Adam’s sin as our federal and organic head. We were born sinners and the world is permeated by sin. Conflict characterizes our relationship with God, each other, and the world. This means at least three things.

First, we are allowed to weep. One of the most refreshing things about the Psalms is the constant emphasis on the proper place of lament. Jesus was a man of sorrows. Sin is in me. The world is broken. Christians long for the new world, where their tears are no more. It’s not mentally unhealthy or sinful to weep. We don’t have to hide from the realities of brokenness or fake a smile in the wake of a tragedy. Weep, because we’ve now recognized the basis by which we can make sense of the brokenness we see around us. Weep, because we are not yet what we are as Christians. Weep, because we long for a new city and lasting city, where sin, death, and sorrow become alien realities of a distant world.

Second, we can kill our pride and foster humility. All have sinned and fallen short. Where is the cause for boasting, for comparisons, or for envy? Original sin is the great equalizer. There is no distinction between the Samaritan widow and the ruler and Pharisee (see John 3-4). Nicodemus needs the new birth just as much as Matthew the Tax Collector. We were all spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3).

Third, We can develop a sense of humour. Because now we can’t take ourselves too seriously anymore – we can admit: yeah God loves me, sinner though I am. Isn’t that incredible? I’m a Christian – and isn’t that hilarious? How can it be that my God should die for me? Christians take their God seriously but never themselves. And so we can laugh. I need to remember these truths to stay a Christian.

A constant refrain of the Psalms and the Prophets is the command to remember. Our faculty of memory-making is not innocent – it, too, has been tainted by sin. That’s why we can’t forget our traumas and regrets, but happy memories don’t seem to last. This is why we need the word of God. He is our food, our life, our manna in the wilderness. Remember.

LOAD MORE
Loading