How Do We Do Theology?

Before we Answer this question, we should answer first a foundational question, Why study theology?

One of the Standard of a Pastor is to rightly divide the word or accurately handles the word of truth:

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95)

15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

This is the first responsibility of God’s ministers.

So how do we do Theology?

Correct Interpretation

In order to assure that we have correct interpretation, we must know the textual:

a. Locution

answers the question, “What is the text?”

For Scholars this is doing the discipline of textual criticism but for non-scholars, this is the discipline of consulting multiple translation and if possible the original greek. The goal here is so that we can be sure that we are studying the right text.

Examples:

Romans 8: 1 :

(KJV 1900)

1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

(NASB95)

1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

b. Illocution

Is about the author’s or the person in the narrative intent behind the illocution. In other words, this is about authorial intent.

This is where we employ various Hermenuetical and exegetical principles to find out what the author is trying to communicate.

c. Perlocution

Is about how the original audience understood the text.

This is about audience impact

For example:

Revelation 3:15–16 (NASB95)

15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.

16‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

It will be impossible to understand this text unless we know the cultural context of this verse. A good minister of the word must seek to understand the illocution (authorial intent) and perlocution (audience impact)

There are various hermeneutical principles and exegetical methods but for this lecture, let me focus on the 3 views of how language describes God.

Question for everyone:

To what degree does the Bible reveals God?

Let rephrase that, can we have complete knowledge of God when we read and understand the Bible?

Three Views of Language on how it reveals God:

Univocal

Language describes God completely

2. Equivocal

Language does not describe God at all

3. Analogical

Language describes God partially

1 Corinthians 8:6 (NASB95)

6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

How should we understand God as a Father?

To understand the Bible as describing God univocally is to make God common and destroys God’s Holiness (otherness) or His transcendence. God lives in a different dimension than us.

To understand the Bible equivocally is to make God unknowable and unreachable that we will become deist.

The Bible describes God Analogically, he cannot be described completely nor is he unknowable. God reveals himself to us.

Once we have done this, we can begin to study and learn the theology of the text we are studying, which extends to the theology of the whole book to form a theological view. For example, what is the Johannine view of Salvation? This means the theology of the writings of John. We also have Pauline theology. When we correlate all this Biblical theology, then we can form a systematic theology.

Lastly, central to the quest of theology is our dependence to the Holy Spirit. It is important to have humility and not trust our own understanding:

John 14:26 (NASB95)

26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.