CFTE1 - Introduction to Theology

It is time for our Christian people, as we enter the 21st century, to come of spiritual age and understand that the theological systematization of our beliefs is not an option, but rather a necessity, just as the backbone is to a human being. Without it, faith lacks structure, it falters, and the church, pushed by every wind of doctrine, stumbles along. The purpose of this book is to initiate pastors and future pastors into theological study methods, without going into concrete details, but without forgetting any aspect. In short, it lays the necessary foundations for the student to be able to easily and independently deepen their understanding in the future.

“Theology must be a contemplation of the mysteries of God in a spirit of prayer,” wrote Pastor Pierre Courthial. Theological work must be carried out in an atmosphere of worship.

Theology comes after faith and its function is to explore the Word of God that has prompted this faith; theology is, in a way, a continuation of prayer, an act of thanksgiving in which, as Calvin wrote, “we know God and recognize ourselves in Him.”

It is true that theology involves research, but given the object of its study, it can never be a simple exercise of reason, but a task in which our whole being participates and in which purely intellectual work is followed by worship in spirit and in truth, characteristic of those who are students of divine Truth. Theological meditation must produce—and foster—the encounter with God, the incessantly renewed communion with Him; hence it is an exercise of faith as much as of reason, an instrument at the service of the believing community.

True theology is never mere theory, or simple discourse; it is always a gift from God through His Word and His Spirit; it is something dynamic; the truth of God, communicated by His Revelation, which reaches us, penetrates us, and renews us. To discover the truth of God—this is, ultimately, the mission of theology—is to encounter, not simply to know, this very God. Or put another way, through the encounter we know Him, and through knowledge we encounter Him. And there is no other way: I must let Him say what He is, what He wants, what I am, what He expects of me. In this encounter, God speaks to me of Himself and of me. I learn of His existence and am given the meaning of my own as a fallen creature and as a restored sinner. No, true theology is never mere theory: it is like a flame that burns us and enlightens us, vivifies us and transforms us. For this to be the case, theology can be nothing other than a reflection of God's thoughts, a careful listening to what God first wants to tell us in His Word. Evangelical theology goes to the Word to extract all its content and then to be able to present it in a consistent, orderly, and didactic manner.

Evangelical theology can be nothing more than a contemporary explanation of biblical Revelation, a reflection of revealed and eternal truth for the needs of God's people in their historical pilgrimage.