Rev. Khoo Boo Wah
(This article first appeared in the 2008 graduation yearbook)

What is it that we are after in the pursuit of theological studies? A paper qualification? A prerequisite before ordination? To become more knowledgeable? All these are not necessarily wrong. They are all part of the validation process? But, is that the sum total of what our theological studies are all about? Surely, there is a need for us to be constantly alert to what our Lord said to the Sadducees, “….You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29)

What then are our theological studies meant to lead us to? It would be impossible to deal with all the various issues relating to this topic. For the sake of time and space, this article will only single out three major points.

1. Our theological study must renew our understanding of God
That must be our chief concern in our pursuit of theological studies for Christianity is a theocentric or God-centred faith. God is the object of our faith. Many are overcome  with desire to see Him. One of the examples was Moses. One day, he told God what he wanted most: “Now show me your glory”(Exodus 33:18), We still feel that way. And there are many prophets around these days with suggestions how this kind of intimacy can be achieved. One gets the impression, though, that one has to psyche himself into some kind of spiritual state. In the Johannine writings( John 15; 2 John 9)  we are told another way. We must abide in the teaching of Christ and then we will have both the Father and the Son. What about the Holy Spirit Himself? Well, it is the Holy Spirit who enables believers to abide in the words of Christ. Thus, the Holy Spirit, through the word, binds us to the Father and the Son. This means that God uses our minds as He unites us with Himself. And this also means that any form of Christianity that ignores human minds will not help us realize what we want most – to be close to God.  

The knowledge of God is very important. We are not to be satisfied with less. Hosea and Jeremiah warned against the lack of it ( Hosea 4:1-2, 6; Jeremiah 22:13-16). It spelt disasters.

The apostle Paul made the pursuit of God’s knowledge his life aim, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection….”(Philippians 3:10-11, RV).

For this reason, we must make Him the central focus of our study life. We must work hard at learning the teaching of Christ found in the Bible, diligently seeking His face, recommitting ourselves to His plan for our lives and moving forward to be the people God as He intends us to be. Are we experiencing an ever-increasing knowledge of God as a person and of His Word? Or are we living on poor, worthless substitutes?


2. Our theological study should relate to real-life situations
A renewed understanding of God is never meant to give us just a thrill, or an experience. It should lead us to see the world around us as God sees it. God is not indifferent toward human situations. Neither was His Son Jesus. Our Lord saw the crowds around Him. He saw them as “harassed and helpless”. Of course, they had much to trouble them. Yet the aspect of their condition that is singled out for comment concerns their inner condition – they were ‘like sheep without a shepherd’. They were wounded, lying helpless, and were unable to help themselves. How did our Lord react to what He saw? He had compassion on them. The word ‘compassion’ in Greek means His bowls were deeply stirred inside. But that is not the only thing He did. He knew the needs were massive. But He also knew there was a great harvest to be reaped. There were people ready to be brought into the kingdom. And in such a situation, something needs to be done to bring them in. And so he got right to the heart of the matter and said, “Pray….” Prayer is not a substitute for work. It is in reality the most important part of the work- world-changing impact of prayer. Theological students are not meant to be mystics or hermits, shutting themselves in a building, indifferent to what goes on around them. They are to be students, working with informed as well as praying mind. To be theological students in today’s world is not easy, to be sure. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy. It always requires the whole of us, with our earnest will and zealous desiring. We all of us need to see that human life is a matter of transformation, being transformed into the likeness of Jesus- God’s Son. We are to see that people are either on the way to that goal or they are becoming diminished and damaged creatures. The direction our lives are taking, is supremely important.

3. Our theological study should have a decidedly practical orientation
In our theological studies and reflection we must always ask ourselves this question: what would our Lord do if He were here today? He will give new life, establish a new community and introduce new order. This is what we need to see. – people converted! Our theological studies should not lead us to lives of monotony; but on the contrary, they should delight and excite us! They should lead us to declare that Jesus’ own person is God’s word of life that shatters all the chains and idolatrous forms of life and makes new community possible.

We need to ask: “Where is the power of God? Is the power of the Holy Spirit recognizably present in all that we say and do?”  In all theological pursuits, we are not to trust our own strength, our own wisdom or our own skills, but to depend on the Lord who knows the end from the beginning.
A car owner took his car for repair. To his astonishment the mechanic took a look at it and went to take a hammer and gave the car a mighty bang! Surprisingly, the car came to life. Amazed the car owner asked, “How much did it cost?” The reply was $200/- Why was it so expensive when you did so little? The mechanic answered, “Ten dollars for the labour and the $190/- is for knowing where to hit it.

All these should be drawn into our quest to know God if we are to develop a fully rounded, personally appropriated, life-related and life-changing theology.