The Importance and Application of Biblical Theology

The Contemporary Neglect of Biblical Theology

Biblical theology is often neglected in modern Christian practice because many believers have not been trained to read the Bible properly. Instead of seeing the scriptures as a unified stream, many hold an "atomistic" understanding where the Bible is viewed as a collection of disjointed parts or individual "raindrops." This leads to reading specific verses or passages in isolation, rather than within their ultimate context, which is the entirety of Scripture.

In many contemporary churches, there is a prevalence of topical sermons that treat the Bible as a mere treasury of wisdom nuggets or moral advice. While the Bible does contain wisdom, it is fundamentally a grand narrative of God’s redemptive purpose throughout history. Many devotionals reinforce this disjointed view by placing a single verse at the top of a page with helpful but unrelated thoughts. Biblical theology provides a necessary "big picture," showing how every verse fits into the unified plan of God to redeem humanity through Jesus Christ.

The Macro-Narrative: Understanding the Big Story of Scripture

A primary importance of biblical theology is that it reveals the overarching story of the Bible, which focuses on God, Jesus, and salvation. It traces God's work through Christ to reconcile humanity to Himself. In the book According to Plan, Graame Goldsworthy identifies central themes like "covenant" and "kingdom" that run through this storyline. Others point to "new creation" as a major recurring theme.

Biblical theology asserts that it is impossible to correctly understand the individual stories of the Bible without first understanding the story of the Bible. The purpose of the text is not to provide a manual for "the good life" or to focus solely on the question "What would Jesus do?" but rather to declare "What has Jesus done for us?"

Biblical Theology as a Tool for Old Testament Interpretation

Biblical theology provides the essential tools for Christians to rightly appropriate the Old Testament. Without these tools, the Old Testament remains uninteresting or confusing to many. A common error is "moralizing" the stories—treating characters like David, Joseph, or Ruth merely as examples of moral behavior. For instance, David is often presented as an example of how to overcome enemies, Joseph as a model for fleeing temptation, and Ruth as a model for obeying in-laws.

Goldsworthy argues that an exemplary sermon on David’s faith is "incomplete and misleading" if it doesn't point to David's "greater son," Jesus, who is the true subject and object of faith. It is not legitimate for a Christian to simply imitate an Old Testament character unless that character's significance is "refracted through the prism of the gospel." Goldsworthy goes as far as to call the lack of biblical theology in ministerial training one of the "scandals of our time," noting that a church without a deep appreciation for the Old Testament and biblical theology will inevitably have a weak understanding of the gospel.

Distinguishing the Gospel from Personal Response

A critical function of biblical theology is helping preachers and believers define the gospel better. The gospel is specifically the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Goldsworthy emphasizes that the gospel is not something we can "do" or be commanded to "live"; it was the unique work of Christ.

In his book Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, Goldsworthy warns that emphasizing the need for a response—such as telling people to "come to Jesus," be "born again," or "commit their lives to Christ"—is not actually preaching the gospel. While these responses are important and hand-in-hand with the gift of the Holy Spirit, they are not the gospel itself. The gospel is purely what Jesus did, which is the prerequisite for calling people to faith. Preaching related topics like predestination, creation, or the baptism of the Spirit is necessary, but these are not the essential message to be believed for salvation.

Guarding Against Legalism through Christ-Centered Preaching

Biblical theology serves as a preventative against legalism and the "natural theology of salvation by works." Every sermon must show the link between the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer and the work of Christ for the believer. Without this connection, New Testament imperatives and ethical commands are distorted into legalism. Goldsworthy suggests that the best way to avoid this is through systematic expository preaching that maintains a "gospel-based thrust."

He argues that it is dangerous to "preach the Christian" without "preaching Christ." If eternal life is a gift of grace rather than a reward for meritorious living, then all ethical commands must be seen as implications of the gospel. As one pastor phrased it, "Morality will keep you out of jail, but only Jesus can keep you out of hell." Every sermon should be understandable on its own as a proclamation of Christ, rather than separating justification from imperatives over several weeks, as the New Testament authors did not anticipate their messages being heard out of context.

Jesus Christ as the Center and Fulfillment of Scripture

The central claim of biblical theology is that Jesus is the fulfillment of all Scripture. In John 5, Jesus tells the religious leaders that the Scriptures testify about him and that Moses wrote of him. In Luke 24, during what is described as "Jesus's hermeneutical lecture," he explains to his disciples how all the things written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms—effectively the entire Old Testament—must be fulfilled in him.

This Christocentric reading is the consistent pattern of the New Testament writers. In the Book of Acts, Peter declares that God foretold the suffering of Christ through the mouths of all the prophets. In Acts 17, Paul reasons in the synagogue for three Sabbath days to prove from the scriptures that the Christ must suffer and rise. In Acts 28, while in Rome, Paul spends an entire day from morning until evening persuading people about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. This indicates that the connection to Jesus is found throughout the Old Testament, not just in isolated messianic verses.

The Hermeneutical Precedent of the Apostles

The New Testament provides numerous examples of how the Old Testament points to the gospel. In Romans, Paul introduces himself as a servant of Christ, noting that the gospel was promised beforehand through the prophets in the holy scriptures. In Galatians 3:8, Paul states that the scripture foresaw God justifying the Gentiles by faith and thus "preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham." Hebrews 4:2 also notes that the gospel was preached to the ancient Israelites just as it was to the New Testament audience. These examples show that the biblical authors viewed the entire corpus of scripture as a witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: The Essentiality of Proclaiming Christ

Goldsworthy provides a stark conclusion regarding the application of biblical texts: any sermon that applies a text to a congregation without making it "crystal clear" that the application is realized through "Christ alone" is not a Christian sermon. At best, such preaching is "wishful and pietistic thinking"; at worst, it is "demonic" and "Christ-denying legalism." A biblical passage that is merely explicated and applied without reference to the person and work of Christ does not constitute a biblical sermon. Biblical theology is essential because it provides the structural framework to ensure that preachers follow the example of Paul, who felt a "woe" if he did not preach the gospel and committed himself to preaching nothing but "Christ and him crucified."