THEOLOGY

What is the definition of
theology?
Question: "What is the definition of
theology?"
Answer: The word “theology” comes
from two Greek words that combined
mean “the study of God.” Christian
theology is simply an attempt to
understand God as He is revealed in the
Bible. No theology will ever fully explain
God and His ways because God is
infinitely and eternally higher than we
are. Therefore, any attempt to describe
Him will fall short (Romans 11:33-36 ).
However, God does want us to know
Him insofar as we are able, and
theology is the art and science of
knowing what we can know and
understand about God in an organized
and understandable manner. Some
people try to avoid theology because
they believe it is divisive. Properly
understood, though, theology is uniting.
Proper, biblical theology is a good
thing; it is the teaching of God's Word
(2 Timothy 3:16-17 ).
The study of theology, then, is nothing
more than digging into God’s Word to
discover what He has revealed about
Himself. When we do this, we come to
know Him as Creator of all things,
Sustainer of all things, and Judge of all
things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and end of all things. When
Moses asked who was sending him to
Pharaoh, God replied “I AM WHO I
AM” ( Exodus 3:14 ). The name I AM
indicates personality. God has a name,
even as He has given names to others.
The name I AM stands for a free,
purposeful, self-sufficient personality.
God is not an ethereal force or a
cosmic energy. He is the almighty, self-
existing, self-determining Being with a
mind and a will—the “personal” God
who has revealed Himself to humanity
through His Word, and through His Son,
Jesus Christ.
To study theology is to get to know
God in order that we may glorify Him
through our love and obedience. Notice
the progression here: we must get to
know Him before we can love Him, and
we must love Him before we can desire
to obey Him. As a byproduct, our lives
are immeasurably enriched by the
comfort and hope He imparts to those
who know, love, and obey Him. Poor
theology and a superficial, inaccurate
understanding of God will only make our
lives worse instead of bringing the
comfort and hope we long for. Knowing
about God is crucially important. We are
cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this
world without knowing about God. The
world is a painful place, and life in it is
disappointing and unpleasant. Reject
theology and you doom yourself to life
with no sense of direction. Without
theology, we waste our lives and lose
our souls.
All Christians should be consumed with
theology—the intense, personal study of
God—in order to know, love, and obey
the One with whom we will joyfully
spend eternity.