The main point: knowledge is not measured by how much we know, but but how much we love.
(Which Is loving God, which is loving others which is loving God)
-broken record or explicitly on repeat?
For how could one measure one's love for God if not for the command to love OTHERS? It kind of reminds me of faith and works...the two go hand in hand.
Faith without works is dead, works without faith...that's just masochistic. Haha.
Some quick summaries directly applied to me:
Learn for the very sake of loving.
Right learning is loving God.
Having knowledge puffs up, but having love builds up.
Learning as a means of loving.
Love is the goal for why I learn theology.
What does what I know translate into loving God and others more, and am I doing that?
How clearly I see myself in light of the gospel (and the law), and in contrast how my mind is abased more quickly than the drop of a pin. The time it takes for the pin to drop is the time it takes for what I know to become foolishness, when it is without love. Both love for others and love for God, a two in one concept for equilibrium.
I was so moved by this morning's routine wake up devotional (which for me is either listening to a gospel podcast, prayer (the most rare I must admit), listening to music and worshipping along, or quiet meditation and conversing with God--side note for those who might want to know a good podcast: I usually listen to john piper, Matt chandler, tullian tchividjian, Robert Morris or Tim Keller--all of whom are not perfect in their theology but help to illuminate scripture and life in light of the centrality of Jesus, which of course is key).
Anyway, this morning it was a podcast from John piper to the new and upcoming students of BCS (Bethlehem college and seminary), which I thought well directed toward my situation as well, being a fresh rookie in theology school.
John's theme for the talk was:
THINKING EXISTS FOR THE SAKE OF LOVING.
A tool all students MUST wield in their respective academic fields, but also something we all do everyday when it comes to knowing God. So it's not just a student thing, but it's a human thing. If you have a mind, you are thinking!
Right when I heard that I was floored, it was like a light switch went on and I found myself standing off the path, and could find my way back on the path.
"Thinking with right reason is a God ordained means of loving others."
-the literal thesis
He gives three biblical examples, but after you hear the 3, you can hopefully see the pattern in all of the bible. Such as was the case for me, it was a truth reinforced and delineated in class I had about the Old Testament this morning regrading Deuteronomy and the meaning explicitly given for the Torah/the Law.
Here are his 3 examples (and then I will give a few more)
1. Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
(1 Corinthians 8:1-3 ESV)
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” (Jesus's simplicity in this is amazing, because the Jews are asking what should and shouldn't be done in regards to food and idols, but Jesus is saying use what you KNOW, that idols don't exist! The food is just food, and the people are who you should be concerned about, love them and do whatever means loving them. Genius.
(1 Corinthians 8:4 ESV)
The odd statement:
"If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God."
It does NOT say "If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone knows (as he ought to know), he's known by God!"
But instead of saying "knows as he ought to know" Paul says "if anyone loves God!"
Translation: right knowing is loving God.
Piper begins to unfold this verse by saying Paul is not saying no one can know anything (clearly we would not be able to do anything - may as well shut down all the schools)
So it is not knowing that is impossible, but it is that knowing is a product of loving God, and when it is not, it is nothing. 10 times Paul says "do you not know?!" Which must mean "you should know!" So knowing is necessary, but knowing can be defected...or prostituted!
Ok really though, I can't do a very good job of reiterating what Piper said as he said it, so scrap the plan. I'll give you what I got from it personally, but I recommend you listening to the podcast for the full talk.
So theology is similar to philosophy. It's a lot of thinking, a lot of attempts at understanding (knowing) and needless to say I'm sure if you've been following my past entries you can see what a hot mess I've become under the stress or overwhelming aspects in being here. (Especially my last post, which is gloriously answered in this post--the question of "what in the world are You doing God?")
God is teaching me to love.
Would be the short answer, but what does that or how does that begin? Who does what first? Does God say and then I do? Or does my doing reflect God's command? In other words, do I read scripture or does scripture read me?
Let me unpack this golden nugget.
I can ace every test, I can know every professor's point of view, read every book and know every text, every argument, every historical context, every theologian and their contribution to theology, and even every bible verse by memory! I can even have feelings of joy from this, feelings of being loved, feelings of clarity (which are scary facades to the real thing) because if I do not love, I am as Paul writes: a resounding gong. A clang. A crashing cymbal. An imbecile. I am without any true knowledge.
First let me say what that does NOT mean, it does not mean I can never know anything. There is knowing to be had, specifically for believers who have the Holy Spirit, our "Counselor" and let's not forget the Holy Spirit is our ONLY accessibility to God. (More on the Holy Spirit later)
What it does imply is that there is a kind of knowing that leads to emptiness and there is a kind of knowing that leads to being known by God.
So how do we differentiate the between the two?
Clearly no one intentionally desires to know in order to become empty, yet so many who come to "know" God initially fall prey to this result, especially students of theology ...where knowledge is directly measured and quantified with a grade!
And reciprocally no one begins loving others without coming to this position of being known by God, or in other words, having a genuine relationship with God. (Links well to the scripture a lot of Christians talk about regarding judgment day when Jesus says to the so called believers "depart from Me, I NEVER KNEW YOU." -Matthew 7:22-23). Wow. Okay this is just too much for me right now haha.
So God is giving us a fool proof doctrine!
If you know a lot but have not love, then you know nothing. If you "love" (I put that in quotations since most people do not objectively substantiate the definition of love by God's standards, but they think love is a feeling or a sequence or combination of acts, when clearly love is in and of itself DEFINED in 1 Corinthians 13)...continuing: if you "love" a lot yet are not known by God (in a personal relationship) you are not loving, and therefore you, again, are a resounding gong. Empty.
My head is spinning at this. I mean, this is monumental. This is also nothing new! Haha. It's words illuminated by the Holy Spirit for me personally, and I hope for you as well.
Therefore we can gather that you cannot ever think that you know something after learning until you apply that knowing to loving God (which as I said is evidenced by loving others--stated in the greatest commandment), and likewise you cannot say that you love God or others because of what you do (oh I'm nice or kind or patient), but rather because of WHO YOU KNOW. You can certainly support your evidence of love by 1 Corinthians 13, however you can not originate it whereby giving those acts of real love the power of a primary source.
You Love because you Know, and you Know because you Love.
Does that make sense?
Well for me it made a little sense, which I am happy to take! I am still learning to love, or I should say, learning in order that I can love. But loving others and learning have always been mutually exclusive for me. What does what I know about Athanasius have anything to do with calling up a friend and treating her to lunch to talk about her life and struggles? What does knowing the definition of Torah or Septuagint have anything to do with how much love I have for others?
And yes, they ALL have something to do with loving others, and it is the glory of kings to search these things out. We were given a mind by God for God. Use it. Think.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God (there is no knowledge apart from that which belongs to God), but the things that are revealed (what God reveals to us through His Word) belong to us and to our children (that's us) forever, that we may do all the words of this law.(Jesus who fulfilled the Law for us now stands as our Savior and our inspiration to love! Instead of the Law acting as our oppressor because we see how sinful and weak we are when it comes to fulfilling the law, now the Law beautifully shouts the grace and love of God who initiated our freedom from the Law ...out of Love! -John 3:16).
(Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV)
So the reminder here, to myself, and to you beloved friends, is learn in order that you can love (God and others)!
Therein lies the greatest commandment of God.
Jesus says: I desire mercy not sacrifice. This ties in with the context of rituals sustained by the Law, but that had been broken when Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice. We have been shown mercy when we look at ourselves in light of the entire gospel (the entire bible)! If you cannot see the mercy behind the bible, or if you only know it but it does not burst in you the passionate desire to love others and God, then what you know is a resounding gong!
So then the question is, what are you going to do about this? What do you do when faced with such an incongruent dilemma? Does it suffice for you to let your eternity hang on the balance of an incongruity? Or will you use the mind God gave you and work your salvation out with much fear and trembling! Okay, haha I'm getting all preachy now, but I hope I made a point, big or small. The bible makes so much sense man. It's so freaking genius.
What will theology school teach me in order to better equip me for loving others (and God)?
That is the question I need to keep at the forefront of every class and assignment.
Man, I know I'll have to remind myself of this on several occasions, perhaps everyday, and by God's grace I will run the course set before me, even if...or I should say: especially when I stumble off every now and again.
In case you didn't catch the point:
Live today loving others
and loving God,
and wield your mind in doing so!
That my friends is how we take captive our thoughts.
When it gets hard to love, that is when you have lost sight of God (solution: look at God, who is He?)
When it gets hard knowing God, look at your life in community. The love shown in fellowship is key in constructing a more clear view of God.
Peace to your trembling minds, I know what you're going through, and there is hope.
Jmegrey
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