Before we address this question, we will do well to first of all understand what “theology” is. The word theology comes from a combination of two Greek words, theos, meaning God, and logia, meaning knowledge or study. Thus theology is the study of God. It also means the science of God or the doctrine of God.
Our primary source when comes to studying theology is the Bible. Paul when writing to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16,17 he wrote “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Thus as Christians, it only makes sense that we should desire to learn more about God, His ways and also His will for our lives. To know God is to study God.
Jesus asked “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). You would already have a view on who is Jesus in order to answer this question. We all have a theology, a way that we think about and understand God, whether we know it or not. And our theology affects how we think about and understand God’s grace and salvation.
Theology thus is necessary so that our doctrinal beliefs are correct. This is because theology can help to guard us against heresies or false teachings. In the end times many false teachers and prophets will appear and will lead many astray. We need to be constantly vigilant and be like the Christians in Berea, searching the Scriptures daily and checking the doctrines (Acts 17:11).
Bruce Milne in his book “Know the Truth” [Downers Grove, III: InterVasity, 1982, p11] claims that ‘‘every Christian is a theologian.’’ According to him we all know something about God, yet we rarely think of what we know as ‘‘theology.”
In your views do you think we should study theology? And do you think Bruce Milne is correct when he claims that every Christian is a theologian?
