From the Study

Here are the four other areas that I wanted to discuss in the last post:

4. An understanding of church history is essential for doing theology. Apart from a few biographies I have read, and some brief historical introductions in my New Testament survey classes during my Bachelor studies, I cannot say that I have had any thorough exposure to church history. But having tasted the riches of an evangelical understanding of church history over the past few weeks in my History of Christianity class makes me sad to realize that such classes were not required for undergraduate (Bible) degree. And how unfortunate. What other subject can guard us from the pride of wrongly concluding that ours is the only generation to wrestle with our understanding of predestination, cultural engagement, church polity, and a host of other issues facing the church? What other subject keeps us from theological error by showing us how doctrines have been confirmed and established over the past 2000 years? What study endues us with a sense of swelling gratitude to God for providing a heritage of godly men and women, who, though not perfect, faithfully sought to know and uphold the truth? What other study opens our eyes to the sovereignty of God as He has worked out His purposes over the centuries?

5. Pride kills learning. If I assume the posture of a theological expert during lectures or reading, or if I begin to allow myself to pursue knowledge for the sake of applause and to impress others, or if I cultivate fantasies of future fame and popularity, I find that real learning is nearly impossible to attain. But everything changes if I approach my studies as one who is convinced he is not very wise; as one who desires knowledge for the sake of his soul and for the glory of God; and as one who is wholly content to be unrecognized yet someday hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Several Proverbs come to mind, not the least of which are 12:15, “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise,” and 18:2, “The fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” God only gives the grace of true learning to the humble (James 4:6).

6. It is easy to waste time reading. And it’s probably easy to merely get a degree—a slip of paper and some letters behind my name. Sometimes priorities will require me to skim across some pages, and give more time to one subject over another, but cultivating the habit of reading to finish instead of reading to understand will make me superficial in my understanding and impede my growth in knowledge. Sitting in the library with a book open in front of me does not guarantee that I will learn anything. If I only read to finish, I am not really reading—I am merely looking at black marks on a page. I must read to understand, not to simply finish a book. To aid myself in this discipline, I have incorporated a helpful note card system.

7. The Bible must be read, not just studied. This is not to draw a false dichotomy between reading the Bible and studying the Bible—as if one requires brain power and the other does not—but there is something to be said about regularly reading through the Scripture, chapter by chapter, book by book, in order to see its “big picture” and to be constantly exposed to all of God’s attributes, works, and commandments. I am encouraged in this by Dr. John Hannah:

The first book you need is a Bible. I recommend reading it. Many don’t. They study it. I’ve been at seminary for 38 years, and the guys who read their Bibles are the guys who are going somewhere. They’re the ones I want to hire and the ones I want to place in churches. I didn’t read my Bible when I was in seminary because I was too busy exegeting it.—Quote found at Raw Christianity

I have been trying to read at least one chapter a day; sometimes I read more, sometimes a little less. Right now I am in the gospel of John. It is refreshing to read through the Bible, not merely take it apart. I pray that the Lord enables me to maintain this discipline, not only during my time at seminary, but throughout the rest of my life.