I don’t know if any theologian or Christian thinker has ever articulated a Doctrine of Learning (Google certainly didn’t think so). I suppose you could say that sanctification includes learning. It IS difficult to transform your spirit and mind (Romans 12:2) without learning a thing or two. Even though it seems that learning is implicit in sanctification, it seems that the general way of thinking in the church today is that sanctification and learning are two separate ideas, and that learning is really less important that our sanctification. Well, now that I think about it, right now sanctification doesn’t really seem to be that big of a priority either. Anyway...
I think the modern church is kind of “anti-learning.” And that anti-learning mindset is stalling our sanctification.
Here’s what I mean.
Ask any Christian, “Does God want you to grow in godliness?” and he would probably say, “Yes.”
Ask the same dude, “By what process does He want you to grow?” and you will probably get some quizzical looks and requests for clarification or maybe even a request that you take your crazy self somewhere else.
Those brave enough to answer might say something like, going to church, going to Sunday school, reading the Bible, praying, etc. Those are all good things, but that answer leaves out something really important that the Bible makes a priority: LEARNING.
Most people, whether they articulate it or not, think that they LEARNED all the information they needed while they were in school (whether high school or vacation Bible school). “Yes, I know the story of Elijah and the widow, and Namaan, and Simon the magician. I got it.”
Now they are just applying what they learned. “I’m just trying to get through the day.”
Well, this is not what God intended for us. We are to always be learning and arriving at truth. We are supposed to be readers. We don’t read anymore. Our excuses are that we don’t have the attention span for it. We don’t have time for it. And besides, I don’t need to read.
But we do need to read. Not People magazine. Not the newspaper. Not James Patterson novels. Not Facebook statuses. Not pointless blogs. We don't need to read these.
We need to read the Bible. And not just the Bible. Read Christian biography. Read theology books. Read Christian classics. Read things that point us to God and explicitly help to worship Him.
Why do we need to read these things? Simple. Because the process God wants you to use in order to grow in godliness uses your mind and heart. It is impossible to transform your heart into Christlikeness apart from your mind being transformed also. Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:2 and many other passages point to our sanctification being accomplished as our minds are filled with truth and filter that truth into our hearts.
In Philippians 3 Paul describes his goal in this life: to know God fully by pursuing Him every day. Once God has saved you and brought your heart back from death to life, your desires change. God places within you this desire to know Him fully, never to be satisfied with any thing less than having more of Him.
So, it says something about our sanctification, that it is being short-circuited, when we don’t want to learn more about God so that we can know Him better and worship Him more fully.
Near the end of Paul’s life he writes to Timothy and asks him to bring a few things to him (2 Timothy 4:13)
When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.
Paul is about to go be with the Lord, and yet he still wants his books and parchments. He wants to READ. He wants to know God fully. He wants to LEARN. Even to his last day He wants to fill his mind and heart with thoughts and meditations on Christ and Him crucified.
I encourage you, dear reader, never to be satisfied with what you presently know of God. Read the Bible first. Study it. Know your God. Know the gospel. Be transformed by it.
But also read books, articles, blogs, anything you find or is recommended to you that will help you learn and grow in godliness. This is God’s plan for us.
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