Intro to Theology

THEOLOGY FOR EVERYONE

Part 1 - God, the Bible, and Man          Wk 1 - Introduction to Theology

1. What is theology and who is a theologian?

   1. “Words about God”

   2. Theos (God) and -ology (logos, word or idea)

   3. Everyone is a theologian (1 Tim. 4:16)

   4. Difference between study of religion (man-centered) and study of theology (God-centered)

2. What is the goal of theology?

   1. To organize truths about God in ways that are accessible and helpful (Luke 24:25-27)

   2. To draw us into deeper worship of God as we gain deeper understanding (Eph. 3:17-20)

3. What is Systematic Theology - “any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic”

   1. Doctrine - What the whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic

   2. Major Doctrines

      1. The Bible

      2. God

      3. Man

      4. Sin

      5. Jesus Christ

      6. Salvation

      7. Angels, Demons, and Satan

      8. The Holy Spirit

      9. The Church

      10. The End Times

4. Why study theology?

   1. Theological Knowledge is lacking

      1. Thestateoftheology.com

   1. Provides a framework for the whole of scripture which supports your understanding of any individual part (a bird’s eye view)

   2. To be able to answer questions and fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20)

   3. Be able to recognize dangerous teaching (Matt. 7:15; Eph. 4:11-14)

   4. “The heart cannot love what the mind does not know”

   5. Objections

      1. I don’t need theology; I just need Jesus.

      2. Nobody can know for certain

      3. The Holy Spirit teaches me what I need to know

      4. Isn’t theology just divisive?

5. Dangers of Theology

   1. Theology book replaces the Bible

   2. We don’t increase in awe of God as we increase in knowledge

   3. We don’t increase in awe of God’s grace

6. Are all matters of theology of equal importance?

   1. Matters of utmost importance are matters related to the gospel. These are also matters of which the Bible speaks with most clarity.

   2. Theological Triage by Al Mohler

      1. First Tier - Disagreement means you’re not a Christian

      2. Second Tier - Disagreement means doing church together is difficult

      3. Third Tier - Disagreement means little in church life

   1. What is heresy?

      1. A belief in opposition to orthodox teachings to which if held will result in your eternal damnation

Class Plans

Part 1 - God, the Bible, and Man

Wk 1 - Theology - Introduction to Theology

Wk 2 - Bible - One Big Story, Origins

Wk 3 - Bible - Necessity, Inerrancy, “Contradictions”

Wk 4 - Bible - Authority, Clarity, Sufficiency

Wk 5 - God - Trinity, Existence, Common Proofs

Wk 6 - God - Creation

Wk 7 - God - Providence

Wk 8 - God - Shared and Unique Attributes

Wk 9 - Man - Image of God, Male/Female, Purpose

Wk 10 - Man - Sin, Guilt/Corruption, Depravity, Punishment

Part 2 - Jesus, Salvation, and Spiritual Beings

Part 3 - The Holy Spirit, the Church, and the End Times