Systematic Theology: Lesson 3 - THE METHOD OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY

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THE METHOD OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Prologomena - Lesson 3

REVIEW - 

  1. Definition of Christian Theology: The study of the being and works of the God who has made Himself known in the Bible.
  2. Definition of Systematic Theology: The study of the being and works of God by gathering together the biblical information on different topics and arranging them together in a logical fashion.
  3. The Topics of Systematic Theology: 

a.           Bibliology - Bible

b.           Theology Proper - God

c.           Christology - Christ

d.           Pneumatology - The Holy Spirit

e.           Anthropology - Man

f.            Angelology - Angels

g.           Hamartiology - Sin

h.          Soteriology - Salvation

i.            Ecclesiology - Church

j.            Eschatology - Last Things

 

MAIN IDEA - Today, we will focus on the method of systematic theology. Then we need to understand the limitations of systematic theology and the tensions of systematic theology.




I.THE METHOD OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
A good question was asked in the previous lesson: “Who fills the baskets?” In other words, who decides the particulars of each topic?

A.          The Inductive Method - Passage by Passage

  1. Humbly and prayerfully approach the passage of Scripture.
  2. Study its words, grammar, context, background, etc. to precisely understand what the text means. Commentaries and other helps are invaluable for this step.
  3. Write simple statements summarizing each doctrinal teaching.
  4. Sort the statements into topics.
  5. Copy each topic into an outline of systematic theology.
    OR, if the statement is already on your outline, add the Scripture reference to the references on that statement.
  6. Continue to another passage and repeat the process.
  7. As more data becomes available, make conclusions about the data.

B.          The Deductive Method - Books and Courses on Systematic Theology

      1. Humbly and prayerfully approach a book or course on systematic theology.
      2. Study each topic carefully. Become familiar with the sub-topics. Know the definitions well. Study the cross-references.
      3. Study multiple books for a broader understanding and to know differences in theological systems (e.g. Credo-baptist/Paedo-baptist; Covenantal/Dispensational; Calvinistic/Arminian; etc.).

C.          The Combined Method - 

      1. Most people will not write a systematic theology. Most people will hold it inside of their mind. 
      2. Since inductive study takes YEARS to fully complete, we must learn deductively and then hone our understanding with Scripture. (This is why God gifted teachers to the church).
      3. No one approaches systematic theology with an empty mind. We are all already theologians. We may be good. We may be bad ones. But we are theologians never-the-less. Both inductive and deductive study will challenge us and help us to correct error.
      4. Deductive study of a particular theologian in a particular time will help us to understand the theological issues of the day. 
      5. Deductive study of systematic theology will include information about historical and dogmatic theology to help us understand where people/churches went wrong before and had to be corrected.

D.          Observations - These have been shared with me over the years.

      1. I don’t know the depths of my depravity because of my depravity.
      2. Receive theology from above; don’t build it from below
      3. He who knows the Book best wins the argument.
      4. Because God is who He is, He does what He does.
      5. Observe both positive and negative theology.
      6. Emphasis, not exclusion in the revelation of God’s attributes and in the works of the Persons of the Trinity.
      7. Beware the forced choice.
      8. Whoever controls the definition controls the argument.
      9. Meaning of a Scripture text is static. Application is not.
      10. Whatever God is, He is first to and for Himself.
      11. Behind figurative language is a literal meaning.
      12. “All” always has a context.


II.THE LIMITATIONS OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
(Adapted from Dr. James Mook, Unpublished Theology Notes: Lesson 1, p. 13)

A.          The Human Mind

    1. Job 11:7 - “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” 
    2. Psalm 139:6 - “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

B.          The Blindness of Sin

    1. Noetic effects of the Fall
    2. “All moral imperfection in the individual Christian and in the church serves as a hindrance to the working out of a complete theology” (Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 36).

C.          The Silences of Scripture

      1. Deuteronomy 29:29 - “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”
      2. Daniel 12:4 - “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time”

D.          The Imperfect State of Science (ILL: James Webb Discoveries)

E.          The Incompleteness of Our Knowledge of Scripture

F.          The Limitations of Human Language  

      1. “It is finite and cannot fully describe the infinite. It is accurate, but not exhaustive in describing God and His actions.”
      2. “It is always changing, with increasingly more nuances developing in the field of meaning of a given term. But the words of Scripture are static, never changing in meaning.” ILL: Genesis 1:26 (refill the earth) in KJV.
      3. “Each language reflects a different mode of thinking.”

 

These limitations are most notable in…



  1. THE TENSIONS OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY

A.          Definition of a tension - 

    1. Tensions happen when two clear biblical statements are difficult for the human mind to reconcile. Tensions are also called antinomies or paradoxes. Any of these terms are ok, as long as they are not REAL paradoxes.
    2. Grudem - “A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.” 
    3. Packer - “The whole point of [a tension]--in theology, at any rate–is that it is not a real contradiction, though it looks like one. It is an apparent incompatibility between two apparent truths. [A tension] exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be true on its own, but you do not see how they can both be true together. Let me give an example. Modern physics faces [a tension], in this sense, in its study of light. There is cogent evidence to show that light consists of waves, and equally cogent evidence to show that light consists of particles. It is not apparent how light can be both waves and particles, but the evidence is there, and so neither view can be ruled out in favor of the other. Neither, however, can be reduced to the other or explained in terms of the other; the two seemingly incompatible positions must be held together, and both must be treated as true. Such a necessity scandalizes our tidy minds, no doubt, but there is no help for it if we are to be loyal to the facts”
    4. A tension is NOT a real contradiction. Statements like “God knows everything” and “God doesn’t know everything” are contradictory. Not only are they self-contradictory, they contradict the clear teaching of the Bible.

B.          Examples of tensions

      1. The Trinity 
      2. The Bible
      3. The Person of Christ
      4. The Christian Life
      5. Divine Sovereignty and Human Accountability

C.          Dealing with tensions

    1. Admit the tension and affirm both statements to be true. “In God’s eternally omniscient and all-wise mind, both sides of a revealed tension are completely compatible, and even His thoughts are higher than our thoughts” (Mook, Notes, Lesson 3, p. 30). 
    2. Do not try to resolve the tension.

a.           Trying to resolve the tension might lead you to deny one or both of the statements, skewing and distorting your theology. (Ex: Open Theism)

b.           Don’t hold one tension higher than the other. (Ex. Hyper-Calvinism)

  1. Allow further biblical study to flesh out the teaching of both statements. They may never completely “meet” in your mind, but you will become comfortable holding in tension these truths that are so far beyond the human mind and experience.


 

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