Theological Method

Every Reader Is Building Something

Every Christian who opens a Bible is building something. Out of the verses we read, we form convictions about God, salvation, the church, and the future, and those convictions shape how we pray, worship, raise our children, and face death. The question is never whether we will interpret the Bible. Interpretation is unavoidable. The question is whether we are doing it faithfully.

That is what theological method is about: how we move from the words on the page to sound doctrine. It sounds like a dry subject, but Scripture treats it as a serious one. The devil himself quoted the Bible to Jesus, lifting a promise from Psalm 91:11–12 and bending it into a temptation (Matthew 4:6). Jesus did not answer by setting Scripture aside. He answered, It is written again (Matthew 4:7). The misuse of Scripture was answered by the right use of Scripture.

Mishandling the Bible is never neutral. The false prophets of Jeremiah's day spoke a vision of their own heart in the Lord's name (Jeremiah 23:16), and Peter warns that the unstable wrest the Scriptures unto their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Saying God said what He did not say dishonors Him, misleads others, and emboldens error.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”2 TIMOTHY 2:15 · KJV

Paul's picture is a workman. A good craftsman studies his materials, keeps good tools, and takes pains to make a true cut, because his work will be inspected. Ours will be inspected too, unto God. So we do not read Scripture only for inspiration; we study it for transformation. We do not study it only for information; we examine it for application. Our study should lead to obedience that pleases God, not knowledge that impresses others.