A good friend of mine Tammy Smith Whitney gave me a sticker that says, “THEOLOGY MATTERS”. I love this sticker for this is true on levels we do not even think about. Theology is a word that means study (ology) of God (Theo). What we think about God is our theology and this really matters. If we think God is going to destroy the earth and is going to kill people then we will have a theology of increasing darkness, death, destruction. But what we don’t think about is what fruit that theology produces in the person who believes it and the people who receive it. This theology produces fear, anxiety, depression, dread, and just the fruit of the theology alone should tell you that is not Biblical theology.

Think about this, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and says, “Father, please take THIS cup from Me, but not My will but Yours be done,” what cup was He speaking of? It wasn’t just any cup, it was the cup of the wrath of God for the sins of the world. How do we know, because after He drank THIS cup, He was immediately sentenced to death. Romans 3:23 for the wages of sin is death… Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath and gave us the cup of blessing. When He was at the Lord’s supper with His disciples Jesus said, “Lifting up the cup He said, everytime you drink of it, remember Me.” When we drink the cup of blessing at communion, we are to remember we are blessed because He drank the cup of wrath for sin. The cup we drink is to remind us of His cup and causes us to give thanks.

A theology of life, abundance, redemption, reconciliation, and healing of the land and the people releases a different kind of fruit in people. When we preach the gospel of the kingdom and the theology of a resurrected King who conquered sin, hell and the grave, it produces in people the fruit of the spirit. Theology matters my friends and we must upgrade our theology to one of resurrection, life and power, not death, destruction and darkness. Yes there are consequences for sin, but one of them is not wrath, for we have a Redeemer that already drank that cup and if you repent He will give you the cup of blessing to drink and that cup overflows with abundant life!