Understanding Systematic, Biblical, and Historical Theology
Understanding Systematic, Biblical, and Historical Theology
Christians often hear different kinds of theology discussed as though they are competing methods. In reality, systematic, biblical, and historical theology ask different questions—and together they help us understand Scripture more faithfully.
Theology can sound complicated long before we ever begin studying it.
Biblical theology.
Systematic theology.
Historical theology.
Dogmatics.
Doctrine.
Church history.
Before long, it can seem as though Christians have turned the simple message of Jesus into an academic maze.
But these terms do not have to be intimidating.
They simply describe different ways of asking questions about God, Scripture, and Christian belief.
Are systematic, biblical, and historical theology three competing approaches—or three different tools for understanding the same Christian faith?
At their best, these three disciplines work together. Biblical theology helps us follow the unfolding story of Scripture. Systematic theology gathers Scripture’s teaching by subject. Historical theology helps us learn how Christians across the centuries have understood and debated those teachings.
What Is Theology?
The word theology simply means the study of God.
But Christian theology includes more than asking what God is like.
It asks questions about:
Who is God?
Who is Jesus Christ?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What is humanity?
What is sin?
What is salvation?
What is the church?
What happens at the end of history?
In other words, theology is simply thinking carefully about what Christians believe.
Every Christian has theological beliefs. The real question is not whether we will have theology, but whether our theology will be shaped carefully by Scripture and centered on Christ.
The Difference Can Be Summed Up Simply
How Does This Truth Develop Through the Story of Scripture?
What Does the Whole Bible Teach About This Subject?
How Has the Church Understood This Teaching Through History?
All three are concerned with Christian truth.
They simply approach that truth from different directions.
Following God’s Revelation Through the Story of Scripture
Biblical theology pays close attention to the Bible’s own storyline.
Scripture was not delivered as a theology textbook arranged alphabetically by topic.
It unfolds through history.
Creation.
Fall.
Covenant.
Israel.
Kingdom.
Prophets.
Messiah.
Cross.
Resurrection.
Church.
New creation.
How does God progressively reveal His purposes from Genesis to Revelation?
Scripture Develops Its Themes Over Time
God did not reveal every theological truth in its fullest form in Genesis.
Certain truths become clearer as the biblical story unfolds.
Consider the Messiah.
Genesis gives early promises.
The covenant with Abraham adds further expectation.
David receives promises about a royal descendant.
The prophets describe a coming servant, king, shepherd, and redeemer.
Then the New Testament identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of those expectations.
“Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
Biblical theology helps us see Scripture not as a collection of disconnected religious sayings, but as one unfolding story that reaches its center in Jesus Christ.
Biblical Theology and the Kingdom of God
Suppose we want to understand the kingdom of God.
Biblical theology would trace the theme through Scripture.
Humanity is created to live under God’s rule and represent Him within creation.
God forms a covenant people and establishes kingship within Israel.
God promises a royal descendant whose kingdom will endure.
Israel waits for a righteous king and the restoration of God’s reign.
Jesus announces, “The kingdom of God has come near.”
God’s reign is finally and fully revealed over a renewed creation.
That is biblical theology at work.
Asking What the Whole Bible Teaches About a Subject
Systematic theology asks a different question.
Rather than tracing one theme chronologically through Scripture, it gathers everything Scripture teaches about a subject and seeks to express it coherently.
If we gathered everything Scripture says about God, Jesus, salvation, the Holy Spirit, the church, or the last things, what overall picture would emerge?
That is the basic task of systematic theology.
Systematic Theology Organizes Doctrine by Subject
The Doctrine of God
God’s existence, attributes, nature, Trinity, knowledge, will, and works.
The Doctrine of Christ
The person, nature, incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus.
The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
The person and work of the Spirit in creation, salvation, sanctification, and the church.
The Doctrine of Humanity
Human nature, the image of God, purpose, freedom, dignity, and the fall.
The Doctrine of Sin
The nature, origin, consequences, and reach of human sin.
The Doctrine of Salvation
Grace, faith, justification, regeneration, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification.
The Doctrine of the Church
The nature, mission, leadership, worship, sacraments, and community of the church.
The Doctrine of Last Things
Death, resurrection, judgment, Christ’s return, and the new creation.
Systematic Theology and the Trinity
The Bible does not contain a chapter titled:
“The Doctrine of the Trinity.”
Yet Scripture teaches:
There is one God.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are personally distinct.
Systematic theology brings these truths together and asks:
How can we faithfully state all of these biblical truths together without denying any of them?
The doctrine of the Trinity is the result of that careful synthesis.
Systematic Theology Can Become Too Neat
There is great value in organizing Christian doctrine.
But there is also a danger.
We can begin with our theological system and force every passage into it.
Instead of allowing Scripture to correct our system, we can use the system to control Scripture.
A theological system should summarize Scripture. Scripture should never become merely a collection of proof texts used to defend the system.
Learning How Christians Before Us Understood the Faith
Historical theology asks how Christian teachings have been understood, explained, defended, debated, and sometimes distorted throughout church history.
It studies:
The early church.
Church fathers.
Creeds.
Councils.
Medieval theology.
The Reformation.
Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.
Revival movements.
Modern theological developments.
How have Christians throughout history understood this doctrine, and what can we learn from their debates?
Christians Today Are Not the First People to Read the Bible
This should produce some humility.
Christians have been reading, preaching, debating, praying over, and sometimes dying for these Scriptures for nearly two thousand years.
Many questions that seem new to us are not new at all.
Christians have already wrestled with questions like:
Is Jesus fully God?
Is Jesus fully human?
How can God be one and yet Father, Son, and Spirit?
What is the relationship between grace and human freedom?
How should Scripture and tradition relate?
What happens in baptism and Communion?
How are sinners justified before God?
Historical Theology and the Nicene Creed
In the fourth century, Christians debated the identity of Jesus.
Was the Son eternal?
Was He truly God?
Or was He the highest created being?
The church eventually articulated its conclusion in the Nicene Creed.
Historical theology studies that debate.
It asks:
What was Arius teaching?
Why did Christians oppose it?
What biblical texts were involved?
Why did words like begotten, substance, and consubstantial become important?
Learning From Tradition Is Not the Same as Treating Tradition as Infallible
Different Christian traditions give different levels of authority to church tradition.
Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians do not answer that question identically.
But even Protestants who affirm Scripture as the highest authority should not imagine that church history has nothing to teach them.
Scripture remains our final authority, but the voices of faithful Christians who came before us can help expose our blind spots and sharpen our understanding.
How the Three Approaches Differ
| Approach | Main Question | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Biblical Theology | How does this theme develop through Scripture? | The unfolding biblical story |
| Systematic Theology | What does the whole Bible teach about this topic? | Doctrinal synthesis |
| Historical Theology | How has the church understood this doctrine through history? | Christian interpretation and doctrinal development |
These Approaches Should Correct and Strengthen One Another
Biblical theology helps systematic theology remain sensitive to the actual storyline and categories of Scripture.
Systematic theology helps biblical theology ask how different biblical texts fit together coherently.
Historical theology reminds both that Christians have wrestled with these questions before.
Biblical Theology
Keeps us close to the movement and storyline of Scripture.
Systematic Theology
Helps us express the Bible’s teaching clearly and coherently.
Historical Theology
Helps us learn from earlier Christians and avoid repeatedly reinventing old errors.
Consider the Doctrine of Salvation
Imagine that we want to understand salvation.
Biblical Theology
We might trace salvation through:
The exodus.
Sacrifice.
Covenant.
The Day of Atonement.
The prophets.
The suffering servant.
Jesus’ death.
Resurrection.
New creation.
Systematic Theology
We might ask:
What is grace?
What is justification?
What is regeneration?
What is sanctification?
What is glorification?
Historical Theology
We might examine:
Augustine and Pelagius.
Medieval views of grace.
Luther and the Reformation.
Catholic responses.
Calvin.
Arminius.
Wesley.
Modern evangelical debates.
The three disciplines are looking at the same Christian truth, but each helps us see dimensions the others might otherwise overlook.
Theology Is Not an End in Itself
Christians can become fascinated with theological systems.
We can memorize technical vocabulary.
Read ancient debates.
Compare confessions.
Argue over terminology.
And still lose sight of the One theology is meant to help us know.
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”
Jesus confronted people who knew Scripture but failed to recognize Him.
Good theology should not merely make us more informed. It should help us see Christ more clearly, worship God more deeply, and live more faithfully.
The Goal Is Not Simply Better Answers
Paul could write some of the deepest theology in the New Testament and then suddenly break into worship.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”
That is what theology should eventually do.
It should lead us toward awe.
Gratitude.
Humility.
Worship.
Obedience.
Every Approach Can Go Wrong
Seeing Themes Everywhere
We can force every passage into one favored biblical storyline or theme.
Forcing Scripture Into a System
We can become more loyal to our theological framework than to difficult biblical texts.
Treating Tradition as Unquestionable
We can confuse what Christians historically believed with what Scripture necessarily teaches.
Pride
Knowledge can become a source of superiority rather than humility and worship.
Christians Can Know Truly Without Knowing Exhaustively
Christianity teaches that God has genuinely revealed Himself.
So theology is possible.
But God is also greater than our minds.
So theology should remain humble.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.”
We should be confident where Scripture is clear, careful where conclusions require synthesis, and humble where faithful Christians have long disagreed.
Theology Should Help Us Distinguish the Center From the Edges
Christians have disagreed over many doctrines.
Baptism.
Church government.
Spiritual gifts.
Election.
The millennium.
Details of Christ’s return.
Those questions matter.
But they do not all carry the same importance as questions about:
The identity of Jesus.
The Trinity.
The resurrection.
The Gospel.
Salvation.
Ordinary Christians Already Do Theology
You do theology whenever you ask:
Why did Jesus die?
What does salvation mean?
Can I lose my salvation?
Why does God allow suffering?
What happens after death?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
How should I understand the Old Testament?
Scholars may use more technical vocabulary.
But the questions belong to every Christian.
Use All Three Questions
Trace It Through Scripture
Where does this theme appear, and how does it develop from the Old Testament into the New?
Gather the Bible’s Teaching
What do all the relevant passages together teach about this subject?
Listen to the Church Across History
How have earlier Christians understood this question, and what major disagreements emerged?
Return to Scripture
Test every theological conclusion against the biblical text.
Ask How It Leads to Christ
How does this truth deepen our understanding of Jesus, the Gospel, worship, and faithful Christian living?
Theology Is a Conversation Between Scripture, Doctrine, and History
Biblical theology reminds us that the Bible is a story.
Systematic theology reminds us that the Bible teaches truths that belong together.
Historical theology reminds us that we are not the first Christians to read Scripture.
We need all three.
How does Scripture develop this truth?
What does the whole Bible teach about it?
How has the church understood it through history?
Ask those questions together, keep Scripture primary, and keep Jesus Christ at the center.
What Is Theology Doing to Us?
We can know theological terminology and still become proud.
We can understand the history of doctrine and still fail to love our neighbor.
We can identify the themes of Scripture and still resist the Lord of Scripture.
So theology should eventually lead us back to a very personal question:
Is what I am learning helping me know Jesus more clearly, trust Him more deeply, worship God more fully, and follow Christ more faithfully?
If not, we may be collecting information without growing in wisdom.
Questions Worth Considering
- Have I tended to think of theology as something only scholars need?
- Which approach comes most naturally to me: biblical, systematic, or historical theology?
- Which approach have I tended to neglect?
- Do I sometimes force Scripture into theological conclusions I already hold?
- Am I willing to learn from Christians outside my own tradition?
- Do I distinguish essential doctrines from secondary disagreements?
- Is my theological knowledge making me more humble or more argumentative?
- Is my theology ultimately helping me see Jesus more clearly?
God, teach me to understand Your Word faithfully. Help me see the great story of Scripture, understand how its truths fit together, and learn humbly from Christians who have gone before me. Protect me from pride, careless interpretation, and loyalty to human systems above Your truth. Give me wisdom where Scripture is clear, humility where faithful Christians disagree, and a heart that always returns to Jesus Christ. May what I learn lead not merely to greater knowledge, but to deeper worship, stronger faith, and more faithful obedience. Amen.