The Need for Passionate Theology
There are 2 extremes that can be very problematic for a Christian. One exhibits the lack of thorough, biblical theology in favor of emotional, passionate “relationship” style worship. The other is a lifeless, lack-of-emotion, “religious” emphasis on theology in order to avoid the foolish, unknowledgeable worship of a god derived outside of Scripture.
The fact is, Christianity is both a religion AND a relationship. Jesus says in John 4:23-24 that, “...the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." Our worship of God must contain both spirit and truth.
We can wander into the first error by neglecting, ignoring, or flat out rejecting biblical theology. These would be the types who would say something like, “All I need is me and the Bible! I don’t need anything else.” Their greatest desire is to have church services filled with repeated Hillsong choruses, arms lifted, everyone crying and praying “in the spirit”. Whether or not any biblical teaching was done, any exhortation from the Word, any reproof, rebuke, or correction was administered makes no difference; some would even prefer that it did not in fact. The problem with this strand is folks can come in, attend that church for years, claim to feel God’s presence often, and still not be able to answer the most basic questions of the faith. They profess to be in a relationship with the God of the Christians, yet not be able to give a reasonable defense for the hope within them.
On the other hand, a church can be so overly theological that they neglect the aspects of the Christian walk that have to do with the heart and emotions of the believer. A church can be "As straight as a gun barrel theologically and just as empty as one spiritually." (A.W. Tozer) The services always consist of solid biblical teachings lacking any heretical doctrine, yet no tear is ever shed, no conviction ever felt, and no heart ever gripped or changed. One in this camp could know all the mysteries of Scripture and accurately recite all the doctrines of the faith, yet never spend a moment in prayer, feel an ounce of despair for lost souls, or experience a longing to be in the presence of the God they “know” so much about.
Both of these extremes can be quite disastrous for a church and it’s people. We need solid theology (which is the study of God in His revealed Word — what He has said about Himself, His Kingdom, and His plan). Without biblical theology, we have an empty faith which no sinner needs; their emotions can equally be affected at a movie theater or a rock concert! We need theology. But that theology must be driven by and lead to a passionate, fervent love for the God of Scripture, His people, and evangelism to the lost world. We must be completely affected by the Word of God. Spirit and Truth. Balance.
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