In his 1973 book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer quotes an 1855 sermon from C.H. Spurgeon, in which Spurgeon extols the virtue - indeed, the necessity - of the study of theology.
Some excerpts from Spurgeon's sermon,
It has been said by someone that "the proper study of mankind is man". I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God's elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead.
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There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity.
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But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God, will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe...
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And, whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory. Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore.
Packer then presciently writes,
"But wait a minute," says someone, "tell me this. Is our journey really necessary? In Spurgeon's day, we know, people theology interesting, but I find it boring. Why need anyone take time off today for the kind of study you propose? Surely a layman, at any rate, can get on without it? After all, this is 1972, not 1855!"
A fair question! - but there is, I think, a convincing answer to it. The questioner clearly assumes that study of the nature and character of God will be unpractical and irrelevant for life. In fact, however, it is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.
(emphasis added)
I find it very interesting that Packer's fictional questioner, of the early 1970s, appeals to the very same notions that we're told we must address today, in 2007, if we are to reach the post-modern sub-culture in our midst: that of avoiding boring sermons and making our messages practical and relevant. I also find it interesting that Packer ignores the boring aspect while focusing on the fact that the study of God, the study of His Word - theology, is the most practical and relevant project we, as Christians, can undertake. To be sure, our study of God must be holistic and not merely academic, yet how true these words still are, 35 years after the fact, in a world which presumes to be... cutting edge and unique.
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