How Do We See God?

In reading Alister McGrath's Theology: The Basics, I am struck by how cumbersome theology is in comparison to faith, which is as simple as believing God is Who He says He is and trusting Him enough to obey His Word.

Theology appears to me like scaffolding built up around a monument that already stands and is in need of no repair. The men who build the scaffolding are hoping to get a closer view of the monument, and maybe some of them do. But in many ways, they seem to be obstructing the view for the rest of us.