Have you ever stood in the ocean, looking towards the shore, when a powerful wave overtakes you from behind? Unaware that it’s coming, you are swept off your feet, powerless to stop the ocean dragging you towards the shore, unable to surface for air. Only after what feels like an eternity are you deposited unceremoniously on the shoreline. As you stagger to your feet, you try to take stock of where you ended up, unsure of how far the wave carried you. If this has happened to you, or if you can imagine it happening, then you will resonate with the illustration the apostle Paul uses in Ephesians 4:11–14:
And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
In this passage, Paul warns Christians against the dangers of being tossed about by the waves of new and exciting doctrines that are not God’s truth, but are rather human cunning and craftiness in deceitful schemes. This is not much of a threat for mature Christians. A mature Christian is solid and firm in their beliefs. However, an immature follower of Christ, someone who doesn’t have a strong grasp of what they believe and why they believe it, is especially prone to this danger.
This is why it is important to study theology! Theology is the study of God and everything he has revealed in the Bible. If we are followers of Christ, we ought to know what the Bible teaches on more than a surface level. We ought to know what Scripture teaches us about God and about ourselves.
What Dangers is Paul Warning Us Against?
Perhaps more than at any time in the history of the world, we are aware of the staggering diversity of belief systems, religions, and philosophies that have been and are held around the world. This realization can be overwhelming: With so many options, how could we ever arrive at the truth? Throughout his letters, Paul contends that while there are many religions and philosophies to choose from, all but one are merely “human cunning.” In other words, all other belief systems are created by humans rather than received from God. To paraphrase another of Paul’s letters, people tend to trade the truth which God reveals about himself for a falsehood that they have created (see Rom. 1:25). The practical implication of this is that we can know the truth and avoid being tricked by deceitful schemes only if the truth is given to us by God. However, if we don’t know the truths which God has revealed in the Bible, then we will be easily swayed, misled, and tricked. We’ll be tossed to and fro by the waves unless we have a strong foundation in God’s word.
To put it another way, we need a sturdy theological foundation to be a mature Christian.
Building a Strong Theological Foundation
Paul explains that the theological foundation we need is first and foremost found in Christ. We must know Christ as our savior. When we have “knowledge of the Son of God,” then we can attain “mature manhood.” How do we come to know Christ more richly? We go to church. At church, the people of God are built up by the pastors and leaders whom Christ called to disciple his people as they teach them about God and what he has revealed in his word (i.e. theology). As we are discipled, we become unified by faith, grow to know Jesus more deeply, and become like him. Maturing as a Christian also means that we are not only to know our theology, but we are to live our lives in response to it.
Sometimes we might think of our pastors and Bible teachers as the ones who are called to gospel ministry, not ourselves. They are the professionals, and we are in the stands watching. Paul tells us that this is inaccurate. Yes, Jesus calls some, but not all, to gospel ministry as a full-time profession. Yet, every Christian is to be equipped “for the work of ministry.” The primary place we ought to learn theology is the church. The reason we learn it is so that we can minister to others! Theology is not purely theoretical. Theology is practical. The truth of God has application for life.
What we believe about God ought to shape the way we worship him and interact with others. If we don’t have a strong theological foundation, then God’s truth cannot shape the way we interact with others. We will end up being shaped, tossed about, as Paul says, by human cunning. This is why it is not merely important, but critical, that we know our theology!
