Dogmatics as Doxology

by Luke Stamps

Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) was a Dutch theologian whose four-volume Reformed Dogmatics is considered one of the most significant works of Reformed theology ever written. It has been called “the best statement of the Reformed system since Calvin’s Institutes.” I have recently been reading through volume one of Bavinck’s magisterial work and came across this beautiful description of dogmatic theology (p. 112).

Dogmatics is the system of the knowledge of God as he has revealed himself in Christ; it is the system of the Christian religion. And the essence of the Christian religion consists in the reality that the creation of the Father, ruined by sin, is restored in the death of the Son of God and re-created by the grace of the Holy Spirit into a kingdom of God. Dogmatics shows us how God, who is all-sufficient in himself, nevertheless glorifies himself in his creation, which, even when it is torn apart by sin, is gathered up again in Christ (Eph. 1:10). It describes for us God, always God, from beginning to end–God in his being, God in his creation, God against sin, God in Christ, God breaking down all resistance through the Holy Spirit and guiding the whole of creation back to the objective he decreed for it: the glory of his name. Dogmatics, therefore, is not a dull and arid science. It is a theodicy, a doxology to all God’s virtues and perfections, a hymn of adoration and thanksgiving, a “glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14).

If evangelicals would seek to retrieve Bavinck’s wisdom here, it would go a long way toward overcoming the theory/practice divide that can characterize some evangelical theologizing.

What do you think? How might Bavinck’s understanding of theology affect the church’s preaching, worship, evangelism, and ministry?

Luke Stamps is a Ph.D. candidate at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in systematic theology. Luke is a weekly contributor to the Credo blog and also blogs at Before All Things. Luke is married to Josie, and they have two children, Jack and Claire. Luke is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, KY.