Untitled Sermon

Concepts and definitions

prolegomena- preliminary remarks, serves to orient and adjust the reader to what the author has in mind for the book

The Concept of Theology

"theos" means God and "logos" means rational expression

therefore the rational interpretation of the Christian faith

3 elements:

-it is intelligible

-it requires explanation

-it is a Bible-based study

The Varieties of Theology

cataloged in various ways

era, viewpoint, and focus

Historical Theology

focuses on what those who studied the Bible thought about its teachings

shows how the church has formulated both truth and error

guides theologians and students by knowing the contributions and mistakes of church history

Biblical Theology

deals systematically with the historically conditioned progress of the self- revelation of God in the Bible

4 characteristics emerge from this definition:

- results of the study of biblical theology must be presented in a systematic form

-pays attention to the soil of history in which God's revelation came

-studies revelation in the progressive sequence in which it was given

- finds its source material in the Bible

Systematic Theology

correlates the data of biblical revelation as a whole in order to exhibit systematically the total picture of God's self-revelation

focuses on the total structure of biblical doctrine

Summary

Theology is the discovery, systematizing, and presentation of the truths about God. Historical theology accomplishes this by focusing on what others throughout history have said about these truths. Biblical theology does this by surveying the progressive revelation of God’s truth. Systematic theology presents the total structure.