Theology Should Shape Character: Advice for Students

Posted On August 20, 2026

Written by Dr. Keith Mathison, R.C. Sproul Chair of Theology at Reformation Bible College.

The Danger of Anti-Intellectualism

Reformation Bible College exists because Dr. R.C. Sproul desired to establish an institution of higher learning where each new generation of Christians could be taught the system of theology found in Scripture.

He developed a highly integrated academic curriculum to accomplish this goal. Even a brief glance at the curriculum reveals that it is a very in-depth academic dive into Scripture, theology, history, philosophy, and more. Dr. Sproul had witnessed firsthand the detrimental effects of rampant anti-intellectualism in the church, and RBC was one of the means he envisioned to combat it.

Anti-intellectualism is a perennial problem, and RBC remains committed to fighting it. The formal academic study of Scripture and the cultivation of the Christian mind are absolutely necessary if the church is to faithfully proclaim and defend the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unbelievers continue to develop new ways of attacking the truth, and Christians must be informed if they are to be always ready to give an intelligent answer. The hundreds of students who have walked through the doors of RBC can testify to the incredible blessing it is to devote several years to an intensive study of Scripture and theology. There really is nothing like it.

The Danger of Hyper-Intellectualism

As with every good gift of God, however, there are problems created by the sinfulness of the human receivers of those good gifts. In the case of academic biblical and theological studies, one of the most common temptations students face is to respond to anti-intellectualism by running to the opposite extreme of a hyper-intellectualism that divorces the mind and the heart. The temptation is to think that filling one’s mind with theological information and being able to argue about that information is the be-all and end-all of the Christian life. The result of giving in to this temptation can be tragic. A student can easily become puffed up with pride and arrogance, displaying a condescending and patronizing attitude toward all around him, and ultimately disqualifying himself from any kind of ministry.

This is not what theology is, and it is not what theological study is about. The ultimate purpose of theological study is not to glorify ourselves by becoming the best debater on social media. The ultimate purpose is to glorify God, and we glorify God when we bear spiritual fruit and prove to be Christ’s disciples (John 15:8). The fruit of the spirit that glorifies God is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). Paul contrasts this fruit with the works of the flesh, many of which sadly characterize some of those who call themselves theologians and theological students: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (vv. 19–21, emphasis added).

The Goal of Theology

The point is that our study of theology, if it is to serve the goal of glorifying God (and enjoying Him forever), must be intimately connected with our striving by God’s grace for godliness (Westminster Confession of Faith 13.3). In Titus 1:1, Paul speaks of “the truth which accords with godliness” (cf. also 1 Tim. 6:2–3). The two are intimately connected. Many of the classical Reformed theologians of the 16th and 17th century built on Paul’s language here and made it abundantly clear that they did not view truth and godliness as an “either/or” choice. It was “both/and” or nothing.

John Calvin, for example, explained in his prefatory address to King Francis I that he wrote his Institutes so that believers “might be trained to true godliness (pietas).” The Puritan William Ames defined theology as “the doctrine of living to God.” John Owen, considered by many to be the greatest theologian England ever produced, exclaimed:

“Let us proclaim it boldly—the man who is not inflamed with divine love is an outsider to all theology! Let him toil long and hard in airing of thorny questions; let him be the most avid devourer of theological books in existence; if he has this and nothing else, it is but the stronger proof that the natural beauty of God’s truth has never penetrated through even the smallest chink into his mind. He is not on fire with love of divine truth, nor carried away with admiration of her beauty. Where in the world, I ask you, is it possible to find passion of this kind among students? How few there are who are not looking elsewhere for their motivation. Who is of this mind, who will make this his decision, to make God’s truth loveliest, fairest, his most-beloved, to know her well and mold himself in her pattern?”

In short, the classic Reformed theologians understood that the character of a theologian is just as important, if not more important, than his intellectual capacities. They understood that when we study Scripture, we are studying the very Word of the living God. Such study is unlike any other. It requires prayer that the Spirit who inspired Scripture might illuminate it, open our eyes and ears, and enable us to understand, believe, and obey it. Theological study, in other words, requires that the information that we receive into our heads inflames our hearts with love of God and neighbor, and that we display that love in worship of God and service to one another in the church.

Four Ways to Stay Grounded

What, then, are some practical tips for fighting the temptation to divorce truth and godliness?

1. We must display wisdom by learning from those who have gone before us who kept truth and godliness together. This means listening not only to the great theologians of the past who did this, but also to pastors and older fellow church members who have faithfully kept these two together. We have to understand what they have understood, namely that knowing a lot of information is not the automatic equivalent of growth in sanctification (See 1 Cor. 13:1–3).

2. We must not treat academic theological study as a substitute for the local church. The local church is where head and heart meet hands as we join with our brothers and sisters to hear the word proclaimed, to receive the sacraments, to respond to God in corporate prayer and praise, and to serve one another.

3. We must not treat our academic study of Scripture as a substitute for our daily reading of the Word of God. When a student is engaged in academic and formal study of the Bible, he or she is engaged daily in the study of the text of Scripture. It is very easy to conclude from this that it is no longer necessary to spend time alone, reading and meditating on the Word of our God. This is a false and dangerous idea because it abstracts the study of Scripture from one’s personal relationship with our Savior.

4. Finally,we must not neglect daily prayer. This is directly related to the previous point. It is so easy for a student of theology to begin to love theology as an end in itself, as mere knowledge of facts that he can use to strut about and show off his intelligence to everyone around him. The classical Reformed theologians knew better and spoke of theology as “knowledge of God.” To know God more in order that we may love God more is the point. God is not a specimen on a lab table to be casually dissected and analyzed. We are talking about our heavenly Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are talking about the God who chose us from all eternity, who redeemed and called us out of death and darkness and into the light of life in Jesus Christ. And if we aren’t daily talking to the one we are talking about, we have missed the point entirely.