November 5, 2023 | Martin Luther – Day 45

“The proper subject of theology is man, guilty of sin and lost, and God, who justifies and is the Savior of sinful man. Whatever in theology is sought or argued outside this subject is error and poison.”

Martin Luther

 

 

Theology focuses on the study of God and His attributes as it relates to His creation. Because man is the steward of that creation, it has everything to do with God’s relationship with man.

 

It’s really as simple as Martin suggests it is. God created man, man fell into sin, God works salvation from sin, man through faith is saved. Anything else we try and put into the mix leads to confusion, and even worse, separation from God.

 

Paul told His student Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Anything apart from the lessons God has provided through Scripture is anathema, a thing to be cursed and avoided.

 

Only Scripture will tell us of the true wonders of God and how that relates to mankind. But when we twist and turn its meaning to meet our own sinful agenda, it turns into a poison that sickens the world. When we cloud its meaning through worldly wisdom, it becomes the opposite of what God intended it to be.

 

We stray from Scriptures clear meaning and complicate it to the point that vulnerable Christians no longer know what to believe. Worldly theology overtakes proper theology and the people of the world become the victim.

 

We are called to make the simple truth of God’s teaching remain simple. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That is all we need to know. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). Simple, clear, and concise.

 

The Theology of God is uncomplicated. God created man, man fell into sin, God works salvation from sin, man through faith is saved. Today, learn to live in the simple truth that our divine God loves His creation and will do what must be done to save us from ourselves.

 

Our Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the simple truth of Your Word and forgive us for complicating it to the point that it separates us from You. Work Your wisdom into our hearts and make the clouds of our minds disappear. Amen.