Can Theology and Love Coexist?

From Essential Truths Of The Christian Faith by R. C. Sproul:

With respect to the primacy of the importance, the heart is first. If I have correct doctrine in my head but no love for Christ in my heart, I have missed the kingdom of God. It is infinitely more important that my heart be right before God than that my theology be impeccably correct.

However, for my heart to be right, there is a primacy of the intellect in terms of order. Nothing can be in my heart that is not first in my head How can I love a God or a Jesus about whom I understand nothing? Indeed, the more I come to understand the character of God, the greater is my capacity to love Him.

God reveals Himself to us in a book. That book is written in word. It communicates concepts that must be understood by the mind. Certainly mysteries remain. But the purpose of God's revelation is that we understand it with out minds that it might penetrate out hearts. To despise the study of theology is to despise learning the Word of God.

---
My thoughts on the matter:

This is where I think so many churches today fail. Fail miserably. They teach the need for accepting Christ and that we should love Him and depend on Him to sustain us and then -- throw us to the curb. They tell us to love Him but give us no knowledge of this Person we are supposed to be loving. Week after week, we are spoon-fed as babes the same message of repentance. Yes, repentance should be a part of every sermon every Sunday. But the theme? The focus? No! Where does this lead the Christians who have already come to Christ? What good does it do them to hear what they already know? They are not being equipped with any teaching to help them know and love God more or navigate the treacherous waters of the world we live in. As the church fails to educate believers, keeping them on a diet of milk when they need meat, Christians are being starved of the nourishment they so desperately need.

Without nourishment, Christians cannot grow. They become stagnant. Many are not even aware of their condition, happily continuing on in a "hippy-dippy-trippy" complacency. They don't want to know. They only want to worship a God who will make them feel good and give them what they want. Church and worship are simply a way to ensure to continue along, blissfully and tragically, on an emotional high. Without thinking too hard, they never have to face anything that might make them uncomfortable. They never grow. They never become effectual. They never truly know God. They are content to sit and hear, week after week, that they need Christ, that they must be careful not to stray off the path, that they must trust God, that they must be careful to always forgive others, and, every four years, a sermon or two about voting pro-life. Are these true Christians? No one can judge their salvation but God. But they are certainly a far cry from mature, effectual Christians. They do not have a deep relationship with God because they know nothing about Him; they are self-centered, not God-centered. And the church has done nothing to instruct them.

What pains my heart, however, are the Christians who are aware that something is missing but don't know where to find it. Those who face challenges in life are not given the tools to deal with them. They are told they simply need to pray more or have more faith. They are not taught anything about what the Bible says our struggles in life are actually for. This leads to, at best, frustration and heartache, and, at worst, distrust and cynicism. And there are Christians in the church who actually think. Who are not content with the endless cycle of basic truths and emotion based "religion". Who want to love God, but are frustrated because they can't and they don't know why.

As R. C. Sproul states, the love of God will not penetrate our hearts until we have understood God's revelation with our minds. This knowledge comes from a study of God's word and theology. Sadly, few Christians even know what theology actually is. The church at large has thrown out theology (the reasons are far too involved for this little post). And Christians are suffering for it. The world is suffering for it. I believe that the higher level of unrestrained sin in the world today is directly related to the throwing out of theology in the vast majority of evangelical churches. This should only make sense. Christians with their focus on themselves, who don't know God fully, who are immature spiritually, and who base their faith in emotion are ineffectual -- they are not salty. They cannot preserve the world.

I think many Christians are afraid of theology because it conjures up images of stuffy, lackluster, performance-based churches. Going back to R. C. Sproul again, yes, love for God is vastly more important than getting your theology right. Showing up in a suit and tie every Sunday, reciting catechisms and creeds, and following traditions are meaningless on their own. Something I've come to see recently is that a lot of Christians who have their theology right aren't anymore effectual than Christians who have never even heard of theology. They care more about getting the theology right than they care about loving God and going out in the world and serving Him. This is not a truly satisfying way, either.

You cannot ignore theology because some churches put too much emphasis on performance and tradition. You cannot throw out loving God because some churches put too much emphasis on emotion. As R. C. Sproul explains, going to one extreme or the other does not solve the problem. As with so many things in life it is a balance. Not only is it possible for theology and love coexist, it is essential that they do! Seek to find that balance and don't give up until you have found it. Unfortunately, churches that have things in better balance seem to be a rarity these days. But I think they can still be found. Not all under the same name, or same denomination, or with the same appearance. Don't look to those things alone. Look to the heart of what is really being taught.