A couple weeks ago, I joined a discipleship group with a couple men from my church’s Faith Group(new definition for Sunday School). Starting with Genesis, they began reading through the Old Testament, a while back, and I have enjoyed spending time with them, discussing what God is saying along with being encouraged by them, especially with the group leader. As I am catching up with their reading progress, I am glad to revisit this Old Testament account of being reminded of how the world began by a direct act of God Himself. In this book, we can see God as the Creator of all things, and He created all things for His own glory, whether they be existing in heaven and on the earth. Since, Genesis is the sometimes called the “Book of Beginnings,” I believe that Christians need the solid foundation found within the first twelve chapters of this Biblical account of God’s work in His creation. Throughout history, He has communicated with man, and He desires a relationship with him: to know Him, to love Him, and to seek to obey His way, as we walk in His light. The problem is that man so often rebels against what God wants of him, and as a consequence from the beginning, sin entered into the world through Adam’s disobedience. In Romans chapter five, we learn about how sin entered into the world through one man(Adam), stating that we all have sinned, and fall short of God’s glory. Since the wages earned for sin result in death, God gave us the solution to our sin problem, by providing Adam and Eve the promise of a future Messiah, born of the woman’s seed, yet without being born as a sinner. Jesus Christ was the only One Who lived perfectly, according to the will of God, as an atoning sacrifice for everyone’s sin. A sinless substitute was required, to make the ultimate payment for our sin, and God sent His only begotten Son into the world to be that blameless sacrifice on our behalf. In the beginning in Genesis, we can find the various doctrines taught within the Christian faith, and what better place than to start in the book of Genesis, from the very start of God’s holy Word.
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For one to study theology, he needs to research the Scriptures, telling Who God is, and not from any other source. Other theological resources, such as systematic theology and historical theology, are great tools, but the believer must remember that the Bible is where the basis of belief in God begins. Through the presenting of the Gospel, one can know that God is holy and righteous in all of His ways, and that His love and mercy extends unto all of the world. The Lord provided the way for man to truly know Him in an intimate way through receiving Jesus Christ as personal Savior through the means of faith. It is so simple that anyone and everyone can come to Him, if that is, if they make the choice to believe and receive God’s forgiveness and spend eternity with Him in heaven. The start of the believer’s journey in theology starts with the Gospel and continues on throughout his life, as he learns to trust Him and walk with Him day by day. Theology is the start of forming of one’s Biblical worldview, that God desires for each and every one of His people, whether it be through attending your local church, Christian school, college, or seminary. God wants us to know Him, so that He may be known through us to a world that is lost and dying without Him.
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I apologize that I haven’t posted much on this site, but I’m hoping to get more serious with my personal studies in the area of theology and start posting more int he days ahead. Back in 2011, I attended Word of Life Bible Institute in Florida, where I received solid instruction on Bible Survey and Theology, along with other classes in listening to proper explanations and application to the history and backgrounds of the Old and New Testament books. Recently, I was looking through my file container, searching through my various notes from those classes, and I came across my Theology One notes from my time at that school. It was then on, that I decided to get back in studying the basics of theology, especially starting with Bibliology, Theology Proper, and Christology. As I have probably stated before, in order for the believer to grow in his faith, he needs to take the time in reading his Bible, seeking God’s face and bringing his requests before Him, and getting the understanding and application he needs in the overview of Bible doctrines. It is not enough to read the Word of God, but we must apply His Word to our hearts, as we live our daily lives. To know God is to take Him at His Word as the source for faith and life, and not listening to anyone or anything else that distracts us from our personal time with Him. His laws and principles for us are always right and good for our souls.
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I want to consider this question for all of my readers on this site: Why should we study theology? If you are new to this blog site, you are probably interested in what I have to say concerning the word: theology. Theology is simply defined as the study of God and His attributes, and character, and this is important for all who claim the name of Christ as their Lord and Savior. It could be that you are recently received Jesus Christ into life and you are new to the Christian faith. Or maybe, you want to grow more in your faith with knowledge of theology and personal Bible study. Whatever your reason is, you have come to the right place! I personally believe that every believer in Christ needs to be familiar with the fundamentals of the faith, and what better place than to start with God’s Word, the Holy Bible? This book is meant to be the foundation of what we believe. It has been breathed out by the Lord God Himself, and He wants us to know Him within a deeper relationship between us and Himself. It is in the Bible where we find what God expects of us, coming to know more of what He is like, and also how His truth can radically change our lives, if we submit ourselves to Him as He is the truth that we can depend upon. To truly know the Lord Almighty, I believe that the local church will spiritually benefit from reading and studying His Word on a daily basis. It is not enough to attend a Bible college or seminary to receive a solid education in biblical and theological studies. We must look into the Bible for ourselves, and not just listen to what our godly professors and preachers tells us about the Bible, although we should take note from their preaching, guidance, counsel, and wisdom through their years of study in the Bible, as the source for ministry and holy living before the Lord. Only God’s Word can accurately tell us about His nature and plan of salvation for all the world and purpose for our lives, as we live to trust Him and serve Him with all of our hearts. May God bless and help you to draw closer to Him, as we both read and study the Holy Scriptures together and desire for His name to be glorified above all else.
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I recently started a personal study on the Old Testament book of Genesis. This will be the first of several studies focusing on God’s creation, the fall of man, and Adam’s genealogy. Within the next two weeks, be on the lookout for my first article of this O. T. Study Series. Have a blessed day!