Systematic Theology: A Survey of Systematic Theology (Introduction)

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An Introduction to Systematic Theology

I. Theology Defined
A. Theology
a. theos – God
b. logos – a word or the rational expression of religious faith.

B. Christian theology thus means the rational interpretation of the Christian faith.
a. Theology is the discovery, systematizing, and presentation of the truths about God.
1. Historical theology accomplishes this by focusing on what others throughout history have said about these truths.
2. Biblical theology does this by surveying the progressive revelation of God’s truth.
3. Systematic theology presents the total structure. “Systematic Theology may be defined as the collecting, scientifically arranging, comparing, exhibiting, and defending of all facts from any and every source concerning God and His works.”
b. Example of Systematic Theology – angels :
1. Many books of the Bible give information about angels.
2. No one book gives all the information about the angels.
3. Systematic theology takes all the information about angels from all the books of the Bible and organizes it into a system called angelology.
4. This is what systematic theology is all about—organizing the teachings of the Bible into categorical systems.
c. Categories of Systematic Theology:
1. Theology Proper or Paterology
- Study of God
- Comes from the Greek word which mean father.
2. Christology
- Study of Christ
3. Pneumatology
- Study of the Holy Spirit
- Comes from the Greek word which means “wind, air, or spirit.”
4. Bibliology
- Study of the Bible
5. Soteriology
- Study of Salvation
- Comes from the Greek word which means savior or preserver.
6. Ecclesiology
- Study of the Church
- Comes from the Greek word meaning assembly.
7. Eschatology
- Study of end times,
- Comes from the Greek word meaning last things.
8. Angelology
- Study of angels and demons
9. Hamartiology
- Study of sin
- Comes from the Greek word meaning missing the mark.
10. Anthropology
- Study of humanity

II. Why Study Theology?
A. It enriches and enhances our Christian life.
B. It helps us to find answers to questions that arise in the contemporary culture.
C. It helps us develop a belief system to fall back on during those periods of spiritual dryness or weakness.
a. Example: Noahic Covenant establishes the continuity of the created order. The world is not going to end. (Gen. 8:21-22)
D. Becoming a good theologian requires at least 3 things:
a. Be more interested in knowing God.
b. Become dissatisfied with your present level of understanding.
c. Be willing to work. You must be an avid reader of theology works.

III. Developing a Theological Worldview
A. A worldview helps you to:
a. Filter the world.
b. Think about the world.
B. Our worldview comes from our :
a. Essential being (imago dei)
b. Experience
c. Environment
d. Education
C. Worldview Defined:
a. A worldview is a network of presuppositional core beliefs about the nature of reality (metaphysics), knowledge (epistemology) and ethics (axiology). These beliefs are not empirically verified (see, taste, touch, hear, smell) but are those fundamental beliefs by which we seek to prove everything else through interpretation and evaluation.
1. Metaphysics- What is real?
2. Epistemology- How can I know?
3. Axiology- What is right or good, and how should I live?
b. Presuppositional Beliefs
- “A presupposition is an elementary assumption in one's reasoning…by which opinions are formed… [it] refers not to just any assumption in an argument, but to a personal commitment which is at the most basic level of one's network of beliefs…Presuppositions have the greatest authority in one’s thinking, being treated as one’s least negotiable beliefs and being the highest immunity to revision.”
c. How does one develop a Christian worldview?
1. By setting forth Christ as Lord and by taking every thought captive to Him. (1 Pet. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10)

IV. Implications For the Christian
A. Everyone holds to a theology. The atheist has a theology, an agnostic has a theology.
B. As Christians, our theology must be based on Christian doctrine, biblical principles, and biblical truths. All Christians are theologians, but not all Christians are good theologians.
C. It all starts with what we believe about God. Your view of God will shape your overall theology.

Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 8 vols. (Dallas: Dallas Seminary, 1947), 1:6.