What Exactly is Theology?

For many Christians, theology is something that is consigned for seminaries, books over 3 inches thick, and Europe during the Reformation.

However, every believer should consider themselves a theologian, as we all seek to know and understand God.

Strictly defined, theology is simply the study of the nature of God. Whenever we attempt to deepen our knowledge about God and His attributes, we are studying theology. We should never think that this is a realm reserved for academics and those whose LinkedIn profiles include “Theologian” as their job title.

It is not uncommon to hear someone state that because they already believe in God and the saving work of Jesus, they don’t have the need for studying theology. Such a statement reveals two issues; first, they are assuming that studying theology is a dry and difficult task best left to the professionals. Secondly, they don’t realize that they are already a theologian to some degree. A classical description of theology is “faith seeking understanding.” Every Bible study, Sunday school class, church service, and personal quiet time in the Word is dedicated to just that. When we devote our attention to knowing God better we are engaged in theology.

Of course, there are many facets of developing a proper systematic theology (which attempts to arrange Biblical, theological truths into one consistent whole). While there are many different parts to this, such as the study of Jesus or the study of Scripture, we don’t need to attempt a definition for each or compile an exhaustive list.

For the purposes of this article, it is enough for us to realize that we don’t need to don powdered wigs and black robes before sitting down to “do theology.” Instead we must understand that when we search the Scriptures for answers about life, Jesus, God, and an endless number of other topics we are actively studying theology.

In short: The everyday Christian should be studying theology every day. Tweet That

This is the first post in the article series titled
Everyday Theology for the Everyday Christian

• What Exactly is Theology
• Good Ways to Develop Bad Theology
• How to Start Studying Theology
• The Importance of Studying Doctrine