Systematic theology has a bad reputation for being synonymous with dust. To be fair to this sentiment, 99% of systematic theologians give the rest a bad name. God formed man out of the dust of the ground, yet we doubt that God can form anything good out of the dust of systematic theology.
But we can have two sinful responses to this needful work of systematic theology. The first is our sinful aversion of anything resembling hard work. Increasingly we want to keep things simple and if it can’t hold our attention for longer than 30 seconds, it must not be worthwhile. Our minds are cluttered with a thousand idle fancies, and we’d do well to set ourselves to getting the mental shelving units which faithful systematic theology provides.
The second pitfall is to think that you can format the good Lord into a spreadsheet. As if He was unintelligible to mankind until you were helpful enough to discover Him, and get everything sorted out into color-coded columns. Unregenerate systematic theology will make you like the Pharisees’ proselyte: twice the child of hell.
Faithful systematic theology is humbly seeking the answer to the question: “What the heck happened to me, how did God do it, and who is this God anyway?” Taste and see first, talk second.
Which brings us to this covenant meal. Here’s myriad of truths dancing together in well-ordered steps. A thousand doctrines come rushing together in vibrantly simple glory here. The glory of what Scripture teaches coalesces into this humble sign which can be tasted and seen by the smartest & the simplest. Here is a glory that is deep & wide. This meal declares a plain Gospel, while simultaneously being the greatest mystery. The Father sent the eternal Son to be broken for sinful man, and the Spirit has opened your eyes to this glory.
So come in faith and welcome to Jesus Christ…
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