123…ABC… Theology

Biblical answers to questions you and those around you are asking or should be asking.

1 KNOWING GOD BY DOING THEOLOGY

Theology is a fancy name for getting to know God by studying what He has revealed about Himself. The purpose of doing theology is to get to know God better and to grow in our relationship with Him. Theology is not about gaining more head-knowledge: theology is about developing our relationship with God. When we do theology, we take at least four things for granted: (1) God exists, (2) God has revealed Himself to us, (3) God wants relationship with us; and (4) we can understand and respond to what God has revealed.

2 HOW HAS GOD REVEALED HIMSELF?

The Bible teaches that God has made Himself known in four areas of our experience.

1. In the universe around us (Ps. 19:1; 50:6; 97:6)
2. In history (Ps. 111:6).
3. In the conscience of every person (Ro. 1:19).
4. In Jesus Christ, who came to reveal God to us (John 1:18)
   (hint: The passages are listed so that you can look them up!)

3 WHAT ABOUT THE BIBLE?

In addition to all this, God has revealed Himself, His purposes and His ways in the Bible. In the Bible, God tells us how to understand and interpret His revelation. Because we want to know God and understand His creation, we study the Bible and we use what God teaches us to draw closer to Him and to interpret the world around us. The Bible then, is the foundation of good theology.