The Concept of Systematic Theology

1. DEFINITION OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY

 Many different definitions have been given but for the purpose of this study, the following definition will be used: Systematic theology is any study that answers the question. “What does the whole Bible teach us today about any given topic?" (Wayne Gruden, Systematic Theology).

 This definition indicates that Systematic Theology involves collecting and understanding all relevant passages in the Bible on various topics and then summarizing their teachings clearly so that we know what to believe about each topic. It is the process of collecting and synthesizing all the relevant scripture passages on various topics. Thus systematic theology asks, for example, “what does the whole Bible teach us today about Prayer?” It attempts to summarize the teaching of scripture in a brief understandable and very carefully formulated statement.

 Furthermore, systematic theology focuses on summarizing each doctrine, as it should be understood by present day Christians. This will sometimes involve the use of terms and even concepts that were not used by any individual biblical author on a particular subject. The terms "Trinity", "Incarnation" or "Rapture" for example, are not found in the Bible, but they usefully summarize some biblical concepts.

 By defining Systematic theology to include, “what the Bible teaches us today?” implies that the application to life of what we study in the scripture is a necessary part of the proper pursuit of systematic theology. Thus a doctrine under consideration is seen in terms of its practical value for living the Christian life. Nowhere in scripture do we find doctrine studied for its own sake or in isolation from practical life. The biblical writers consistently apply their teaching to practical life situations.

 If we use this definition of systematic theology, it will be seen that most Christians actually do systematic theology (or at least make systematic theological statements) many times a week. For example “Pre-tribulation rapture theory is a sound eschatological doctrine.” “The uniform teaching of the Bible on marriage is Monogamy". These are all summaries of what scripture says and, as such they are systematic theological statements. Infact, every time a Christian says something about what the whole Bible says, he or she is in a sense doing “Systematic Theology”.

 In summary systematic theology is a consistent, careful and orderly study and presentation of all the major doctrinal topics of the Bible.

 2. REASONS FOR THE STUDY OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY

The basic reason is that Jesus commanded his disciples and now commands us also to teach believers to observe all that he commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). However, in a broader sense, "all that Jesus commands" includes the interpretation and application of his life and teachings, because in the book of Acts it is implied that it contains a narrative of what Jesus continued to do and teach through the Apostles after his resurrection (note that Acts 1:1 speaks of “all that Jesus began to do and teach”). All that Jesus commanded, can also include the Epistles, since they were written under the supervision of the Holy Spirit and were also considered to be commands of the Lord  (I Corinthians 14:37; see John 14:26; 16:13; I Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Peter 3:2 and Revelation 1:1-3). Thus in a larger sense “all that Jesus commanded” includes all that the Bible says.

Furthermore, when we consider that the New Testament writings endorse the absolute confidence Jesus had on the authority and reliability of the Old Testament scriptures as God’s words and Old Testament as absolutely authoritative words of God, then it becomes evident that we cannot teach “all that Jesus command” without including all of the Old Testament (rightly understood in the various ways in which it applies to the covenant age in the history of redemption) as well.

The task of fulfilling the Great Commission includes therefore not only evangelism but also teaching. And the task of teaching all that Jesus commanded us is, in a broad sense, the task of teaching what the whole Bible says. Thus, it is necessary to collect and summarize all the scripture passage on a particular subject.

We can teach others most effectively if we can direct them to the most relevant passages and suggest an appropriate summary of the teachings of those passages. Thus the necessity of Systematic Theology for teaching what the Bible says comes about, primarily, because we are finite in our memory and in the amount of time at our disposal. The basic reason for studying Systematic Theology, then is that it enables us to teach ourselves and others what the whole Bible says,  thus fulfilling the second part of the Great Commission.

Other reasons for the study of systematic theology include:
(1) It helps us to overcome our wrong ideas and false doctrines.
(2) It better equips us to confront doctrinal controversies that may arise in ministry.
(3) It helps us grow and become more mature. The more we know about God, about his word, about his relationship to the world and mankind, the better we will trust him, the more fully we will praise him. Studying systematic theology rightly will make us more mature Christians. If it does not do this, we are not studying it in the way God intends. Infact, the Bible often connects sound doctrines with maturity in Christian living (I Timothy 6:3; Titus 1:1).

 3. CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY 

(i) A Prayerful Disposition: Studying systematic theology is, therefore, a spiritual activity in which we need the help of the Holy Spirit. No matter how intelligent, if the student does not continue to pray for God to give him or her an understanding mind and a believing and humble heart, if the student does not maintain a personal walk with the Lord, doctrinal error will result. The mind and heart of the student will not be changed for the better but for worse. Students of systematic theology should resolve to maintain with great regularity their own personal devotional lives. They should continually pray for wisdom and understanding of scriptures.

Since it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to rightly understand scripture, we need to realize that the proper thing to do, particularly when we are unable to understand some passage or some doctrine of scripture, is to pray for God’s help. Often what we need is not more data but more insight into the data we already have. Thus only the Holy Spirit gives insight (I Corinthians 2; 14; Ephesians 1:7-19).

(ii) A Humble Spirit (I Peter 5:5): Those who study systematic theology will learn many things about the teachings of scripture that are perhaps not known or not known well by other Christians who perhaps are older in the Lord than they. Systematic Theology rightly studied will not lead to the knowledge that “puffs up” but to humility and love for others (James 3:13, 17-18; I Corinthians 8:1).

(iii) Logical Deductions: We find in the New Testament that Jesus and the New Testament authors will often quote a verse of scripture and then draw logical conclusions from it. They reason from scripture. It is therefore not wrong to use human understanding, human logic, and human reasoning to draw conclusions from the statements of scripture. Nevertheless, when we reason and draw what we think to be correct logical deductions from scripture, we sometimes make mistakes. The deductions we make are not equal to the statements of scripture themselves in certainty or authority. This is simply because our ability to reason and draw conclusions is not the ultimate standard of truth – only scripture is.

We are free to use our reasoning abilities to draw deductions from any passage of scripture so long as these deductions do not contradict the clear teachings of some passages of scripture. This principle puts a safeguard on our use of what we think to be logical deductions from scripture. Our supposedly logical deductions may be erroneous, but scripture itself cannot be erroneous. Thus, for example, we may read scripture and find that God the Father is called God (I Corinthians 1:3), that God the Son is called God (John 2:28; Titus 2:13), and that God the Holy Spirit is called God (Acts 5:3-4). We might deduce from this that there are three Gods. But then we find the Bible explicitly teaching us that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; James 2:19). Thus we conclude that what we thought to be a valid logical deduction about three Gods was wrong and that scripture teaches both (a) that there are three separate persons (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), each of whom is fully God and (b) that there is one God.

We cannot understand exactly how these two statements can both be true so together they constitute a paradox (a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true). God’s words are not only true individually but also when viewed together as a whole, their “sum” equals truth. Ultimately, there is no internal contradiction either in scripture or in God’s own thoughts.

(iv)  Willingness to Learn from Others: We need to be thankful that God has put teachers in the Church (I Corinthians 12:28). We should allow those with the gifts of teaching to help us understand scripture. This means that we should make use of systematic theology and other books that have been written by some of the teachers that God has given to the church over the course of its history. It also means that our study of theology should include talking with other Christians about the things we study. Among those with whom we talk will often be some with gifts of teaching who can explain biblical teachings clearly and help us to understand more easily.

(v) Collect and understand all the Relevant Passages of Scripture of Any Given Topic: This point was mentioned in our definition of systematic theology at the beginning but the actual process needs to be described here. In the first place, we find all the relevant verses about a particular subject. The best help in this step is a good concordance, which enables one to look up key words and find the verses in which the subject is treated. For example, in studying what is meant by the assertion that man is created in the image of God, one needs to find all the verses in which “image” and “likeness” and “create” occur. (The word “man” and “God” occur too often to be useful for concordance search). In studying the doctrine of prayer, many words could be looked up (pray, prayer, intercede, petition, supplication, confess, confession, praise, thanks, thanksgiving etc). Verses can also be found by thinking through the overall history of the Bible and then turning to sections where there would be information on the topic at hand. For example on prayer, passages like the one about Hannah’s prayer for a son ( I Samuel 1); Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple (I Kings 8); Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:11) etc.

The next step is to read, make notes on and try to summarize the points made in the relevant verses. When necessary, use specialize tools such as commentaries and dictionaries. Finally, the teachings of the various verses should be summarized into one or more points that the Bible affirms about that subject. It is also helpful to read related sections if any can be found in several systematic theology books. This provides a useful check against error and oversight.

(vi) A Heart of Appreciation to God: The study of systematic theology is not merely a theoretical exercise of the intellect. It is a study of the living God and of the wonders of all his works in creation and redemption. We cannot study this subject dispassionately.  We must love all that God is, all that He says and all that He does (Psalm 19:8; 119:14, 103,111,162; Romans 11:32, 33-36). In the study of the teachings of God’s word we may often find our hearts spontaneously breaking forth in expressions of praise and delight (Psalm 139: 17).