Hunger for the Word
Originally published at Shane's Shack. Please leave any comments there.
In my quiet times for the past few weeks, I’ve began alternating between the Gospel of Mark and 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians is a challenging book. I don’t know if you’ve ever taken the time to study it, but 1 Corinthians is as informative to the living of our Faith as Romans is to the doctrines of the our Faith. I like that they are right beside each other in how the New Testament has been ordered. You get great theology from Romans, and then just keep reading and you get great teaching on living from Corinthians. Not that 1 Corinthians doesn’t have great theology and doctrinal teaching, it does, but Paul’s focus here is much heavier toward relational problems between believers, than doctrines.
I say all that to say this. 1 Corinthians 2:1-10 says this:
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,nor the heart of man imagined,what God has prepared for those who love him” 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
I hope you are not afraid of the depths of God. Because here we are clearly told that we are to impart wisdom to the mature. In other words, mature believers are to go deep. You might wonder why I bring this up. Well, here’s why. Look at Matthew 28:18-20:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
I added emphasis to the pertinent phrase. The disciples were not to teach only the basics. Ligon Duncan, who was one of the speakers at the T4G conference, aptly brought this to our attention. Jesus commanded us to teach ALL of the things he has taught us through the Word. It’s part of the Great Commission. Giving people only the basics of the Gospel is a violation of the Great Commission.
Now I’m not saying that the people we share Christ with need to immediately be informed of the depths of the doctrine of the Atonement. What I’m saying is that as believers, the job of understanding theology is not just the job of pastors. It is incumbent upon all of us to be informed about theology so that we can fulfill the Great Commission. And if we are teaching that the Great Commission is a commandment for everyone, then everyone needs an understanding of theology.
Practically, this means that each believer should struggle with the Scriptures. Wrestle with it until the Holy Spirit reveals Truth. Read books that challenge our minds. Read the classics like Pilgrim’s Progress and Mere Christianity. Try to understand what Calvin was saying, even if ultimately you do not agree with him. It is only in the stretching of our understanding that we will be able to fulfill what Jesus and Paul have taught us to do. You don’t have to be seminary trained to understand these deeper things; all that is needed is willingness to dive in and be challenged.