What Does God Require of You?

Think for a moment: would God be more pleased with a seminary student who has degrees to the applause of men, but who spends their life questioning the faith and the foundational principles of the Church?

Or with a simpleton who has no degrees, but follows God's way of living, and bears fruit?

I have seen many "Bible" students who spend years studying the works of liberal scholars, and never seemed to find time for the actual Bible itself. (I've even seen some professors do this too.)

The Bible calls us to have faith like a child, spiritual maturity as grown-ups in Christ, and wisdom founded on fear of the Lord. Not the liberal theology of scholars.

A Church leader recently posted: "His power gave us all things for godliness, through the knowledge of him who called." (2 Peter 1:3). Godliness through knowledge.

But there are varying types of knowledge. Some knowledge springs from universal truths that God set into motion since the creation of the universe. Other knowledge is in direct, militant opposition to "the knowlege of God."

Remember for a moment that our Universities, and our degrees, and our media behemoths are all man-made. Our culture and societal norms swaying with the winds of time are mankind reaching out for truth, but fall short as man-made. Who deferred the first Bachelors Degree, Master's Degree, Ph.D., political title, honorable award? In each and every case, it was someone who did not themselves have one, but who had decided the man-originated level of "wisdom." 

The wisdom that is from God is fundamentally, consistently, unchangingly founded on one principle, and one principle alone: the fear of the Lord. 

Wisdom that builds on other foundations, yes, even "Christian" or "Bible" institutions and Universities and programs and accomplishments are a facade if they do not draw a person closer to the real knowledge of God. Knowledge from God creates holiness, true Christ-likeness, hunger for the Holy Spirit and growing compassion for our fellowman. 

Theology is meant to make us fall in love with Jesus. If it is doing the very opposite, dare we call it Bible theology? As a friend, Jon Bloom, shared with me recently: "all theology is, is a window to glory."

If you are not living the way God calls you to live, you can study all the "theology" you want, but you'll be blind as a bat to the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

When is the last time you read the Bible itself, and put it into practice? You will begin to see things rightly.

When is the last time you experienced the Presence and freedom of God? Maybe it's time to start again with repentance, worship, forgiveness of others.