The Importance of Theology (Part 3)

God hates it when we don't know him properly.

God is a jealous God.  And he has the right to be.  God is the only being that is intrinsically worthy and valuable.  All other things that are valuable depend on God for that Value.  So, nothing is valuable by itself and everything is vain without God. I could prove this point from a myriad of passages, but I think the best is straight from the Ten Commandments.  The first two commandments read as follows:

"And God spoke all these words sying, 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shll have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments."

There are two ways you can make a graven image (or carved image). 1. With your hands. 2. With your mind.  

You can say things like "My God isn't a jealous God" though the Bible very clearly says that the one true God is jealous and he is jealous that people know him for who he is.  Or I often hear people say, "My God doesn't send people to hell".  I simply tell them. "You're right. Your God won't send anyone to hell because he can't.  He's a figment of your imagination.  You've created a god in your mind to suite your sins.  And that is what the Bible calls 'Idolatry'." In Jeremiah 4:22, God calls his people who do not know him "Foolish". 

One of the strongest warnings to do your best to know God comes from Romans 1:28; "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not be done."
Unless you want to be given up to a debased mind, it is wise that you seek out God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Learn to love God with your mind and then when you know who he truly is, learn to appreciate him with your heart. Then run after him with all of your strength and commit every aspect of your person to him.

To not seek to know God for who he is must be called IDOLATRY and you must repent of it and seek to know your God.  Whether you do that in a systematic way is up to you. But you must do it.

Questions for further meditation:

1. Is it possible that you have some thoughts about God that are not true? Does that scare you a little?

2. What can you do to rid your mind of thoughts and ideas about God that are not true? 

3. Jonathan Edwards lamented one time that people loved the gifts of God, but they did not love God.  Do you think that looking at God as a divine gift giver is idolatry?

4. How will that thought affect your prayer life?

Memory Verse:

Matthew 22:37
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."