A Brief Desciption of Systematic Theology
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| A Brief Description of Systematic Theology By Michael W Matkin When I reached the age of forty I had a revelation of truth. It occurred to me that attaining knowledge of the word of God is a life task. The Lord had placed a desire in my heart to seek Him and study His word. Through years of study I attained a great deal of Biblical knowledge above the average church member. I reached a point that I became aware of how very little I really knew and how limited my knowledge really was. I was only beginning to understand the scriptures and to unfold them. I was merely scratching the surface, uncovering the tip of an iceberg. As a result of my desire to search Gods word I also became aware of the importance of the study of history, theology and original languages of the scriptures. Not that these studies replace or have priority over Biblical studies, but rather serve as tools contributing to a better understanding and deeper knowledge of the scriptures. So a method and habit of study must be developed to impart a consistent, continuous research of the sacred text of the Bible. And as the battle for truth we are engaged in rages on, the only true method of combating the errors we face daily is declaring the truth of God (His word) in knowledge, wisdom and understanding. False teachers spreading the errors of their ways through doctrinal fads have been the cause of immeasurable harm inflicted in the church. And the only way to prevent discovering yourself lost in a sea of deception, being blown about by every wind of teaching, is to be anchored in truth through the diligent study of Gods word. To properly achieve this a disciplined study in Systematic Theology is required to unfold the Bible. Lewis S Chafer defines Systematic Theology as As Christians we can discover and learn about the Person of God through evidence in history, archaeology, biological science, astronomy, quantum physics and many other areas of study. This should come as no surprise, after all, God created everything from the Behemoth to the bacteria as well as set the boundaries and laws of physics. |
A science which follows a humanly devised scheme or order of doctrinal development and which purports
to incorporate into its system all the truth about God and His universe from any and every source.
Systematic Theology may be distinguished from Natural Theology in that Natural theology draws its
material from nature; from Biblical Theology in that Biblical Theology draws its material only from the Bible;
and from Theology Proper in that Theology Proper is restricted to the consideration of the Person of God,
excluding His works.
In defining Systematic or Thetic Theology certain misleading and unwarranted terms have been employed.
It has been declared to be the “science of religion”; but the term religion is in no sense a synonym of the
Person of God and all His works. Likewise, it has been declared to be “the scientific treatment of those
truths which are found in the Bible”; but this science, while drawing the major portion of its material from
the scriptures, does, nevertheless, draw its material from any and every source. Again, Systematic
Theology has been defined as the orderly arrangement of Christian doctrine; but as Christianity represents
only a mere fraction of the whole field of truth relative to the Person of God and His universe, this
definition is inadequate. (Lewis S Chafer Systematic Theology VI p 5,6)
to incorporate into its system all the truth about God and His universe from any and every source.
Systematic Theology may be distinguished from Natural Theology in that Natural theology draws its
material from nature; from Biblical Theology in that Biblical Theology draws its material only from the Bible;
and from Theology Proper in that Theology Proper is restricted to the consideration of the Person of God,
excluding His works.
In defining Systematic or Thetic Theology certain misleading and unwarranted terms have been employed.
It has been declared to be the “science of religion”; but the term religion is in no sense a synonym of the
Person of God and all His works. Likewise, it has been declared to be “the scientific treatment of those
truths which are found in the Bible”; but this science, while drawing the major portion of its material from
the scriptures, does, nevertheless, draw its material from any and every source. Again, Systematic
Theology has been defined as the orderly arrangement of Christian doctrine; but as Christianity represents
only a mere fraction of the whole field of truth relative to the Person of God and His universe, this
definition is inadequate. (Lewis S Chafer Systematic Theology VI p 5,6)
