Theology
What is theology? The word theology is derived from two Greek words, theos and logos, which mean to have reflection or discourse about God. Essentially Christian theology is a compilation of our most fundamental beliefs. Christian theology primarily is derived from God special revelation in authoritative Scripture, with an eye to the cultural settings of the biblical writers. Theology also builds on the truths from God's general revelation and to a lesser extent on the results of human disciplines that are agreeable with biblical normalities. Biblical normalities would include history, archaeology, geology, anthropology, and others. No theology will ever fully explain God and His ways because God is infinitely and eternally higher than we are. Therefore, any attempt to describe Him will fall short (Romans 11:33-36). However, God does want us to know Him insofar as we are able, and theology is the art and science of knowing what we can know and understand about God in an organized and understandable manner. Some people try to avoid theology because they believe it is divisive. Properly understood, though, theology is uniting. Proper, biblical theology is a good thing; it is the teaching of God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
In the simplest terms theology is nothing more than taking into God's word to discover what he has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know God as Creator of all things, substandard of all things and the judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
Christian theology is not just limited to use within our own faith system. We can use our theology to examine other religious systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as the non-Christian cults like Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., and compare them with Scripture because by knowing what is true about God we can identify what is false about other gods and beliefs. So when we have a proper understanding of our theological beliefs it can be used in helping us determine the truth of the word of God.
In the end the ultimate goal of Christian theology is to learn about God, His nature, and His will, and how they apply to ourselves. Therefore, Christian theology also includes the study of man because God deals with man, saves him (Eph. 2:8), and loves him (John 3:16). As believers, we must recapture the importance of theology, because the Christian faith rests entirely on this solid foundation. Because theology sets forth the essential truths about the nature of God, his purposes in history and instructions for living, it's not an optional undertaking. We must honor theology that is true to God's Word. We must allow theology not only to inform our minds but also to nourish our hearts. Christian theology is more than a set of truths to believe, for even the demons believe (James 2; 19). Expressed in other terms, theology isn't just learning about Christ, because simply "knowing about" is an significant. We must live out our theology not just know our theology.
In the simplest terms theology is nothing more than taking into God's word to discover what he has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know God as Creator of all things, substandard of all things and the judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
Christian theology is not just limited to use within our own faith system. We can use our theology to examine other religious systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as the non-Christian cults like Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., and compare them with Scripture because by knowing what is true about God we can identify what is false about other gods and beliefs. So when we have a proper understanding of our theological beliefs it can be used in helping us determine the truth of the word of God.
In the end the ultimate goal of Christian theology is to learn about God, His nature, and His will, and how they apply to ourselves. Therefore, Christian theology also includes the study of man because God deals with man, saves him (Eph. 2:8), and loves him (John 3:16). As believers, we must recapture the importance of theology, because the Christian faith rests entirely on this solid foundation. Because theology sets forth the essential truths about the nature of God, his purposes in history and instructions for living, it's not an optional undertaking. We must honor theology that is true to God's Word. We must allow theology not only to inform our minds but also to nourish our hearts. Christian theology is more than a set of truths to believe, for even the demons believe (James 2; 19). Expressed in other terms, theology isn't just learning about Christ, because simply "knowing about" is an significant. We must live out our theology not just know our theology.
