The place to begin any thoughts on theology is to first, define what theology is. There are many misconceptions out there about what theology truly is at the core. And my friend in his response showed some of the misconceptions of theology. He stated, "However, it does not matter how much you know or weather you can quote book, chapter, and verse, if you do not live the word daily". First, let me say I agree with him in that those Biblical "facts" or Biblical memorization does not truly matter and being able to quote the entire book of Romans or being able to list every single king of Judah by dates, will not change your eternal state. I agree with him. But the problem is, his definition or thought about what theology is, is not correct. Webster's defines theology as, "the study of the nature of God". For me theology is defined as a study of God's revelation to us. And just the simple word theology only focuses our study on God and His nature. Theology is much broader than that. The theology or study of the Bible is called Bibliolology, this is where a person studies the Bible and the nature and character of the Bible. The study of or theology of salvation is called soteriology, and this is where a person would study the Cross and the plan God created to save people. The study of and theology of the church is called ecclesiology, and this is where a person would study the point of and order to the life of Jesus church. Theology then is a study of something in the Christian faith. A study of the Holy Spirit, or the future, or Jesus, is all theology. Being able to list facts or quote the Bible is not theology. Theology is reading the Bible for the understanding of and growing in, knowledge of a particular and critical aspect of the faith. A person can study by simply reading through the Bible and taking notes and unpacking it that way. A person could also study by just reading a particular topic at a time, like the Holy Spirit, as they read through the Bible. Or a person can even systematically work through all the passages on a particular topic, like salvation.
So before we can truly understand why theology matters, we first must understand theology and what it actually is and is not. My friend was right when he added, "Just look at some of the priest in Jesus's day. They know the law but used it in a bad way, to only gain something for themselves. They did not live the way God wanted them to live, even though they were great with theology". But the reality is that these men were not studying theology. They were studying facts, making lists, and creating rules. Theology is swimming in the ocean of who God is, and letting that soak into the soul. I personally have been impacted in my study of theology when I read books on the nature of God that pull out the truths of the Bible. God's nature when I work through the theology of it then impacts my soul in such a way I begin to get a glimpse of the majesty, beauty, and expanse of God. Then I realize how small I truly am.
Oh and one more thought on what theology and the study of it is. One can study theology simply from the Bible alone. Just reading through the Psalms and jotting down notes about what is learned of God's character from that book is a theological study. If a person were to do this hard work, the theology of God would change their lives for ever. Yes, books can help and books can add to the study, but basic and simple theology and study is found only in the Bible, which is God's revealed Word to His children about who He is.
So before anymore post this week, we need to realize that theology is the study of God's revealed nature to us, and not the list of facts or quotes or Bible trivia we can spout. Because those are not theology.
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