Only Theologians are Qualified to Love

Theologians are often viewed as being disconnected from the world. They are viewed as brainy, intellectually condescending, boring, and often have a long trail of letters following their names. When we think of people who are loving, the last ones to enter our mind are theologians. In reality, this couldn’t be any more the reverse. Theologians are actually the only people who are qualified to love. In order to understand this, we first have to ask, “Who are theologians?”

Every Christian is a theologian. Theology is defined simply as the study of who God is. All Christians have thoughts about God; He is holy, He is eternal, He is unchangeable, He is sovereign, He is merciful. These thoughts of the qualities and characteristics of God form a Theology.  Therefore all Christians have a theology and are thus, in a broad sense, theologians. But what is the connection between theology and love?

Ephesians 5:1-2 says, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The apostle Paul is urging the Ephesian Christians to love one another. This command is found many places in the NT. Our love for one another is so important because it functions as a witness to the unbelieving world. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

In order for Paul to get to the command of walking in love he had to first explain the theological substitutionary love expressed through the atoning death of Christ. If all of this seems too far-fetched, consider the alternative. Imagine if Paul, or any other writer of the Bible, just commanded Christians to love. What would that love look like? We hear many singers tell of the greatness of love. “All you need is love.” Perhaps this is true, but what kind of love? Is love just a nice, cuddly feeing we have when we are with our spouses? Would it also be love to drink hot chocolate? It does give us a similar feeling. All around us in our culture are people who want love or claim to be in love. But ask them, ‘what is love?’ and you can’t get a clear answer. Perhaps this is why Christian love stands out, like Jesus said it would.

What is it about Christian love that makes it look so distinct and memorable to all people? Paul says, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us.” The love he calls for is not found in and does not originate from this world. Christians are called to follow after the example of Christ. What did Christ’s love look like? He died for our sins. We learn what true love is by looking at the cross; the place where the Son of God died in the place of sinful men in order that they might never die, but live forever in Him. This verse is packed full of the sweetest and richest truth about God. It is packed full of the theology of the atonement of Christ.

The only real love is the kind possessed by theologians; those who understand what God has done for them in Christ. This love is long-suffering and it doesn’t love on the basis of merits. Christians don’t love people because they earned it. They love as they have been loved. Christ did not die for the righteous or for the people who were good enough. He died for the ungodly and He loved those who were, by nature, ugly in their souls. This love does not keep a running record of wrongdoing, but it covers a multitude of sins. It is also centered in the atonement; it is Christ-centered. It is the kind of love that makes us tell people about how they can be forgiven and enjoy fellowship, not enmity, with God.

The rich, robust theological understanding of how God has loved sinners is what fuels this kind of love. Without it, there would be no such thing as real, genuine love. Theologians ought to be far from being dull or boring. They should be glowing red with the love that God has shown them in Christ. We, as Christians, should glow all the more red the more and more we learn of and are stunned by the love of God in Christ Jesus.