The Purpose of Theology

What is theology? Theology is simply the study of God and His works. Importantly, it presupposes that God is a revealing God. When we engage in theology, we are responding to God’s revelation of Himself as we learn more about who He is and how we should live in response to Him. God has not left Himself without witness (Acts 14:15-17). In the natural world, we encounter God’s general revelation and, in the Bible, we encounter God’s special revelation. Both are important for knowing truths about God as the purpose of theology is to know God. 

There are two errors that we can fall into when thinking about theology. The first is a view that says theology is not important to the Christian life. This can be presented in both a strong form and a weak form. The strong form says that theology has no substantive connection to the practical affairs of the Christian life. On this view, theology is more of a hobby for those “intellectual types” who care more about armchair theologizing than living out their faith. Those who think this way often view the study of theology as disconnected from the “real world.” The second weaker form of this view says that while theology may not be entirely disconnected from the Christian life, it is not of first importance. It is more important to experience God than to simply know facts about God. This comprises the first error in thinking about theology. 

The second error stems from the concern just mentioned; this is inherent in the weaker view of the first error. The second error is that theology is solely an academic enterprise. On this view, to study theology rightly means simply to engage the truths about God on a cognitive level. This would be to downplay the connection between theology and practical Christian living or to divorce it entirely. The subtlety of this error can make it all the more dangerous as those who fall into it may not realize they have done so. 

What do we make of these errors? Like so many things in life, each error captures something of the truth but it takes it to the extreme. The first error can often arise from a good motive. This is the motive to reject the claim that knowing God is simply about knowing facts about God. It is true that living the Christian life is more than just about what we know. It is about who we know. And when someone knows God, they will experience God as a holistic person. This will involve genuine prayer and engagement with God on a relational level. Relational knowledge of this kind is different from mere factual knowledge. However, what is often missed here is that relational knowledge cannot be had without factual knowledge. How can you have a real, genuine relationship with someone if you don’t know anything about them? The second error can also arise from a good motive, being that thinking rightly about God matters. Thus, we should be concerned to ensure our understanding of Christian theology aligns with the Bible. God has provided truth about Himself in His Word so that we have a standard by which to measure claims about who He is and what He has done. The truths of the Bible provide an anchor, a light, and a guide for our lives. Without these truths, we would lack a grounding for our understanding of God and this would be disastrous. 

Why is this important? When we understand what theology is and what some common pitfalls are in thinking about it, we are better positioned to see how to rightly pursue God. Theology matters and God has given us our minds to use to pursue Him and to know Him more. Through His revelation of Himself in nature and in Scripture, God invites us to seek, to pursue, and to find Him. We are invited to learn more about God’s character, His nature, and what He promises for those who love Him. All of this involves both our intellects and our whole selves. The common dichotomy between the “real world” and theology is false. It is anti-Christian. This is not a division that the Bible makes and it is not a division that we need to make either. The same goes for the dichotomy between the study of theology and the Christian life. The reality is, these two things are inseparable. Even if someone asserts this dichotomy, they have a theological reason for doing so. Another thing to consider: when we love someone, we will want to know more about them. Do we love God enough to seek to know Him more?