I've been thinking about big words that matter. I attend a Calvary Chapel fellowship, where rightly dividing the word of truth is a high value. I don't mean that many churches don't value the Bible as innerant or as their authority, but I mean that we value teaching the whole counsel of God, interpreting the Bible by using other parts of the Bible and making sure that scripture is taught in context with proper emphasis upon Jesus as the center of every text. Many churches consider the Bible to be their authority, but have no foundation or regular method for checking scripture against their doctrines. Many churches use the Bible to back up their doctrine rather than basing their doctrine on the Bible.
Calvary on Campus, our churches Bible study will meet to talk about pneumatology this week. Don't worry. I know it sounds like I am getting prepared to read them a long essay about facts about some theological theory that has no practical implications. However, I agree with Ryrie that if a topic is theological, it must be by implication be practical and applicable to life. I don't mean that everything must be directly about human life as if we are the center of the universe, but I mean even truths that are only about God's nature must inform how we approach God or how we worship him. When we talk about pneumatology, we will be talking about who is the Holy Spirit. What does he do as the third person of the Godhead? How does he relate to people? Where is the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit do for us and through us? How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Do you receive both the indwelling and the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the same time?
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