Building a Theological Framework

Building a theological framework will be one of the most important things a Christian will do through life. Who and what we believe to be true of God will expand as we grow in our relationship with him. Reading the Bible, praying and being a part of the Body of Christ are just a few ways we build our theological framework. 

I like to think of it as scaffolding. There are things that happen to precede our hearing of the Gospel that God uses but let’s just start at that moment we hear the Gospel and sense the Holy Spirit calling us into a relationship with him. That’s the base layer of our theological framework. Our foundation. It’s the cement foundation that can’t be moved or shaken. Somebody slap me and say Hallelujah because that’s just incredible. 

We add layers to our framework based on what we learn to be true of God. This is where being in a solid Bible teaching church is crucial for a Christ follower. Friends, your church will never be perfect. There will be things you don’t prefer but if your pastors are not teaching God’s word consistently then they are doing a disservice to your theological framework. If they are teaching things that you know are contrary to God’s word then they are damaging your theological framework although it’s ultimately our responsibility to align ourselves with teaching that is theologically correct. These things are important. Being in God’s word is imperative in building our framework. The Holy Spirit will guide us to the truth as we seek him through his word. As we add layers through the guidance of the Holy Spirit we see new things about our Creator. We learn to trust him more. Building a theological framework is some of the most exciting and intriguing work we’ll do on this earth. 

I’m adding to my theological framework right now by taking a Hermeneutics class. You don’t even want to know some of the other words I use instead of Hermeneutics. They’re not very nice. I signed up for this class after I cussed in Bible Study. I figured I needed some more religion. Just Kidding. But I am taking this class to help me build my theological framework. I want to understand the Bible better so I can know and love God better. Understanding the Bible is not just for pastors and seminary professors. This class is way over my head you guys but I am learning some really neat things about studying my Bible. I love it. I never thought I would say that but I love adding layers to my theological framework. 

There are beautiful benefits in building a theological framework and there are serious dangers in not building a strong theological framework. We’ll talk about both of those things in upcoming posts. Also, we’ll look at practical ways we can build our theological framework and how we can help our kids build theirs. It’s not about showing off strong structures – it’s about loving God and others well. 

What about you? In what ways are you building your theological framework?