What is Theology?

Theology is a compound word “Theos” and Logos.” Combining these terms creates a significant word in the Christian worldview – Theology. Fred Sanders elaborates, “The doctrine of God is the horizon of all Christian theology. It’s built into the very name ‘theology’: it’s ‘logos about theos‘—that is, ‘speech about God.’”^[1] While “Theology” is not a term in the Bible, it describes the words of God and the words about God. On the wall of my church study/office is a printout of the word “Theology” and the definition given above. It is taped on the wall to remind me often of this valuable Christian doctrine.

Theology is generally understood as anything about God the Father or the words of God the Father. All Christian doctrine and Bible faith are considered an extension of Theology. For example, Christology, or the Doctrine of Christ; Pneumatology, or the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit; and Biblliology, the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures or Ecclesiology, the Doctrine of the Church, are each an aspect of the more extensive term Theology.

Why is Theology Important?

Every Christian and every person has some perspective of God. God may be the savior, the creator, the author of the Bible, or a mere figment of one’s imagination. Everyone believes something about God, whether they deny him, accept him, or are indifferent towards him. Theologian Charles Ryrie wrote an introductory book, Basic Theology, and says, “Theology is for everyone. Indeed, everyone needs to be a theologian. In reality, everyone is a theologian—of one sort or another.”^[2]I certainly agree with his assessment. Theology is essential, and each person holds to some element of theology whether they know it or not.

Theology is essential because it represents a viewpoint, a philosophy from which a Christian derives his orientation for life and life choices. James Garrett Jr. proposes, “Both philosophy and Christian theology seek a total viewpoint from which to draw their conclusions or inferences or affirmations. The Christian theologian is distinctive in that he recognizes and works in the light of the self-disclosure of God to man, supremely in Jesus Christ.”^[3] The words of God to man, the Bible, inform and direct the faithful Christian who is actively pursuing the life of God. Theology includes God in one’s worldview, while many secular philosophies attempt to have a worldview without God.

For a Christian who knows their Bible, Theology has more than mere wisdom to draw upon. They have the words of God himself. Like Theology, everyone practices some form of Philosophy. Philosophy (φιλοσοφία, philosophia) “literally means “the love of wisdom.”^[4] Wisdom is loved by many for academics, car mechanics, and playing the game of baseball. The practical application of knowledge (wisdom) is utilized in the classroom, the boardroom, and the statehouse. R.C. Sproul comments, “As ancient man sought to understand himself and the world around him, knowledge and wisdom were interrelated ideas. He was concerned about the nature of things.”^[5] Worldview is another helpful term. The Lexham Bible Dictionary continues to elaborate on wisdom and the worldview of philosophy apart from God:

In modern parlance, the noun may refer to one’s worldview, while verbal forms (e.g., “philosophize”) refer to discourse about life’s biggest questions. Philosophy is not a main theme of the Bible, but it is relevant as God’s people try to be faithful to Him in their particular context.^[6]

From one’s Theology, one evaluates options, estimates values, and conscientiously or unconscientiously chooses behavior. Some Theology is so ingrained in a person so much that certain decisions and choices are made so fast that they may appear second nature. This level of wisdom is what the Apostle Paul is seeking in Philippians 3:10-11 when he says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (KJV).

Precision Matters

Since Theology is part of life and is informed by God and His words, it impacts every aspect of one’s life. With more than a secular worldview or philosophy as the guiding light, one can navigate the weighty matters of life, death, and everything in between. Life is impacted, so it is essential to be accurate concerning Theology. In his book, Mere Christianity, CS Lewis comments, “Theology is practical: especially now…If you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones—bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas.^[7] May God help us not have faulty Theology!

Emperor Constantine, under whom Rome legalized Christianity after it had been banned for several decades by earlier emperors, is an example of faulty Theology. While he did much to allow Christians to practice their faith openly, he was slow to grow and learn Bible doctrine for himself. When younger, he confessed Jesus as the only God, yet waited until near the end of his life to be baptized. A common misperception in that era was that “one could not be forgiven after baptism.”^[8] Because of this faulty Theology, many pastors and bishops would not baptize self-professing Christians (but worldly men or men with a history of sins) until they were about to die. In biblical accounts, men repented of sins confessed Jesus as Savoir, and were baptized in believer’s baptism soon after conversion (Acts 8, 19). When one believes the Gospel, all past, present, and future sins are forgiven (Colossians 2:13-14). How different would the Emperors’ life and leadership have been if he had been taught correct Theology?

Because Theology is gathered from the Bible, it is paramount that a Christian learns how to study the Scriptures properly. It is equally important that an individual and family seeking to live according to accurate Theology participate in a Bible-preaching church.

• One’s feelings are not the measurement of Theology.
• Hobby horse preaching is not the baseline for accurate Theology.
• What is convenient is not the standard for Theological matters.
• The Bible is the standard and the source for precise Theology.

Want to discuss Theology further? Comment below or contact us.

Want to study Theology more? Please see our recommended resources page. We have many books and materials listed that will help you pursue accurate Theology.  

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^[1] Fred Sanders, “The Doctrine of the Triune God,” in Lexham Survey of Theology, ed. Mark Ward et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).

^[2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 9.

^[3] James Leo Garrett Jr., Systematic Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Evangelical, Fourth Edition., vol. 1 (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2014), 6–7.

^[4] Matthew A. Wilcoxen, “Philosophy,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

^[5] R. C. Sproul, The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000), 13.

^[6] Matthew A. Wilcoxen, “Philosophy,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

^[7] Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002).

^[8] Mark Galli and Ted Olsen, “Introduction,” 131 Christians Everyone Should Know (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 308.