Biblical vs. Systematic Theology
- James Collazo
- Dec 31, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Introduction
Christians often defend beliefs by saying, "That is biblical," yet different people can read the same passage and walk away with opposite interpretations. Entire denominations sometimes form conflicting doctrines even while claiming the same biblical authority. These challenges show the need to distinguish the meaning of Scripture itself from ideas that developed later through organized theological systems. This task belongs to hermeneutics, the study of how we interpret the Bible.
Scripture teaches that interpretation ultimately belongs to God. Joseph asked, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (Gen. 40:8). The apostle Peter states that no prophecy "came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things" (2 Pet. 1:20). Modern readers often ask, "How do you know you are right?" but the Bible urges us to seek the author's intended meaning. The apostle John wrote his gospel so "that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). If we ignore these intentions, we risk misreading God's message.
Two major branches of theology approach Scripture from distinct angles: biblical theology and systematic theology. Each plays an essential role, yet each seeks to answer different kinds of questions. When we understand how they differ and how they work together, we gain a more straightforward path for interpreting Scripture faithfully.
Biblical Theology
Biblical theology focuses on what the biblical authors meant in their own historical, cultural, and literary settings. It listens to the voices of Moses, Isaiah, Matthew, John, Paul, and others as they spoke to real communities in specific times and places. Scholars emphasize how biblical theology traces the flow of Scripture's story, paying attention to how the themes of creation, covenant, redemption, and kingdom unfold throughout the canon.
This discipline follows the apostle Paul's instruction not to "go beyond what is written" (1 Cor. 4:6). It guards against reading later ideas into the text. To carry out this task effectively, biblical theologians use the historical-grammatical method. They study the meanings of words, the passage's literary structure, the author's situation, and the audience's cultural background. They also rely on inductive reasoning, beginning with the details of the text and allowing larger patterns to emerge naturally.
Because of this approach, biblical theology does not start with modern questions like "What does the Bible say about going to church?" Instead, it asks what the text meant in its original setting. For instance, Jesus' words, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I'm there with them" (Matt. 18:20), are often treated as a rule for small church meetings. But in its first-century Jewish context, the statement echoes this rabbinic teaching from the Mishnah: "If two sit together and there are words of Torah spoken between them, then the Shekinah [H7931, 'Divine Presence'] abides among them" (Pirkei Avot 3:3). This connection shows that Jesus emphasized his divine authority and upheld the Bible's standard of confirming truth with two or three witnesses (Deut. 19:15) rather than focusing on the size of a worship gathering.
The same approach applies when studying Paul's teachings on justification. Instead of beginning with later doctrinal categories, biblical theology first asks how Paul, as a first-century Jew shaped by Scripture and the ancient world, used the term in letters like Romans and Galatians (see "Salvation: The Romans Road"). By focusing on Paul's own context, this method preserves the text's original message. In short, biblical theology retells Scripture in the Bible's own language. It describes what the authors said, what they emphasized, and what they intended to communicate.
Systematic Theology
Systematic theology approaches Scripture from a different angle. Instead of moving through the Bible in a historical sequence, it gathers passages on similar topics and organizes them into coherent doctrines. Its goal is to explain what the whole Bible teaches about major subjects such as God, creation, Christ, salvation, the church, and the future. While biblical theology focuses on the world of the biblical authors, systematic theology focuses on how Christians today can understand and apply the Bible's teaching in a unified way.
This approach has served the church well throughout history. Early Christians faced difficult questions the biblical authors did not directly answer, such as how Jesus could be fully divine and yet God remain one. The Old Testament declares, "The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deut. 6:4), while the New Testament teaches that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 20:31), and speaks of the Holy Spirit in divine terms. No single verse states, "God is a Trinity," but the church studied all relevant passages. It developed the doctrine of the Trinity as a faithful summary of Scripture (see "Trinity: Jewish & Gentile Views"). Without systematic theology, the early church might have struggled to articulate central Christian beliefs.
Systematic theology also helps believers understand complex issues, such as how God's sovereignty in Romans 9 works alongside genuine human responsibility in Romans 10 (see "God's Will & Our Free Choices"). Paul's audience did not see these ideas as contradictory, and systematic reflection can help modern readers know how the teachings work together.
But systematic theology can be misused when it forces Scripture to fit a doctrinal system. Removing verses from their context can distort the text. History shows this danger. Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) faced pressure to include the Johannine Comma in his Greek New Testament, even though the passage was clearly a later addition to 1 John 5:7–8. Centuries later, Jehovah's Witnesses altered John 1:1 in their New World Translation to deny Christ's deity. These examples reveal how theological agendas can reshape Scripture instead of allowing Scripture to shape theology. Because of this danger, the Bible warns against adding to or subtracting from God's Word (Deut. 4:2, 12:32; Rev. 22:18–19; cf. Matt. 5:18).
An Integrated Approach
Biblical theology and systematic theology use different methods, yet they work best when they function together. Biblical theology focuses on what Scripture meant in its original setting. It follows the pattern Jesus showed when he explained "what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). Like the teachers in Nehemiah who "gave the meaning so that the people understood what was being read" (Neh. 8:8), biblical theology helps readers understand the message the authors intended.
Systematic theology builds on that foundation by organizing the Bible's teachings into clear doctrines. It reflects Paul's desire to declare "the whole will of God" (Acts 20:27) and reminds the church that "all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching" (2 Tim. 3:16–17). It also protects "sound doctrine" (Titus 1:9) and helps Christians apply biblical truth to questions the biblical authors did not directly face.
When these disciplines stand alone, interpretation becomes unbalanced. Biblical theology may explain what a text meant long ago, but it leaves readers unsure how to live it out. Systematic theology may offer structure but risk misunderstanding Scripture, which happens when people distort difficult passages (2 Pet. 3:16). Working together, they keep interpretation faithful and practical. Their partnership honors Jesus' claim that "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35), showing that the Bible speaks with a unified voice. Together, biblical and systematic theology help believers understand Scripture and live it out today.
Conclusion
Biblical theology and systematic theology serve the church best when they work together. One clarifies what the biblical authors meant, and the other shows how those teachings guide Christian belief and practice today. Their partnership helps believers read Scripture responsibly and avoid common misunderstandings. As Christians study the Bible, we should let authorial intent shape our interpretation and then allow sound doctrine to shape our lives. This balanced approach strengthens our understanding of Scripture, deepens our faith, and encourages wise obedience in a complex world.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You have given us your Word and appointed leaders to teach and interpret it. Fill us with grace to grasp sound doctrine, live it faithfully, and strengthen your church in love and unity. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bibliography
Alexander, T. Desmond, Brian S. Rosner, D. A. Carson, and Graeme Goldsworthy. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Exploring the Unity and Diversity of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000.
Augustine, Jeff. "What Is the Difference Between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology?" Back to College (blog). Colorado Christian University. March 2021. [link].
Kaiser, Walter C., Jr., Daniel M. Doriani, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, William J. Webb, Mark L. Strauss, Al Wolters, and Christopher J. H. Wright. Four Views on Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology. Counterpoints. Edited by Gary T. Meadors and Stanley N. Gundry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.
Köstenberger, Andreas. "What is Biblical Theology?" For the Church (blog). Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. December 17, 2019. [link].
Levine, Joseph M. "Erasmus and the Problem of the Johannine Comma." Journal of the History of Ideas 58, no. 4 (1997): 573–96. [link].
MacCulloch, Diarmaid. Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years. New York: Penguin, 2011.
Miert, Dirk van, Henk Nellen, Piet Steenbakkers, and Jetze Touber, eds. Scriptural Authority and Biblical Criticism in the Dutch Golden Age: God's Word Questioned. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Poythress, Vern. "The Relationship Between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology." Between Two Worlds Evangelical History (blog). The Gospel Coalition. July 22, 2010. [link].
Waggoner, Earl. "Biblical Studies vs. Theological Studies." Back to College (blog). Colorado Christian University. April 2019. [link].
Wright, N. T. Interpreting Scripture: Essays on the Bible and Hermeneutics. Collected Essays of N. T. Wright. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
