The Bible is Not Systematic Theology

One of the great frustration for biblical scholars is when people confuse the Bible with systematic Christian theology. It’s not that these things are unrelated, but they are distinct from each other and function very differently. Let’s look at the differences in nature and function.

The Nature of the Bible vs. Systematic Theology

The Bible isa library of different books by different authors and comprised of many different genres (stories, poetry, visions, speeches, etc.). We might describe biblical texts as diverse in nature. Not only are the various books and authors unique, but they portray a variety of theological understandings about God, the world, sin, etc.

Systematic theology, on the other hand, is a synthesis of ideas about God—often but not exclusively from Scripture—into a structured framework. We might call systematics unified in nature.

Example: One common statement of Christian theology is, “God is omniscient” meaning that God knows everything. Theologians have to do certain types of thinking and argumentation to arrive at this definitive statement about God. They use logical and philosophical propositions to determine what might most helpfully said about God. For example: “If God is Creator and has made all things, then logically God must know all things since he created them.”

Now, many places in Scripture do claim that God knows everything (for example, Psalm 149:1-4; Heb 4:13). But when we survey all the biblical material, however, we can find many stories that portray God as not knowing everything. For example, Gen 6:6 gives the reason God destroys the earth with a flood: “And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” For God to be sorry that he made people implies that he didn’t know how bad things would get.

The Function of Scripture vs. Systematics

The function of the Bible and systematic theology is different as well. We might say that the Bible is descriptive of individuals’ and people groups’ experiences with God. It expresses the feelings, thoughts, and responses to these encounters. In fact, scholars refer to biblical documents and manuscripts as “witnesses,” which gets at this notion.

The function of systematic theology could be understood as prescriptive, meaning that it seeks to offer language for communities to talk about matters of faith. It’s also prescriptive in that theology tries to give shape to faith by solidifying this language into principles of belief or doctrines for theChurch to affirm corporately.

Example: The Bible uses varied language of divinity about God,Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Scripture never refers, however, to the named concept of The Trinity, Triune Godhead, or Three-In-One. This diversity inScripture led to several ecumenical councils in the first several hundred years of the church (the Council of Nicaea kicked these off in 325 CE). Lots of discussions were held over a long period of time to reconcile this varied language about God to a statement that Christians could agree on as their collective understanding and proclamation of who God is to the Church.

The history of the translation of 1 John 5:7-8 and its relation to trinity doctrine demonstrates the confusion of Scripture and systematic theology. In the earlier manuscripts of 1 John, the text reads, “There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree.” These three elements are all motifs in the Johannine literature and refer to ways that Jesus is revealed to be the divine Son of God.

But later manuscripts insert into v.7: “There are three that testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; these three are one.” We can see how this later version reflects a theological doctrine that took time to develop after the letter was written but is read back into the text.

Thinking Together

Here’s the good news: we don’t need to make Scripture explicitly describe the Trinity to use trinitarian language to talk about God! We don’t need theBible to say that there’s such a thing as a Triune Godhead to believe in thisOne God in Three Persons!

A better way to think about the difference between the Bible and theChurch’s theology is that each are different gifts; both offer ways to think and talk about God. Scripture gives us a variety of ways to identify with God’s people, and the library of Scripture offers us many different examples to approach different situations and decisions. Theology gives us a way to communicate within the Church and to organize worship. It offers structure and shape to our communal witness in the world.

Interestingly, it is by allowing the Bible and systematic theology to be each their own unique enterprises that we can truly appreciate the beauty and service of both.

‍