Bye Systematic Theology Hello Biblical Personal Systematic Theology

[2T3:16]

     As we think about studying the bible it is in studying to show THYSELF approved. Now, much study is a weariness to the flesh and of books there is no end. The conclusion of the matter is to fear God and keep his commandments. In our life of fearing and commandment keeping we need to make real life decisions. To me, we each should have a personal system, ideology, paradigm, that is biblically/spiritually based, to make decisions and live our life in this real world. That is what a personal systematic theology leads to. It satisfies the command to love not the world and seek first the kingdom of God in this life.

 

 

     I'm not much for modern academics but I like one statement from Trevor Hart, "Christian Scripture offers no neat system, and ambitious attempts to systematize it ought to attract suspicion rather than assent in the first instance from those whose concern is faithfulness to the text, and acknowledgment of its authority in the integrally related tasks of theological reflection and Christian discipleship." (from Systematic-In What Sense?") Well, I was reading Finney's "Systematic Theology" so I searched the title on the internet. Mostly Calvinist books came up when I started checking into what systematic theology was. I also found that there are different approaches to what a systematic theology should be. I decided to ask "What is a biblical systematic theology." The next paragraph is not a neat and clean answer but as concise and biblically based answer as I could come up with.

 

     The question I am exploring here is, how to write a personal, biblical, systematic theology? In what follows I will attempt to explain what I think how a biblical systematic theology is structured. The foundation must be Jesus Christ (1 Cor 3:11). From there, through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15), we have God as "Our Father" (Matt 6:9). Any systematic theology must recognize the holiness of God as in "hallowed be thy name" and properly honour the Father. The systematic theology must have an overarching structure in seeking to express the kingdom of God as a priority (Matt 6:33). We use the word of God as the primary reference (Pasalm 138:2).Thus, we must rightly divide the word of God (2 Tim 2:15). This division is given by 2 Tim 3:16 as doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Each division must prioritize where gold and silver are first, and then followed by precious stones, wood, hay, and the stubble is, of course, the lowest priority. Finally, as this was Pauls instruction through Timothy for the proper furnishing of every man of God, each person must do this for themself. 2 Timothy 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

[Covenanter]

A great topic - it's been exercising theologians down the ages, but I agree - we should not leave it to the theologians - they all disagree on many points & rarely do they allow disagreement.

 

Are you trying to arive at an agreed doctrinal statement? - like the Anglican 39 articles, or the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches' 9 points - intended to be a basis for evangelical unity, while allowing for some disagreement.

 

How "personal" do you want it? Essentially it must be a loving, trusting commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Lord, God, Way, Truth & Life. And it MUST be personal.

[Covenanter]

The FIEC statement of faith is:

 

Individual churches will have their own emphasis , but the intension is a broad GOSPEL UNITY, while allowing for individual & church convictions. All affiliated churches are INDEPENDENT.

Doctrinal Basis.

• 1. God

  There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.

• 2. The Bible

  God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

• 3. The Human Race

  All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.

• 4. The Lord Jesus Christ

  The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

• 5. Salvation

  Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

• 6. The Holy Spirit

  The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

• 7. The Church

  The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

• 8. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

  Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

• 9. The Future

  The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.

As mentioned above, we also have three statements clarifying our position on other theological issues. Our Gospel Unity statement explains how our commitment to the Gospel means we are unable to express Christian fellowship with those who cannot affirm the fundamental truths of the faith. Our Women in Ministry statement identifies our beliefs on the role of men and women in the church as a classic complementarian position. Finally our Same Sex Marriage statement outlines our conviction that the biblical definition of marriage is heterosexual, and gives brief implications for FIEC churches. All of these statements are available for viewing by clicking the titles.

[TheSword]

A great topic - it's been exercising theologians down the ages, but I agree - we should not leave it to the theologians - they all disagree on many points & rarely do they allow disagreement.

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your statement here, but it doesn't make much sense to me. A theologian is simply someone who is well-versed in theology. It is someone who makes a purposeful effort to study theology. By that definition what you're saying is to leave the development of systematic theology to someone who knows nothing (or little) about it.

 

Do you instead mean professional/academic theologians as opposed to the laity? I agree that everyone should study and formulate theology for themselves and not simply take what an academic has to say as dogmatic truth. However, I also think to it completely out of the hands of those who are committed and dedicated to the study and investigation of Biblical truth(s) seems nonsensical to me.

[Covenanter]

A great topic - it's been exercising theologians down the ages, but I agree - we should not leave it to the theologians - they all disagree on many points & rarely do they allow disagreement.

 

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your statement here, but it doesn't make much sense to me. A theologian is simply someone who is well-versed in theology. It is someone who makes a purposeful effort to study theology. By that definition what you're saying is to leave the development of systematic theology to someone who knows nothing (or little) about it.

 

Do you instead mean professional/academic theologians as opposed to the laity? I agree that everyone should study and formulate theology for themselves and not simply take what an academic has to say as dogmatic truth. However, I also think to it completely out of the hands of those who are committed and dedicated to the study and investigation of Biblical truth(s) seems nonsensical to me.

I do mean the "professional/academic theologians as opposed to the laity" - they are the ones quoted as authorities, & as IBs we have no recognised authority. But I do consider Bible-believing Christians who study the Scriptures systematically (including myself) to be theologians in a more practical sense than the academics.

[ASongOfDegrees]

Psalm 119

 

[99] I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
[100] I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

 

I don't say throw out all the theologians but I do think we can know more than past theologians have known. One error I see many Christians make is they think that men like Calvin, Hodges, Chafer, Pentecost, Barnes, Spurgeon, Darby, John Gill, William Evans, Clarence Larkin, Kiel and Delitzch, etc. etc. knew all there was too know and we have nothing to add to it or that they couldn't have been in error. I believe the closer we get to the Second Coming the more we can know and more will be revealed to us through scripture. I don't agree with Charles Ryrie when he claimed he knew everything there was to know in scripture (yes, he did write this once).  I also believe that once the time of Jacob's trouble begins a lot of the things sealed up in books like Ezekiel (tell me you really understand that book) and the minor prophets will be opened because those people will need those books at that time.

[TheSword]

I do mean the "professional/academic theologians as opposed to the laity" - they are the ones quoted as authorities, & as IBs we have no recognised authority. But I do consider Bible-believing Christians who study the Scriptures systematically (including myself) to be theologians in a more practical sense than the academics.

 

I see. I agree for the most part. Certainly it is Christian's responsibility be a theolgian in their own capacity and learn for themselves. In no way should they lean on someone else's work as authoritative and final in lieu of studying and investigating the issues for themselves. However, it is prudent to accept input and learn from those who have put such great amounts of study into the subject already because they likely have a much greater bank of applicable knowledge simply by virtue of learning for themselves. They have assimilated a great deal of information to come to their conclusions which is the same thing we all ought to do. If I wanted to learn the depths of physics, I would necessarily want to listen to a PhD physicist in order to learn more, better, and quicker. Later, I may conduct my own experiments and prove something he did or thought completely wrong, but that doesn't make the learning value I got from him unfruitful. Quite the contrary, because he taught me the intricacies of physics I am able to do so well on my own. It is the same with theology, in my opinion. I may disagree with the conclusions of a great many academic theologians, but that doesn't make their research into the facts any less valuable.

 

I wholly agree with you that our individual belief system should not be left to the academics and everyone should studiously investigate the issues for themselves. However, I think to summarily dismiss or ingore the input and research from well-studied is also unwise and imprudent.

[2T3:16]

Agreed TheSword we certainly learn from others: 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

[John81]

Psalm 119

 

[99] I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
[100] I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

 

I don't say throw out all the theologians but I do think we can know more than past theologians have known. One error I see many Christians make is they think that men like Calvin, Hodges, Chafer, Pentecost, Barnes, Spurgeon, Darby, John Gill, William Evans, Clarence Larkin, Kiel and Delitzch, etc. etc. knew all there was too know and we have nothing to add to it or that they couldn't have been in error. I believe the closer we get to the Second Coming the more we can know and more will be revealed to us through scripture. I don't agree with Charles Ryrie when he claimed he knew everything there was to know in scripture (yes, he did write this once).  I also believe that once the time of Jacob's trouble begins a lot of the things sealed up in books like Ezekiel (tell me you really understand that book) and the minor prophets will be opened because those people will need those books at that time.

Our own personal reading and studying of Scripture is essential. We can only learn and grow so much by reading what others write about the Word. True, in-depth growth requires that we ourselves spend much time in the Word.

 

There is much to learn from some men of God in the past (and today) but you are very correct that many unite themselves more to the teachings of one or more men of God (as if they were/are perfect) and take all they say as 100% true without ever searching out for themselves what Scripture does, or doesn't, say on various matters.

 

I've learned much from Ryle, Spurgeon, Rice, Rogers and others, but their expoundings are not perfect and are never the final word. All they have put forth (as well as what others put forth) must be examined in light of Scripture.

 

Just as some were in error in Scripture for calling themselves followers of Paul or Appolos, etc., there are many today who are more followers of Wesley or Stanley than they are Jesus. That's a real problem.

 

No Christian in the past and no Christian today has exhausted all the Word of God, having complete and perfect understanding from beginning to end. There is always more we can learn, more growth to be had. If we give diligent time and attention to the Word, spending time in prayer and listenting to the Holy Ghost, we may be amazed at what the Lord reveals to us.