Friendly greetings and warm welcome to this series in Theology 101: the Basics, where we look at the major doctrines of the Bible, for the church. Together, let’s explore the very basics. In this post we introduce the entire series by answering questions, like these: what is theology? Why study it? What is its purpose? What attitude should we have? How does it serve the church?
I write to learn. Let’s learn together, in the whole Theology 101 series.
Let’s begin.
I.. Introduction
A. Word choice to begin
I thought about using the word prolegomena instead of introduction for the title of this post, but I decided on the better-known word. Prolegomena is Greek, and introduction comes in through Latin, but they mean the same thing.
B. Audience
This series is written for the average Christian. Sometimes the long series will get complicated, particularly if you’re new to this huge subject. I had to take my time and study it for a number of years, and I am still learning. So don’t feel frustrated if you don’t understand things at first. Just work with it.
C. Format
Throughout the entire series, I use the outline format for organization and clarity. It helps me, and I trust it will help you too. It is also a tradition among some systematic theologies, when systematizing or organizing theology.
D. I am not a professional
I am not a professional theologian, and you don’t have to be one, either, unless God calls you to become one. I do study their books and videos, however. I write to learn, and over the years I have written down their ideas and posted them at this website in various categories. I now put them in better order in Theology 101: the Basics.
There has to be a place for a nonprofessional and lifelong learner like me to teach the people of God outside of a hardcopy book and outside of a seminary. I hope this series of online posts on theology meets that need.
My earlier posts on theology outside of Theology 101 are my polished drafts of standard Evangelical theology from a Renewal perspective. I have not changed my perspective. This series reflects my final or near-final drafts of this same Renewal theology. But I often go back into the newer posts to make adjustments. That’s one reason why I kept it online and have not put it in print.
E. Standard Evangelical Renewal theology
This comment may be the most important one: Don’t expect to find quirky and odd doctrines in this long series. I am traditional in my theology. For years now I have read (and am still reading) major systematic theologies in print. I learn a lot from them, though I don’t follow them slavishly in all points, especially when they come at theology from different angles that I believe strays from Scripture as I interpret it.
I can be classified as a Renewalist Evangelical of the Protestant tradition, broadly speaking. I hesitate to say charismatic because the Charismatic Movement is being ruined by the hyper-charismatics and the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). I’m not even confident about the various Renewal Movements. But I am a continuationist, for all the gifts in Scripture are for today.
I like how the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology described Evangelicalism, as follows:
- “a braided river, with its multiple strands, many crisscrossing rivers streams.”
- It has a complex genealogy from the Reformation onwards. It even borrows from the mysticism of the Catholic church.
- “Its energies have been centrifugal, and its theology has been chiefly kerygmatic [proclamation], preached in sermons, proclaimed in songs, announced in testimonies, jotted down in letters and conveyed through Alpha courses.” (In my case on my website and soon on video platforms, God willing).
- “Its theology has been expressed primarily in via, [on the path] amid mission and proclamation.”
- “Plain truth for plain people” (John Wesley);
- Doctrinal convictions, such as these: Scripture’s authority, Christ’s supremacy as Savior and Lord, humans’ ruined and lost state in sin, and the necessity of faith and holiness (J. I. Packer)
- Four convictions: emphasis on personal conversions, the Bible, the cross of Christ, and active Christian service. (David Bebbington)
- Centripetal dynamic of inward devotion to Christ and the experience of the Christian community in small groups; (now house churches are popping up)
- “School of Christian living” more than a “school of theology.”
Now all I have to do is add the fullness of the gifts of the Spirit or charismata (gifts), where we get our word charismatic, offered in Scripture, even in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, and you have just read my brand of Evangelicalism: Charismatic or Renewal Evangelicalism.
F. Main theologian and a Study Bible
I have borrowed from J. Rodman Williams’ Renewal Theology: Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective, 3 vols (Zondervan). in many (not all) of my posts. He died in 2008, but lived for a long time, serving in WWII. He was a leader in the Charismatic Renewal. HIs three volumes have been very helpful to me. It’s time to make him better known to a new generation. But as a Presbyterian minister, he let his mild Calvinism slip through sometimes, so I had to be careful. And I read many other systematic theologians, so Williams does not even come to close to dominating my series in Theology 101.
Let me say that I also depended on the topical outline at the back of the 2011 NIV Study Bible (Zondervan) with the arrangement of Bible themes, with Scripture references. Excellent!
When I follow a chapter in the systematic theologians’ volumes, my posts look more like systematic theology. When I get Scripture from a topical outline in the 2011 NIV Study Bible, my posts look more like biblical theology.
So Theology 101: The Basics can be called systematic or biblical theology, depending on the post. The entire series is a hybrid.
Let me call it a systematic biblical theology.
G. Gifts of the Spirit
I have not included posts on the gifts of the Spirit because I need to study them more. Lord willing. I may write a book on them. Or more likely I will create a new category on my website and offer the data for free.
You can go here, however, to begin a long series on my polished drafts:
Gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 and 12:28
Gifts of the Spirit in Romans 12:6-8
H. Teaching the overflow?
Picture the Hoover Dam with all the water behind it. How do you manage the structure and the water? You let out the water in small amounts, per the need. Don’t blow it up and flood the whole area.
And so it is with acquiring knowledge, which Proverbs tells us to do. When you learn theology, it is like the water behind the dam. You let it out only in small amounts, on Sunday morning. Don’t teach the entire overflow in a few Sundays. But you teach from the overflow.
Example: when you come to the verse about Jesus’s water baptism, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit appear, and the Father speaks. This is the perfect time to teach the very basics of the Trinity, relationally. The water baptism is a family photo. We have a relationship with the Father, through the Son, and by the indwelling Holy Spirit. This is why we can never dispense with the doctrine of the Trinity.
Then move on to the next verse or section.
I. Translation
I use the New International Version (NIV) throughout the entire series, unless otherwise noted. It meets my need for Theology 101.
This website has many others:
II. Categories of Theology
A. Table of Contents
This table can function as a brief Table of Contents for Theology 101: The Basics.
|
Brief Table of Contents |
||
| Sec. 1 | 1 Introduction
2 Apostles Creed |
|
| Theology or Truths of the Bible | Categories in Systematic Theology | |
| 2 | Scripture itself | Bibliology |
| 3 | God | Theology (Proper). I will simplify this long section of twenty posts and call it Doctrine of God because I include many other topics in addition to Theology Proper. (See more information under IV.) |
| 4 | People | Anthropology (Theological Anthropology) |
| 5 | Sin | Hamartiology |
| 6 | Christ | Christology |
| 7 | The Holy Spirit | Pneumatology |
| 8 | Salvation | Soteriology |
| 9 | Holy, Spirit-filled Living | Sanctification and Discipleship |
| 10 | The Church | Ecclesiology |
| 11 | Christ’s Return | Eschatology |
| 12 | Conclusion | Conclusion This is a summary and review of the purpose of the series |
| Adapted from Harwood, p. 6 | ||
B. Brief explanation
This series is built on those theological categories, plus an Introduction and Conclusion to the series. Those categories are based on thousands of Scriptures. They are the big themes of the Bible.
Further, quoting Scriptures in a website removes the cost per printed page in a printed book. It is better to see the verses than just the references.
III. Definitions
A. Doctrine
Don’t be afraid of the word doctrine. It come from Latin doctrina, which means teaching or instruction.
Please be aware up front that every book in the NT, except the tiny epistle to Philemon, says to watch out for false teachers and prophets and their false doctrines or prophecies. I will repeat this warning several times throughout the series.
B.. Word roots (etymology) of theology
The word theology is a combination of two words: theos and logos. To be a little more precise, the term works out like this: the– (God) -o- (mediating vowel) –log– (study of or science of) -y- (noun ending).
We will look at theos just below. Let’s now analyze logos.
C. Logos
It is used 330 times in the NT. Since it is so important, let’s explore the noun more deeply.
It is rich and full of meaning. It always has built into it rationality and reason. It has spawned all sorts of English words that end in –log-, like theology or biology, or have the log– stem in them, like logic.
1. Logos for Renewalists
This entire website is geared towards Renewalists. This next section may be a harsh warning, but times are desperate now with the worldwide web.
There is a rational side to the word (logos) of God, and a moment’s thought proves it. The words you’re reading right now are placed in meaningful and logical and rational order.
2. The Bible is written rationally (logos)
If the Bible were not written rationally, then it would be nonsense and confusing, and we couldn’t understand the gibberish. Your Bible studies and Sunday morning sermons have to make sense, too. Jesus’s words also have Bible-based logic and rational argumentation built into them. People need to be ministered to in this way. God gave us minds and brains and expects us to use them. Your preaching cannot always be flashy and shrieky and so outlandishly entertaining that people are not fed in the long term. Movements like that don’t last over the years without the word. They certainly don’t last in purity and sound doctrine that pleases God. I have observed this from firsthand experience in certain sectors of the Renewal Movement.
Thus there is a rational, logical side to our faith. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), Jesus concluded it with the man who understood and obeyed his words as a “wise” person, who stands on the rock. “Wise” comes from the adjective phronimos (pronounced fraw-nee-moss), and it means: “sensible, thoughtful, prudent, wise.” Those are wonderful words to describe the man or woman who studies theology.
3. People’s deep needs for sound doctrine
People have the deepest need to receive solid teaching. Never become so outlandishly supernatural and entertaining that you neglect the reasonable and rational and logical side of preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible.
4. Balance
On the other side of the word logos, people get so intellectual that they build up an exclusive Christian caste of intelligentsia who believe they alone can teach and understand the word. Not true. Just study Scripture with Bible helps and walk in the Spirit, as they did in Acts. Combining word and Spirit is the balanced life.
5. Logos as a person
The ultimate bridge between reason and faith is the Second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, the Logos.
John 1:1-4 reads:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. (John 1:1-4)
The Word in Greek is Logos. The Logos was there in the beginning. He is God. He is the Creator. He offers us life and light. Light in this context is himself and his message. New life is something we experience in him.
Commentator Leon Morris is excellent on the meaning of Logos:
“The Word” points to the truth that it is of the very nature of God to reveal himself. A person’s word is the means by whereby he reveals what he is thinking … God is not to be thought of as aloof and indifferent. He reveals himself. But he reveals himself as he chooses. He is sovereign in revelation as in all else. We must guard against two misinterpretations. The one is that of thinking of the revelation as static. It is more than the revelation of certain truths about God. To know God is life eternal (17:3). The knowledge of God that the Word brings is not merely information. It is life. The Word is creative. The other is that of thinking of the Word as nothing more than an attribute or even an activity of God. John thinks of the Word as coming down to earth in the person of Jesus of Nazareth (v. 14). At the same time he partakes of the innermost being of God, for “the Word of God.” (The Gospel according to John. Rev. ed. Eerdmans, 1995., pp. 66-67, emphasis added)
Next, commentator F. F. Bruce says that Logos was a bridge-word from the OT (“In the beginning, God” […]), John’s Gospel, and Greek philosophy. Christians of the second century, like Justin Martyr, made use of John 1:1 in his own outreach to his Greek culture (The Gospel of John: Introduction, Exposition, and Notes. Eerdmans, 1983, p. 29).
In short, Jesus is the living Logos. We need our reason–logos–to find out who he is, as we worship him. But we can also experience the Logos by faith because he offers us his life.
D. Summary
Faith and reason work together–or should work together–in our Christian life.
IV. Two Meanings of Theology
A.. Brief intro
We are still defining the word theology. There are two senses of the term. One is theology proper, which focuses on the attributes and essence of God and the Trinity. The other sense is the entire system of Christian thought and doctrine.
B. Theology proper studies God
Remember the word root: theos + logos = theology. Who is he in Scripture? What is his nature? Is he a solitary deity, or is he a tri-personal God? What are his names, titles, and activities? How does he interact with his creation? Does he love us or ignore us or worse? Who is this God we worship individually by ourselves or corporately in church?
The questions could go on. The aspect of theology narrowly focusing on God is the start of it all.
C. Theology
The second sense is theology as a term that describes all of the various topics of the study of our faith: like Christology (doctrine of Christ), pneumatology (doctrine of the Spirit), soteriology (doctrine of salvation), ecclesiology (doctrine of the church), and so on.
All these important areas flow out of the doctrine of God, our Creator.
D. This series
Studying the attributes of God and the Trinity is classified as Theology Proper. However, I place them under The Doctrine of God, as I follow the professionals.
Other topics appear under the Doctrine of God, such as creation, providence, miracles, angelology, demonology, the kingdom, and covenants. They are all overseen by God; hence they are all placed under this category.
E. An important noun
It illustrates the broader definition of theology.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew concludes the sermon with the Greek noun didachē (pronounced DEE-dah-khay). It is a doctrine or a set of beliefs which he taught. It was mostly practical, but he did teach the original disciples that his words were on an equal plane–no, a higher plane–than the Torah, which hints at his authoritative and divine status. He will judge people, on that day. He will be the divine judge. This is Matthew’s high Christology.
In Matthew 7:28, the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refer to his entire teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. as logos (plural) This there is a long, rational side to logos. We should not be afraid to use our reason to know who God is.
F. What does the noun didachē mean more fully?
BDAG is considered by many to be the authoritative lexicon of the Greek NT, and it defines didachē as follows: (1) “The activity of teaching, teaching, instruction”; (2) “the content of teaching, teaching.” Yes, the word is also used of Jesus’s teaching: Matt. 7:28; 22:33; Mark 1:22, 27; 4:2; 11:18; 12:38; Luke 4:32; John 7:16, 17; 18:19. And it is used of the apostolic teaching: Acts 2:42; 5:28; 13:12; 17:19; Rom. 6:17; 16:17; 1 Cor. 14:6, 26; 2 Tim. 4:2; Ti. 1:9; Heb. 6:2; 2 John 9 (twice), 10; Rev. 2:14, 15, 24. It can be translated as “doctrine.”
G. Organized theology
Theology in the second sense studies all of Christ’s teachings, all of the apostolic teaching, and indeed all of the Bible. Then we synthesize and organize thousands of verses in a coherent whole. This is called systematic theology.
Suppose, for example, a beginner to the Christian faith asked you about Christ’s Second Coming. You would not leave him hanging. You would not just say, “You’ll eventually come across the right verses. Good luck!” No. You would point him to passages that describe it. Those verses fit in the category of eschatology (study of the final or last things). In helping him, you just practiced theology.
V. Two Sources of Theology
A. Brief intro.
We need these two sources. One is general or natural; the other is special or specific, that is, written or the Bible.
B. General revelation
This is also called natural revelation. God has built nature in such a way that we can discover who he is, when we have open hearts to see. We all have experienced a sense of awe when we look at the stars or a famous rock formation. This sense of awe should point us back to their origins, the Creator.
Romans 1:20 shows this purpose and goal of creation and the Creator:
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Rom. 1:20)
We can know God as Creator–his eternal power and divine nature–by looking at the universe he made. We will analyze his divine nature more fully in the section on the doctrine of God.
I really like these verses in Psalm 19:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them. (Ps. 19:1-3)
Creation is speaking to us but without words or the sound of speech. It tells us about God’s glory. Will we worship him as he is, or turn him into weird statues, like the Greeks and Romans did (Rom. 1)?
Note that creation does not speak words. For this we need the written word.
In later posts we will discuss conscience and reason to figure out moral law.
2 General and Special Revelations and Moral Law
C. Scripture
This is called specific or special revelation, that is, Scripture. It is much clearer than the natural world. We learn more specifically who God is by this verbal revelation to us.
Here is the one of the main purposes of Scripture:
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
“God-breathed” is a compound word that means, well, God-breathed, theopneustos: (pronounced theh-oh pnew-stoss, and be sure to pronounce the “p”). It can be broken down like so: the- means God, -o- is the mediating vowel, and pneu = breath- and -st -mediating part of the building stem, and -os is the ending.
But forget this verbal precision, if it doesn’t help. Just realize that it means God-breathed
Incidentally, in v. 16, the word teaching is didaskalia (pronounced dee-dah-skah-LEE-ah) and can be translated as doctrine. It is related to the noun didachē.
Scripture is God-breathed to produce sound doctrine, and then we will not be tossed around, but equipped for every good work that helps people know God better, through his Son.
This series in Theology 101 is all about Scripture. We don’t cover the natural world, except for the posts on general revelation, creation, and providence.
VI. Church History
A. Professional theologians
They require us to know church history and the development of doctrine. This is legitimate for the experts. It takes years to learn historical theology over the centuries.
B. Student of theology
I have claimed that I am not a professional but a student of theology. My knowledge of church history is spotty and confined to the four major creeds. My only defense is that prominent professionals, like J. Rodman Williams and Wayne Grudem, do not have long sections in their systematic theologies covering church doctrine over the centuries.
I also read Franz Pieper (Lutheran), Berkhoff (Reformed), Williams (Presbyterian), Harwood (Southern Baptist) and others (see the Works Cited link, below), and I learn from them. I am in the broad Protestant category, after all (though Protestants who are attached to Reformation denominations might say no to my claim). And I am a traditionalist and conservative.
Outline of Renaissance and Reformation
Timeline of Renaissance and Reformation
See also this post that has sections on church history:
C. My (very limited) experience with doctrinal developments
I have taught Humanities I and II, and I have always had a section on the church, in each stage along the way, before and after the Renaissance (on the front page of my website, look for Western Civilization, to see my notes). I have taught Philosophy 101 at community colleges (look for Basic Philosophy at my website). I have taught world religions at community colleges (look for World Religions). I have read a thick anthology of Luther’s writings (ed. Hull). I have read large sections of Calvin’s Institutes. I have read Peter Kreeft’s edited version of Aquinas and his notes. In the 1970s, during my undergrad days I wrote a paper on Athanasius.
But I cannot claim expertise in historical Christian doctrines. I don’t know what Justin Martyr or Tertullian, for example, taught about justification or believers or infant baptism. I watch a lot of videos, however, on various topics from scholars who seem to know what they’re talking about.
My interests are in the gifts of the Spirit, and I have a series on their use in three articles at my website, in the early church fathers:
1. Gifts of the Spirit in Early Church Fathers
2. Healing and Deliverance in Early Church Fathers
3. Prophecies, Visions, and Hearing from God in Early Church Fathers
My deeper interest is also in exegesis. I’m more of a biblical exegete than a theologian-philosopher. Here are four posts on the church fathers and the authorship of the four Gospels:
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
4. Church Fathers and John’s Gospel
They affirm traditional authorship, as do I.
D. Scripture
For me, I get my theology from reading the professionals, but also Scripture itself, first and foremost. This may sound like I’m super-spiritual and dismiss doctrinal development with a sneer (the Bible only!), but this is not true, for I respect church history on the whole and the early church fathers, broadly speaking. I simply do not (yet) have time to be familiar with historical theology. I spend my time translating and commenting on the NT. I have completed Matthew through Acts (so far). The Bible takes up my time, and that’s okay because it is the main source of systematic theology.
E. Reformation, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy
I don’t really relate to Calvin and Arminius and Luther or Zwingli (et al.), even though they sorted out doctrinal confusion in some areas (and created their own confusions). The same is true of the Anglican church, even the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). Those Reformation churches lie outside of my interest, except some doctrines.
Why?
The practical theology (praxis) of the sixteenth and seventeenth Reformation, however, is too ambiguous and messy at best and violent at worst. Maybe we should not even call it praxis, for the word is too dignified.
For starters, Reformers and Roman Catholics ordered the persecution or killing of people over doctrines that should not have been fought over, like the Eucharist. No. Zwingli tortured Balthasar Hubmaier for holding anabaptist views. Hubmaier ran to Moravia, where the Austrian authorities captured him. They captured him and burned him at the stake on March 10, 1528. A few days later his wife was drowned in Danube River.
And Roman Catholics also killed non-Catholics. In 1572, the Catholics killed 5000-30,000 Huguenots (Protestants), beginning on the feast of St. Bartholomew and lasting several weeks. (Other sources I have read say the numbers go much higher than 30,000.) No.
Henry VIII and his divorce and the Anglicans. Dubious beginning. Too much for me.
Henry VIII, Part 2: Marriages after His Divorce
Henry VIII, Part 3: Reformation and National Policies
When I found out how much real-world violence Luther advocated against the Jews, including destroying their synagogues and killing them, I had to rewrite this post:
A Defense of Martin Luther No.
Luther advocated the violent suppression of the Peasants Wars–100,000 died. No.
John Calvin executed Michael Servetus on doctrinal grounds. No.
The wars of religion in sixteenth-century France, ignited by the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. No.
The seventeenth-century Thirty Years War between rival Protestant groups and Catholics, who persecuted the Anabaptists–the whole conflict was a free-for-all. No.
I don’t need to give an historical overview of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Churches. Violence sometimes (not all the time). No.
And yes, I acknowledge that the Crusades were a response to hundreds of years of jihad. See my two posts here:
The Truth about Islamic Jihad and Imperialism: A Timeline
Islamic Jihad v. European Crusades
Further, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox polemicists today are proud of their massive and complicated hierarchies. But I find them unwieldly and far from the movement that Jesus and his apostolic community began. No.
Accretions about Mary and the infallibility of the Pope. No. Asking her to pray for us, either in Roman Catholicism or Orthodoxy? No.
And so I am much more comfortable in newer church movements, like Calvary Chapel or the Vineyard. I even think John Wesley was also a strong man of God, but I’m sorry that quarters of the Methodist church have now gone liberal.
I understand that those who belong to historical churches are not comfortable with the newer ones. And I’m not comfortable with the older ones. We will just have to agree to disagree, peacefully (or so I hope). They can go their way, and I’ll go mine, with respect.
Just to be clear, I believe many of the doctrines of the Reformation, and I honor many of those who lived saintly lives throughout church history, before, during, and after the Reformation. And hundreds of thousands, even millions, in those churches, are fine, godly believers. But I could never join those mainline churches.
And I don’t care if I’m now considered a second-class Christian. I don’t allow the traditional members of the Reformation or Catholicism or Orthodoxy to set the terms of the discussion, as if they’re in the right and have the upper hand, as if I now have to prove myself to them. For me, throughout my entire walk with God from the early 1970s, it is time to look forward with backwards glances at church history to guide me.
But I see no reason why I can’t develop doctrine that the Reformers skipped over, like pneumatology and the gifts of the Spirit, which the Spirit distributes as he determines, still to this day (1 Cor. 1:7; 12:11). Continuationism, not cessationism. Practicing the gifts, not just studying them, to meet the needs of people, and not just their intellectual needs.
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
F. Four creeds
My only detailed foray into historical doctrine is the four creeds, as follows:
2 Apostles Creed + Very Brief Commentary
13 Athanasian Creed and Commentary
5 The Nicene Creed and Commentary
6 Definition or Creed of Chalcedon and Commentary
I see them as guidelines, but they do not carry decisive authority nor especially infallible authority.
Here is a corrective for those who stake their salvation on knowing any of those four creeds:
Is Belief in the Creeds Necessary for Salvation?
Salvation is simpler than believing in the creeds, particularly the last three. If we had to understand those three creeds to be saved, then 99% of humanity would be doomed. However, if the 99 out of a 100 sheep do not understand them, then they should at least not deny them. It would be better for them to say that they trust that the creeds are true, but admit they don’t understand them.
Maybe as they (and I) grow in Christ, they can take classes or watch quality videos (as I do). But salvation and their walk with God does not depend on those creeds.
VII. Purpose of Theology
A. Brief intro.
I borrow heavily from professional theologians. In this section, it is J. Rodman Williams, in his Renewal Theology, vol. 1, (Zondervan), pp. 19-21.
B. Clarification
We need theology to clarify what the church believes. We can participate in church life, but our fellowship deepens when we know what we believe.
C. Integration
Theology integrates the whole of Christian thought and organizes it into patterns, Using this format we can understand the whole.
D. Correction
As noted, every book in the NT, except the small epistle to Philemon, tells us to watch out for false teachers and prophets and teachings. Knowing theology as handed down over the centuries, particularly from the Reformation, can enable us to detect truth from falsehood.
E. Declaration
We can declare publicly what we stand for. “The Church of Jesus Christ stands for these teachings and not those.” The previous purposes of theology is for the church. But now we can speak with clarity to the world.
I end Williams’ ideas here.
VIII. The Method of Study
A. Brief intro.
This goes to the how of learning theology. In this section I borrow from Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 2nd ed. (Zondervan Academic, 2020), pp. 16-33, also a charismatic himself. I reformatted the original to fit this post.
B. Prayer
Absolutely true. We should pray before we begin any study and during our study. In your prayer, depend on the Holy Spirit.
C. Humility
One thing we should not do is be arrogant about our knowledge. “Knowledge puffs us” (1 Cor. 8:1). Don’t bludgeon people with your knowledge. Don’t lord it over the laity. Be humble with it.
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— (Matt. 20:25-27)
Use theology to serve the body of Christ, not lord it over the people.
D. Reason
As noted above, we need the logos or reason to study theology. We need it to study Scripture, too.
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30, emphasis added)
E. Study all of the Bible and collect the Scriptures on any topic
Theology, particularly the systematic variety, organizes countless verses into a coherent whole.
F. Rejoice and praise
It is true that when you learn something new, it makes you happy. In Christ we rejoice and praise him, for the knowledge we get.
IX. Application
A. Brief intro
This entire series in Theology 101 is geared towards churches who are part of the Renewal Movements. We need more theology. But of course anyone can read these posts in Theology 101: the Basics, just to get started.
B. What faith can accomplish
Placing our entire faith and trust in Christ and being born again gives us experiential knowledge of God. We can know God personally through Christ. We need this experiential knowledge. Knowledge of God cannot just remain intellectual. Even demons believe God exists and tremble (Jas. 2:19).
C. What reason can accomplish
Renewalists need much more instruction and doctrine than they are getting. Inspirational preaching about God fulfilling their hopes and dreams and super-charging their finances is insufficient. We live in the time or season of the worldwide web. Christians are getting bombarded with strange doctrines, on youtube and other such platforms. These youtube “teachers” know how to edit things and put in clever colors and special effects, but they have not been appointed by God. They do not know how to do even basic research. They run roughshod over basic hermeneutical (interpretational) principles.
These “teachers” do not seem to realize that they will be judged more severely (Jas. 3:1) and will have to render an account of their (self-appointed) “leadership” (Heb. 13:17). If they destroy God’s temple (the church), God will (eventually) destroy them (1 Cor. 3:17).
However, I am not entirely comfortable with philosophical theology, though I admire it and those who do it. The Bible is a library of books that reveals a God who deals with humankind who can experience him.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Rom. 8:15-16)
D. Leaders in the church
A better translation of Ephesians 4:11 reads: “Apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teaching pastors,” not “pastors and teachers.” Do we have teaching pastors or managerial or corporate pastors who specialize in organizational leadership? Or do we have psychology pastors? These areas, sometimes helpful, should be turned over to a team. The teaching pastors should do nothing but study Scripture and theology and have the bulk of the teaching time on Sunday morning and in other services.
E. Warning from Scripture
These two verses from Ephesians 4 teach us that sound doctrine keeps us stable and mature:
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Eph. 4:13-14)
Truth (doctrine) and love (love working through relationship with God and people) brings balance.
F. Change in the church
We need to change our ways and follow Scripture, or else much of the church will spiritually diminish and be swept away by strange teachings. Yes, theology and even a little apologetics about difficult passages is what the global Church needs, particularly in the Renewal Movements. They need the basics—even on Sunday morning, delivered by teaching pastors, not corporate, seeker-friendly pastors. You can teach theology, as you teach Scripture. Where else does theology come from, if not from Scripture?
G. Experiential knowledge of God
Let’s come to a near-end of this post with the experiential knowledge God, personally and intimately. For me, this is the deeper purpose of theology in the life of the church. Recall that John 1:1-4 says that in the living Logos brings life eternal.
We can only know God intimately and personally by surrendering to his Son and putting our full faith in him. Then God sends his Spirit into our hearts and causes us to be born again. This is experiential knowledge of God. It is wonderful. We can use our reason, hopefully in conjunction with our personal faith in God, to understand who God is, mainly by studying Scripture. This series in Theology 101 will quote lots of Scripture.
For me, theology leads me to experience God more fully. The more I know about him, the more my experience and relationship with him deepens. I understand more deeply whom I worship and serve and preach.
H. One final word of encouragement
Welcome again to Theology 101: the Basics. I hope you enjoy this series and learn from it as much as I have learned and still am learning. Be encouraged and keep going, no matter how challenging it may be, at times
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dr. Jim's Essential Bible Teaching 