Thinking Theologically
About the Bible
The Living Word
Since God is beyond human understanding, we can't understand Him fully without His help
Sure you can look at nature and learn some things about God as Romans 1:19-20 explains (theologians call this “general revelation”), but unless God reveals himself to us, we can’t fully know what he is like. The Bible is like “insider knowledge” because through Scripture God shows us what he is like (theologians call this “special revelation”).
In this video, Nik discusses what it means to think theologically about the text we get most of our theology from.
So what is the Bible?
The Bible is not just one book, but a collection of books. It consists of many parts but tells one single story. One helpful way to understand the story of the Bible is to think about it as a five-act play.
If you want to go deeper with this concept, click below for an article that expands on this idea.
ACOP Core Belief
"The Bible is God’s divinely inspired written revelation of who he is and what he has done in redemptive history. It is true, powerful, authoritative and life-giving: a sure foundation for understanding God and living in Him."
Test Yourself
Answer
Think about it and Respond:
- What has been your experience with the Bible? How do you read it? E.g., like a “pinball machine” or more of a methodical approach?
- How does thinking of the bible as one big story about Jesus differ from reading the bible as an instructional book?