God in Relationship

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Theology is a worthy pursuit because its goal is simply for the individual to know God. But concepts, theories, and abstractions do not excite or ultimately satisfy me. I must know the God who is alive, who is real, who relates to me in my life. – R. C. Sproul in The Character of God p. 16.

I love to think about abstract concepts. I spend much of my time inside my head pondering concepts and theories. I am comfortable there. It’s not that I am uninterested in the ‘real world;’ I find that the theoretical often has obvious implications for life in the real world. These implications seem to be more obvious to me that they are to others.

I can ponder God’s attributes, the concepts that define God’s being and essence, and I often do so. But the hard work of applying these concepts to my life is where I get the most benefit.

I find that God’s love for me helps me to cast all of my cares on Him. God’s justice leads me to turn to Christ for mercy. God’s wrath makes me run to Christ in faith and helps me to share the gospel with others who don’t know Him. God’s omniscience is a comfort because I know He cannot be surprised by any problem or difficulty I face. God’s omnipotence comforts me because I know that He can order all things for my good and conform me to Christ’s image through the circumstances of my life.

I do not understand how anyone can call theology impractical. It is the most practical set of concepts I can imagine.

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