e e e In order for one to understand Christianity from a theological perspective, and
be e 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).
e e e e e e e e e e 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).
e e e e e e e e e e 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.
