If you are going to be serious about Bible study, then you must get just as serious about the word  “theology.” Theology comes from two Greek words: theos meaning “God” and logos meaning “word” or “teaching.” A quick comparison can be found in the words astronomy versus astrology. Astronomy is what scientists do when they study the stars and universe and the laws (nomos) that govern them, and astrologers are “psychics” that tell you through zodiac signs what the stars are teaching (logos). In essence, theology is a word that describes any teaching about God!

One very important thing to remember about theology is that every single human being on Earth possesses a theological understanding of God. This point is intimately connected to our understanding of presuppositionalism or presuppositional apologetics. In other words, if you’re an atheist, your theology is that God does not exist. Now we know that the Bible doesn’t teach that (or there would be no Bible), but that is still nevertheless a theological statement. Others may hold to the idea that God is everywhere and inside of all of us, or that God and nature are one. Regardless of anyone’s position about God, all theology must start with our understanding of God or we cannot construct any kind of reality, regardless if it is right or wrong.

With the previous thought in mind, for those who are born again, theology is the life and sustenance of every believer. Theology teaches us how to pray when to pray, and what to pray for. It provides us with information on how God views sin, how he sanctifies us, and our future hope in heaven. It reveals to us a proper view of Satan, Angels, and Demons. It instructs us about Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father.

It informs us concerning salvation, regeneration, and the gospel. Without theology, how would we know how a Christian is supposed to act, talk, and think? Unless we desire to know what God teaches, it would be impossible to know if we are really Christians, or to know Him intimately as we should! Theology is not something that is theoretical that we talk about from time to time as believers, but it is the divine blueprint and instruction from God’s Word for every part of our lives. And since it is impossible to make any statement about God without it being theological, it is extremely crucial that we go to the source (the Bible) and diligently study to understand Him and His teachings correctly.

Lessons covered at CCN Theology 101 courses: Angelology, Demonology, Christology, Eschatology (specifically signs of the End of the Age), Pneumatology (Holy Spirit), Hamartiology (Sin), and Christian Anthropology (Nature of Man).