What Every Christian Should Understand about Systematic Theology

If you walked into my workshop you’d probably say something like, “How do you find anything in this place”? And yet, ask me where anything is and I can tell you; believe it or not, the whole thing is organized. But if you don’t understand my system, it all just looks like a bunch of random tools, nuts, bolts, and parts. To you, it looks like chaos and you don’t know why my sledgehammer is there instead of in some other location. But I do — because I know my system. I know why it belongs where it does.

The same is true with theology.

We all have beliefs — real and sincere beliefs — but they live in drawers. One for God’s love. One for His justice. One for salvation, suffering, and the Spirit. But we don’t necessarily know how they all connect. What ties them together?

It’s the same as how you’d walk into my shop and see a hammer, a miter saw, a shelf with tons of old screws, and various other objects that you can’t quite identify nor do you know why they are there. In the same way, you can read the Bible and identify certain true things about God. But you don’t exactly know how it all fits together.

Systematic theology is what it means to tie it all together. It’s the act of opening the drawers and trying to see how everything fits. When someone asks, “Why would a good God allow suffering?” or “How do we know Jesus is fully God?” they are asking questions that only make sense when there is a system underneath them. Without the framework, our answers are scattered.

That’s why we need systematic theology.

You Are a Theologian

Now you might be tracking with this analogy and thinking, “I don’t have a workshop.” Or maybe you’re really tracking and you decide to get a little coy. “You know, if I have a relationship with you, I don’t need to know the system. I just need to know you. I’ll ask you and you can tell me where everything belongs.”

I appreciate you owning my analogy so much, here. And you aren’t exactly wrong. The most important thing is that we do have a relationship with God. You can have the most tightly knit and accurate systematic theology and still not love God or have a relationship with Him. And that doesn’t do you much good. At the end of the day, He is going to know far better than we do how it all ties together. Shouldn’t we just rely upon Him — focus on the relationship and let all these theological knots untangle in His presence?

That sounds really good, but the problem is that you are a theologian. R.C. Sproul says it well:

“No Christian can avoid theology. Every Christian is a theologian. Perhaps not a theologian in the technical or professional sense, but a theologian nevertheless. The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones.”

If Sproul is correct, and I think he is, you don’t have the option of disengaging from systematic theology. The reality is that you and I are meaning makers. When you step into my workshop you’re trying to make sense of it. The same goes with theology. We ask those questions like “How can a good God allow suffering” because we’re begging for thing to tie together. It’s how we’re wired.

As Sproul pointed out, we’re doing theology all the time. It’s just that we’re often doing it poorly. I’d argue that if we aren’t intentional, there is a good chance that it’s not being done well. But it should also be mentioned that not all theology is systematic.

Not All “Theology” Is Systematic

It’s true that anytime you say something like, “God is good” or “Jesus loves me” you’re make a theological statement. But that statement is going to be approached from different theological angles. What I mean is that there are different branches of theology. Let’s take the statement “Jesus loves you” and I’ll try to show how different branches of theology would handle that.

Biblical theology traces the development of themes across the storyline of Scripture. So it would show how the love of Jesus fulfills all the covenant promises of love from Genesis to Revelation.

Historical theology would show us how Christians in the past understood a doctrine. A historical theologian would explore how that statement has been understood from the early church all throughout history.

Practical theology would attempt to apply this theology to real-life ministry and daily living. How does Jesus’ love impact the way we treat others, suffer well, or lead in ministry?

Philosophical theology would use reason and logic to explore theological truths. What does it mean, they’d ask, that a divine eternal person “loves” finite and sinful humans?

Moral theology (often called Christian ethics) explores how theological beliefs shape moral behavior. If Jesus loves you, how should that shape your sexual ethics, financial choices, and treatment of enemies?

Alongside of these, systematic theology organizes what the whole Bible teaches on major topics. It would attempt to define what is meant by “Jesus” and “Love” and how that connects to various doctrines like atonement and the Trinity.

Systematic theology plays a central role in the study of God. It’s like a hub that helps make sense of the spokes: biblical theology, practical theology, ethics, etc. Systematic theology is very important, then.

Systematic Theology Is Important

We may say that systematic theology gives shape and structure to that which we believe. To use our analogy from earlier, it makes sense of how the workshop is organized. We don’t struggle with having beliefs, but we can struggle with having unconnected beliefs. We struggle with consistency. Systematic theology is a way of tying together what we believe into a consistent whole.

We believe God is loving. And we believe God is just. But how do these work together? That is the role of systematic theology. It shows how precious truths relate to one another. And by doing this it keeps our faith from becoming a pile of disconnected thoughts and turns it into a working worldview.

This is also important because life forces theological questions on us whether we’re ready or not. And if we know how the workshop is organized, we’ll know which tools we have, where they are located, and how to use them. Systematic theology will assist us in this endeavor. When you pray, wrestle with guilt, grieve a loss, or try to explain your faith to your friend, you’ll be drawing from your systematic theology.

Systematic theology will give you something solid to stand on in those moments. Yes, I know that it is really Christ in whom we stand. But that’s where systematic theology comes in too. What do we mean by “Christ”? What does it mean to “stand”? Systematic theology gives answers to these questions and ensures that your faith isn’t just emotional or circumstantial but it’s rooted in truth that holds up.

It's an important discipline. It can also be dangerous.

Systematic Theology Can Be Dangerous

I have a few tools in my workshop that are deadly. Well, in the wrong hands I suppose about any tool in my workshop could be deadly. That’s the thing with tools — if misused they can do great damage. Systematic theology is the same.

One of the greatest dangers that accompanies systematic theology is pride. When we start to master theological categories and arguments, we can fall into the trap of thinking we’ve mastered God Himself. We forget that theology is a means to an end — it’s meant to bring about worship. The study of God can become an idol. And we often see that idol rearing it’s head when our relationship with God is hijacked by an overindulgence in theological arguments. That’s usually a clue that we’ve become “puffed up.”

Paul warned us that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1). If your theology makes you arrogant, cold, or combative, it’s not biblical theology — no matter how many proof texts you can quote.

But pride isn’t the only danger. The other, and I guess it’s related to pride, is that we can begin to force Scripture into our system, rather than letting our system be shaped by Scripture. Our goal isn’t to master the Word as much as it is to be mastered by the Word — Jesus Christ. And let’s be honest, relationships are messy. And Scripture, living thing that it is, isn’t as neat and tidy as we’d like it to be.

God has revealed Himself in many different genres, through many different people, across many centuries. Scripture is clear and it is coherent. But it doesn’t often fit into neat categories that we create for it. If we value tidiness over truth, we risk muting the beauty of Scripture, and worse yet, we can be guilty of trying to silence its Author. Some tensions are meant to be held, not solved.

Systematic theology is important, but it can also be dangerous. The difference is in how we handle it. Are we developing our systematic theology humbly, lovingly, and with a dedicated reverence to God and His Word?

Connecting Faith to Real Life

Trying to live the Christian life without theology would be like a stranger coming into my workshop trying to find a tool. Sure, they might find it, but it’ll take a while. And they might miss some important things. If they don’t know how it all fits together, they’ll probably end up frustrated and ineffective.

That’s what systematic theology aims to prevent when it comes to our faith. It’s meant to give you categories, clarity, and confidence. Not that you bow down to the theology itself, but it gives you a system to help you think and relate to God. It helps connect our faith to real life.

It’s not about knowing big words or impressing people with your smarts. It’s about loving God with your mind and standing firm on a message that is meant to be coherent and consistent. It’s not the only branch of theology — but it’s definitely one you need to know. You’re a theologian whether you like it or not. Are you a good one?

Source
R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove: IVP Press, 1978), 22

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