Doxology and Devotion

I love the deep simplicities of our faith.

But I am often surprised at my own forgetfulness of such basic truths like the sovereignty of God over all created (visible and invisible) things, the deadness of man’s spiritual condition, or the absolute surety and hope I have that heaven is my home. Now, by “forgetfulness” I do not mean “rejection” or, say, “disbelief.” but rather the kind of ignorance to these truths that is revealed by how I live…

And so it is because of this that I find myself eternally grateful for God’s faithfulness to me (in spite of me). He often uses a circumstance, trial, or even a simple conversation to bring me back to the basics; back to the purpose, the reason, the “why” I do what I do. Like: why do I even bother to study theology? Why do I seek to ever increase in knowledge of our faith? And why do I discipline myself to learn about apologetic arguments? The sheer amount of information to take in, sort out, and memorize can easily leave one weary, frustrated, or even delusional. Furthermore, there is always the lure to be “puffed up” with knowledge; to be the one that can answer all the hard questions. There is the subtle temptation for self-glorification.

So, again, I must ask myself: why?

Before I proceed any further I must first establish an all too necessary, yet often overlooked, juxtaposition between two fundamental modes of Christian thought. The first being that the Christian is to grow in his understanding and knowledge of God and His Word; and the second being that the Christian is to live out his or her faith by taking action for the sake of godliness. There are some who tend to put more emphasis on one of these aspects than the other, for indeed, it is an exceedingly difficult balance to maintain. But balance is the key. Take for example the Biblical basis for this assertion [Note that all of the following passages from the New Testament deal simultaneously with both the knowledge of the faith and the action necessary to live out those truths.]:

Titus 1:1 “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,”

Rom. 15:14 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.”

1 Cor. 1:4-5 “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,”

Phil. 1:9-10 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, SO THAT you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.”

Col. 1:9-10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, SO THAT you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work AND increasing in the knowledge of God,”

Summarizing these thoughts in his book Concise Theology, J.I. Packer wrote “[T]heology is for doxology and devotion—that is, the praise of God and the practice of godliness. It should therefore be presented in a way that brings awareness of the divine presence. Theology is at its healthiest when it is consciously under the eye of the God of whom it speaks, and when it is singing to his glory."

I have recently come to hold the position that knowledge is vain… unless it is applied. However, one must also consider that there can be no application if there is no truth to apply. Indeed, the beliefs that one confesses are either validated or made null by one's lifestyle. Therefore, both are necessary and fundamental modes of thought for every believer. For we have been created for both doxology (the praise of God) and devotion (the practice of godliness).

I write this with hope that this brief rambling has encouraged (or even convicted!) you to never cease from striving to better know the God of our salvation and to live a life that reflects the glory, majesty, and absolute purity of the One we serve.