The Concept of Systematic Theology (Part 1)

INTRODUCTION

 

The Christian faith rests upon the revelation of God given to us in the Holy Scriptures. Christianity is therefore not founded upon human speculation about God, nor upon religious experience detached from divine revelation, but upon what God has made known concerning Himself, His creation, humanity, sin, redemption, and His purposes for the world. Yet the Bible does not present its teaching in the form of a single theological textbook in which every doctrine is gathered into one place. Instead, God's revelation unfolds progressively throughout the history recorded in Scripture. Truths concerning God, humanity, sin, salvation, covenant, worship, the Church, and the future kingdom appear throughout the biblical canon, sometimes explicitly and sometimes through narratives, promises, commands, prophecies, wisdom literature, and apostolic teaching.

This raises an important question for the Church. If we are to understand what God has revealed concerning a particular doctrine, how are we to bring together the many passages of Scripture that speak to that subject and arrive at a faithful understanding of their combined testimony? How are we to ensure that we do not build our beliefs upon isolated verses while neglecting passages that may qualify, expand, or even correct our initial conclusions? It is precisely this task that systematic theology seeks to undertake.

Systematic theology is therefore not an attempt to replace Scripture with a human theological system. Nor is it an exercise in organizing religious ideas according to philosophical preferences. Properly understood, systematic theology is a disciplined attempt to understand the teaching of the whole Bible concerning particular subjects, to express that teaching clearly and coherently, and to consider its implications for Christian faith and life. It requires careful exegesis of individual passages, sound hermeneutical principles, comparison of Scripture with Scripture, theological reasoning, and humility concerning the limitations of our own understanding.

The importance of this discipline becomes even clearer when we recognize that every Christian inevitably develops theological conclusions. Whenever we say what the Bible teaches about prayer, salvation, marriage, the person of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Church, or the return of Christ, we are making a theological statement. The question is therefore not whether Christians will engage in theology, but whether the theology they hold has been formed carefully and faithfully from the whole counsel of God. Systematic theology seeks to help the Church answer that question responsibly.

 

1. WHAT IS SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY AND WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

 

1.1 The Meaning of Systematic Theology

Many definitions of systematic theology have been proposed, but Wayne Grudem provides a useful starting point when he defines systematic theology as the study that asks, “What does the whole Bible teach us today about any given topic?” The strength of this definition is that it emphasizes both the comprehensive nature of the biblical witness and its continuing significance for the Church. Systematic theology is concerned not merely with what one biblical author says in one particular passage, but with what Scripture as a whole teaches concerning a particular subject and how that teaching should shape Christian belief and practice.

For example, if we ask what the Bible teaches about prayer, we cannot responsibly answer the question by selecting one passage and treating it as though it contains the entire biblical doctrine of prayer. Scripture speaks about prayer in many different contexts and in many different forms. We encounter Hannah praying for a son in 1 Samuel 1, Solomon praying at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8, numerous prayers throughout the Psalms, Jesus teaching His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, Jesus Himself praying in Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36–46, the early Church praying together in Acts, and repeated apostolic instructions concerning prayer throughout the New Testament. Each passage contributes something to our understanding, but each must first be interpreted within its own context before its teaching can be brought together with the testimony of the rest of Scripture.

This is an important feature of systematic theology. It is not simply the collection of biblical verses that happen to contain a particular word. Rather, it is the careful synthesis of the teaching of Scripture. A study of prayer, for example, must consider not only passages containing the words pray and prayer, but also biblical teaching concerning petition, intercession, thanksgiving, confession, worship, dependence upon God, persistence, faith, and submission to God's will. The doctrine emerges as these various strands of biblical teaching are understood individually and then considered together.

The same principle applies to every major area of Christian doctrine. When we ask what Scripture teaches about God, sin, salvation, the Church, Christian marriage, the person and work of Christ, or the Holy Spirit, we are asking questions whose answers cannot ordinarily be found in one isolated passage. The answers emerge from the cumulative witness of Scripture. Systematic theology therefore seeks to gather that witness and express it in a coherent form so that the Church may know what it believes and why it believes it.

This also explains why systematic theology sometimes employs theological terminology that does not appear as a specific word in Scripture. The term Trinity, for example, is not found in the biblical text, yet it has become one of the most important words in Christian theology because it provides a concise way of describing several truths that Scripture teaches together. Scripture teaches that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4), that the Father is God, that the Son is God (John 1:1; John 20:28; Titus 2:13), and that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3–4), while at the same time distinguishing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit from one another (Matthew 3:16–17; Matthew 28:19; John 14:16–17). The word Trinity does not add another revelation to Scripture; rather, it provides a theological designation for the combined biblical testimony.

The same principle applies to terms such as incarnation. Scripture teaches that the eternal Word was God and that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). The theological language of incarnation gives the Church a concise way of describing this profound biblical truth. The legitimacy of such terminology therefore does not depend upon whether the precise word appears in Scripture, but upon whether the concept represented by the term faithfully summarizes what Scripture teaches. At the same time, this must never be used as an excuse to elevate theological terminology above Scripture. Our theological vocabulary is always subordinate to the biblical text. Scripture is inspired by God; our theological formulations are not. Scripture therefore judges our theology rather than our theology judging Scripture. Whenever a theological system, definition, tradition, or conclusion is found to conflict with the clear teaching of God's Word, it is the theological formulation that must be corrected.

 

1.2 Systematic Theology and the Life of the Christian

The phrase “What does the whole Bible teach us today?” also reminds us that systematic theology cannot properly be separated from Christian living. Biblical doctrine was never given merely to satisfy intellectual curiosity. Throughout Scripture, theological truth is consistently connected to worship, obedience, holiness, wisdom, perseverance, and love.

Paul's letter to the Romans provides a particularly clear example. After spending eleven chapters explaining the righteousness of God, human sinfulness, justification by faith, God's purposes in salvation, and His sovereign work in redemption, Paul does not treat the doctrinal material as the conclusion of his teaching. Instead, he begins Romans 12 with an appeal based upon everything he has explained: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). The doctrine leads to worship and obedience.

The same pattern appears in Ephesians. Paul spends the first three chapters developing profound truths concerning God's eternal purpose, election, redemption through Christ, reconciliation, the work of the Spirit, and the unity of Jew and Gentile in the Church. Beginning in chapter 4, he turns explicitly toward Christian conduct and urges believers to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). The doctrinal teaching is not disconnected from practical Christian life; it provides the foundation upon which Christian conduct is built.

This is why systematic theology should never be regarded merely as an intellectual discipline. The knowledge of God is intended to transform those who receive it. If our study of doctrine continually increases our pride while failing to increase our holiness, love, humility, faith, and obedience, then we have misunderstood the purpose of theological knowledge. Paul warned the Corinthians that “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1). The problem was not knowledge itself, but knowledge separated from love. A sound systematic theology should therefore help the Christian understand God more accurately, recognize error more readily, worship more deeply, and live more faithfully. Doctrine and life belong together because the God revealed in doctrine is the God whom the Christian is called to know, trust, love, and obey.

 

1.3 Every Christian Is Already Doing Theology

Systematic theology can sometimes appear to be a specialized discipline belonging only to pastors, scholars, or students in theological institutions. In reality, however, every Christian who makes claims about what the Bible teaches is engaging in theology, whether formally or informally. When a Christian says that salvation is by grace through faith, that Christ is fully God and fully man, that Christians should forgive those who wrong them, that marriage is intended to be a covenant between one man and one woman, or that Christ will return again, each statement represents a theological conclusion drawn from Scripture. Some of these conclusions may be carefully formulated and others may be poorly considered, but all of them represent an attempt to summarize biblical teaching.

This means that Christians do not avoid theology simply by refusing to study systematic theology. They merely practice theology without examining the process by which their beliefs were formed. A person's theological convictions may have been shaped by Scripture, preaching, family tradition, denominational teaching, books, culture, personal experience, or popular Christian media. The fact that a belief is sincerely held does not establish its biblical truth. Systematic theology therefore provides an important opportunity for Christians to examine the beliefs they already possess and ask whether those beliefs correspond to the whole counsel of God. It helps us move from isolated impressions toward carefully examined convictions and teaches us to distinguish between what Scripture actually says and what we may have assumed Scripture says.