A New Game Plan

  When was the last time you researched a topic, like prayer, lamentation, forgiveness, anger, or marriage in the Bible?  Were you able to do this without the aid of a pre-packed Bible study?  Did you know that this type of research has a name?  It is called Systematic Theology.  Systematic Theology is a method of extracting information about any given topic from a Biblical perspective.  You might ask yourself the question, "What should I believe about pray from a Biblical standard?" or "What can I know about prayer by observing references to this topic in the Bible?" This type of study focuses on understanding and insight, which gives us the ability to answer questions we receive regarding prayer (or any topic).

     Christian Ethics, on the other hand, asks a different question.  The question it asks is, "How should I live based on my understanding of the Bible?  In this kind of study, one focuses on applying the Word of God to any situation they encounter.  It is not just what we do, but also the attitudes we possess while doing it.

     For several years now, I have been reading small consecutive passages in the Bible, intending to recognize principles that teach me about God's desired pattern for living.  For example, just this week, I read an account about the apostle Paul in Acts 17.  In this story, Paul was in prison charged with destroying a person's livelihood by removing an unclean spirit.  God intervened and caused an earthquake that would guarantee Paul's release from prison.  Paul, ignoring his own comfort, doesn't use an open cell door to gain freedom, but instead, he saves his jailer's temporal life and leads him to Christ.  Ultimately Paul's actions secure the eternal destiny of both the jailer and his family.  

     Finding a life application from a Biblical account is very satisfying.  However, shouldn't my study trigger more than a moralistic view?  Shouldn't it also produce some thought-provoking questions?  What does this story reveal to me about an action, an attitude, or a human inclination (nature) that I should consider?  How might I look more closely at what the Bible says about this 'key' concept?  In Acts 17, two questions arise.  First, Do I recognize the lost souls around me whose eternities are at stake?  Secondly, "Where have I chosen personal comfort over a life serving the needs of others?  One question reveals that where I place my focus matters, the second question teaches me how I serve others' needs can bear fruit for God's Kingdom.    I might use a Systematic Theology approach to determine what the Bible says about (1) service or (2) comfort. Then I might apply what I've learned through a Christian Ethics approach by asking the question, What might be the right actions, the right attitudes, and the correct inclination according to God's Word?  When I compare what I do to what God's Word reveals, I can see if I'm (1) making the right decisions, (2) exhibiting the right attitude, and (3) submitting my natural inclinations to Christ's nature in me.                

     I am currently enrolled in a Discipleship course encouraging my understanding of specific Biblical doctrines that influence my Christian beliefs.  As part of my final assignment, I will be writing a theological-based paper that addresses a particular doctrine that impacts my walk with Christ.  Then I am to formulate a strategy that will draw me closer to Christ.  My thoughts turn toward writing articles where I encourage my readers to 'Focus on Eternity,' which emphasizes developing a daily routine of studying God's Word.  I have a small accountability group that I keep in touch with through daily text messaging while also setting the goal to engage with my readers weekly.  These activities have helped me draw closer to God, and each carries the objective of fulfilling my God-given purpose.  The Bible teaches us that we need to be more than hears of God's Word; we also need to be doers.  Jesus illustrates this in Matthew 7:24-28, and we also find a supporting message in James' Epistle.  In James 1:22-25, we read, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."  So, if we are not pursuing our God-given purpose, what good is reading or hearing instruction?

     I often think of the Great Commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, which I believe instructs all believers to proclaim the gospel.  While in conversations with other believers about our participation in this assignment, I hear the admission, "I'm not too good at that."  Sometimes it is followed with a hypothetical 'what-if' thought that undermines our good intentions.  When we are hindered by thinking we do not have the right answers or fear rejection, we agree with the father of lies that somebody else will accomplish what has been laid out as our purpose.  So, my initial thought is to focus on the excuse that we lack knowledge. Second, the penalty for my comfort may be another's permanent, eternal discomfort, which points directly to the fact that my comfort is selfish.  After all, isn't that what a study in discipleship is all about?

      I suppose Christians don't like to sound uninformed, nor do we enjoy the awkward feeling of being rejected.  But how can we learn to accept an uncomfortable feeling of rejection for the sake of others who potentially will live separated from Christ for all eternity?  I am confident that if we do not change our actions or attitudes and disrupt our natural inclinations, most of us will be standing before the Great White Throne, wondering what to say when Jesus asks, "What did you do for Me?"

     In 2021, I am challenging myself to change the way I study God's Word.  In 2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV), God's Word says, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." Building a firm foundation on God's Word allows me to walk in a manner worthy of my calling.  Reading God's Word is essential; however, I also need to be willing to share that foundation with others since it is the primary reason that I leave footprints on this earth.  I plan to challenge myself by using a Systematic Theology approach to study topics and Christian Ethics to change my actions, attitudes, and inclinations.  I desire to become more adept at sharing the vital message of salvation with others?  Would you also be willing to consider what you can do to gain more confidence and be less concerned with personal discomfort when God's Word is questioned or rejected?  If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that our world needs more Jesus.