


“The Bible says that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved.”.(Or at least they make systematic-theological statements.) Here are some ways people do this all the time: Most Christians practice systematic theology without even realizing it.

Systematic theology is more organized than regular Bible study Each doctrine connects to the Christian life. Defining systematic theology to include “what the whole Bible teaches us today” implies that application to life is a necessary part of the proper pursuit of systematic theology. Nowhere in Scripture do we find doctrine separated from life. Systematic theology summarizes doctrines about modern-day topics like these. But both describe concepts based on a combination of biblical teachings. Systematic theology is applicable to life today But the focus of systematic theology remains different: it focuses on the collection and summary of all biblical passages on a subject, and attempts to summarize the teachings of Scripture in brief, understandable, and carefully formulated statements. At some points, especially where great detail and care is needed in the development of a doctrine, systematic theology will even use the same methods as biblical theology, analyzing the development of each doctrine through the historical development of Scripture. Systematic theology makes use of biblical theology and often builds on its results. Biblical theology also focuses on how the biblical authors and their original audience understood each doctrine. But there’s still an important difference: biblical theology traces the historical development of a doctrine, so your understanding of that particular doctrine changes as the historical setting progresses. These disciplines often overlap at the edges, and parts of one study blend into the next. It answers questions like, “How does the teaching about prayer develop over the history of the Old Testament and then the New Testament?” These questions come close to the questions that systematic theology answers, like, “What does the whole Bible teach us today about prayer?” biblical theologyīiblical theology gives special attention to the teachings of individual authors and sections of Scripture, and frames each teaching within the historical development of Scripture. Learn more in Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology online course. While Systematic theology emphasizes what God wants us to believe and know, Christian ethics emphasizes what God wants us to do-and what attitudes he wants us to have. This helps us connect our topical exploration of Scripture to evangelism, and overcome the specific barriers that an unorganized understanding of Scripture can create. ApologeticsĪpologetics defends the validity of the Christian faith, directly addressing objections to the Bible and Christianity. Again, systematic theology sometimes draws from this information, but philosophical theology doesn’t provide a holistic understanding of theological topics. This can help us understand right and wrong thought forms in our culture and others. It uses the tools and methods of philosophical reasoning, and attempts to discern what can be known about God from observing the universe. Philosophical theology studies theological topics largely without use of the Bible. While systematic theology sometimes draws from this historical information, it uses other sources as well.

This informs us of the insights and mistakes others have made studying Scripture over the centuries. Historical theology studies how Christians have understood various theological topics throughout history. Systematic theology is different from: Historical theology If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at begin by looking at what sets systematic theology apart from other ways to study the Bible and form theological beliefs. You may unsubscribe from these email communications at any time. For Students Pursue a deeper knowledge of God through self-paced college- and seminary-level online courses in Old and New Testament studies, theology, biblical Greek, and more.īy submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN 37214 USA) providing information about products and services of HCCP and its affiliates.For Instructors and School Administrators Enhance your school’s traditional and online education programs by easily integrating online courses developed from the scholars and textbooks you trust.
