Why Theology Matters: Moving Beyond Dating God

Jun 23

This is part of a series giving an overview of theology and Neighborhood Church’s doctrinal statement. (Introduction, The One True God, The Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Humanity, Salvation, Church, Christian Life, Angels, Satan, Demons, Future Life)

Let me ask you something: When you go on a first date, what version of the person are you actually sitting down at the table with?

The best version, right? You know—they've brushed their teeth (hopefully more than just mouthwash!), maybe had some coaching from friends, and they're putting their absolute best foot forward. But if you've been married for longer than 10 minutes, you know that's not the version of the person you actually married.

So here's my question: Are we dating God?

Do we come to God and say, "Okay, God, I'm cool with being friends. I'll even be exclusive with you—I won't talk to Buddha or any Hindu gods. I'll stick with Jesus as long as you keep picking up the tab for me. But I don't really care about your history or where you came from or what you're actually about. Just be nice to me and we're good."

Many of us think we come to faith and say, "Okay, I'm on board with Jesus. He's the only one." And that's as far as we go. We keep the difficult or confusing parts at arm's distance because we're not quite sure we'd like who we're actually attaching ourselves to.

But here's the thing: you should make a commitment and get to know God as He actually is. And I promise you—your life will be better if you do.

Everyone Is a Theologian (Yes, Even You!)

First, let's clear something up. When I say "theology," what comes to mind? Seminary classes? Old textbooks? Boring lectures?

Here's the simple truth: theology is just two Greek words put together—theos (God) and logos (words). Theology is simply words about God.

How many of you have ever said any words about God? Congratulations—you're a theologian!

But so is your mail carrier. And your hairstylist. And your child's teacher. And yes, even people who completely disagree with you about who God is. The terrorist. The politician. We all have thoughts about God, and here's the problem: we don't all think the same things about God.

As Jen Wilkin and J.T. English put it, "All of us have words to say about God, but here's the hope: We can grow in our ability to make those words accurate and good." We were actually created to think and speak words about God and represent Him rightly.

What's an area of thought about God that you know you should probably grow in?

God Makes It Possible to Truly Know Him

Imagine for a second that you woke up on a deserted island with no memory of your past life. How would you begin to know who God is all by yourself? If there were no God, how would we have ever understood that idea? And if there is a God, how could any of us, in our limited capacity, ever begin to understand who He is without help?

Here's the amazing truth: God makes it possible for us to truly know Him. Yes, there are things we can't know—the hidden things belong to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29). But He has revealed everything we need to know in order to truly know Him (2 Peter 1:3).

You might have relationships that are mysteries to you—people you don't fully understand. But that mystery doesn't mean you don't actually know who they are. God makes it possible for us to know Him in a way that is meaningful, helpful, and actually the purpose for which He made us.

Why This Actually Matters

What you think shapes how you live. Your thoughts always come before and determine your actions. You don't do what you do just because of what you're experiencing right now. You do what you do because of how you've thought about and interpreted what you're experiencing.

Even your gut reactions and instincts are shaped by what you've thought in the past. If you grew up in a dangerous environment, you learned not to trust people easily. If you grew up in a loving home, a hug feels like affection. But someone from a harmful background might think, "They must want something from me."

Accurate information builds relationship. If I stood up and described my wife as having long, flowing red hair, you'd wonder if I'd hit my head—because she's been brunette for each of the almost 14 years we’ve been married! When I accurately describe the person I love—having been through good times and bad together—it’s obvious we have a real relationship. Accurate information about someone fosters that relationship.

How many times have you been angry at someone because you had wrong information about them? Then you talked to them and realized either they never did what you thought, or there was another side to the story you didn't know.

The same thing happens with God. If you persist in having inaccurate pictures of who God is, your relationship with Him will suffer. You won't be able to talk to Him or walk with Him the way He designed.

Bad theology hurts people. I've seen this over and over—broken people in crisis leaning on lies about God, and it causes even more damage. There are people mad at God for things He didn't do and things He didn't say. But someone told them "God said this," with no actual basis for such a statement and they believed it.

Here's a principle to remember: a lie has the force of truth for those who believe it. When someone thinks they have to perform perfectly to make God happy, and that bar keeps getting higher and higher until they give up in exhaustion—that hurts. And it's based on a lie about who God is.

My Life Verse

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 9:23-24: "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'"

God says if you want something to boast about in your life, boast about whether you actually know who He is. Do you know His character? Do you understand what He does? He's talking to people who have accomplished a lot, and He says, "I don't care about your achievements, your influence, or your wealth. I care about whether you know Me."

You're Already Doing This

There are actually three formal ways that people study theology:

Historical theology compares how people have talked about God over time—what the early church said, how ideas changed during the Reformation, and how different groups have understood Scripture through the centuries.

Biblical theology traces threads of thought through the entire Bible storyline—like following the promise of a Messiah from Genesis 3:15 all the way through to Jesus.

Systematic theology takes all those Bible verses about a topic and distills them down into clear, organized statements about what Scripture teaches.

Now, you might think, "I could never do that kind of formal study!" But here's something that might surprise you: you already do some kind mix of these kinds of theology. Have you ever said or thought, "Well, the Bible says..."? Unless you were quoting a verse word-for-word, you were doing systematic theology—taking different pieces of what you've learned and putting them together into a summary.

For instance, "The Bible says that Jesus is the only way to God and everyone who trusts in Him will be saved." That exact sentence isn't in Scripture, but it captures the heart of what Scripture teaches by combining multiple passages.

Who's Been Shaping Your Theology?

Here's an important question: Who has been shaping your theology? When we think about God, we should realize that many of our thoughts have been shaped by someone else. It's worth asking: What do they care about? What are their priorities? Is there something I've been taught that I need to step away from—not because I want to reject all tradition, but because I care about how God has actually revealed Himself?

Our thoughts about God don't develop in a vacuum. We're influenced by our community, our experiences, our language, and the questions our culture is asking. That's not necessarily bad, but it means we need to be purposeful about grounding our understanding in what God has actually said about Himself.

The Center of It All

At the center of everything we believe is Jesus Christ. He said the whole Bible is about Him (Luke 24:44-47), and our whole lives should be about Him too.

God makes it possible for us to truly know Him. We honor Him when we approach Him on the terms He's given us. And when we do, we discover that knowing God accurately isn't just an intellectual exercise—it's the foundation for worship, for living well, and for sharing His love with others.

Reflection Questions

What's one area where you'd like to grow in your understanding of God?
Have you ever been hurt by wrong ideas about God? How might accurate understanding bring healing?
Who or what has most shaped your thoughts about God? Is that influence helping you know Him better?
How might your neighbors benefit if your understanding of God becomes more healthy and accurate?

Remember: you were created to think and speak accurately about God. He's made it possible for you to truly know Him. And that changes everything about how you live.

Really quick, and perhaps most importantly, if you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, know that He is the only way to God and everyone who trusts in Him will be saved. Don't leave without settling that most important question, email us at ocala@weareneighborhood.church so we can help or fill out this form to start that conversation today.

Listen to this entire sermon.