Definition of Theology
Theology can be defined as a study of faith and God, a way in which people use to understand their faith and God in all his fullness and glory (Latta, 2016). There are 10 branches that are derived from Theology which are as follows; Theology proper, Revelation, Creation, Anthropology, Hamartiology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology, Ethics and the Apologetics, all of which play major roles in the development, teaching and portraying of the Christian faith (Battle, n.d).
Introduction to Systematic Theology
According to Professor John Frame, Systematic Theology can be described as “any study that answers the question “What does the whole Bible teach us today?” (Grudem, 1994). In other words, the Bible comprises of many doctrines which can be seen as a whole when a group of scriptures pertaining to a specific doctrine are collectively placed together to emphasise a certain truth. These scriptures are carefully dissected until they are fully understood by the theologian.
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Paul speaks about one body that has many parts in Corinthians 1 v 12. The arm or the leg cannot function in its entirety when it is removed from the body. The different parts of the body work together to bring about completion and total functionality, by no means does this mean that scriptures on their own do not hold any meaning, instead, the contrary holds true but is emphasised when applied holistically. There are many parts that make up the intricate parts of Systematic Theology.
Divisions of Systematic theology
The scriptures can be interpreted using different methods such as Historical theology which can be defined as a historical study practised by Christians who did not draw their conclusions and understanding of the scripture from the Bible, instead, they were able to apply their knowledge by pure observation of the apologetics. The apologetics form a very integral part of the study of theology which enables us to strategically defend the scriptures to not only the unbelieving world, but to Christian families alike. (Grudem, 1994)
Systematic Theology is also known as practical theology and comprises of distinct categories. Christians are faced with an evolving world and society, which gives rise to many ungodly perceptions of the Christian faith. It is our duty as God’s elect, to defend our faith which in turn strengthens our devotion to Christ and our walk with him as well as overcoming temptations that we face in the flesh and with Satan. Approaching unbelievers and believers, become an easier task because of the confidence gained through the understanding of God’s word and love for his creation. (Grudem, 1994)
Philosophical reasoning also gave insight to the word of God by highlighting mistakes and incorrect interpretations made by other cultures and society. Systematic theology, in a way can be seen as a derivative of Biblical theology. Biblical theology focuses on the core of history which includes doctrine, authors, and the places where teachings took place and from here, Systematic Theology is defined and redirects it’s importance to the information given in Biblical Theology (Grudem, 1994).
Different belief systems
Different belief systems can often be described as; Evangelical, Fundamentalist, Liberal or Conservative, each with their own core belief systems (The Boisi centre papers on religion in the united states, n.d). Evangelicalism refers to the protestant church who are centered around 3 important points in order to reach their goal of converting individuals who are not of the Christian faith to Christianity through witnessing. Fundamentalists are individuals that are not necessarily of the Christian faith, who adapts a very literal approach to their beliefs. For example; some christians literally interpret the bible whereas some Christians believe that the bible can be symbolic. Fundamentalists are also evangelicals, however, evangelicals cannot be a fundamentalist due to their beliefs stated above. The last group of Christians fall under conservative or Liberalism. Liberal Christians choose to believe in historical theology as well as science, the evolution theory is not disregarded by the liberal Christians. Contrary to what liberalisms believe, conservative Christians believe in the literal explanations of the Bible and understand that evolution has no relation to their faith (The Boisi centre papers on religion in the united states, n.d).
There are many prophecies in the Bible which are unfolding. World religions are on the increase as well as false prophets. Jeremiah 23:16 speaks of false prophets described by the Lord himself, we are not to listen to what they say about our lives as they draw their own conclusions from their mind and not from the mouth of God. Equipping yourself correctly with the use of Systematic Theology will empower you not only to differentiate between a false prophet or not, but to also recognise the truth about Jesus. Woods (2004, p. 4), speaks about the different types of Jesus that people believe in and how this effects your Christian faith and ultimately where you will spend eternity, therefore, It is crucial to evaluate and distinguish between the right doctrine from the wrong and how knowing the truth which is uncompromised, will affect every area of your spiritual and social life. Many scriptures influence behaviour and how you go about doing things. A clear example of physical change brought about by doctrine can be found be reading 2 Peter 3:11. Peter speaks about the coming of the Lord and how people need to live their lives in order to salvage it instead of being destroyed or regarded as an enemy of God. In 2nd Corinthians, Paul emphasised the importance of giving. (Woods, 2004).
The above examples can be used to direct an individual to scriptures intended for them. They become easily relatable to their personal lives which makes it an easy task to accept the word as true and from God and even if they do not necessarily believe in Christ, they can certainly adapt a right way of living, and as a result, God will soften their hearts towards him. The word of God is more than just law and instructions of how to live a holy life in order to secure a place in heaven, but it is to benefit the ones Christ came to save.
Doctrines of God
There are several doctrines which make up Systematic Theology. Each doctrine plays a significant role in a believers life. Doctrines of God are considered to provide proper instructions on how to live life, how to view God which in turns allows us to completely trust the Lord. Doctrines are simply defined as teachings which are summarized in order to help us understand a specific topic in the bible, for example: the doctrine of God which is spoken about throughout the bible. Religious beliefs are changing as society changes, but the sovereignty of God shows us that doctrines fit into each passage and is able to offer clarity and surety in any period of life (Grudem, 1994).
Negative impacts of Systematic Theology and the social sciences
Some theologians do not agree to everything that Systematic Theology is made up of. The orderly manner in which the scriptures are depicted, raises a few concerns amongst scholars. They assume that the scriptural readings derived through Sytematic Theology are not the entire truth but that it has been compromised to suit the readers needs. There is a possibility that not all writings or teachings are correct and therefore needs to be corrected or accounted for as this could negatively impact anyone who chooses to study Systematic Theology. Theology has also been negatively impacted by society. This has also changed certain ways of perceiving the scripture, in other words these perceptions are not biblically correct, on the other hand, Systematic theology continues to prove as an advantage to the Christian faith. Techniques such as correctly analysing parts of scripture allows you to absorb the most from scripture, it also enables us to discover discrepancies or misunderstandings in scripture, but teaches you how to resolve them by viewing the bible systematically. This very unique outlook on scriptures helps us to interact with those around us more easily as it aids us in answering questions regarding common areas of life such as marriage and homosexuality. During the apartheid era in South Africa, theology was the most favourable religion. This changed when there were changes in the government. Study in theology began to disintegrate which resulted in a sinful nation. Crime continues to rise when there are no biblical leaders of influence in government. Due to the increase of diseases such as AIDS, scripture was used in the hope of convincing people to abstain from sex. Thomas Aquinas refers to Duns Scotus when he said that knowledge influences your actions (Aquinas, 1997).
In conclusion, Systematic Theology is not merely a neat organisation of Bible scriptures to simplify the truth, it is much more significant than some choose to believe. The study of Systematic Theology exposes our sinful nature and causes us to face a reality we would rather have avoided. It deals with our fleshly desires, weaknesses and rebellious ways toward God and helps us to overcome them as we study the close relationship between doctrine, Gods creation and God. Understanding each doctrine that forms part of Systematic Theology gives us the confidence and wisdom to make sensible decisions when new truths and questions are raised (Grudem, 1994). In ministry, we need to be equipped and always ready to face the unexpected.
The importance of Doctrine
When we look at our world today, we see the sinfulness of man on the uprise. This is not only true for the unbelievers, but more so in the church. The Lord entrusted us with his holy word, for us to be Gods elect, but we seem to not care if we grieve God’s spirit by our actions. Ministers all over the world are living as though there are no consequences for their actions by their false teachings. The impure and all those who misinterpret the word will not inherit Gods kingdom (Ephesians 5:5) as he has promised to those who love him. If we claim to love God, we will obey him, in order to do this, we are required to study the doctrine of God through the Bible. This is not only imperative to save our own souls, but to appeal to the unsaved. Knowing the being and works of God can only be accomplished through his inspired word by learning about his love, personality towards us and his attributes. when we have a sound knowledge of the Doctrine of God, we will be well enabled to influence others around us and to also educate those who are mis informed as there are many churches who do not preach the true word of God, instead it is watered down to suit the congregation instead of selflessly serving the church as God instructed us to do.
There is a clear distinction between Theology and the Doctrines of God. Theology relies on man to decipher the scripture through their own understanding or philosophy whilst the Doctrine of God is a set of beliefs that are accepted by someone that is of the Christian faith. The doctrine of God, defines God by teachings of his very essence and existence. It is unchangeable or falsified (Wellman, 2015).
The Doctrine of God includes the works of God. We will elaborate on the structure of the Doctrine of God. The first Doctrines the Doctrine of Gods existence. The constant change in society has lead to many people denying the existence of God. In a modern world where people have become lovers of themselves, they have chosen to ignore the fact that there is a God. it is heart breaking to succumb to the reality of God creating our innermost being, who knit us together carefully in the womb (Psalm:13) has rejected the Lord. Athiests are divided into two major groups; practical and theoretical. Practical athiests are athiests who deny the existence of a God based on their observations. However, should they face a life threatening situation, they most probably will call upon God for help. Theoretical athiests are people who choose to use reasoning for their bases of
Bibliography
- Latta, C. 2016, Theology: An Introduction to the Study of God for the Love of God/Downline Ministries, viewed 06 March 2019, https://downlineministries.com/theology-introduction/.
- Battle, J.A. n.d, Theology 1: Revelation and Theological Method, Western reformed Seminary, Seminary.
- ‘The Boisi Centre Paper On Religion In The United States’ n.d, An Introduction to Christian Theology, p. 6, 7.
- Grudem, W. 1994, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine, Inter-Varsity Press, United States of America.
- Woods, A. 2004, “The significance of Systematic Theology”, Conservative Theological Journal, CTJ 08:25, p. 2-13.
- Aquinas, T. & Turner, G. 1997, “Scientific” Nature of Theology”, Vol. 78, No 921, pp. 464-476.
- Wellman, J. 2015, What Does Doctrine Mean? A Biblical Definition of Doctrine, Patheos, Christian Crier, viewed on 06 March 2019, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/08/14/what-does-doctrine-mean-a-biblical-definition-of-doctrine/.
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