Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology

 Condensed Theology: A Definition
„ A simplified treatment of systematic theology
„ Aimed at all believers: from newborn babes in
Christ through mature and seasoned saints
„ With a view to providing them with an orderly
and biblical framework for comprehending the
entire teaching of Scripture
 An Orderly and Biblical Framework

„ The picture on the left represents various texts of Scripture

„ The picture on the right, a given topic from Scripture
„ In order to understand the parts of a thing, we must know
something of the whole
This Is How We Came to Faith

This is what the

Bible says about
God, man, sin,
Jesus Christ, and
faith.
This Is How Did Not Come to Faith

Begin reading
from Genesis 1,
and you’ll figure
things out.
Which Came First?
„ Does systematic theology
precede exegetical
theology?
„ Or does exegetical
theology precede
systematic theology?
„ Logically, exegetical
theology is primary and
systematic theology is
secondary
„ Nevertheless, each informs
the other
 Each Informs the Other
„ This is especially the case when the theological
presuppositions of the theologian include the
unity of the Bible
„ For example, if we believe that the Bible’s voice
is univocal, then we should expect to see
consistency in its handling of a given subject
„ So if our exegesis yields a conclusion that, say,
denies the doctrine of the Trinity, then on the
basis of the Bible’s teaching on the Trinity, we
should be suspicious of our exegesis
 Each Informs the Other
„ Conversely, if after careful examination of our
exegesis on a given subject we discover that our
conclusions are true, then that conclusion will
inform our understanding of the Scripture’s
teaching of that subject as a whole.
„ In fact, systematic theologians routinely say that
their work makes use of the material of biblical
and exegetical theology, often building on their
results.
An Orderly and Biblical
Framework for
Comprehending the
Entire Teaching of
Scripture
 Dividing the Entire Teaching of
Scripture

„ The entire teaching of Scripture can be divided

into several categories and sub-categories
„ These categories, derived from Scripture itself,
provide the orderly framework necessary to
make sense of the parts of Scripture
 The Traditional
Categories of Systematic
Theology
 Bibliology
„ The doctrine of Scripture
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about
Scripture?
 Theology
„ The doctrine of God
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about God?
 Anthropology
„ The doctrine of man
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about
humanity?
 Christology
„ The doctrine of Christ
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about Jesus
Christ?
 Soteriology
„ The doctrine of salvation
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about
salvation?
 Ecclesiology
„ The doctrine of the church
„ What does the whole Bible teach us about the
church?
 Eschatology
„ The doctrine of last things
„ What does the Bible teach us about the future?
Our Presuppositions
Our Approach to Theology Is Based
on Several Assumptions
Let’s Look at Three
What Our Study Assumes, or Issues
of Theological Prolegomena
„ The word prolegomena is derived from a Greek
word that means, “to say beforehand”
„ Thus theological prolegomena addresses
subjects essential to the study of theology, but
properly speaking, must be addressed before we
actually engage in the theological task
„ Historically, the doctrine of Scripture has been a
major aspect of theological prolegomena
 Assumption #1:
The Authority of the Bible
„ By “the Bible” we mean only the sixty-six books
of the Old and New Testaments
„ By “authority” we mean that no other source of
special revelation has been consulted, as there is
no other source of special revelation available to
us today
 Assumption #2:
The Unity of the Bible
„ By “unity” we mean that we understand the
Bible to present us with a coherent and singular
picture of the doctrines of Christianity
„ That is, we understand the sixty-six books of the
Old and New Testament to be a thoroughly
Christian book
 Assumption #3:
The Coherence of the Bible
„ By “coherence” we mean that our conclusions
concerning what the Bible teaches as a whole
will be mutually consistent
„ What the Bible teaches will fit together without
contradiction
 Our Assumptions Inform our
Process of Doing Theology
„ Earlier, we gave the example that on the basis of
the teaching of Scripture as a whole on the
subject of the Trinity, my anti-Trinitarian
exegetical conclusion must be held with
suspicion, and ultimately rejected
„ If, however, we did not assume first that the
Bible could yield a unified “doctrine of the
Trinity,” our exegetical conclusion would have
to be rejected (if at all) on some other basis
 Objections to
Systematic Theology
 Objections to Systematic Theology
„ It distorts the true meaning of Scripture in order to fit it
neatly into artificial categories
„ It establishes the groundwork for what we might call
“theology of the vicious circle”; the categories
themselves determine the conclusions. For example, if
you begin with the question, “What does the whole
Bible teach about biblical unity?” you assume (among
other things) that the Bible has something to say about
its unity
 Response to Objection 1
„ Objection one says that traditional systematic theology distorts
the true meaning of Scripture in order to fit it neatly into
artificial categories
„ First, although it is certainly possible for such distortions to take
place, the procedure itself does not cause the distortions. If I try
to jam a square peg into a round hole and succeed, then inside
my box of rounds will be a square. My critic can then point out
my error, I can retrieve the square peg and place it in its proper
place. So I would respond to my objector by saying that if there
are places where I have twisted the Scripture in order to get it to
fit into my category, show me what they are that I can make the
proper adjustments.
 Response to Objection 1
„ Second, this objection in reality is grounded in a rejection of the
unity of the Bible. Think of it like this, if I were to ask, “What
do all seminary professors teach about prayer?” I would not be
able to come up with a coherent whole. This is because the
professors are not unified in their understanding of prayer. This
is how many objectors to the task of traditional systematic
theology understand the Bible. It is not unified; it is a collection
of works compiled over some 1000-1500 years. Therefore if I
try to answer “What does the whole Bible teach about prayer?” I
am engaging in a futile exercise, not unlike the one we
hypothetically performed with seminary professors. Our answer
therefore to the objection that systematic theology distorts the
true meaning of Scripture is that if the Bible were not a unity,
they would be right; but since it is a unity, they are not.
 Response to Objection 2
„ Objection two says that traditional systematic
theology establishes the groundwork for what
we might call “theology of the vicious circle”;
the categories themselves determine the
conclusions. For example, if you begin with the
question, “What does the whole Bible teach
about biblical unity?” you assume (among other
things) that the Bible has something to say about
its unity
 Response to Objection 2
„ First, the subject of our question does not necessarily
dictate the conclusion we reach. For example, if I were
to ask, “What does the whole Bible teach about
quantum mechanics?” I would not necessarily conclude
that the Bible has something to say on the subject.
Though it is certainly true that our individual and
cultural concerns often dictate the subjects we may treat
in our systematic approach, this does not make such an
inquiry invalid, or lead us into “the theology of the
circle.”
 Response to Objection 2
„ Second, this objection is grounded in a rejection
of the authority of the Bible; for if we believe
that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and
practice, then we will be concerned to ask
questions of it that relate to areas of faith and
practice handled not only at the center, but also
at the periphery of the biblical witness. Indeed,
we are compelled to ask such questions.
 Response to Objection 2
„ Third, the reality is that Christians of every ilk
are asking and answering such questions all the
time. It’s just that we do it in a more or less
whimsical fashion. The result of such
theological whimsy is that our conclusions will
be based on partial evidence and a selective
reading of the Bible.
 Our Rationale
Why Teach Condensed Theology?
 Biblical Justification
„ The example of Jesus
„ Luke 24:27: Then beginning with Moses and with all the
prophets, He explained to them the things concerning
Himself in all the Scriptures.
„ Luke 24:44-47: Now He said to them, “These are My words
which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things
which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the
Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to
them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise
again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for
forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all
the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
 Biblical Justification
„ Jesus addressed a variety of subjects from the Hebrew Bible,
most specifically, its Christology (the doctrine of himself)
„ Luke 4:16-21: And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up;
and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and
stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to
Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to
proclaim the favorable year of the lord.” And He closed the book, gave it
back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue
were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture
has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
„ John 5:46: For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote
about Me.
 Biblical Justification
„ The church’s mandate to disciple the nations
„ Matt 28:18-20: And Jesus came up and spoke to
them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded
you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end
of the age.”
 Biblical Justification
„ All that Jesus commanded includes the apostolic
witness
„ Acts 1:1: The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus
began to do and teach.
„ 1 Cor 14:37: If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him
recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s
commandment.
„ John 14:26: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in
My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
that I said to you.
„ John 16:13: But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you
into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but
whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to
come.
 Biblical Justification
„ All that Jesus commanded includes the apostolic
witness
„ 1 Thess 4:15: For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we
who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede
those who have fallen asleep.
„ 2 Pet 3:2: That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by
the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken
by your apostles.
„ Rev 1:1-3: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show
to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent
and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who
testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to
all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of
the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is
near.
 Biblical Justification
„ Since the apostolic witness as well as the teaching of
Jesus preserved in the gospels and Acts include the Old
Testament Scriptures as their authority, we conclude
that any responsible teaching of “all that Christ
commanded” will necessarily include the Old
Testament as well.
 Logical/Philosophical Justification
„ In order to understand a specific text or passage
of Scripture, it is necessary to see it in the
context of the Bible as a whole
„ The categories of systematic theology allow us
to do just that
 Conclusion
„ If we are going to teach obedience to everything
that Christ commanded, it is absolutely
necessary for us to collect, organize, and impart
its content to others as part of our mandate to
make disciples of every people group.
„ If we are going to make sense of the parts of the
Bible we discover through exegesis, we need to
have some grasp of the whole
 Glossary of Terms
„ Anthropology: the doctrine of man
„ Bibliology: the doctrine of Scripture
„ Christology: the doctrine of Jesus Christ
„ Ecclesiology: the doctrine of the church
„ Eschatology: the doctrine of last things
„ Exegesis: the process of interpreting specific texts of
Scripture
„ Theological Prolegomena: the foundational
assumptions for the task of theology
„ Theology: the doctrine of God
„ Soteriology: the doctrine of salvation