Every time someone asserts a truth about a subject that is covered in the Bible, they are stating a theological proposition. I suppose that most of the readers of this article seek to be good theologians. How can we study theology in the most faithful and fruitful way?
Here are eighteen specifications for how we should study theology.
1) Scripturally. That is, that we derive our views from God and the truth of the Bible. The Scriptures are the gateway to true knowledge of reality. Everything must be tested by the Word of God and the proper interpretation of it. The Bible alone has authority for life and doctrine.
2) Contextually. How we receive the truth and how we interpret the biblical texts cannot be separated. To understand any passage, one must understand what God was saying through the specific author to the specific recipient. In other words, the meaning of a passage is determined by its context: literary and historical.
Understanding a text is understanding how words and phrases are related to each other.
3) Grammatically. Some may not be convinced on this point. However, I hope Andy Naselli’s statement on grammar can change your mind. He writes: “Grammar matters because God chose to reveal himself to us with grammar. So paying attention to grammar is a way of paying attention to God. The more accurately you understand grammar, the more accurately you can understand God.” Grammar safeguards the gospel. Understanding a text is understanding how words and phrases are related to each other.
4) Biblically. More specifically, I mean that we should study Biblical theology in order to be better theologians in general. Being aware of the major turning points of the biblical story will help orient us to see the parts of Scripture in light of the whole. Biblical theology can be studied in different ways: a single book, or one of the testaments. The discipline of biblical theology is useful because it analyzes and synthesizes the entire Bible on its own terms. It is about how the New Testament uses the Old Testament and how biblical themes progress canonically.
5) systematically. Systematic theology seeks to discern how a theme within a theological passage is consistent with the entire Bible. The benefit of studying theology systematically is that you can address contemporary issues, make logical inferences, and identify doctrinal tensions because you can provide a precise theological grid. For new students of the Bible, systematic theology can efficiently package what the entire Bible teaches.
6) Historically. We should consult the faithful saints of old to see how they explained passages and communicated truths. Historical theology gives us guardrails for orthodoxy. Before turning from exegesis to systematic theology, we must pause and consider how exegetes and theologians have understood the Bible and theology.
7) Practically. There is an interconnection between theology and ethics. The lives we are supposed to live and the attitudes we are supposed to have are largely dictated by the truth we know and believe. How does your theology help you become a better parent or factory worker? Theology is practical and must be studied as such.
8) Humbly. That Christians arrive and remain in the truth is the result of God’s grace in our lives. Let us remember the words of Peter: “And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in dealing with him, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5: 5). Studying humbly does not mean that we do not speak confidently on any biblical topic. That is a false humility. Studying humbly means being willing to accept whatever you see to be true in the Scriptures, to submit completely to God’s instructions. We won’t know everything there is to know about a single doctrine, but we can truly know that doctrine.
9) Charitably. There are Christians who love Christ, submit to the Word of God, believe in the gospel, appreciate the local church, and interpret some passages and doctrines differently. This should affect our level of criticism. There is a distinction between major and minor doctrines.
God is not properly glorified where he is not properly known.
10) seriously. There are damning consequences for having wrong opinions or wrong affections for God and His Word. Accuracy does not come from those who are frivolous in their study of God. Louis Berkof once wrote: “Those who minimize the importance of the truth, and therefore ignore and neglect it, will eventually find that they have very little Christianity left.” Why? Because Christianity is founded on truth. A seriousness must accompany every person, class, church, or seminary that seeks to define and defend sound theology. We must have a determined determination to be God-honoring theologians. God is not properly glorified where he is not properly known.
11) In prayer. We pray before and during study time because only God can give us eyes to see him, minds to know him, hearts to love him, and the will to obey him. Have you strayed from dependence on God by studying his Word? If so, seek to be a praying theologian today.
12) In adoration. Studying the Bible is studying the most precious realities in the universe. Seeing and tasting the God of the Bible is the main objective of studying Biblical truth. Here is a suggestion for a book that would complete your study of theology: a hymnal.
13) Redemptively. Part of studying theology is observing how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit planned, accomplished, and applied salvation to God’s people. You must be attentive to Christ and the themes of redemption in your study.
14) In obedience. We want to be Christians who listen and obey the truth we see in the Bible. “Blessed… are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28). There should be a correlation between our intake of theology and our growth in holiness.
15) Continuously. God is infinite! His excellences are more than the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. We will always marvel at the glory of God, and those glories can be seen and reveled in now. Every true Christian must surrender to know God in the most complete way possible. This means persistent study and sincere devotion.
16) Corporately. Bad theology hurts people. Destructive decisions are made every day as a result of Biblical truth that is ignored or Biblical truth that is not known. People need the truth, including the people in your church. Who in your local congregation can you instruct in sound doctrine?
17) Evangelistically. We study theology not only for our own joy in the Lord, but also for the nations to rejoice in God (Ps. 67). Outside of your church, is there someone with whom you can share a theological vision today?
18) with encouragement Take heart because “what we will be has not been revealed” (1 Jn. 3:2). The day will come when “we will see it as it is”. In glory, our incomplete understanding of theology will give way to a perfect view and enjoyment of God.
As you study theology, I hope these specifications will make you a more competent and well-rounded student of theology.
Originally posted on . Translated by Team Coalition.
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