Week 1- Intro

Are you unable to attend in person or need to catch up?

Below you will find the video recording, the lecture notes, and the questions from the workbook.

If your looking for the answers to this week's lesson click here.

Opening Prayer

Lord, open our hearts and minds that we may discern what is true. Thank you that you are a God of order and clarity and reason, and that your Word and your ways make sense and lead to life. Teach me from the study of your Word, and allow your Spirit to transform my life through this study for your glory and honor. Amen.

So why this study?

This study will help both the beginner and the person long in their walk with Christ to better understand what they believe, why they believe it, and to develop a love for theology that will increase your worship.

What is theology?

Theology simply is the study of God.

So then what is Systematic Theology? ​

Definition of Systematic Theology: Systematic theology involves collecting and understanding all the relevant passages in the Bible on various topics and then summarizing their teachings clearly so that we know what to believe about each topic.

It is important to state at once that the study of church history (including the great creeds of the church and the writings of major theologians in church history) and the study of philosophy can often be of great benefit in helping us understand what the whole Bible in fact does teach about various topics. But they do not contain any authority greater than or equal to the authority of Scripture.

Systematic Theology is one way of doing theology, it should as your study grows be one tool in your toolbox.

The other fields are:

• historical theology (a historical study of how Christians in different periods have understood various theological topics)
• philosophical theology (studying theological topics largely without use of the Bible, but using the tools and methods of philosophical reasoning and what can be known about God from observing the universe)
• apologetics (providing a defense of the truthfulness of the Christian faith for the purpose of convincing unbelievers).
• Biblical Theology (These three disciplines organize their topics historically and in the order the topics are presented in the Bible.)
• Sub-genres of Biblical Theology would include Old Testament and New Testament Theology

What is the nature and task of systematic theology as compared and contrasted with biblical theology?

Now we all do systematic theology, when we study the Bible regarding a topic we are doing it. We are all after all theologians. We make claims about God, even the athiest in his rejection of belief in God is making a truth claim about God. The real difference is that we usually do not break it down into well organized categories.

Three weeks ago I spoke I demonology, then I spoke on doxology, and today I spoke on wokeness. This is what Grudem describes as disorganized theology.

We have spoken alot about topics, so lets introduce a theological word so next time you hear it, you will have a better understanding.

Definition of Doctrine: a doctrine is what the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic.

Our study will take place in 7 parts.

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Second Edition) (5. What Are Doctrines?)

Part 1: The Doctrine of the Word of God

Part 2: The Doctrine of God

Part 3: The Doctrine of Man in the Image of God

Part 4: The Doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit

Part 5: The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption

Part 6: The Doctrine of the Church

Part 7: The Doctrine of the Future

The emphasis of systematic theology is on what God wants us to believe and to know, while the emphasis in Christian ethics is on what God wants us to do and what attitudes he wants us to have.

Now, speaking of Christian Ethics, Grudem defines it as -

Christian ethics is any study that answers the question, “What does the whole Bible teach us about which acts, attitudes, and personal character traits receive God’s approval, and which do not?” wants us to have.

In your own words how would you describe Christian Ethics?

Our study has two truths that we assume when we approach theology.

1. The Bible is True and our absolute standard of truth
2. That God exists and He is who the Bible says He is.

Now that we are through the definition stage, why do you think Christians should study theology?

The basic reason for studying systematic theology, then, is that it enables us to teach ourselves and others what the whole Bible says, thus fulfilling the “teaching” part of the Great Commission.

Studying theology helps us overcome our wrong ideas. If there were no sin in our hearts, we could read the Bible from cover to cover, and although we would not immediately learn everything in the Bible, we would most likely learn only true things about God and his creation. Every time we read it we would learn more true things, and we would not rebel or refuse to accept anything we found written there. But with sin in our hearts and with false beliefs rampant in our cultures, we retain some rebelliousness against God.

Second, studying systematic theology helps us to be able to make better decisions later on new questions of doctrine that may arise. We cannot know what new doctrinal controversies will arise in the churches in which we will live and minister ten, twenty, or thirty years from now, if the Lord does not return before then. These new doctrinal controversies will sometimes include questions that no one has faced very carefully before. Christians will be asking, “What does the whole Bible say about this subject?”

Good theology will help us tackle the topics or doctrine that arrises or that we as individuals encounter in our lives.

A major doctrine is one that has a significant impact on our thinking about other doctrines, or that has a significant impact on how we live the Christian life. A minor doctrine is one that has very little impact on how we think about other doctrines, and very little impact on how we live the Christian life.

What are some examples of major or minor doctrines (topics)?

Theology should be studied with prayer, humility, and reasoning.

We are free to use our reasoning abilities to draw deductions from any passage of Scripture so long as these deductions do not contradict the clear teaching of some other passage of Scripture.

Now often times opponents of Christianity will accuse the Bible of contradiction. We must acknowledge the Bible has paradoxes but not contradictions.

PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT

Having learned about the task of systematic theology, how could you put it into practice in your life?

What has been the foundation for your own personal beliefs? Has it been church tradition, teaching, your gut instincts, your family tradition, the Bible, or a combination of those?

Now that you are embarking on a study of theology through this book, what do you see as the primary value of this study in your life?

As you have read about the nature and task of systematic theology, what are you hoping a study of this book leads to? What are some topics that you are curious to study more?

What does Grudem say that “systematic theology rightly studied” leads to? Ask God for his help to allow your heart to be shaped in this way through your study.

As you close your time in this chapter, spend some time in prayer and worship, thanking God for the gifts he has given.