Lesson 7: The Canonical Horizon
Using Rich Resources
At last we’ve arrived at the point where the rubber of systematic theology meets the road of personal Bible study! Just like in the previous lesson on biblical theology, this is the paramount step of this lesson.
Asking Two Questions
We’ll borrow from the language of imports and exports to help us understand how to view the canonical horizon in Bible study.
Just like a country imports goods from other countries, and exports goods to other countries, so also a systematic theologian imports interpretation from the rest of Scripture into the passage he is studying, and exports interpretation from his passage into the rest of Scripture.
And remember, as R.C. Sproul said, everyone is a theologian! So these aren’t questions only for the professionals, but for you to ask as you study a passage of Scripture.
So here are the two questions of the canonical horizon:
- The import question: How does my passage fit within my understanding of the ten doctrines of systematic theology?¹
- The export question: What does my passage contribute to the ten doctrines of systematic theology?
These questions might sound familiar, as they are similar to the telescope question from the fourth lesson. But we’ve changed our metaphor here to help us with the canonical horizon in particular.
So we are relating an individual passage to the rest of the Bible in two ways: With the import question, we are importing the teaching of the rest of Scripture into a passage to determine its interpretation. With the export question, we are exporting the teaching of a passage into the rest of the Scripture to help determine the unified teaching of the whole Bible. With both questions, Scripture is interpreting Scripture.
You should also know that I have stated the import question first because it should be answered first! I say that because one passage is just that: only one passage. It would be foolish to first assume you’ve misunderstood the entirety of the Bible each time you hit a passage which initially does not seem to fit. You may have misunderstood the whole Bible on this point, but this is going to be the exception and not the rule.
Answering Two Questions
Now let’s get practical. You need solid resources to form your answers to these two questions, so let’s talk about the principles of choosing them, and then discuss a process for integrating them into your study.
Principles
Let’s review the three qualities of good resources from the previous lesson, because they are the same principles you should employ in looking for systematic theology resources.
- A good resource’s underlying presuppositions are biblical.
- A good resource matches your abilities.
- A good resource helps you accomplish your purpose.
Process
Just like with biblical theology, there is a two-part process to wisely using resources on systematic theology: read and rummage.
Read
These are the first three steps to take to grow in your knowledge of systematic theology. (If you’re brand-new to systematic theology, read the three introductory articles at the end of the Review step first.)
1. Start by studying an extensive statement of faith.
Start with your own church’s statement of faith. If it is very short and doesn’t include verse references, find a more detailed one from the Recommended Resources section.
2. Go through it slowly, reading each Bible reference given to support the statements.Take an online course.
A course will give you even more detail about the ten major doctrines of systematic theology and prepare you for delving even deeper to find more riches.
3. Buy and read an introductory book, and then more detailed books.
The most readable introduction is Everyone’s a Theologian by R.C. Sproul, since his style is conversational and the book is not too long (about 350 pages). He will ground you in the major doctrines.
Grudem’s book, Systematic Theology (2nd edition), is much lengthier than Sproul’s but also easily readable. Reading Sproul and Grudem together is an enjoyable combination if you want to explore various biblical doctrines further. Since you can read Berkhof’s volume for free, you might enjoy starting there instead: his work is a classic.
And don’t be afraid to read John Calvin! Calvin’s Institutes is by far the oldest book in the recommended resources, but you will find him much easier to read than you might fear if you’ve never read such an old book before. Books like his last so long because they are so profitable and clear.
You can find the above resources, and more, in the next step.
As in the previous lesson, I also encourage you to ask your coach to recommend other resources, based on your interactions together.
Rummage
Here’s how to rummage through resources in answering both questions when studying a passage of Scripture:
1. Answering the import question
You need to be familiar with the ten major doctrines of systematic theology before you can answer this question.²
Then you will need at least one trustworthy, detailed volume of systematic theology that discusses each doctrine in detail.³
- Identify which major doctrines occur in your passage, and choose one of them.
- Consult systematic theology resources on that doctrine.
- Consult the table of contents of an introductory systematic theology volume, and list some of the key passages that discuss it.
- Consult systematic theology resources that discuss other doctrines related to your passage. Underline helpful points or copy-and-paste them into a document.
- Summarize your study.
- Find or write a sentence that summarizes the big picture of your doctrine as taught by the Scriptures as a whole.
For example, if I were studying justification from Romans 4:5, I could write, “Justification is God’s act of declaring believers righteous through the finished work of Christ.”
- Write a sentence that explains how your passage's teaching about your doctrine fits within the big picture of that doctrine.
For example, “Romans 4:5 teaches that God declares ungodly people righteous on the basis of faith, not works.”
That might seem daunting, and it should! This is not an easy question to answer. Faithful interpretation is never easy (is anything worthwhile ever easy?), but the rewards are great.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15
2. Answering the export question
- Write a summary sentence that describes what specifically your passage teaches about your doctrine.
For example, “Romans 4:5 teaches that God justifies people through faith alone apart from works, and that those who are justified are ungodly prior to the moment of that declaration.”
- Then write a second sentence that summarizes what your passage contributes to the whole teaching of the Bible on that doctrine.
For example, “Romans 4:5 emphasizes the ungodliness of those who are declared righteous, and the necessity of faith alone with no attempted add-on of works.”
Commentaries on your passage will assist you the most here. (See this step to guide you in finding the best commentaries.⁴) You should also look in the back of a book like Grudem or Berkhof for a Scripture appendix, to see if your passage is adding to any of the theological discussions in that book.
The Recommended Resources step gives more recommendations of helpful books in the categories mentioned here. Let’s go there next before I demonstrate answering the import and export questions in a passage in Haggai.