Knowing God: The Role of Theology

A challenge to raise standards for discerning and communicating biblical truth

Starting with our chief purpose▪ To Glorify God

▪ To best glorify God, we must understand Him

▪ Our culture, self-centered nature, and personal experiences do not make it natural for us to interpret the Bible accurately

Cultural roadblocks to interpreting the Bible▪ Agrarian vs. Industrial/Information Age

▪ Tiny nation overruled by superpowers vs. Being the superpower

Our self-centered nature▪ Wrong thinking: The Bible was written to me so that I can understand

my purpose and fulfillment in life.

▪ Right thinking: The Bible was written for God’s glory so that we can understand His purpose and fulfillment in Christ’s death.

▪ Rather than looking to the Bible for solutions to our pain, we should find purpose in our pain … asking that is be made useful. Philippians 1:9-21 …

Philippians 1:9-21▪ 9And I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and

every kind of discernment, 10so that you can approve the things that are superior...

▪ 12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has actually resulted in the advance of the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to everyone else, that my imprisonment is in ⌊the cause of⌋ Christ. 14Most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence from my imprisonment and dare even more to speak the message fearlessly. 

▪ My eager expectation and hope is that I will not be ashamed about anything, but that now as always, with all boldness, Christ will be highly honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 

Misinterpretations of the Bible▪ There is too great a desire to find personal applications in every popular

Bible verse. Accurate understanding of God requires study and discernment of His word in its original context.

▪ Misinterpretations of individual verses lead to much of the “contradictions” and confusion that the world sees in Christianity. Examples…

Jeremiah 29:11A Promise. But, for Who?

▪ 1Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 

▪ 4"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5'Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.' 8For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,' declares the LORD. 10"For thus says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 

▪ 11 For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 

Philippians 1:29-301 Peter 4:12Contrasting messages to the church

Philippians 1

29 For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

1 Peter 4

12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;

We mean well▪ We use verses like Jeremiah 29:11 in an effort to find encouraging words

▪ But when an immature Christian experiences calamity, loss, pain, disease, death, etc… We cannot be surprised when they abandon their faith if they were taught that God had a plan for their welfare.

▪ Another example…

Revelation 3:20

▪ Who is this written for?

▪ Is this an accurate description of salvation? (Are there any words like saved, salvation, heaven, redeemed?)

▪ What are verses that actually deal with salvation?

▪ Romans 10:8-9 "This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

Solo scriptura ▪ The doctrine of “scripture alone” is that the Bible contains all knowledge

necessary for salvation and righteousness

▪ When Jesus was tempted in the Desert even He did not begin with the words "I think". Rather, "It is written...“

▪ When given a question about faith and God... may the words "I think" or "I feel" become a red flag. And when you say "The Bible says...", ask yourself if that is what it really says. If it's not the original intent, then it would probably be a misrepresentation of God.

▪ We must have accurate theology to understand the Bible and God so we can communicate His perfect and adequate message when the opportunity arises.

▪ How? …

Basic Theology – Three Main Types▪ Exegetical Theology (Bible based)

▪ Exegesis is translated from Greek meaning to explain or interpret. Other related terms which may help remind you of its meaning are explanation or to extract information. If the word Exegete reminds you of the word "exit" then you can say 'Exegesis is the process of getting out the actual meaning and truths of the Bible.'

▪ The purpose of Exegetical Theology is to use the Bible in its original form to develop an understanding of God. The idea is that God provided His word in its original form for a specific purpose. If we then study the Bible in the way it was presented to man, in the context of the original culture, then we should be better able to understand God's message.

Basic Theology – Three Main Types▪ Systematic Theology (The whole system at once)

▪ Systematic theology seeks to observe the entire Bible at once. This is done by grouping various topics and themes found in the Bible. Where exegesis analyzes; systematic theology connects. If exegesis ensures an accurate relation between the words we read and the original context; systematic theology interrelates those meanings for timeless and absolute interpretations.

▪ For example, by studying the topic of forgiveness we can see in the Old Testament how this was accomplished with sacrifices, and in the New Testament we find the ultimate sacrifice. This process begins with the accurate understanding of what a sacrifice meant in the Old Testament context (exegesis), but is then analyzed systematically to further understand God's overall plan and the astounding beauty of its fulfillment.

▪ Systematic theology depends first on accurate exegetical theology and then becomes the framework for the doctrines (both good and bad) that are formed through the history of the church.

Basic Theology – Three Main Types▪ Historical Theology

▪ This is the study of what Christians have learned about God in the centuries since the Bible was written. In John 16:12-15, Jesus promised that the Spirit of God "will guide you into all the truth" ... specifically referring to the truths that were not appropriate for Jesus to share at the time of his ministry on earth.

▪ The works of theologians that are not a part of the canonized scriptures do not have assurance of accuracy. However, it would be a waste of the promised work of the Spirit to ignore the insights and interpretations of these great minds.

▪ Christians should rely first on exegetical and systematic theology in order to obtain the spiritual discernment necessary to understand which later theological works are accurate and useful.

Summary

▪ Scripture is adequate to explain God... we don't need to add or change anything

▪ Question your knowledge about the Bible. Study it hard; like it's the first time you've read it. Do not let this verse apply to you: Hebrews 5:11-12 "We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food."

▪ 2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth."

Knowing God: The Role of Theology

A challenge to raise standards for discerning and communicating biblical truth