Here is a sample of how I get theology of God's word. I am simply noticing things of how one piece of God's word can help me to benefit from another part, and apply this to how I understand and see other people and myself and discover how God wants us to become and to love . . . instead.
The Bible says God loves us. And so He sent His only Son, Jesus, in order to save us. So, yes we were condemned
"already" (John 3:18) in our sin . . .
"deserving of death" (in Romans 1:32). And so, God in His love has evaluated how we were and therefore we needed to be rescued. And so,
"Christ died for our sins," we have in 1 Corinthians 15:3.
"And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." (in 1 John 2:2)
So, God in His love does evaluate and judge. But our Father sent Jesus to rescue us and get us adopted to become His children. Jesus in Acts 26:18 says He is sending our Apostle Paul to turn us
"from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God". So, God has been judging according to all He knows is really true.
Also because He loves us, He corrects us > Hebrews 12:4-14 > God does not leave His own children uncorrected; because He does love us.
So . . . if you study theology, you will find how people can say God loves us and so He does not punish us or judge us. But there are scriptures which mean to me that God's correction is not merely punishment. And people can keep on suffering in their problems, because they reject how God does evaluate and correct His children.
Ones can say, "But God does not punish His children." But real correction is not only punishment, but Biblical correction means how our Father changes our character so we live and love His way. I offer this is the correct understanding of how Hebrews 12:4-14 says our Father corrects us.
And from this you can get a love lesson for how you practically love people. Yes, we need to judge right from wrong, so we can help people find out how to love.
We love our children, by making sure they know what is wrong so they do not do that stuff, themselves. But only punishing and rejecting a person can not change him or her into a loving person!! Just judging and criticizing a wrong person does not change the person's character which makes the person able to sin and keep on deeply suffering.
But God's word tells us what does work. God's real correction in His children changes our character so we share with Him in His own holiness and His love's
"peaceable fruit of righteousness". So, instead of arguing with a wrong person, you can say something is wrong, but also encourage the person with all that is so right, instead - - - of how we can be sharing with God in His own love with Jesus Christ's
"rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30)
And be His example. God uses example; however we really are inside of us, this is what can spread to make others the same way, including in our children.
So, we have to make sure our children know what is wrong, so they do not get into that stuff which is anti-love. In people's self-seeking stuff, even if activities are ok with society, and even might not be obvious sins, still in selfish stuff a person stays deeply degraded so he or she can keep on deeply suffering different kinds of problems and fool oneself into wrong choices for relating with people so he or she can keep getting hurt and keep on suffering. And weakness for selfish pleasure can moonlight as weakness for deep spiritual and emotional suffering. And God knows this; so He has told us what is right and wrong . . . according to what He knows
But Jesus gives us
"rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-30) while we trust and obey Him. And Jesus will guide each of us personally, if we are His
"sheep" > John 14:1-30. And while we obey how God rules us in His peace > Colossians 3:15 >
"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," we have in Philippians 4:6-7.
And this peace is
"the peace of God" > not only some nice feeling which comes with our own human efforts at self discipline and self help. But God is almighty; so this peace is almighty to guard us from cruel and chaotic emotions and feelings . . .
while we obey our Father in this peace >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
Because God indeed is love, then, He personally so cares for us who obey how He takes care of us. He is not merely distant, then, and impersonal. And you can see, here, how knowing God is almighty, in your theology, can have such an important application in your heart and mind, because of how His almighty peace guards you and keeps your heart and mind sound. And this can help you to see what people need . . . not only proving your ideas, or judging people and looking down on them. But have hope of all which God's word guarantees He does with us His children.
But there are people who argue how God loves us "unconditionally", and therefore He never judges us or punishes us. But then they keep on living the wrong way, not evaluating, on and on suffering and isolating themselves with pleasures and people they try to use to make themselves feel better. And ones can scream that God and people hate them, by saying they are wrong.
But > possibly you can see how God's word does strongly confront various wrong things, but along with such confrontation there is a very good encouragement to all God would share with us, instead.
For example, God's word does say >
"all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (in Romans 3:23)
This indeed condemns how people have not lived God's way. But with this confrontation is indication of how God does not want us to be short of His own glory! So, there is such an encouragement here > how God wants all humans to share with Him in His own glory! Yet, it seems a number of people merely use this verse either to self-rightously criticize people, or to even accuse God of being unloving.
Indeed, ones will say, oh God loves us unconditionally, and with this they claim He does not criticize or punish anyone. But God has loved us, by sending Jesus to so suffer and die for us, that we may have eternal life. And the benefit of this comes with His correction, which requires His own inspection by His standards. And Jesus died with this hope for any person > love
"hopes all things" (in 1 Corinthians 13:7).
So, yes Jesus in His unconditional love has so suffered and died with hope for any evil person, at all. But humans need to obey this, in order to benefit from this.
Plus . . . how Jesus so loves us unconditionally is our example, which is also required of us >
"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Ephesians 5:2)
So . . . yes
"God is love" (in 1 John 4:8&16), but He is our example of how we need to become so we may spend eternity with Him >
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)
There can be a lot of theological discussions which can take your attention elsewhere. Ones can pick and choose about words, but our character can be our dictator taking us.
But God is almighty, and spiritual enough to do with us all He means by His word,
in spite of how we can fool ourselves. So it is wise, then, to first trust in Jesus and how God is able. And if we have trusted in Christ > Ephesians 1:12 > His word is guaranteed to succeed in all God Himself understands and experiences His word to mean > God is the One who proves Himself in us, like this >
"'So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
. It shall not return to Me void,
. But it shall accomplish what I please,
. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Isaiah 55:11)
So, please be encouraged, that God's word is not limited to how we might try to get ourselves to do it; but this is about how God in us is able >
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
So, you can see there are scriptures to help encourage you to all He means by theology you might study.
