Yes, it matters. It matters greatly and I'll tell you why.
“Theology” isn’t a very appealing word to most people; in fact, it may make some people think of old, boring books that don’t have much relevance to our everyday lives. But the study of theology is actually very important… stick with me here, k?
When I got saved, I never thought much about "studying" the word, I just wanted to live out what I already knew.
I was drinking spiritual milk and had never gotten my hands on the actual meat of the Bible. That was until a debate broke out in the middle of a diner with my two closest guy friends about Calvinism VS Arminianism. I had never even heard of either word and when I heard how intense their conversation was getting, I knew I needed to do my research. While diving deeper into this new world of theology, I realized that every Christian should know what they believe and why they believe it. 1 Peter 3:15 says "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." We should always be ready to explain our faith and to do that, we need to go further.
Throughout my six month journey of studying the Bible, theology became a wondrous thing.
God, the maker of the universe, cares enough about us to reveal His nature through His Word. He actually doesn’t have to tell us about Himself, yet He wants to. He could be super impersonal and just be the ruler of the world without any kind of relationship with us, yet He gives us the gift of knowing Him.
Truly, intimately, knowing Him.
The fact that we have the ability to search our Creator's heart, shows us how deep His love for us really is.
Learning about God also tells us about ourselves. We are made by God, for God. Therefore, who He is directly relates to who we are. We are made in His image, and He loves us unconditionally. So much so that He sent His Son to die for us on a cross so that we could dwell with Him for eternity. All of that says a lot about who we are! If we don't truly grasp that and digest that, we will never know how fiercely loved and valued we are. Once you know who God is, you can better know who you are, which will totally change the way you think of yourself and the way you live.
C.S. Lewis said, “if you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones — bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.”
How true is this in today’s society? Popular culture will tell you a lot of things about who God is and isn’t. In order to not be influenced by this, we need to meditate and dwell on His Word. Other people can only tell you who they think God is. At best, you’ll receive misinformation; at worst, you’ll receive malicious lies from the enemy, meant to distance you from God.
You can't have a life-giving relationship with the Lord if you don't know who He is. Think about it this way: If you married someone and you never cared to get to know them, it would be a very dull marriage that would probably soon end in separation.
I don't tell many people this because I usually wait until it comes up but... I am a proud Calvinist. I take comfort in TULIP and have come to love God more radically because of it. It shapes the way I worship and the way I evangelize. It shapes the way I repent and the way I see His sovereignty.
As long as you believe in the Gospel shown in John, then I don't care which theology you choose- even if it's not mine. I just want you to study Him. To pursue Him. To love him.
So please- Take some time to read through the Bible in a way that allows you to focus specifically on who God is. Here are some powerful verses to encourage you:
Colossians 1:9
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding
John 17:3
"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Galatians 4:8-9
However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?
Ephesians 3:19
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Colossians 2:2
that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,
You can also consider finding some books on the subject, just make sure to read theology from authors you trust. I love James White, John Macarthur, Francis Chan, Charles Spurgeon, and Tim Keller! Good theology makes it so much easier to have a good relationship with God, so don’t overlook the importance of it.