”Remember, the Old Testament prepares the way for the New. Prophets in the Old Testament looked up to Jesus, even though they didn’t understand His ministry. All they knew was something better was coming. Those of us who enjoy this better faith today look back at what Jesus did for us on the Cross of Calvary. Our faith for the future is strong because we look back at His finished work on the Cross of Calvary and the promises that follow.”
Jesus Is The Focus
What if your understanding of theology is flawed?
A group of Jehovah’s Witness evangelists paid me a visit in 2012. Despite my reluctance, they were determined to engage me in a biblical conversation about some aspects of the Christian faith. Our discussion primarily revolved around Jesus’ divinity. I wasted no time in affirming that Jesus is indeed God. They were firm in their belief that the Bible does not say so. One asked me the question Muslims and Atheists frequently ask Christians: “Can you show me where the Bible says Jesus is God?” At that time, I didn’t have sufficient knowledge to respond, but I knew that the Book of John provides ample evidence of Jesus’ divinity. Our argument went back and forth after I presented a couple of verses, eventually leading to a fatal disagreement before we parted ways.
One argument in that discussion caught my attention. According to them, the Bible identifies Jesus as the Son of God, but never directly refers to him as God. Their belief is that He is the Son of God, not God Himself. I presented John 10:30 to them, where Jesus declares, “I and my Father are one,” and the subsequent verses where the Pharisees attempted to stone Him for asserting equality with the Father. But they did not agree with it.
Most disagreements among Christians arise from varying theological approaches. Although theology is important for understanding the Bible, its role and purpose have often been misunderstood. The role of theology is to offer additional insight into biblical claims. Theology contributes to enhance our understanding of Scripture by providing extra pieces of evidence, not a new revelation. Those who haven’t grasped the role of theology prioritize their own man-made theological ideas over Scriptures. Their focus shifts to defending their school of thought rather than spreading the Gospel and accurately interpreting the Word of Truth.
Here are two significant roles of theology that emerged from my discussion with the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Bible is a book that holds God’s Word and revelations for humans. Theology is the method by which we seek and reason about God, His Word, and His will for humankind, organizing information and gathering evidence to understand Him better. The content of the Bible is God’s Word, not theology. The Word of God in the Bible possesses the power to change lives, not theology. Theology only seeks to shed more light on biblical revelations by bringing in additional evidence and information. Furthermore, theology plays that role only when the Bible permits it.
Failing to grasp this will undoubtedly result in elevating your theology above the content of the Bible. That’s exactly what those Jehovah’s Witness evangelists were doing. Had they prioritized the Word of God, their theology would have thoroughly analyzed Bible verses that exalt Jesus to the status of God. From that exercise, they would have used reason to conclude that Jesus is indeed God.
Second, the role of theology is not to replace the Bible, but to complement it. The existence of genuine theology depends on the Bible’s content. The Bible’s content prompts genuine theological reflections and leads Christians into theological exploration. If theology exists independently of the Bible’s content, it lacks the Holy Spirit’s backing.
Most Christian groups claim their theological beliefs are based on the Bible, but that’s not true. Their theological frameworks originate from human thinking. What do I mean? Instead of starting with the Bible and moving towards theological reflections, they start with man-made doctrines and move towards the Bible.
How did the Jehovah’s Witness evangelists conclude Jesus is not God, despite evidence in the Bible and history suggesting otherwise? While they may argue they did a genuine biblical analysis, their beliefs are rooted in man-made doctrines promoted by the Watch Tower Society. It is contradictory to reject the outcome of a logical examination of Bible verses in their appropriate contexts that proves Jesus’ divinity and the reality of eternal punishment in hell, while still asserting the Bible as the basis for your theology. Hence, they revised and published their own Bible to align with their man-made convictions.
When people misuse and prioritize theology over Scripture, that is the result. Those individuals often feel the need to defend the beliefs of their school of thought. Ultimately, each person follows their own path. As a result, various denominations and Christian movements emerged, each promoting conflicting theologies. This is a tactic Satan employs to sow confusion among believers and hinder the effectiveness of the Gospel.
If you are interested in discovering more roles theology plays in complementing the Bible, I recommend this research work, The Bible Vs Theology. Give a gift to someone and spread the Word within your family and community. Some funds raised from sales help orphanages and social innovation projects in rural areas. Discover more about The Bible Vs Theology on my blog (jmwoloko.treff-end.com) or by following me on social media, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
Remain Blessed!
If you’ve read the article before, then you already know the answer is yes. Our misunderstanding of theology has led to confusion regarding its true meaning and purpose. Let’s examine a more comprehensive definition of theology that highlights both its true significance and its intended purpose. In the book The Bible Vs Theology, I define theology as ‘‘The method we use to interpret what God reveals in the Bible and universe by presenting pieces of evidence in an organized manner.’’ I describe the Bible as the ‘‘Book that contains God’s Word and will for humanity.’’
Among the eleven differences I discovered between the Bible’s content and theological thoughts, let’s examine five of them.
The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 2:21, Romans 15:4). Theology isn’t always inspired by the Holy Spirit. Bias, subjectivity, and prejudice can corrupt our theological analysis. Theology is pure and reliable only with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The authenticity and truth of the Bible are unquestionable. Not every theological thought can be considered genuine and accurate. Some are human suggestions, opinions, and suggestions to fill in certain knowledge gaps.
The Bible is sufficient. Even without theology, we can still lead a fulfilled Christian life. Theology cannot exist independently. To be considered genuine, it needs to draw inspiration from the Bible. Furthermore, one can never have enough theological knowledge. There are no limits to how far we can take its development. At some stage, you grow weary of theology.
The Bible is known for its consistency and trustworthiness. It perfectly interprets itself from Genesis to Revelation. Our lack of knowledge about ancient times might pose some minor challenges. However, the knowledge we gain from the Bible’s content far outweighs the struggles we face. Moreover, we are continuously learning and uncovering additional evidence to shed light on those challenges. Often, theological ideas lack logical consistency, reliability, and truth. Theologians make topics more difficult by using complicated terms and terminologies, resulting in confusion.
The Bible was inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, but any trustworthy theology stems from the Bible. Have you grasped the rationale behind some denominations rewriting the Bible? Instead of starting from the Bible and expanding, their theology takes a different approach. They have their own individual ideas and interpretations of God’s nature. They must revise the Bible and manipulate certain biblical terminologies to fit their viewpoint, since it doesn’t support their position.
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Remain Blessed!!