Study Guide for
Body of Divinity
Introduction to Systematic Theology
What is theology?
Simply put, it is the science (study) of God. As with any science, there is an objective truth, God Himself,
and theology is the pursuit, through scientific methods, of discovering the
truth about God.
Two Methods of
Studying God
- General Revelation – revelation of
God in nature, in creation. (Romans 1:19ff, Psalm 97:6, Psalm 19:1ff, Acts
14:7). General revelation is
helpful, it is conclusive, but it is not complete. It is insufficient to reveal God as
full as He can be known.
- Special Revelation – revelation of
God through His work of regeneration, and through the record He left, the
Bible.
- God
is a Spirit, and can thus only be fully known spiritually. John 4:24
- He
is revealed to humans by His Spirit II Cor. 4:3-7, John 3:3
- Revealed
through the Word II Timothy 3:16, Romans 15:4, John 5;39
- This
special revelation does not give perfect knowledge of God. That will only be accomplished
throughout eternity by beholding Him with eyes unfettered by sin.
Note: These two
terms can also be called natural theology(general revelation) and supernatural
theology (special revelation).
Two Methods of
Studying Special Revelation (The Bible)
- Expository – This is a word
normally used with a method of preaching.
It simply means to take a passage of Scripture and give the sense
of what the Scripture is teaching within its setting and context. It is a “verse by verse” study. (Two important terms to be familiar
with: Exegesis (ex: out) – a
layman’s definition is to take out of Scripture what is there. In other words, Scripture has a
meaning, and it is our job to take the meaning from Scripture. Eisegesis
(eis: into) – an interpretation of Scripture that expresses the
interpreter’s own ideas or bias rather than the meaning of the text.
- Systematic – arranging or
comprising an ordered system. This
branch of theology studies the revelation of God by reducing revealed
truth to a series of statements that together constitute an organized whole. Example: Grouping all Scriptures mentioning the love of God, and then
from that grouping, forming a conclusive statement regarding the love of
God that harmonizes all of the revealed truth on that subject.
Reasons for Studying Systematically
1.
To learn all that Scripture teaches on a particular subject
(love of God).
2.
To compare Scripture with Scripture (Gives a scriptural
balance).
3.
Values each of the Bible doctrines (can’t just pick
favorites).
4.
“An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.”
Purpose in
Studying Theology
This exercise is not meant to be merely academic. In fact, if it is only academic, it will be
a failure. A spiritual person, when
contemplating God, is spiritually strengthened. Good doctrine breeds good practice – Titus 2:11,12.
- Daniel
11:32 Strengthened
- John
8:31,32 Freedom from bondage
- I
Peter 3:15 Equipped to witness
- I
Chronicles 28:9 Answer for the searcher
Proper Attitude
Towards Theology
- Reverence
for truth
- Prayer
for help and wisdom
- Remove
prejudice and bias
- Eager
to learn
- Teachable
humility
- Timidity
to new doctrines
Who was John Gill?
- Eminent
Baptist theologian of the 18th century
- Lived
1697-1771
- Proficient
in many ancient languages from an early age
- Beloved
by his congregation for both knowledge and perpiscuity
- Undertook
this work as a means to spiritually strengthen his congregation.
Note: Read the
overview of Gill’s life in the foreword to the Body of Divinity.