In this video, Michael Reeves provides advice to those who are new to theology on how to learn more about Christian doctrine.
Many Christians are rather wary of doctrine. They want to be “Bible alone” people. And that’s good to have a high view of Scripture. But sometimes, through study notes and so on, they start realizing the topics of Scripture that are worth delving into. And once that interest is awakened, it’s worth chasing the great heroes of the faith who have written on these things, the great topical books that have been written about justification and the nature of God and so on.
Perhaps the classic that Christians should not be afraid of getting into and which will do them so much good is Calvin’s Institutes. Usually, people are a little afraid of diving into it. They think it’ll be hard work. But every time I’ve encouraged someone to read Calvin’s Institutes and they’ve done it, I found them coming back to me saying, “That was so nourishing for me. It was devotional. It was not just for my head, though it did my head a lot of stretching, too.” I think that’s where I’d point people.
Editor’s Note: This post was first published on February 17, 2020.