God Has Spoken

No one, upon waking today, decided whether or not to do theology. That decision was made long ago, on the day we learned to pray, to sing a hymn, or to explain to a child why God allows suffering. Every time someone speaks about God, sin, or salvation, they are already doing theology, well or poorly, consciously or not. The question was never whether we would have a theology, but whether it would be faithful to Scripture or would instead be pieced together from fragments of ideas picked up over a lifetime — ideas that are often mistaken precisely at the points that matter most for this life and for eternity.

In its Greek origin, the word theology is related to knowledge and discourse about God. In the Christian context, it refers to the systematic study of God and of everything He has revealed about Himself, His creation, salvation, and His purpose for all things. This definition points to three fundamental elements. The source is not our imagination but what God has revealed; the study does not depend on human intellectual ability alone but is carried out under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and the goal is not merely to accumulate information but to know God and live for His glory. Whenever any of these elements is abandoned, theological study loses its purpose and can degenerate into speculation, intellectual pride, or a mere accumulation of knowledge without true worship.

Scripture does not present all truths in a systematized way, the way a dictionary or a manual of concepts would. It contains history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom literature, Gospels, letters, and other literary genres, and the teaching on a given subject is often scattered across different books and periods of biblical history. Gathering these truths together, respecting their contexts and without adding to what God has revealed what He has not revealed, is one of the tasks of systematic theology. Its purpose is to correlate the whole of biblical teaching so as to present, as faithfully as possible, what Scripture teaches about each doctrine. It is precisely here that one of the most common and dangerous errors arises: pulling a verse out of its context to support an idea we had already decided to defend before examining Scripture. The Word of God must regulate our theology, not the other way around. No tradition, however respected, and no interpretation, however popular it may have become, stands above the teaching of Scripture rightly understood as a whole. Paul reminded Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16–17).

Given the greatness of God, a legitimate question arises: how can a finite creature truly know an infinite God? Scripture steers us between two extremes. On one hand, we will never be able to comprehend God exhaustively, for He is infinite and we are limited creatures. On the other hand, our limitation does not mean we are condemned to ignorance. Paul describes our present condition when he says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). To know in part does not mean possessing knowledge that is false or insufficient for faith and obedience, but recognizing that our knowledge is true, though limited. Moses expressed this same balance when he declared: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29). What God chose to hide was not revealed to satisfy our curiosity; what He revealed is sufficient to guide our faith, our life, and our obedience.

God makes Himself known through general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is the testimony He has left in creation, reaching every human being. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Ps 19:1). Paul likewise affirms that “his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Rom 1:20). This testimony is true and universal, but it has limits. Creation reveals that a powerful God exists and that human beings owe Him honor, but it does not, by itself, present the full message of redemption. It points to the Creator but does not reveal the way of salvation in Christ. It shows the greatness of God but does not fully proclaim how the sinner can be reconciled to Him.

This more specific revelation is called special revelation, through which God makes Himself known in a particular way in the history of redemption, in Scripture, and, supremely, in the person of Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews summarizes this progression when he declares: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb 1:1–2). John presents the culmination of this revelation when he affirms: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14). It is in special revelation that God makes Himself known in a redemptive way, revealing His purpose of salvation and manifesting Himself definitively in Jesus Christ. To study Scripture without arriving at Christ, then, is to stop reading before reaching its center, for the Lord Himself taught that the Scriptures testify about Him (John 5:39).

Faced with truths so great, someone might ask whether believing requires switching off the mind. It does not. God Himself invites human beings to reason through His truth: “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD” (Isa 1:18). Biblical faith is not an irrational leap in the dark but “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Augustine summarized this balance when he said that he believes in order to understand, and understands in order to believe. Faith does not eliminate understanding, but it recognizes that human reason has limits and that God has revealed truths that surpass our capacity to grasp exhaustively. This does not leave the Christian defenseless before hard questions. Peter commands us to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15). Faith does not fear thought; it recognizes that there are truths, such as the Trinity itself, that lie beyond our complete comprehension, without ever being contrary to reason or to what God has revealed.

All of this leads to a simple and necessary application. If every Christian, in some sense, already does theology, the question is what we will do with that responsibility. Set aside a regular time each week to read Scripture attentively, not as someone merely checking off a task, but as someone who longs to know God and submit their life to His truth. When you hear a new teaching, even from someone you admire, test it against the whole of Scripture, as the Bereans did, who examined the Scriptures daily to see if what they were told was true (Acts 17:11). As you pray, ask God not merely to increase your knowledge of Him, but to turn that knowledge into love, faith, and obedience. The prophet Hosea expressed the goal of this relationship when he declared: “Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD” (Hos 6:3). This knowledge will never be exhausted in this life. It begins, however, with a simple and fundamental decision: to open the Scriptures, to hear what God has revealed, and to let that truth shape our mind, our heart, and our life.