Theology: A levee against our sin0

One of the biggest sins that I struggle with is the idolatry of materialism. I draw a great deal of comfort and contentment from the clothes that I wear and the way that I look. I often seek satisfaction in these things instead of finding it in God, and I’ve known this about myself for years.

Does that mean I have changed my ways, or at least resolved to do better in the future? Heck no! I like my cute shoes and I love going to Target like nothing else in this world, so even though the Bible seems to frown upon such a mindset, I’ve figured out a way to make it work. I can have my cake and eat it too.

You see the way I figure, the joy I derive from shopping isn’t really all that bad. Nevermind that it prevents me from tithing as generously as I might otherwise be able to, or giving as much to those in need. It’s not like I pay exorbitant amounts of money on designer clothes. I mostly shop at low-end stores and I buy things on sale, so I’m actually getting a great deal. Some might even say I’m being a good steward of my money. In fact, it’s not even really a sin, is it? I just like to look cute, that’s all.

That is my thought process. Pretty godly, huh? But this is what has to happen whenever your lifestyle runs up against the grain of Scripture–one of the two has to move. Something has to change, and it will either be our behavior, or it will be our beliefs. More often that not, my beliefs are forced to adapt to my behavior.

And while I wish that I could say materialism is the only area in which I struggle, my compromising plays out in a variety of ways. Greed, pride, jealousy, gossip, hate–all of these sins are very much alive in my life, but I have excused them for “good reasons.” I will appeal to my freedom in Christ, or default to the reality of the world we live (ie. some of the Bible’s teachings just aren’t realistic in certain circumstances), rather than give up those vices.

The truth is that we want to live the way we want to live, and far be it from God to interfere. Many Christians live lavishly while others are homeless and needy, reconciling their lifestyle with the logic that it’s permissible as long as they don’t “love their wealth.” Husbands leave their wives for another woman, all because “God just wants us to be happy.” And countless Christian couples engage in inappropriate intimacy before marriage, comforting themselves with the knowledge that they’re obeying Christ as long as they’re not having sex.

The list goes on and on, but this is what happens when we allow certain sins to take a foothold in our lives. Our theology suffers, launching us into a spiritual downward spiral. Theology, the truth of God, is the levy that withstands the floods of worldly influence. It protects us from being overcome by the lies and temptations of the world.  If we compromise that theology so that we are no longer convicted by our sins, then we make ourselves vulnerable to destructive influence. We have robbed ourselves of the resources to resist it. All because we allowed our lifestyle to shape our beliefs, rather than the other way around.

How you respond to your sin says a lot about how you view God and the authority of Scripture. That’s why sin is such a big deal to God. It’s also why theology should be a big deal to us. When we talk about theology we’re not just talking abstractions. Whether you’re aware of it or not, theology plays a critical role in the life of every believer.