Theology & Doxology

Are Calvinists the frozen chosen?  Do the Doctrines of Grace create proud, belligerent snobs?  

If you’ve spent any time in online theology groups, you’re likely to answer in the affirmative.  Keyboard warriors bickering about things like election and total depravity can be quite off-putting, I’m sure.  Unfortunately, the way a person studies the Word of God is not always reflected in the way he treats other people, online or in real life.  

Calvinists, of course, do not have a monopoly on this shortcoming.  In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul tells us that knowledge puffs up–it inflates the ego. Regardless of what one believes, intellectual endeavors have the potential to produce pride and tactlessness.  This is nothing new, of course.  Bad blood has been a feature of theological debates as long as theological debates have been had.

This can be true, regardless of how knowledgeable one truly is.  Mastering a particular system of theology, especially one that is insular and closed-off, can give one a false sense of doctrinal confidence.  It is more extensive exposure to the broader Tradition of the Church that tends to bring one back down to Earth.

So, why does it seem like so many mean people love to study theology?  Well, frankly, studying theology is easier than living out our faith.  Reading books, listening to podcasts, and debating theological foes requires relatively little sacrifice while allowing us to feel pious.  Putting our faith into practice takes far more work.  

Now, does that mean that we should stop studying theology?  Is that what Paul was telling the divisive Corinthians?  Of course not!  We do not have to choose between studying theology and bearing the fruit of the Spirit.  This ought to be a both/and, not an either/or, situation.  Christian love should flow from studying about Christ.  Studying the things of God should result in Godliness.  

This is particularly true for the system of theology generally known as Calvinism.  The Doctrines of Grace, as they are sometimes called, should produce humility.  When we truly understand our weakness–our helplessness before God–we will be brought to our knees.  When we grasp the divine prerogative in salvation, we will lose any sense of self-reliance.  It is not belief in these doctrines that produces pride.  No, it is the failure to understand and internalize them properly that does so.  “When we were weak,” Paul says, “Christ died for the ungodly!”

These doctrines should also produce doxology–praise and worship!  TULIP should evoke a response of gratitude to the Gracious Gardener.  “In this is love, not that we loved God,” says the Apostle John, “but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sin!”  Knowledge of this love–this electing, drawing, irresistible love–should inspire us to love for God and neighbor.  “We love because He first loved us!”

Human nature can compromise even the noblest of endeavors.  Even studying God’s Word and exploring God’s Nature can be turned into selfish self-promotion.  Reformed Christians may need to be especially on guard against this tendency because our tradition emphasizes (even overemphasizes) the intellect, but we are by no means the only ones susceptible to it.  

So, all Christians need to examine their hearts.  Why do we study God’s Word?  Why do we seek to plumb the depths of theological mysteries?  Is it to know and to love our Creator?  To share His truth–to share Him–with our fellow Christians and with the world?  Or do we value knowledge for the sake of knowledge?  Do we seek adulation and accolades from our less theologically minded brethren?  Do we love God?  Or do we love to sound smart?

J.I. Packer famously said, “The purpose of theology is doxology.”  May these words be true in our hearts, our lives, and our theological debates.