In order for one to understand Christianity from a theological
perspective, and be theologically informed, one must understand what
theology means at its root. Theology is the study of God in an effort to
understand who He is with regard to what is written in the Bible. The
purpose is to provide Christians with an understanding of God’s creation
and His redemptive work for humanity. Both systematic theology and
biblical theology is rooted in the analysis of scripture, in an attempt to
understand the why and how of doctrinal development. Historical theology
focuses on the development and unfolding of theology throughout church
history. It examines the formation of cardinal doctrine about God, Christ,
the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church and other doctrines to include how
they have evolved over time (Enns, 439).
God charges Christians to “rightly handle the Word of truth” (2 Tim
2:15, ESV) by effectively interpreting scripture. “Scripture is a symphony,
replete with repeated themes and variations.” (Wilson 2020, 14).
Therefore, scripture must be studied and accurately understood. In doing
so, one can clearly impart God’s word accurately and completely. The
student author believes that it is critical for Christians to be theologically
informed, because foundationally, all Christians need to know and
understand who God is, his attributes, character and who He is to
humanity. Additionally, Christians need to know Jesus. As a minister, the
student author needs to understand the biblical context of theology
because of God’s redemptive message. The Gospel is the Salvific message
of Jesus Christ and the belief in His death, burial and resurrection. This is
what Christianity is all about. If believers do not believe then their faith is
in vain (1 Corinthians 15:11-17). God’s community exists to proclaim the
Salvific message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:3-
4; 2 Tim 2:25) to those who were chosen for salvation before the
foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Today many professed Christians
do not know what “Christian” means. Further, also many assert that some
scripture conflicts with other scripture, so there are errors in scripture.
Yet, if they studied scripture, then they would understand how to take
scripture literally, apply metaphors or understand parables. Studying
scripture and being theologically informed enhances ones ability to be
“attentive to the genre of any biblical text in order to grasp its meaning.”
(McLaughlin 2020, 98).
A Christian lifestyle requires ethical behavior built on morality that
was established by God (McQuilkin and Copan 2017, 162). As a leader in a
church, a theologically informed Christian needs to administer the
operations of the church in an ethical manner. Character and sound
doctrinal knowledge are critical, but it is not enough. The church leader
cannot be effective without commitment to action in doing God’s work.
Christians must know how God expects Christians to worship Him and Him
alone or honor the sacredness of His name (McQuilkin and Copan 2017,
201) for example. Christians should know how to live their day-to-day
lives. This includes what is expected to do His work, as such; one must
know and understand what the Bible says on the topic.
Word Count: 518
Bibliography
Enns, P. (2014)The Mood Handbook of Theology.Chicago, IL: Moody
Publishers
McQuilkin, Robert, and Paul Copan. 2017.An Introduction to Biblical
Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom.Downer’s Grove, IL
McLaughlin, Rebecca. 2019. Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions
for the World’s Largest Religion. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway.
Wilson, Todd and Hiestand, Gerald, eds. 2016. Becoming A Pastor
Theologian: New Possibilities for Church Leadership. Illinois: IVP Academic.
