The Gospel and Theology

The tendency within the broader evangelical world is to be pragmatic in our approach to ministry, “doing church,” etc. When a church begins to orient itself around the gospel, however, there are several effects. For the sake of not turning this post into a dissertation, we’ll focus on just one of these effects today. When the gospel has truly penetrated the hearts and minds of a community of believers, there is a renewed interest in theology; and that renewed interest will actually manifest itself in two different ways, depending on the situation.

In churches that have been historically much more pragmatic in their approach, the gospel will propel them toward the deeper truths and doctrines of Scripture. They’ll begin to scour the Word, searching for a more robust understanding of the gospel and its implications. They will want to explore the theological underpinnings of their faith and life. A surface understanding of doctrine will no longer be sufficient as they begin to understand the depth and beauty of the gospel. They will have an insatiable desire for the rich doctrines of the Bible.

On the other hand, when the gospel infiltrates churches that have previously been more steeped in theology, there is a different effect. Instead of being content merely to discuss theology and listen to it taught, there will be a burning desire to unpack and live out the glorious truths of a gospel-centered theology. These communities of believers, already well versed in the objective truths of their theological positions, will be motivated to apply that theology to every aspect of their lives. No longer will they be satisfied to relegate their theology to Sundays and Wednesdays, and no longer will it be something they only want read about in dusty, leather-bound books. Rather, they will begin to apply and use their theology each and every day as they navigate their careers, their family life, their friendships, their relationship with the greater Christian community around them, and their relationship to the unbelievers with whom God has sovereignly placed them in contact. They will incessantly look for new ways to understand and apply their gospel-centered theology.

The gospel will breathe a new vitality into a community of believers when it’s applied. This will drive pragmatists to dig deeper, and will force theologically-astute-yet-practically-stagnant believers to unpack their doctrine and live lives that are centered on the gospel. It is only then that the church can glorify God in an appropriate way.

By Matt Monge