I snapped the above picture to demonstrate what books you might find stacked together at our house. When I first saw this grouping of books it seemed funny. Here are all these kid books with one big thick theology book in the middle. As I thought about it more it became clear this stack of books has a profound message. The message was that I read for relationships. Another way I might say it is: I read to enhance my relationships.
One of my favorite things to do with my son is read to him. From the time he was only a few days old I we have read together. While he doesn’t sit as still as he did in those early days, it is enjoyable. You can see some of the books we enjoy in this picture. There’s Scrambled Eggs Super, The Sneetches, and Yertle the Turtle all authored by Dr. Seuss. He also likes My Little Word Book and My Creation Bible, each with colorful pictures and drawings. Why do I spend time reading these books to my son? I read to him in order to build our relationship. It is something we do together in our rocking chair which is fun and relaxing. Reading is also a time of instruction, not from the books, but from me. This closeness of reading together is something I cherished from my childhood and hope someday my son will cherish as well. Now, he is bringing the books to me so we can read.
It might not be hard to understand why I read to my son. But, how does reading The Doctrine of God: A Theology of Lordship by John Frame enhance relationships? I think it builds relationships in two ways.
First, this kind of book builds my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a book centered on Him and His Word. It seeks to instruct me from the Bible so I have a better understanding of who God is. My desire is to know God. Any book which drives this understanding deeper and makes it more comprehensive builds my relationship with Christ. As my knowledge of Him grows, my worship grows, my love for Him grows, and so my obedience is strengthened. I am not just reading this book for Systematic Theology 1 with Dr. Wellum. Although, I will be accountable to him for its reading, I will be more accountable to God for how I used my time on this earth. Time spent growing my relationship with God through books teaching me the Word of God is time well spent.
Second, this kind of book builds relationships with other people. The building of these relationships is not as direct as reading to my son, yet they are still important. In training for the ministry, my thoughts are often drawn to those people who I will minister to. A book like The Doctrine of God builds into my relationship with the Lord, but through me will (hopefully) build into other’s relationship with the Lord. By giving me a greater understanding and love of the Savior, my prayer is that the Lord will use me as an example to others. Being an example is more than just having people watch your life. It is about pouring your life into other people. It seems like the buzzword around the SBTS campus is “gospel-centered.” Think of this then as a “Gospel-centered pouring” of your life. Can all this happen from reading a theological book? I think it can and it must. Forgetting this can quickly lead to prideful knowledge, this is dangerous for any believer.
So read, read , read, and read for relationships.
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