Are Theology And Piety Opposed to Each-other?

A Defense of Faith Seeking Understanding

Theology vs. Piety

As a part-time seminary student who also works full time as a youth minister in my local church, people often ask me why I'm pursuing a seminary degree. Especially in the non-denominational world, where seminary education is viewed more as supplemental than essential for clergy, people seem puzzled about why a minister would invest so much time and energy into education. Many are surprised when I tell them that my seminary experience has been deeply spiritually enriching. It seems most expect to hear that formal theological study is laborious, dull, and spiritually dry.

In my experience, that notion couldn't be further from the truth. Far from being boring or spiritually dry, few things have been as life-giving, as soul-satisfying, and as personally invigorating for me as deep study of the Word of God.

A few weeks ago, I was discussing these ideas with a couple of friends. I was emphasizing the need for greater theological literacy in our churches and doctrinal clarity in our sermons, when a friend pushed back against my emphasis by quoting 1 Corinthians 8:1

"Knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. - 1 Cor 8:1

He went on to explain how in his view, increased theological knowledge (what he would call "head knowledge") tended to result not in increased piety, but in increased pride.

Regrettably, his view is understandable. We've all encountered Christians who become so energized by their knowledge of the bible that they grow conceited, their behavior and speech contradicting the very doctrine they profess. This can even occur at an institutional level, where leaders fail to emphasize the grandeur of God alongside their commitment to robust theology, and consequently, a culture of ivory tower elitism begins to develop. It's also worth noting that due to the influences of modernism and higher textual criticism, many scholarly institutions are shot through with theological liberalism, which is essentially unbelief in the basic tenets of the Christian faith. When many of our intellectual spaces are filled with unbelievers, it's no surprise that many Christians associate intellect with spiritual deadness.

However, the problem with my friend's view is that it is built on a tragically unbiblical assumption; namely, that greater knowledge OF God leads to lesser love FOR God. While rarely put so plainly, that assumption is implicitly pervasive in many evangelical spaces. The effect is that many Christians do not see the pursuit of knowledge as a virtue, and some even see it as a vice.

In his sermon on the subject, John Piper said,

It’s true that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him, but it is also true that God is more glorified in us and in our unity when we long to see more and more of him revealed in more and more of his word and his truth. I have never understood nor have I ever empathized with those who say that knowing more and more about God gets in the way of loving God. And yet there are people who build their lives and some who build their ministries around the elevation of doctrinal limits and doctrinal ambiguity and obscurity.

It’s been my conviction and my experience for over 40 years that knowing more about God from his inspired word puts more kindling on the altar where the Holy Spirit can make a bigger and bigger conflagration of passion for Christ… There are people who believe that we will marvel at the mountain of the truth of God better if we don’t try to climb it, but instead keep our distance so that it’s shrouded in a great cloud of mysterious ambiguity and obscurity. Distance and ignorance can sustain wonder only so long. - Piper

I am motivated, along with Piper, to break down the assumption that knowledge of God (theology) and love for God (piety) are opposed to one another. In fact, I want to argue that the former begets the latter and that where there is little knowledge of God, there will be fleeting love for Him. I resonate deeply with B.B. Warfield's words, where he said,

“Nothing could be more fatal, however, than to set these things over against one another (godliness and learnedness). Recruiting officers do not dispute whether it is better for soldiers to have a right leg or a left leg… Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. ‘What!’ is the appropriate response, ‘than ten hours over your books, on your knees?’.” - B.B. Warfield

In this article, I would like to offer 4 biblical truths that I hope will serve as a corrective to this anti-intellectual attitude and help replace it with an optimistic view of a faith that seeks greater understanding.

1. In View of God's Perfection, True Knowledge of God Necessarily Leads to Greater Love for Him.

First, let me address the notion that greater knowledge of God (theology) may lead to lesser love for God (piety) head-on. There are multiple passages that we should consider here.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a short parable describing what the kingdom of God is like. He says…

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” - Mt 13:44.

He follows this with the parable of the pearl of great value, which conveys the same truth: finding the kingdom of heaven is like discovering a treasure of such extraordinary worth that one's only rational response is to forsake everything else to obtain it. The Apostle Paul picks up this kind of thinking in Philippians 3, where he says…

*“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ***Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” - Php 3:7–8.

Passages like this draw out the first corrective truth we should consider. Throughout Scripture, we see that when a person comes to a genuine knowledge of the magnitude of God's glory, their response is necessarily heartfelt devotion. Examples in the Old Testament of this principle abound. When we consider Isaiah's glorious throne room vision, Moses seeing the Lord on Mount Sinai, Job's interactions with God, or Daniel's vision of the glorious man, we see the same pattern. When sinful man comes to see the Lord for who He really is, the experience is earth-shattering and soul-sanctifying.

These Old Testament patterns find their New Testament fulfillment in the transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John have a similar mountaintop experience as they glimpse the fullness of Christ's glory. This idea—that seeing the Lord is a means by which we are sanctified—continues for Christians today.

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” - 2 Co 3:18.

The principle then stands that because God is objectively holy, lovely, pure, and worthy of infinite praise and adoration, a true knowledge of this perfect God will lead to greater love for Him, necessarily.

2. Loving Knowledge is Celebrated in the Bible

Second, in order to correct the idea that the pursuit of knowledge is intrinsically morally suspect, we should remember that all throughout the Bible, the pursuit of knowledge is celebrated. This is particularly pronounced in the Book of Proverbs. In Proverbs chapter 9, Solomon makes Lady Wisdom the narrator of the psalm, and she (Wisdom) says…

“And now, O sons, listen to me:

blessed are those who keep my ways.

33 Hear instruction and be wise,

and do not neglect it.

34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life

and obtains favor from the Lord,

36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;

all who hate me love death.” - Pr 8:32–36.

Just a few verses later, Solomon says

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” - Pr 9:10.

This emphasis is juxtaposed with the rebuke of the foolish for "hating knowledge" and "loving being simple" (Prov 1:22)

In our culture, we often view the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake with suspicion. Many people may even view the pursuit of knowledge as a dangerous quest for power. We tend to celebrate those who maintain an ambivalent attitude toward knowledge and quickly defer to mystery. As modern Americans, we frequently mistake certainty for arrogance and lack of certainty for humility.

We must keep in mind that Scripture simply does not think in these terms. While it is certainly true that hypocritical, loveless knowledge is warned against in the New Testament, the overwhelming view of the Bible is that knowledge comes from God, knowledge is intrinsically good, and that Christians should seek understanding.

“Get wisdom; get insight;

do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

love her, and she will guard you.

7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,

and whatever you get, get insight.

8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;

she will honor you if you embrace her.

9 She will place on your head a graceful garland;

she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” - Pr 4:5–9.

3. Deep Study of God’s Word is Commended in Both The New and Old Testaments

Now it should be noted that while the pursuit of knowledge and understanding generally is celebrated in the Bible, the pursuit of greater knowledge of God's Word—and thus, the God of the Word—is particularly commended!

It is at this point that I find Dr. Steven Wellum's definition of the task of doing theology particularly helpful. According to Wellum, doing theology is simply "faith seeking understanding." Given that this definition is a good way to describe the task of doing theology, I would argue that the Bible expects all Christians to be engaged in the task of doing theology.

Psalm 111:2 reads…

“Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.” - Ps 111:2.

Diligent study of the Bible is everywhere celebrated in Scripture. Psalm 1 describes the blessed man as the one who "delights in the law of the Lord, and meditates on his law day and night." Deuteronomy 6 commands us to teach God's law diligently to our children, bind them around our necks, and write them on our doorposts. The author of Acts commends the Jews in Acts 17 because they were "receiving the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Doing theology, that is, having a faith that seeks greater understanding, is the business of every Christian, and we should celebrate it wherever it is happening.

4. Supplementing Our Faith with Knowledge Is Critical to Our Becoming Mature Christians

Finally, we should see that our growth in knowledge is a key aspect of our growth in Christian maturity. A few weeks ago, my pastor preached through a fascinating passage in 2nd Peter that highlights this reality.

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Pe 1:3–8.

Interestingly, knowledge is mentioned three times in this passage. We were first granted power through knowledge, we are then called to supplement our faith with knowledge, and then told that if we do that, we won't become unfruitful in our knowledge of our Lord. This passage describes the process by which a Christian grows in the faith, becoming a fully formed and useful member of the church. Therefore, as we conceptualize our role as pastors and ministers and help our people grow, we should not shun the reality that training in theology is central to their spiritual development. If we want to fulfill our calling to "present everyone mature in Christ" (Col 1:28), we should happily help our people grow in their knowledge!

I hope this has been a thought-provoking read and that you'll be encouraged to enthusiastically supplement your faith with knowledge, for the glory of God, the good of His church, and your own satisfaction!