I had a quite remarkable conversation with a friend/brother/adversary the other day. He objected to a particular theological view I had propounded and took it upon himself to set me straight. I always – well, usually – welcome such confrontations since I am quite aware of the fact that I may be wrong on any number of my doctrinal positions. God is certainly able to use whomever He chooses to teach me: after all, He used a jackass to rebuke a prophet and He’s used me, too! So I welcomed the interaction with my critic.

[Let me stop for a second and change this present discussion a bit. Using terms like "theological position" and "theological views" has (I am convinced) some unintended and undesirable effects. Such jargon relegates our conversations to the abstract, impersonal, cerebral realm. We wind up talking about ideas and concepts rather than about a person Person. In reality, such exchanges are not about a theory that is in the process of being developed; they are about a singular Person in already in existence, He who has created all things and sustains all things, who knows all and is all-powerful, One who is full in His personality and in need of no change. God is a sentient Being who exists quite apart from our perceptions or notions about Him. In light of this, I'll change the words: instead of talking about "theology" I'm going to use the phrase "impression of God," or something like it. That is, after all, what the term theology means: theos = God and logos = word or knowledge. Since our knowledge is incomplete and partial (cf. 1 Cor 13:12 and 1 Jn 3:2 ), impression is an acceptable substitute.]

My friend began to expound on his own experience of God, arguing that what he knows of the Divine Person refutes my impression of Him. He was saying, in essence, that anyone who has really taken the time to get to know Yahweh would not view Him as I did. I wasn’t sure if he was defending a mutual Friend from what he believed to be a foolish attack or was trying to maintain his considered perception (since he obviously liked it quite a bit).

Such conflicts are not uncommon- at least for me – and we typically engage in them as though the Person about whom we are speaking is absent and/or mute. Since He isn’t here to defend Himself, we seem to be saying, “I will stand up for Him since I know Him well enough to straighten you out.”

Well, are those assumptions accurate? Is God really absent? Mute? We know, of course, that Yahweh is omnipresent (Godspeak for fully present everywhere simultaneously) and so He is actually in our midst, eavesdropping on our conversations. But why doesn’t He speak up? Well, He has spoken up: through the work of His most Holy and Sacred Spirit we have in our possession the words that God breathed out: we have the Scriptures, and the Scriptures are made alive by that same Divine Spirit who dwells within every Christian. So God is not silent and He has not left us without sufficient and adequate knowledge of Him.

But the incredible thing that my critic said – and prompted this post – was this:

I know you’ve been to seminary and have formal training in the things of God. I’m a veterinarian by training but I’m also an amateur theologian, and I have a lot of experience in the Christian life.”

That, I thought, is a profoundly dangerous thing to admit.

It says something about the disdain we have for the discipline of theology and the hubris we exude regarding our own abilities. Imagine the following scenarios:

    Your pet is ill, obviously in dire need of prompt attention if it is to survive whatever ailment is besetting it. So you bring your pet to me and I say, “Well, I’m a theologian by trade but I’m also an amateur veterinarian. Let’s cut ‘im open and see what we can figure out!”

    You’re being audited by the IRS and may face substantial fines or imprisonment. I learn of your plight and say, “Professionally, I’m a theologian but I’m an amateur tax attorney and having been doing my own taxes for more than forty years. Let me tell you what to do!”

    An announcement comes over the PA stating that your flight has been cancelled because the pilot is drunk (again). I pop up and say, “I’ve flown hundreds of times and even been in the cockpit on many occasions. I’m a theologian, perhaps, but I’m also an amateur pilot. Let’s see what this 747 can do, eh? Hop on board!”

For some dumbfounding reason, many Christians seem to think that we are as capable and qualified to speak for God as those who have devoted their lives to the exacting study of the Scriptures and to an understanding of the inspired words of Him who watches us. Now, I put myself in the place of theologian in the preceding examples, but I am certainly not a theologian – i.e., knower of God – of the same stature as a Millard Erickson, Carl F.H. Henry, John Calvin, Douglas Moo, or C.E.B. Cranfield. Were I to enter into a discussion with the likes of, for example, D.A. Carson or Haddon Robinson, I would ask a lot of questions, make very few statements, and pray that I didn’t embarrass myself or waste their time.

It is incredible to me that we are so very careful in selecting a physician, attorney, or even someone to care for our dog but presume to think that we can be amateur authorities when it comes to understanding God and the words He has spoken to us. This leads me to a final point, which is the most disturbing and chilling for me.

Such cavalier statements reflect an attitude that says, in essence, “Sure, God is important but it’s something I can do in my spare time. He’s a fascinating hobby, you know.” Perhaps we have become a little too comfortable or friendly with the King, thinking that we can be casual chums and enjoy each others’ company when there’s time for it.

Is there anything more important than our impression of God? Anything more vital to our existence, well-being, and reason for even taking up space on this little dirt ball circling the sun? The Great King, the Most Powerful Creator of all that is, the Dying God Who Saves Us, has stooped low to allow us to get to know Him – and we approach it as a part-time avocation and speak as amateur theologians?

When I write such posts as these, I always feel compelled to add a concession to the effect that “We all have a right to study the Scriptures and we all have a right our opinions about God.” Or some such drivel. But the truth is this: Yahweh/Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit is not some incidental dimension of our lives to be treated as a small or trivial Person. He is the One with who we will all have to stand before some day, there to explain our deeds and words done during our lifetimes. He is not going to chuckle at our misrepresentations of Him or excuse us for being too busy to study more carefully.

We may have the right to our opinions, but that doesn’t make our opinions correct or valuable; we may have a right to our opinions, but we’re all going to be held responsible for them at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ.

God has given us His word and He has given us His servants to help us understand and know Him better. If we really believe that He is the greatest and most important Person in our lives, that seeing Him clearly is our highest calling, and that true knowledge of Him is necessary to truly glorify Him, then we will stop being so arrogant as to believe that – as a part-time, amateur theologian – we can speak dogmatically or decisively about Him. We will not treat the Scriptures as a common thing or regard our impressions of God as complete.

Not everyone needs to go to seminary, devote themselves to full-time study of the word of God, or become experts in the biblical languages. God knows that and so has given us such men and women. But we can at least have enough common sense to shut up and listen to such scholars. If we are going to disagree, say, with Moo – a first-rate exegete – over the identity of the person in Romans 7:13-25, then we had better disagree because we know that Cranfield – also a first-rate exegete – also holds a different view.

But to disagree simply because I don’t think he’s right, based only on my own amateurish understanding of the passage, is sheer arrogance and foolishness. God save us from ourselves.


2 Cor 1:13