Good question from my class...

I don't think I can know God better by reading or studing Karl Barth. :smilewinkgrin:

However, I've read Anselm lately and he makes a good point about what can God give to Jesus in compensation for sacrificing himself for all mankind? A people who live rightly both ourselves and our right acts. Again another good reason to life rightly in God's sight.

I've also been inspired by Thomas Aquinas' Summa of The Summa Theologica. In every case there has been a call to right living.

Reading the ECF really emphasised to me the reality of the resurection of the Dead and the encouragement and the joy contained there in. As always CS Lewis inspires me on several levels that I can't not summerize here.

Is that what you're looking for?

 

The more I learn about God - His perfection and holiness, grace and mercy, (and on and on and on) the more I realize I 'm not what I should be. The more I learn about Him the closer I get to Him, and the more imperfections I see in my own life.

The more I realize my imperfection (sin), the more I know I need Him. It causes me to become more dependent on Him and less on myself.

Does that make sense?

 

The more I learn about God, the more I detest sin and can't wait for the day when my body will be freed from this filth.

Also, the more I learn about God's love for us, it is amazing the sovereign God of the universe calls me His friend. Wow.

 

What follows is my testimony delivered to PBC on June 22 of this year (the same day I was baptized.) This is how I would answer the OP.

I was raised in a church by parents that believe in the false doctrine known as oneness Pentecostalism. During my life in this heresy, I considered myself a faithful member. I would even say I was zealous for God, but now I realize that it was zeal without knowledge. I even attended one of their Bible colleges. There I met my wife, also a oneness Pentecostal. We believed this heresy, as both of our families still do.

One of the reasons I call what I believed heresy is that it stressed a works based salvation. The question, “What must I do to be saved?” would be followed up with their plan of salvation, and then live a godly life or you would lose your chance of salvation. Over the years, as I tried to maintain this so called godly lifestyle, I began to realize that I could never be good enough to merit eternal life. And as I realized that, I began to tell myself that if I was saved, it would not be due to any effort on my part. The light of Scripture was beginning to shine through.

The Lord used various events to cause us to finally break from this heresy. Through asking many questions, reading the Bible, and researching answers on the internet, my wife, kids, and me were delivered last year in March. To God belongs all the glory! As we searched the scriptures, we were amazed to learn of Biblical doctrines for the very first time, such as the doctrines of Grace and Justification. We learned that man is not saved by his works, his choice, or his effort, but that salvation is based wholly on God who chooses to have mercy. We were stunned. We had never heard of Grace on this measure.

Consider the doctrine of justification. This states that when a believer puts their faith in Christ alone, God imputes the gracious gift of RIGHTEOUSNESS to that believer. We could hardly believe what we were reading in scripture. We learned that we are not judged by our righteousness, goodness, or effort. We are only judged by what Christ accomplished on the cross, and his righteousness. Period! We were overwhelmed.

We learned also that salvation is not only possible, but that it is assured! Never before could I believe this. Throughout my life, my greatest desire was to know my name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We learned we had this assurance, on account of Jesus Christ. Oh, happy day! Never again would I have to wonder if God accepted me, now I know that I am!

As we began our journey out of darkness into His marvelous light, the Lord brought different resources and different people to us to help us. One was a DVD titled Amazing Grace, which is a series of lessons teaching salvation. Man is totally depraved, and he is dead in trespasses and sin. As such, it is impossible that he can save himself. Salvation is completely based on God’s grace, and is because of Christ’s work on the cross.

He also led us to a teacher at a different church. This teacher taught that we could not out sin God’s grace. And he taught that our end goal was not eternal life! What then is it? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. God is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in him.

This brings me to the present day. God led us to this church, where for the first time in our lives we heard the gospel preached. The gospel that states that Christ died according to the scriptures, that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and that whoever believes in him shall be saved. So therefore, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. To God belongs the glory!

 

The more I have studied theology, both biblical and systematic, the smaller and more insignificant I feel; and greater and more precious God becomes and I find myself worshiping before His feet. In short- I enjoy God more when I study God more.

 

Same thing happened to me. The more I came to understand God´s intervention in the salvation of sinners, the more passionate I became about sharing the Gospel. If I didn´t believe that it was God that convinces the sinner and opens his mind to the Gospel so that he might believe, I would become greatly discouraged with my efforts.

 

As my knowledge of God grows, the more I abhor myself.

 

Don't abhor yourself; abhor your sin. You are a child of the Father.

 

Get thee behind me.

 

Did Christ die for us in order for us to loath ourselves? I think not.

I hate my sin, but why should I hate myself, a person created in the image of God, for whom Christ died and whom he redeemed with his blood?

 

RB,

Great question. I make it a habit to collect systematic theologies. Right now I'm reading Ryrie's Basic Theology.

Yes, my discovery of the Grace and Sovereignty of God has changed everything for me.

 

The Bible is the random garden of God's truth, whilst systematic theology is the orderly garden of God's truth. From the first, we must search for the growth, and it is possible to develop incorrectly. Theology, being the orderly garden, we succesfully pluck the plants of truth in an orderly fashion.

The study of theology leads me faithfully down the path of truth and into His holy knowledge. This knowledge of necessity humbles me in His presence and guides me in every step along the way to eternity.

The importance of Barth, and other theologions, is knowing where they have come from and the direction they are heading. For example, Barth came out of German rationalism and made great strides towards theological credence. Surely he missed the mark along the way, but still a long ways from German rationalism. Many theologians along the way from the first century followed similar inadequate paths into truth, but we take the good points and take mind of the faulty thinking.

Reading the Bible is like getting a garment; studying theology is like putting it on.

Cheers, and bless,

Jim

 

"Teeth are needlessly broken over the grit of systematic theology, while souls are famishing. To turn stones into bread was a temptation of our Master; but how many of His servants yield readily to the far worse temptation to turn bread into stone! Go thy way, metaphysical divine, to the stone-yard, and break granite for McAdam, but stand not in the way of loving spirits who would feed the family of God with living bread. The inspired Word is to us spirit and life, and we cannot afford to have it hardened into a huge monolith or a spiritual Stonehenge --- sublime but cold, majestic but lifeless; far ratherwould we have it as our own household book, our bosom companion, the poor man's counselor and friend."
-Spurgeon, Feathers for Arrows

"Sometimes expressions which are mistakes in logic may be more accurate descriptions than the best arranged sentences. The expression which looks to be a contradiction may better express the truth than that which is verbally accurate. Scripture is infallible, and yet it uses none of the red tape of systematic theology."
-Spurgeon, The Gift Unspeakable

"[John Gill is] run away with by imagination . . . when he falls upon a text which is not congenial with his creed, and hacks and hews terribly to bring the word of God into a more systematic shape."
-Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries