“So That You May Know Him Better”

<Eph 1:15-17>: 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Theology

1) Meaning:

* Suffix: logy (Thought, Word, Study, or Logic)

* Theo: God

* Theology: Thought/Word/Study/Logic of GOD

2) Theology is needed because there is NO WAY to use our common understanding to comprehend God.

3) The knowledge of God, also encompasses all the knowledges that is in Him.

* Theology (i.e. the study of God) is the Queen of all sciences. ~ Thomas Aquinas

* Theology must be studied with the lens where the God of the Bible is the creator of all sciences.

Systematic Theology

* Generally, people dislike the word: “Systematic”.

* Post-modern Era and liberal culture work against systematic study of things.

* Legitimate concern: Forcing and squeezing the Bible into a preconceived system?

* 3 important assumptions of Systematic Theology

1) God has revealed Himself through the writings of the Prophets and the Apostles (i.e. the Bible).

2) God is not confused, but reveal Himself in intelligible way to the human mind.

3) God reveal Himself with the following qualities:

* Unity

* Coherency

* Consistency

* Systematic Theology brings together all parts of the bible, and fits them together in unity, coherency and consistency.

* Equip us with the know-how to draw from all sources, and esp credible ones.

* Train us to make good discernment of what are the erroneous and credible teachings.