An Idolatry of Theology

As humans we are prone to make idols and subsequently, to worship those things above the Lord. This can happen even in the midst of miracles, as it did with the Hebrews who came out of Egypt when they made the golden calf. That means it certainly still happens today.

Idolatry is a serious offense to a sovereign God, notice the 10 Commandments. Often, we are quick to point out the idols worshipped by our culture - money, sex, TV, etc...Sometimes we will even admit to struggling with those idols in our own lives. What we hardly ever do is talk about the idols that sneak up on us because we tend to see them as inherently good things.

Family is a great example of this category. Many people have made an idol of thier family, putting it before God in their hearts. They do this because the have difficulty seeing typically good things as potential idols. Family is a good thing. God blesses marriage and childrearing. Unfortunately, we are so depraved that we find a way to twist the goodness of family into an idol before our God.

This general idea was hammered home for me in our weekly mens discipleship group on Tuesday. The discussion included the thought that we must be vigilant lest we make an idol of good men like Piper, Keller, or Driscoll. We can learn much from them about Jesus, but they are not Jesus.

Less obvious, if equally as dangerous is our potential idolatry of reformed theology/ Calvinism. I am fully committed to RT because I believe that it is the system that best captures the theology of the Bible. I am a strong believer that understanding TULIP is the best way to dig deep into God's truth and to grasp the beauty of God's grace. That said, I know that it is very easy for me to fall into a trap of idolizing RT.

I can spend hours on the subject, living inside my head and my thoughts, oblivious to the outside world. By being so enamoured by the "headiness" of RT, I think I often lose out on my complete surrender and worship of God. I see Scripture as telling us that correct theology is vital, else faith would be in vain, AND that we are to express that theological conviction is simplicity and love.

When my fascination with the doctrines of RT becomes such a preoccupation that it leads me into hostile confontation and arguement with fellow believers, rather than civil discussions for the glory of God, I make theology an idol.

When my love of RT reaches a level where I cloister myself away with a copy of "The Institutes" rather than venture out to engage the world in self-sacrifical love as I proclaim the good news, then my theology has become an idol.

I pray that God will keep me from making RT an idol even as he keeps me an advocate of its tenets.

Ultimately, I should be seeking 2 things:

- to see unbelievers saved by grace thru faith and adopted into God's family (even if they don't understand that and they come in as confused Arminian brothers)

- to see brothers in Christ stand together globally, agreeing on the essentials of the faith, and partenering in fellowship and evangelism.

Desiring to see all Christians become 5-pointers is a good thing for their growth and God's glory. Letting that desire eclipse the call that we have to proclaim simple gospel truth in love, thats when an idolatry of theology begins.

I am committing to be more aware of when I lead discussions into overly deep theological concepts and thereby I look to keep my usual conversations on basic truth and personal matters. Rather than pondering the Order of Decrees for 2 hours in our mens group,it may be better to engage in more prayer and more discussion of how each of us is really doing in life, in our personal walk with Christ, and in our efforts to proclaim the gospel to those lost around us, by word and deed.

I am thankful for the thought-provoking word I received at group on Tuesday and I pray that it will be useful in balancing my Christian life. Thanks guys.