Theology Or Story?

We want simple clear and unambiguous bullet points. And God tells us a life. Jon Swanson

Have you ever thought that the bible isn’t a typical theology book?

Humans publish lots of theology books. Entire colleges exist to teach theology. You can study all sorts of theological systems and traditions. Very smart people earn advanced degrees in theology. They memorize key elements, produce highly technical papers, and take difficult, detailed tests.

Theology—knowledge of God—is a demanding academic discipline.

So how did God reveal Himself? He told a story—well, actually two connected stories.

In the Old Testament, He told a twelve-century story of a small band of nomads who became a nation. God told us who He is through the lives of some incredible but incredibly flawed leaders. He might have sat on a mountain and lectured to the attentive students, encouraging them to take notes for the test on Friday. He could have just listed the important points in neatly divided sections with color-coded headings.

Perhaps He knew that wouldn’t be effective. The only time He actually provided a list of ten basic bullet points written in stone with His own finger, people basically ignored them anyway.

So He told us this long, convoluted tale complete with conflicted heroes and evil villains, complex relationships, and compelling subplots. And it turns out that this was just the prologue, context for the central story.

The main character lived only thirty-three years, and we know almost nothing about the first thirty. God’s story centers on a three-year window, much of it spent with a small group of ordinary, uneducated men. All of those thick, scholarly theology books are basically an effort to digest an ancient three-year home video.

And what did that pivotal character do during those three years? He spent time with people. He ate and drank and traveled and talked. He listened. And when He did teach, it was mostly in the context of stories about people. The YouTube clips would display some flashy moments, but mostly they’d show dusty roads and campfires and quiet conversations.

Jesus’ story is about relationships. He lived in relationships, talked about them, and ultimately died for them. He’s been in a relationship for eternity; He left for a brief time, then returned. His entire purpose was for us to join Him there.

Theology—knowledge of God—isn’t found in books and classrooms. We can know about God by reading and studying, but we know God through relationships because that’s who He is.

Relationships—with God, with others, and with self. That’s Jesus’ story. That’s what He wants for our story.

The cool thing about stories is that you can edit them. Don’t like the current plot? Re-write it. Not happy with the central character’s behavior? Transform it. Want a different ending? Create it.

It’s your story. I think God wants you to listen to His story. But I also believe He wants to help you edit yours.

You live out your theology in relationships with God, self, and others. Re-write those relationships, align them a little better with Jesus’ home videos.

That’s how God revealed Himself. That’s how He wants us to know Him.

How do your relationships display your theology—your knowledge of God?