Biblical Studies vs Theology: What is the Difference?
When it comes to Christian studies, there are a lot of terms to keep track of. It can be easy to
confuse all the words you hear, especially when you don’t know exactly what they all mean.
When you see the words “biblical studies” and “theology,” you might think they are the same
thing. After all, isn’t theology about studying the Bible? While biblical studies and theology have
some similarities, there are ways you can distinguish them.
So, what is the difference?
Theology is the study of God while biblical studies is the study of the Bible itself. When you use
the lens of biblical studies, you will study the Bible book by book. Theology takes a more topical
approach. It divides the Bible into common themes or categories to better understand the overall
message.
Although we are able to differentiate the two terms, according to Dr. Tiberius Rata, Associate
Dean of the School of Ministry Studies at Grace, there is often an overlap that
occurs.“Whenever we study any book of the Bible, it is both a biblical and a theological study
because in the process we learn about God, about humanity, and about God’s creation and rule
over His creation,” says Rata.
Biblical Studies vs Theology: Which one does Grace use?
At Grace, we know the importance of studying Scripture through both lenses. We believe the
question of biblical studies vs. theology should be reframed. The better question is “How we can
effectively examine biblical studies and theology?” This duality is most clearly evidenced in our
core curriculum. Exploring the Bible, a class that teaches on the fundamental lessons and stories
of the Bible, fits under the biblical studies lens while the course Essential Doctrinal Themes,
which examines Christian doctrines, falls under the theological studies lens.
The most important piece to studying God’s word is keeping the end goal in mind.
“As long as you read the Bible and trust that the Author of the Bible has revealed Himself in
Scripture, and you read it for the purpose of falling deeper in love with Him, it does not matter if
you do biblical or theological studies,” Rata says. “They are both a means to an end.”
Biblical Studies is the study of the Bible.
I'm not trying to be cute in stating what seems to be obvious. What I mean is summed up well by
Danny Daley (popscholarblog). Biblical studies "is primarily concerned with the foundational,
base-level 'meaning' of passages or sections of the biblical texts (known as 'exegesis') and the
developments and circumstances regarding Judaism and early Christianity." So, the focus of
biblical studies is the book known as the Bible — it is Biblical language, literature, nature,
history, composition, authors, etc.
Biblical studies also include the study of the cultures in which the human biblical writers lived
and the study of various books that contribute to a broader textual understanding of our English
Bible and the Christian faith. Those texts include weirdly named books such as the Septuagint,
Apocrypha, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. The bottom line though is that biblical studies focus on the
Bible as a book.
Theological Studies is topical.
Meaning, an approach to theological knowledge (found primarily in the Bible) that involves
arranging the data into well-ordered categories and frameworks. That's a pretty sterile sentence,
but an example will add life to it. The doctrine of God is one of those "well-ordered categories"
and involves arranging all the biblical data — "whole-Bible ideas," as Daley writes — which
describe who God is and what He does.
Sub-categories provide deeper order. Assumed in this task is that God has revealed certain data
about Himself which can be gleaned throughout Scripture. So, a doctrine of God project would
involve discovering what Genesis says about God's character and work, what Exodus says, all
the way through what Matthew, Mark, and Revelation say. Then, that data would be arranged in
such a way as to be faithful to the entire Bible and to make sense to a curious reader (thus,
history and other attendant disciplines are considered, too), answering questions about who God
is and what He does.
"God is holy" is a data point that would be expressed in various ways throughout both the Old
Testament and the New Testament, resulting in theological sub-categories like "God is holy in
how He loves people," "God is holy in how He provides for His creation," and "God is holy in
how He redeems people." We're still talking about those "whole-Bible ideas," but they're just
arranged topically.
The relationship between these two "studies" is important to us at Colorado Christian University.
What's the best way for you to experience such unique approaches? Talk with an enrollment
counselor today to learn more about degree programs, financial aid, or biblical studies and
theology!
