Biblical theology is the study of the teachings of the Bible and how they develop throughout the entirety of Scripture. It looks at the overarching themes and unified message of the Bible across both the Old and New Testaments. The goal of biblical theology is to understand the theological ideas presented in Scripture in their original context and trace their progression as God reveals Himself through His interactions with humanity over time.
Some key aspects of biblical theology include:
- Studying the Bible as a whole, not just isolated verses or passages
- Seeing the unity of the Bible as God revealing His plan of redemption through humanity’s history
- Understanding how biblical themes build throughout Scripture
- Looking at the context and original meaning of theological concepts
- Tracing the development of theological ideas across the biblical storyline
- Seeing how all Scripture points to Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promises
Biblical theology examines Scripture through several lenses:
Covenant Theology
Covenant theology looks at how God relates to humanity through covenants, or agreements, that build on one another throughout Scripture. There are several major covenants in the Bible:
- The covenant with Abraham – God promises to bless Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-3)
- The Mosaic covenant – God gives Israel the law at Mount Sinai after delivering them from Egypt (Exodus 19-24)
- The Davidic covenant – God promises an everlasting kingdom under the line of David (2 Samuel 7:8-16)
- The new covenant – God promises to forgive sin and write the law on people’s hearts through the work of Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Each covenant builds on the ones before it, ultimately pointing ahead to the new covenant instituted through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Covenant theology helps us see the unified story of Scripture.
Kingdom Theology
Kingdom theology looks at God’s sovereign reign over all of creation. Though humanity rebelled against God’s kingdom through sin, God is working to redeem and restore His kingdom on earth through Christ. Key aspects of kingdom theology include:
- God as the Creator and rightful King over all (Psalm 24:1)
- Rebellion against God’s kingdom through sin (Genesis 3)
- The coming of God’s kingdom on earth through Jesus (Mark 1:15)
- The current “already but not yet” aspect of God’s kingdom
- The future fulfillment and restoration of God’s kingdom (Revelation 21-22)
Kingdom theology helps us understand Scripture through the lens of God’s sovereign reign unfolding throughout history.
Biblical Theology vs. Systematic Theology
Biblical theology focuses on the progressive unfolding of theological concepts within the Bible itself. Systematic theology, on the other hand, approaches the Bible by categorizing doctrine into different topics. Systematic theology seeks to summarize and synthesize key theological ideas in a coherent manner. The two approaches are complementary, with biblical theology focusing on the original meaning and context of theological ideas as they develop throughout Scripture, and systematic theology seeking to organize those discoveries into a logical framework.
Old Testament Biblical Theology
Within the Old Testament, there are progressive steps in how God reveals theological truth. Biblical theology traces concepts like sin, sacrifice, the law, holiness, and others as they build throughout the Old Testament. Some key developments include:
- The introduction of sin and its consequences in Genesis 3
- The covenant with Abraham where God promises redemption (Genesis 15:1-6)
- The Mosaic law that exposes humanity’s inability to earn righteousness (Romans 3:20)
- The sacrificial system pointing ahead to Christ’s sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-4)
- The Davidic covenant introducing the messianic line (2 Samuel 7:12-16)
- The promises of a new covenant that will deal with sin (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
Seeing how these theological themes build throughout the Old Testament helps us appreciate the unity and progressive nature of God’s revelation in Scripture.
New Testament Biblical Theology
Within the New Testament, biblical theology focuses on how Old Testament themes are transformed and fulfilled in Christ. Jesus is the climax of God’s redemptive plan. Key developments include:
- Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies
- The inauguration of the new covenant through Christ’s blood (Luke 22:20)
- The kingdom of God arriving in Jesus but awaiting future consummation (Luke 17:20-21)
- New covenant realities like regeneration and indwelling of the Holy Spirit
- The church as the new covenant community (Acts 2)
- The theological significance of Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-14)
Biblical theology helps us see how the New Testament is the fulfillment of all that was building up to it in the Old Testament.
The Use of Biblical Theology
Studying biblical theology is crucial for properly understanding and applying Scripture. Here are some key benefits:
- It keeps interpretation grounded in the biblical context
- It promotes understanding the unified storyline and message of the Bible
- It helps the reader appreciate the depth and complexity of biblical themes
- It shows how all Scripture points to Christ
- It engages the reader in the progressive journey of revelation
- It properly orients biblical application around the biblical theology exposed in the text
Whether studying personally or teaching others, biblical theology is vital for grasping the intended meaning of Scripture on its own terms.
Dangers of Biblical Theology
While biblical theology is essential, there are also inherent dangers that must be avoided:
- Focusing on the “big picture” at the expense of proper analysis of individual passages in their context
- Forcing a conceptual storyline that distorts the diversity of Scripture
- Looking for novel theological themes not grounded in the text itself
- Ignoring or downplaying legitimate biblical themes
- Creating a “canon within a canon” by elevating certain parts of Scripture
- Allowing agendas or preconceptions to dictate the biblical theology produced
Responsible biblical theology must be grounded in careful, context-driven exegesis, open to correction from all biblical evidence.
Major Approaches to Biblical Theology
There are various approaches scholars have taken to biblical theology throughout history:
- Redemptive-historical: Tracing the storyline of Scripture as the unfolding history of God’s redemptive plan
- History of religions: Viewing biblical themes comparatively with other Ancient Near East cultures and literature
- Literary-theological: Focusing on the literary techniques and theology of biblical authors and editors
- Covenant theology: Emphasizing the biblical covenants as theological structure
- Salvation-historical: Seeing Scripture as the record of God’s saving words and deeds in history
- Theological-exegetical: Combining theology and exegesis by doing close reading of texts with an eye toward theological meaning
- Canonical approach: Studying the final canonical form of the text as a theological guide
There are strengths and weaknesses to each approach. Biblical theologians often utilize insights from multiple perspectives.
Key Figures in Biblical Theology
Many scholars have influentially contributed to the field of biblical theology, including:
- Geerhardus Vos – Often called the father of biblical theology as a discipline
- Jon Levenson – Studied connections between Old Testament and Ancient Near East backgrounds
- Brevard Childs – Advocated a canonical approach to biblical theology
- Philippe Gabler – Promoted methodology of biblical theology as separate from dogmatics
- G.E. Wright – Applied biblical theology to Old Testament ethics and polity
- Albert Schweitzer – Critiqued older liberal biblical theology as too disunified
- N.T. Wright – Combined biblical theology with New Testament studies
Each brought unique contributions that expanded the field of biblical theology in their era.
Conclusion
Studying biblical theology entails investigating the Bible’s own theological ideas and themes as they progressively develop throughout the biblical storyline. It focuses on the unity of Scripture through tracing concepts chronologically across the canon. Biblical theology is a crucial discipline for understanding the intended meaning and message of the Bible on its own terms. While challenging at times, lifelong study of biblical theology better equips the reader to apply God’s Word and teach it to others. As an inherently textual enterprise, biblical theology helps one encounter the depth and richness of the theological concepts God has revealed in His Word over time.
