What is Theology Anyway? (Pt. 1)
September 28, 2021
I’m curious what image comes to mind when you hear the word “theology.” You may assume that the people talking theology are the “scholarly Christians” - in their mahogany and leather-clad studies, endlessly pouring over thick books while running their fingers through their sophisticated beards. Or maybe you think of our reformation fathers who would pontificate in pubs over a pint of brew.
Of course those things do/did happen, but I want us to understand why theology is important for us, in our roles, right where we are. It’s important in the way you read your Bible. It’s important in the way you parent your children. It’s important in the way you talk to others who believe differently than you. What we believe about God impacts the way we live. And everyone has something they believe about God. One of the purposes of this page is to teach believers that theology can be and should be understandable and practical.
What is Theology anyway?
You may have heard the term a hundred times, but have no idea what it even means. I suppose now would be the best time to clear that up! Most simply put, Theology is the study of God as He is revealed in the Bible: who He is, why He created us, how He relates to us, and how He works in the world. God has revealed Himself to us through His word because he wants us to know Him! Even though our minds will never fully grasp or comprehend all of His attributes, because God is infinite and eternal, theology is our attempt to do so. The Bible describes Him in much detail, but it also reveals His actions, and through His actions, we can learn about His character. AW Tozer famously stated, “What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Meaning that, what we believe about God at our core shapes the whole course of our lives.
For example:
Someone who believes that God is purely love and therefore doesn’t believe in hell may live differently than someone who has a full understanding of God’s love + God’s justice.
Someone who believes God is cruel because of a difficult circumstance they experienced will live differently than someone who believes that God will redeem and restore every broken thing.
Someone who believes that God created this world and set it spinning in motion, but now takes a backseat and isn’t involved will live differently than someone who believes God is present and working in our lives daily.
Someone who believes there is no God at all will live differently than someone who is committed to Him.
But what informs our belief about Him? Is it our feelings? Our experiences? Our worldview? Our culture? If your answer is anything besides a holistic interpretation of God’s Word, then you may find that you have created your own version of god, which is no God at all. No matter what doctrine we are studying, the stances that we land on must come from Scripture and not on our feelings. Our personal theology is our framework through which we look at the world, so we want to make sure we know the Word!
Hosea 6:3a says, “Let’s strive to know the Lord.” And I don’t think that’s merely a suggestion. If Theology is the study of God: who He is, and how He interacts with us, you know that means it must cover a lot of ground! The number of topics that make up Theology are vast. The church has divided them into 3 different categories ranging from highest urgency to lesser urgency.
There are some topics that are called First Order issues, and these are doctrines that you need to believe to be considered a Christian - they are the most important topics! In this tier you will find the Trinity, Jesus’ nature, salvation by grace through faith, the resurrection, and the authority of Scripture.
Then, there are Second Order issues. These aren’t pertaining to salvation, but they are where a lot of church denominations may divide. Here are some examples: communion, baptism, women in ministry, the use of spiritual gifts today, etc.
Then moving down the order of urgency, you will find Third Order issues. These are ones you might see people disagree on, but, in the midst of their disagreements, they can still consider one another brothers and sisters in Christ. Examples may include end times interpretations, whether the days of creation are literal or figurative, interpretations on modesty, and roles in marriage.
All of the doctrines are important no matter which category they fall, because all are addressed in Scripture. However, we clarify the categories because the doctrines in the first category pertain to salvation, while the others do not. The first category might be termed the “majors” while the second and third categories are termed the “minors.” And as my pastor always says, it’s important to “major on the majors and minor on the minors.” Aka: don’t fight about the stuff that doesn’t affect your salvation or the things we aren’t 100% clear on how to interpret.
I want to set the precedence here at the beginning. Even though some of our conversations will be theology-focused, the purpose of this ministry is not to squabble over second or third order issues. My real goal here is to understand God more through what he has revealed in His word, and to allow those foundational (or essential) truths to transform the way I think, feel, and act. Who He is should affect how I live!
Sure, the secondary issues can be fun to debate (depending, I suppose, on your definition of fun), and we will dive into some of those waters over the course of time! But the things we can’t mess with, the essentials or majors, are the doctrines of the Trinity, Jesus’ deity, Scripture’s authority, and Salvation by grace through faith.
Ok, so let’s make this practical, shall we? When you find yourself in a sticky conversation with a friend or listening to a pastor or podcaster saying something that makes you scratch your head, wondering, “what on earth just happened..” - having a solid grip on the basics from which to pull from can rescue you from believing or even spreading huge errors.
These foundational truths that we defined today work similarly as the edge pieces of a puzzle - they are the boundary line of our faith - giving us the confines we are to stay within and keeping us from believing something that lands us outside of orthodoxy. That is why it’s important to know theology and know how to talk about it!
This is part 1 of a series. Read the second part here!
