Anyone looking at Scripture finds that the material in the Bible is
not arranged topically. Thus the pursuit of Systematic Theology
requires some justification. Why should anyone rearrange the
teaching found in the Bible on the basis of some man-made scheme?
First of all, the practice of Systematic Theology is supported by
Scripture itself, where we find instances where those who sought to
understand its teachings drew from a variety of passages in order
to do so. Second, Systematic Theology is legitimized by the
inspiration and unity of Scripture. The Bible is made up of
sixty-six books, but is really one Book with one Author that speaks
with a coherent message. In fact, if the Bible were not the work of
a single Author, the topical study of it would be absurd because
unity of thought would not exist. Third, Systematic Theology is
justified by the progressive nature of revelation. God did not tell
His people everything He intended to reveal at once, but gradually
unfolded the truth, expanding on previous teachings by clarifying
and illuminating them later. As a result, if we want to discover
the complete teaching of the Bible on any subject, we must gather
together many relevant passages in order to answer the question,
"What does the Bible teach about ______?" What about the
arrangement of the material in the book? Why treat subjects in the
order in which they are presented in this text? The Doctrine of
Scripture is the logical place to begin - if the Bible is to be our
authority, we must have confidence that it is indeed the Word of
God. We then seek to discover what God has revealed about Himself,
and we find that He is one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, leading us to the study of the members of the Trinity.
Having come to a clear understanding of who God is, we must then
consider who we are, so we study the Doctrine of Man. What we find
is that we are sinners alienated from God. What is to be done? We
find that God has provided a solution to man's greatest need in the
Gospel, which leads us to the Doctrine of Salvation. Once we see
that God has called sinners to Himself, we find that His intention
is to bring them together into one body, the Church, and to gather
that Church into His presence forever. We thus finish the course by
studying Ecclesiology and Eschatology. The reader of this book
should keep several things in mind. The first is that the
organization of the biblical material is artificial rather than one
demanded by the text itself, and therefore attention to context is
essential. Proof-texting in the study of Bible Doctrine is very
easy to do. Second, be aware that many of the questions discussed
in the book are ones about which Christians disagree. The faithful
interpreter of Scripture must be able to discern between those
clear teachings that are of the essence of the faith and those
issues where our understanding of the Bible may not be as clear and
sincere believers may harmoniously agree to disagree. A third
reminder is that Christians must be humble enough to let God be
God. Many of the doctrinal disputes that have arisen over the years
stemmed from the attempt on man's part to delve into divine
mysteries that God has not chosen to reveal to us. Such pursuits
are dangerous; many heresies in the history of the church have
grown out of the desire to present dogmatic answers to questions
about which God has not spoken. Lastly, keep in mind that Bible
Doctrine can never be simply a theoretical academic pursuit. The
Bible never teaches abstract doctrine, but always presents ideas in
the context of real-life application. So it must be for us. We must
always ask the "So what?" question, seeking from our studies not
only intellectual stimulation and greater understanding, but also a
deeper relationship to God.
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