Theology and Why it Matters Pt. 1: An Explanation of Biblical Theology
But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. – Titus 2:1
For most of my Christian walk, I didn’t even know theology was a thing. I just thought we read the Bible and understood it the best we could and then applied it. Well, as it turns out, I was right. This is theology. The word theology comes from the Greek word theos, meaning God. It is combined with the suffix -ology which denotes a field of study (think biology or geology). The result is that theology literally means the study of God. So, when I read the Bible, I am studying theology. More specifically, I am studying God and what He wants for me. I don’t learn this just for the purpose of acquiring knowledge, I learn it to apply it. In this way, we are all theologians. We study, learn, determine our beliefs, and apply them. This order is important because we cannot determine what to do until we have determined what we believe. I have used the phrase “Theology shapes practice” to summarize this. Bad theology leads to bad practice and good theology leads to good practice. As an example, I would not jump off a building because I have been taught about gravity, and I believe what I was taught was true. So, the fall will either kill me or at the very least hurt me severely. Therefore, I don’t jump based on my belief.
So, the more we study God, the more God-centered our beliefs are, the more likely we are to live a life that is pleasing to Him, which is His will for us (Col. 1:9-10). I hope by now you have come to understand the importance of theology. It matters, and it matters a lot. Now, I have to confess that until college, I had no idea there were different branches of theology, but as it turns out, there are two major branches, biblical theology and systematic theology, and each branch is significant for the Christian in its own way. In this article, I will explain biblical theology and in a later article, I will address systematic theology.
What is Biblical Theology?
When I was in school, I hated book reports. Like, a lot. I distinctly remember striving to read just enough of a book to write the report. The problem with this logic is that my report reflected a poor understanding of the book because I did not read all of it. In order to fully grasp a book, fiction or non-fiction, you need to read all of its parts and understand how those parts relate to the whole. Biblical theology is how we do this. As I’m sure you recall, the definition of theology is the study of God. Biblical theology is the practice of reading the entire Bible as a single, cohesive story from start to finish and learning how each individual part of that story relates to the whole. Even more importantly, it shows us how the entire story relates to the author, God. To summarize then, biblical theology is the study of God as He is revealed through the entire overarching storyline of the Bible. It is important for us to remember as we read the Bible that this is not an isolated collection of 66 random books, but rather is a collection of writings that God has revealed Himself in very specifically so that we can know Him as He wants to be known. Misunderstandings of God, the misrepresentation of His character, or outright heresy occur when we see Him as something other than what He has revealed Himself to be. Biblical theology serves as a means to prevent this.
The Unity of Scripture
The practice of biblical theology shows us that Scripture is a unified whole with a single thread running through the entirety of its pages. That thread is God’s redemptive plan for humanity. Allow me to explain. In Genesis we see humanity created as it was meant to be, in uninterrupted communion with God. Speaking with Him, serving Him, dwelling in his presence. Tragically, we see this relationship with God destroyed by the Fall. Sin has placed a chasm between us and our creator. In Genesis 3, God judged the sin, but He also promised redemption from it (Gen. 3:14-24). This is the beginning of the redemptive story that will run through the entire Bible. There will be tragedy and triumph. There will be more sin and judgment. But all of it relates back to the redemptive plan of God, who promised to redeem us from the curse we brought upon ourselves.
Christ as the Center
As it relates to the redemptive plan of God, another important aspect of biblical theology is the Christo-centric principle. This simply means that Christ is the center of the redemptive plan of God as revealed in the Bible. Biblical theology teaches us to read all of the Scriptures as revealing Christ. The Old Testament points forward to Jesus while whole the New Testament points back to Him. Jesus Himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The Law and Prophets was a reference to what we know as the Old Testament. So, how did Jesus fulfill the Law and Prophets? As we read the law of God, we need to know that we have no way to fulfilling it ourselves but rather, we need someone to do it for us (a representative). Christ kept the full law of God in every way, having done all God commanded, having done nothing God prohibited. He then applies all of this to those who believe, and we are counted as innocent of sin as a result. Thus, the law and all of its requirements are fulfilled in Christ.
The law required a sacrifice for sin. A lamb without spot or blemish was to be offered in the place of the people (a substitute) to atone for their sin. John the Baptist very specifically referred to Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Not only did Jesus keep the law’s requirements as our representative, but he fulfilled the penalty it required for sin as our substitute.
The prophets foretold of a Messiah, or a savior, who would redeem Israel and the nations of the earth. These prophecies were very specific, stating where he would be born (Bethlehem) and the circumstances in which he would be born (Virgin birth). Christ was born under the exact circumstances as foretold by the prophets. Thus, He fulfilled them. There are more prophecies we could examine but for time’s sake, we will say this is enough for now. So, when we read the law and all of its requirements, we are meant to be reminded of Christ, who fulfilled the law for us and took our penalty for failing to keep it. When we read the prophecies of a coming Messiah, we are meant to be reminded that Christ is that Messiah.
One final aspect of this is something called typology. Typology is when we see something in Scripture that serves as a type, or a representation, of Christ. The best example we can give is how Christ fulfilled the offices of prophet, priest, and king. Prophets spoke for God to the people. Christ is God himself speaking. The priesthood was meant to make intercession for the people of God. They brought sacrifices and ministered before the Lord as mediators of His covenant. Christ is our final mediator, who made the final and all-sufficient sacrifice for sin and now intercedes for us as our great High Priest (Heb. 4:15). The kings of Israel were rulers of God’s people. They were responsible for maintaining order and executing justice. Christ is the King of kings, the final and best king who will rule the nations with equity and justice (Is. 9:7).
More specific examples can be cited such as Melchizedek the priest-king or Boaz as Ruth’s redeemer, but the point is this, we only read the Bible accurately and to the fullest when we see it as telling a cohesive story of redemption that culminates in Christ as the promised redeemer. Here is where biblical theology becomes important. It trains us to see how all of the parts relate to the whole. No passage of Scripture should be read outside of this context. This is how passages are taken out of context and thus misinterpreted and misapplied.
Summary
Biblical theology is one of two major branches in theology that deals with the study of God’s redemptive story through the whole of Scripture. It is focused on seeing how the parts of the story relate to the whole of it, the culmination of which is found in Christ. Christ revealed all throughout the Scriptures as a coming messiah who fulfilled the law and prophets, who serves as the final and fullest prophet, priest, and king. It was to him that these offices point. All of Scripture is designed to reveal Him as our redemptive hope, the one who restores the relationship with God that was broken by our sin. Only when we read the Scriptures through this lens do we read them for all they are worth. In my next article, I will offer a treatise on systematic theology.
Soli Deo Gloria
