This week I learned this:
Christoformic Orthopraxy = a way of right living that is rooted in our transformation into the likeness of Christ.
Broken down into roots:
Christo = Christ or Christ-centered; Formic = form
Christoformic (adj.) = refers to the ways in which we are shaped into the likeness of Christ.
"If our pursuit of biblically orthodox theology doesn't ultimately have a Christofromic effect on us thereby drawing others toward Jesus Himself, then our pursuit is at best shallow, at worst sabotaged by self-serving movtives." ~Lisa Harper
So Why Theology? Theology is unique because it is NOT something meant to be studied in a way that is disconnected from our lives. It IS meant to TRANSFORM US!
Our Bible is a collection of 66 books, comprised of Old and New Testaments. Each of these books points us toward the character of God and tells the story of God.
The Bible is a grand narrative that points us to Jesus as the ultimate embodiment of God Himself.
The Bible is an incredible, rich story of pursuit, love, and redemption we just can't compare to anything else.
The Scriptures illuminate Jesus for us!
"More often than not, the phrase 'word of God' in the New Testament isn't used to describe a physical Bible; instead, it's referring to Jesus." ~Lisa Harper
Bibliology = a field of theology all about the Bible; the study of one's belief about the Bible. Theological study of, or conversation about, our collection of holy books known as the Bible.
- Biblio = from the Greek (Gk) work biblios meaning "scroll" or "book" (from this root we also get the English word "bibliography")
- Logy = from the Greek (Gk) word logos, meaning "word" or "study"
The study of Scripture is a wonderful Christian spiritual practice that can draw us deeper into relationship with Jesus and is a way we can participate in our own spiritual formation.
Theology, a conversation about God, is an invitation to deepen our relationship with Him as we grow in our knowledge and experience of Him in our lives.
Biblically orthodox theology:
- Biblically = rooted in Scripture
- Orthodox =from the Greek (Gk) roots orthos (straight) and dosa (belief or opinion), in other words, something that is grounded in correct Christian faith and tradition
- Theology = a belief system and worldview based on the promises and parameters found in God's Word
Biblically Orthodox Theology refers to developing our own theological views that are 1) rooted in Scripture, 2) grounded in historical Christian truth, and 3) based on our study of God.
"As we dive deeper into biblically orthodox theology, it's likely that most of us will have to jettison theology we've inherited along the way and sincerely thought was true." ~Lisa Harper
Jesus, as the true vine, is the source of all of our nourishment and allows us to flourish. If we are able to see theology as an invitation into relationship, we can remain connected to Jesus, the true vine, and we can bear spiritual fruit.
In John 15:9 (and you'll have to look that up) the invitation into relationship is infused with the love of God. Remaining in the love of Jesus, then, is vital to our theological study.
And that's all from week 1's study. I'll share week 2's study with you soon.
