This drive to know God has led Christians for centuries to think out loud, pray for hours upon end, and do theology. It is good and right to do so. Yet we must be careful that we discern what can be dogmatically affirmed (i.e., Christ died, was buried, rose from the dead) and what should remain as merely probable or opinion. 

The more we learn about a topic, the greater our confidence in our abilities. Yet as in many fields, the more we learn about theology, the more we should grasp that the topic is too vast and too high for us to understand. Scripture itself provides a sufficient but specific revelation that fits our created and so limited capacities. 

As Paul says, “we know in part” because see theological truth through a dim mirror (1 Cor 13:12). John likewise admits, “what we will be has not yet appeared” since we have yet to enter the beatific vision of God (1 John 3:2). We simply must admit that we have partial yet sufficient revelation about God and his creation that should simultaneously make us confident in what God has revealed to us and humble in our conclusions due to our limited capacities. 

Reflecting on this limitation, we must take to heart the following three guidelines for thinking theologically.

First, discern what God has revealed and what remains mysterious.

The Old Testament was full of mystery, even the Gospel of Jesus was unknown in its details until the cross (cf. Rom 16:25–26). Speaking of the future, Moses writes, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29). Daniel too must seal up and hide his prophecy until the end times (Dan 12:4; cf. Rev 10:14). Revelation then does reveal but it also conceals. 

While the books have become unsealed because of Christ, not all truth has yet come into sharp clarity. As noted, Paul calls our knowledge partial and him. John awaits for the appearing of our future transfiguration, yet he simply does not know what that means exactly. He can affirm that “we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2) yet this similitude cannot precede further due the limits placed on revelation and our capacity to understand.

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