Faith SimplifiedSample

Day 1: Intro – TRY THE UNTRIED

At its most basic, theology is what you understand and believe about God. Theology comprises the capital T truths of who God is, what he is like, and what he has done and continues to do. That includes how he made the world, everything in it, and how He intended for it to operate (including us, too). But for many people, especially Western Protestant Christians within more experientially oriented traditions, theology evokes images of giant tomes and academic ivory towers. Of academics discussing issues that don’t seem to matter much to our day-to-day lives, who seem content to strain out gnats while swallowing camels (Matthew 23:24). If that’s what theology is, it is best to leave it to the theologians. The rest of us have work to do and people to serve.

But theology is not a purely academic pursuit. It is not something we can set aside, downplay, or ignore. It is not something that hinders our lives as Christians or gets in the way of ministry; it is what undergirds everything.

For many, it’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting. It’s that they have never tried it. And they haven’t tried it because they don’t know what is central to that faith.

Christian beliefs shape the Christian heart and the Christian life. That is why we need to know these truths. Our minds, hearts, and actions are all informed and transformed by what we know about God, the universe, and everything else. It is why theology is good news for you and me. It is practical, leaving no area of our lives untouched as we all draw on the Bible’s teaching to live faithfully day by day.

I hope this YouVersion plan will aid you in discovering, delighting, and ultimately devoting yourself to the truths you find throughout the plan. This plan cannot possibly cover everything. But it will introduce you to some of the foundational truths of the faith. These are the truths that make Christians Christian.