People often hear pastors and Bible teachers talk about theology, but they want to know, “What is theology?”

Well, here is one definition of theology:

Did that definition of theology help any?

I didn’t think so.

If you are like me, you are probably more confused (and bored) now than you were before you read that definition of theology. If you are asking, “What is theology?” the only thing you really learned from that definition of theology above is that theology is confusing and boring. But take heart, theology doesn’t have have to be this way.

When properly taught, theology is not confusing and is never be boring. When properly studied, theology sets the heart on fire and opens up the mind to imagination and wonder. Let me show you how.

What is Theology?

Here at Till He Comes, my goal is to Bring Scripture and Theology to Life. I not only desire to write about these subjects in ways that are interesting and engaging, but also write about them in a way which shows how they affect your life right now.

So when people ask, “What is theology?” I not only seek to answer the question and provide a definition of theology that makes sense, but also to show how theology matters and how it makes a difference in your life today.

What is theology? Here is the basic definition of theology: Theology literally means “the study of God.”

But theology is so much more than that. When theology is truly studied, it ushers you into a deep relationship with God. Theology is not simply the study of God, but an interaction with God, a conversation with Him and with others about the deep mysteries of divinity. Theology is thinking God’s thoughts after Him. It is tracing the mind and heart of God, and learning to see the world through the eyes of God.

What is theology? Theology is entering into a lifelong conversation with God about Himself, ourselves, and how He wants to live life with us.

What is theology? Theology is learning to make God your best friend.

That sounds more exciting than the boring definition of theology provided in the image above, right?

Learning Theology

I suppose my answer to the question, “What is theology?” needs some examples.  If theology is ultimately an adventure with God, then theology cannot really be taught, but must be experienced. However, learning theology is the first step in experiencing theology. So below I provide some basic instruction about theology, the various categories of theology, and some of my own thoughts about theology.

You may notice by looking through the posts below that this is a work in progress. But that again is a truth about theology. When we ask, “What is theology?” we cannot expect to learn theology in an afternoon. Learning theology is a life-long process, which I believe will be continued in eternity. Just as God is infinite, so learning about God requires infinity.

In the post below, I seek to answer the question “What is theology?” by sharing with you some of what I have learned about theology over the years, and by asking some of the questions I still have.

There are two types of posts below. Some contain summaries of my seminary class notes. I know this might sound boring, but I do my best to summarize them in an interesting way.

However, after I summarize my notes, it is then that things really get lively. I take the theology I was taught, and then challenge, question, and critique it in a way I was not able to do in seminary (at least, not if I wanted to graduate).

Eventually, there will be hundreds of posts on this page, so you may want to Subscribe to the Blog so that you get new posts as they are published.

The posts are divided into the traditional categories of Systematic Theology:

What is theology? Click on a link to jump to that section of the page
|  Introduction  |  Bibliology  |  Theology Proper  |  Anthropology  |  Hamartiology  |  Christology  |  Soteriology  |  Pneumatology  |  Ecclesiology  |  Eschatology  |  Angelology  |

Introduction to Theology

• Theology Introduction Category Posts
• Recovering from Seminary
• Theological Prolegomena
  • Paul Never Wrote About Justification
  • Adding Love to Theology
  • God is not a Science Project
  • The Different Types of Theology
  • Divisions of Systematic Theology
  • Introduction to Theology: A Reading List
• Is Interest in Theology Waning?
• Theology Quotes for your Critique
• Theology God
• What’s More Important: Truth or Love?
• Knowing Your Theology
• Questions about Theology

Bibliology

• Theology of the Bible Category Posts
• Introduction: Bibliology is Dangerous
• Divine Revelation
  • Hearing from God
  • Dueling Revelations
  • Scripture vs. Science: Who Wins?
  • Revelation is Like a Bouquet of Roses
  • Seminary Class Notes on General Revelation
  • Seminary Class Notes on Special Revelation
  • Is God Red in Tooth and Claw?
  • How you can know the Bible is Divine Revelation
  • Get Rich Quick: Start Your Own Religion
• Inspiration of Scripture
  • Views of the Inspiration of Scripture
  • I Don’t Believe in the Inspiration of Scripture
  • One Verse Doctrines
  • The Uninspired History of Inspiration
  • Is All Scripture God-Breathed?
  • A New Take on 2 Timothy 3:16
  • Is the Doctrine of Inspiration Biblical?
  • The Bible is not a Magic Book
  • Jesus Condemns Bible Study
  • Debating Inspiration with Myself
  • Why the KJV is an Inspired Translation
  • Which Bible Translation is Best?
  • The Best Bible Translation
  • The Inspiration of Nature
  • Most Inspired Comments
• Inerrancy of Scripture
  • I am Always Right
  • Inerrancy of Scripture (Seminary Notes)
  • How to Solve Biblical Difficulties
  • Arguments Against Inerrancy
  • The Bible Contains Errors
  • Why Inerrancy Doesn’t Matter (…too much)
  • Is the Bible a Fable?
  • What if the Bible is  Myth?
  • The Problem with the Bible
  • Why was the Bible Written? 
  • How is the Bible True?
  • The Bible Was Not Written to You
  • Stop Living Like Jesus
  • Stop Obeying the Bible
• The Canonization of Scripture (Seminary Notes)
  • Questioning the Canon of Scripture
  • How the Early Church Undermined Inerrancy
• Miscellaneous Posts
  • The Impossibility of Properly Understanding Scripture
• Questions about Bibliology

Theology Proper

• Theology of God Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Anthropology

• Theology of Man Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Hamartiology

• Theology of Sin Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Christology

• Theology of Christ Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Soteriology

• Theology of Salvation Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Pneumatology

• Theology of the Holy Spirit Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Ecclesiology

• Theology of the Church Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Eschatology

• Theology of the End Times Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Angelology

• Theology of Angels Category Posts
• More posts on this topic coming soon. Subscribe now to get notified of updates!

Books that Help with the “What is Theology?” Question

If you are eager to learn more about theology and cannot wait for me to finish the posts above, here are a few theology books that I recommend which will help answer your questions about theology. If you still want to know “What is theology?” the books below will help.

• Norman Geisler’s Systematic Theology
• Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology
• Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology

If you have any questions about theology you want me to answer, please out the form below, and I will try to answer it in a future blog post.