Why Do I Need Theology? Isn’t Theology for the Professionals?

Written by Dr. Glenn Kreider

In several decades of teaching theology courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, I sometimes hear from students who are skeptical about studying theology. Although not always expressed in these words, the objection often comes down to this: The Bible is God’s word and the sole authority on every issue so why not just study the Bible? Or, to say it another way, why study what other people have said about the Bible? Wouldn’t it be better to just read it for myself?

Of course, a high view of Scripture is a good thing; we should never question that. Christians should be focused on understanding God’s word, but these objections are rooted in a misunderstanding of theology as well as an incomplete understanding of the role of the Scriptures.

To be clear, all Scripture is God-breathed, it has God as its source and thus it speaks for God (2 Tim 3:16). Since God is truth, his Word is true in everything it affirms. Because God is authoritative, the Scripture speaks authoritatively. Scripture is sufficient for the purpose for which it was given. It doesn’t claim to be sufficient for every purpose, it does not answer every question, but it and it alone is able to provide salvation to those who believe its message. In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul reminds Timothy that his teachers taught him that the Scriptures are the means by which he is made wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2 Tim 3:15). But Paul also reminds Timothy that he has been taught this about the Scriptures since infancy and encourages Timothy to trust the Scriptures because he trusts the people who taught him. No one can come to the Bible alone, without the involvement of others. The Bibles we read are translations of ancient texts, were translated by scholars who have expertise in history, geography, linguistics, syntax, language analysis, theology, philosophy, and more. Even if we are reading copies of the original manuscripts, those manuscripts were copied and handed down to us and those originals were written in a language and in a cultural context that is foreign to us. Every reading of the Bible is influenced by those who taught us what it says and means, who proclaimed God’s word to us, and who patiently entertained our questions. In other words, it is not possible to avoid being influenced by others nor would it be a good idea even if it were. No one can read the Bible uniformed about basic language skills as well as rudimentary theological convictions. Surely knowing who God is not less important than syntax, grammar, and vocabulary.

Every reading of the Scripture is a theological reading. We approach the Bible with certain presuppositions. We believe there is a God and that God is trinity. We believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, that he is fully God and fully human, that he died and rose again and is returning to the earth at some time in the future. When we read the Bible we do so in submission to God, believing that God speaks to us in his Word.

What is theology? In an earlier generation, theology was defined as “the study of God.” The problem with this definition is that defining theology this way focuses on humans without due consideration of our dependence upon God. Humans are the starting point in the study of God. Further, it is to treat God as an object that can be studied. But God is not an object, God is tri-personal and transcendent. He is the Creator of everything that is; he is the preexistent, uncaused, self-sufficient One and we can only know him if he takes the initiative to make himself known to us.

We cannot study God, we can only study what God allows us to see and experience. This is the doctrine of revelation, that God has disclosed or unveiled himself to his creatures and he has done so in three major ways. Theology (theos/God + logos/word), words or discourse about God, is a human response to divine revelation. According to the Scriptures, God has revealed himself in words. God speaks; in Genesis 1 God spoke the universe into existence. He spoke to Adam in the garden, to Cain, to Abraham, to Moses, etc. He also spoke through humans, the Bible calls them prophets (Deut 18:15), and one time he even spoke through a donkey (Num 22:28–30). The Scriptures are the words of God written by prophets. Jesus, the Son of God, also speaks God’s words, which again are recorded for us by apostles and prophets. We do not have all the words Jesus spoke, but what we have is enough to know who he is and what he has done (cf. John 20:30–31; 21:25). Moses put it this way; “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deut 29:29). There is more to God than he has ever revealed. We could wish for more, but what we have is enough.

God has given us more revelation than his words in the Scripture. This is what the Scripture teaches us. The psalmist affirms, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1). What God has made declares his glory, it reveals him. But this revelation is not verbal; “They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them” (Psalm 19:3). Heavens and skies likely represent all creation. All creation reveals the God who is the source.

Paul states this idea more clearly in Romans 1:18–20: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” In what is often described as the thesis for the book, Paul declares his confidence in the gospel: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last” (Rom 1:16–17). The righteousness of God is provided freely to those who believe, the rest live under the wrath of God, because of their rebellion against what God has clearly revealed and they/we reject. What God has revealed of himself in creation is his eternal power and divine nature, the attributes of deity. Paul declares this revelation is clear or plain and understood by those who see it. Thus, God’s judgment against rebellion is just. Since no one responds appropriately to this revelation in creation, everyone is in need of the gospel, “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16).

God is revealed in the world that he has created. Other biblical texts point to further illustrations of what is known about God in creation. The proverbs command learning wisdom from ants (Prov 6:6-8), as well as hyraxes, locusts, and lizards (Prov 30:24–28). The beauty and design of creation points to a beautiful designer. God is revealed in his world, not just in the original creation, but in the preservation and providence of the world in which humans live today.

God is also revealed in the Son, in the Word who became flesh. When the eternal Son of God added full humanity to his full deity, he came into the world he had created to, among other things, reveal God. The Creator (John 1:3), made his dwelling in the world and revealed the Father (John 1:14). He has made the invisible God visible (John 1:18). Although Jesus is not physically present on the earth now, having ascended to the Father’s right hand with the promise to return, the Son is revealed through his body, the church (Eph 2:7; 3:10).

Why do we need theology? Because apart from words about God one could not know how to speak of God, one could not know or receive the content of the gospel, and thus one c#86C6E5ould not rightly believe in the only God who is. Those words come to us from Scripture and from those who have wrestled with how to express who God is. The word “trinity,” for example, does not come from the Bible but was chosen to summarize what the Bible teaches. As we pursue God through his Word, in his world, toward a deeper relationship with his Son, theology establishes the boundaries that keep us on the way of truth. God has gone to great lengths to make himself known and words help us express our love for him.

Dr. Kreider holds a distinguished place within the Opened Bible Academy (OBA) community. Inspired by their experience in his class, the founders, Avis and Tina, began to envision the potential impact on the global church if individuals everywhere had access to a deep and meaningful understanding of God’s Word. We are honored to present Dr. Kreider's article as the inaugural publication of the OBA.

Prior to teaching at DTS, Dr. Kreider served as Director of Christian Education and then as pastor in Cedar Hill, TX. His research and writing interests include theological method, theology and popular culture, and our eschatological hope. Dr. Kreider believes that grace really is amazing; it is a thought that will change the world. He is married to his best friend, Janice, and they have two grown children and one granddaughter. He and Janice enjoy live music, good stories, bold coffee, and spending time together and with their three dogs—two rescues, Chloe (a terrier/greyhound mix) and Carlile (a black lab), and one gifted, Faithful (a Bernedoodle therapy dog).