I recently have been dealing with a difficult truth.  I easily get so entangled in my own theological world that I completely lose my heart for God.  There it is.  I often love knowledge more than my Lord and Savior.

I’m not the only one who makes this mistake or has done so in the past.  As I sat down this morning to ponder my predicament and talk with God about it, I was reminded of Acts 2.

In Acts 2 the Holy Spirit has just been given to Jewish believers in Jerusalem for the first time (this is what we know as Pentecost).  These believers go out into the street and miraculously start talking in languages of Jews from all over the world (at least 15 different languages) who happen to be visiting Jerusalem at the time.  Some of the people in the street suppose the believers to be drunk, but Peter steps up and explains the situation.  He explains that the Holy Spirit has been given and prophesy has been fulfilled.  He explains even further, using Old Testament scriptures, that Jesus was the Messiah who died and rose again and that through Him salvation comes.  The response of the Jews in the street to this message of Truth is, “Brothers, what then shall we do?”

If I were on that street, I wonder what my response would have been.  I wonder if I would have started asking theological questions…What about Calvinism and Arminianism?  What about the Trinity?  Peter, what do you have to say about old earth creationism verses young earth creationism?  These are all good questions, but they can cause us to lose focus of the Truth set before us: God loves us and has provided a way to have relationship with us through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Jews in the street have an appropriate response: “Brothers, what then shall we do?”  They could have argued and debated in a quest for knowledge and truth, but instead they saw that Knowledge and Truth gave Himself up for them and that they could be completely changed through their encounter with Him.

Please don’t hear me saying that we must not be thinking Christians; rather, we must be thinking Christians who love God.  I encourage you to seek God rather than pure knowledge.  Knowledge alone cannot save you.  Truth alone cannot provide for you.  Understanding theological concepts alone will not penetrate your heart changing you to more fully reflect the glory of God.

Encountering God and His Knowledge and Truth through relationship with Him will eternally impact our lives.  Brothers and sisters, what then shall we do?