Today's guest blogger is Stacie Gibson. Stacie is a certified biblical counselor with ACBC and serves alongside her husband, who is also certified through ACBC.
“For among them are those who creep into
households and capture weak women, burdened with sin and led astray by various
passions, always learning and never able to arrive at the knowledge of
truth.” 2 Tim. 3:6-7
The word theology used to scare
me when I first became a Christian. I was under the impression that it was for
pastors and really smart people to study, but never lay-people like me. Boy was I wrong and I'm so grateful that the Lord
showed me through His Word and through others that theology really does matter.
You see sister, what you know and believe about God will dictate how you respond
to trials, get through a time of suffering, fight sin, love your husband, children
and others.
Aimee Bryd, in her book “Housewife Theologian” says that she
encounters many people that say to her, “I
know that I am a Christian. I have my faith, and that is good enough for me. I
don’t feel like I need to make it all complicated with theological stuff.” Amy is not alone. I hear this response in
the voices of the women I counsel. From
time to time, I will hear phrases such as, “Please, can we just get to the
practical ways in which I can love my children?” or “Just tell me what I have
to do relieve this depression and why are you having me study the attributes of
God?” Practical application is great and
much needed, but when we study the rich theological truths about God as our
creator and who we are in Christ ( indicatives), we will grow to have such
affections for Him that the practical (or imperatives) will flow from a heart
that loves the Lord and not out of duty.
So why does it matter that women
should desire to study theology? Paul tells us in 2 Timothy Chapter 3 there will
be all sorts of difficulty in the last days. He also goes on to list out many
character qualities of evil people that we are to avoid. But notice in vs. 6 how Paul points out that
these evil people and false teachers will creep into households and capture weak
women burdened down with sin and will lead them astray by their own passions. These
women are not looking to Jesus, but rather they are weighted down with sin that
clings so closely to them. Why are they so weighted down with sin? They were burdened down because they are “always learning and never able to arrive at
the knowledge of truth.” This causes me to believe that these women
were weak, foolish, and did not having a good understanding of who God is and a
love for truth. These women were always
learning, but the knowledge they were gaining was not wisdom from above, but
rather they were listening to ungodly people who perverted the Gospel.
Ladies, we are still in the last
days and this text is for all of us to take heed to. I am a biblical counselor to the women in my
congregation and to my community and I am always shocked at what women today
are filling their minds with. There is a lot of bad theology in our culture
today and even teachers that claim to be Christ followers that use a lot of
psychology and feminism in their teaching that will take us captive. These
teachers intrigue us and shout at us to have more self-esteem, to look out for
the interest of ourselves, being a keeper of the home is demeaning, God wants me
to be happy, etc. The women in this text
were always learning, but I have a pretty good feeling they were not learning
the right stuff. They spent their time
studying other topics that tossed them to and fro in all kinds of directions,
but never spending time saturating their minds with the knowledge of God, His
Sovereignty, His love for them in Christ, and many other truths. John Piper says: “It is not God’s will that women be weak in their
discernment, burdened with sin, and led astray by passions. It is not God’s
will that women be vulnerable to creeping moral and theological error from
those who possess a form of godliness and deny the power of it."
I want to help us think about how can we equip
and encourage the women we counsel and ourselves from becoming what Paul
describes as a “weak women.”
- · Read and
study the Word of God regularly! I am
always surprised how many women I interact with that are not feasting on Scripture.
- ·
Prayer
- ·
Memorize
Scripture and hide God’s word in your heart
- ·
Get a good, Systematic Theology book and study a doctrine at a time (Grudem, Berkhof,
Erickson)
- ·
Study God in
the Old Testament and Psalms. Ponder His character and perhaps study an
attribute each week
- ·
Read solid, Christian
books such as Trusting God by Jerry
Bridges, The Holiness of God by R.C.
Sproul, The Attributes of God by A.W.
Pink, Housewife Theologian by Aimee Byrd, and Practical
Theology for Women by Wendy Horger Alsup
- ·
Take the
plunge and go through the ACBC Theology exam. Even if you don’t have the desire
to get certified, do it for your own spiritual growth and discipleship. I can
testify that the theology exam played a huge part in my sanctification.
Let’s be women of the Word and to
see to it that no one takes us captive by philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition but desire to be holy women who hope in God.
Proverbs 111:10 “The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.
Grow in your
understanding about God and have a high view of Him. When you’re faced with
constant battle of temptation and burdened down with sin, the right knowledge
of the Lord and truth will help you fight and not be captured.
Stacie
Gibson is a wife to her husband Matt of almost 20 years. Together they have
four children, including a daughter with special needs who is blessing to all
who meet her. They serve together at Grace
Baptist Church in Dansville, NY and are
involved with the church’s counseling ministry. Stacie is a keeper of her home and loves to
read, share God’s word with women, and spend time with her family.
Labels: Gibson, Guest Blogger