REVELATION: THE REVELATIONAL PRECONDITION – Geisler, N. L.
Another fundamental precondition of evangelical theology is revelation. If God has not unveiled Himself, then how can He be known? But God has chosen to disclose Himself, and His self-disclosure is called revelation. According to evangelical theology, God has revealed Himself in two ways: general revelation (in nature) and special revelation (in Scripture).
THE PREREQUISITES FOR DIVINE REVELATION
Divine revelation is not possible unless at least three basic things are in place:
(1) a Being capable of giving a revelation;
(2) a being capable of receiving a revelation;
(3) a medium through which a revelation can be given.
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A Theistic God Is Capable of Giving a Revelation
Since there is good reason to believe a theistic God exists (see chapter 2), the first precondition for divine revelation exists. The theistic God is omniscient (all-knowing) and, hence, has truth to reveal. Further, He is omnipotent (all-powerful) and, thus, has the ability to create means of revealing this truth (see volume 2).
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Human Beings Are Capable of Receiving a Revelation
According to the Bible, human beings are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), and, therefore, they are like Him in that, among other things, they are rational and moral beings (see volume 2). Such beings are capable of receiving a rational and moral revelation from God. Evangelical theology affirms that this revelation can be found both in nature (Rom. 1:19–20) and in Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16–17). That it is found in nature has already been shown (in chapter 2) by virtue of the fact that we can discover through reason truths about both the existence and the nature of God. The special revelation that has been given by God in Scripture will be discussed later (in part 2). For now it will suffice to show that such a revelation between infinite God and finite man is possible.
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The Medium Through Which Revelation Is Possible
In order for an infinite Mind to communicate with finite minds, certain things must be possible. To begin, there must be a common principle of reason that both possess. Since it can be shown that the basic laws of reason are based in the nature of God (who is the ultimate rational Being), they are common both to God and to finite rational creatures (see chapter 5). Thus, a necessary condition for divine revelation has been fulfilled.
Further, since both objective meaning (see chapter 6) and objective truth (see chapter 7) are possible, another necessary condition is in place. And the fact that there is an analogy between God and creation (see chapter 9) shows that communication between an infinite Mind and a finite mind is possible; it demonstrates that there can be a similarity between the understanding of God and that of humans made in His image. This being the case, the basic necessary conditions for divine revelation have been met.
The sufficient condition for divine revelation, of course, is the will of God. Philosophy shows divine revelation is possible; only reality manifests that it is actual. Since the reality of God’s special revelation in Scripture will be discussed later (in part 2), attention here will center on general revelation and its relationship to special revelation.
GOD’S GENERAL REVELATION
General revelation refers to God’s revelation in nature, as opposed to His revelation in Scripture. More specifically, general revelation is manifest in several areas: for example, physical nature, human nature, and history. In each case God has disclosed something specific about Himself and His relationship to His creation.
General revelation is integral to Christian apologetics, since it is the data with which theists construct arguments for the existence of God (see chapter 2). Without it there would be no basis for apologetics.
God’s Revelation in Physical Nature
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands,” the psalmist writes (Ps. 19:1). “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory” (Ps. 97:6). Job adds,
Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? (Job 12:7–9)
Paul told men to
Turn … to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. (Acts 14:15–17)
He reminded the Greek philosophers,
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:24–25)
Paul declares that even the heathen stand guilty before God:
What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Rom. 1:19–20)
In view of this the psalmist concludes, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Ps. 14:1).
God is revealed in nature in two basic ways: as Creator and as Sustainer (see volume 2). He is the cause of the origin as well as the operation of the universe. The first speaks of God as the originator of all things: “By him all things were created” and “in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16–17); God “made the universe” and He also “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Heb. 1:2–3); He “created all things” and by Him all things “have their being” (Rev. 4:11).
In addition to being their originator, God is also the sustainer of all things. He was active not only in the universe’s coming to be but is also active in its continuing to be. The psalmist refers to this latter function when he says of God: “He makes springs pour water into ravines.… He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth” (104:10, 14).
God’s Revelation in Human Nature
God created human beings in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:27); consequently, something about God can be learned from studying human beings (cf. Ps. 8). Since humans are like God, it is wrong to murder them (Gen. 9:6) and even to curse them (James 3:9–10). The redeemed are “renewed in knowledge in the image of [their] Creator” (Col. 3:10). Paul affirms that
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. “For in him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.” Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. (Acts 17:27–29)
By looking at the creature we can learn something about the Creator (see chapter 9), for “Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?” (Ps. 94:9–10). Even Christ in the flesh is said to be the “image” of the invisible God (John 1:14; Heb. 1:3).
God is manifested not only in the intellectual nature of human beings but also in their moral nature (see volume 3). God’s moral law is written in human hearts:
When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law … their consciences also bearing witness. (Rom. 2:14–15)
Since moral responsibility entails the ability to respond, man in God’s image is also a free moral creature (Gen. 1:27; cf. 2:16–17).
God’s Revelation in Human History
History has been called His-story. It is the footprints of God in the sands of time. Paul declared that God “determined the times set for them [the nations] and the exact places they should live” (Acts 17:26). God disclosed to Daniel, “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men” (Dan. 4:17). God also entrusted to Daniel that human history is moving toward the ultimate goal of the kingdom of God on earth (Dan. 2, 7). So a proper understanding of history informs us about the plan and purpose of God.
God’s Revelation in Human Arts
The Bible declares that God is beautiful and so is His creation. The psalmist praises, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8:1). Isaiah beheld a marvelous display of God’s beauty when he “saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1). The Scriptures encourage us to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2 nkjv; cf. Ps. 27:4).
Solomon points out that God “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl. 3:11). The psalmist speaks of Zion, His city, as “perfect in beauty” (Ps. 50:2). What God created is good like Himself (Gen. 1:31; 1 Tim. 4:4), and the goodness of God is beautiful. Insofar as creation reflects God, it is also beautiful.
Not only is God beautiful and has made a beautiful world but He has also created beings who can appreciate beauty. Like Him, they can also make beautiful things. Human beings are, as it were, “sub-creators” (see Sayers, MM). God chooses to endow humans with special creative gifts that reveal something of His marvelous nature.
God’s Revelation in Human Music
God apparently loves music, since He orchestrated the angelic choir at Creation when “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Angels also continually chant the tersanctus in His presence: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8). Furthermore, angels gather around God’s throne and “in a loud voice they sing: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain’ ” (Rev. 5:12).
Moses’ sister, Miriam, led the triumphant Israelites in singing after God delivered them through the Red Sea (Ex. 15:20–21). David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, set up a choir for the temple and wrote many songs (psalms) to be sung in it. Paul admonished the church to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19).
We learn something more about God’s nature through the human voice, a God-ordained instrument of music. Even the Jewish high priest entered into the Holy of Holies with bells on his garment. And the psalmist commanded that God be praised with trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, and cymbals (Ps. 150:3–5). In heaven the angels play trumpets (Rev. 8:2), and others play harps (Rev. 14:2). Music, too, is a gift and manifestation of God. Like the rest of His creation, it is an expression of His glory.
Even apart from God’s special revelation in Scripture, then, He has manifested Himself through general revelation in nature.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENERAL AND SPECIAL REVELATION
While the Bible is God’s only written revelation (see part 2), it is not God’s only revelation; He has more to say to us than is in the Bible. His general revelation in nature, man, history, art, and music offers vast opportunities for continual exploration. The following chart summarizes this relationship:
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General Revelation |
Special Revelation |
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God As Creator |
God As Redeemer |
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Norm for Society |
Norm for Church |
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Means of Condemnation |
Means of Salvation |
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in Nature |
in Scripture |
THE ROLE OF SPECIAL REVELATION
Special revelation contributes uniquely to Christian theology, for the Bible alone is infallible and inerrant (see part 2). Further, the Bible is the only source of both God’s revelation as Redeemer and His plan of salvation (see volume 3). Thus, Scripture is normative for salvation (see part 2).
The Bible Alone Is Infallible and Inerrant
As a revelation of Jesus (Matt. 5:17; Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Heb. 10:7), the Bible is normative for all Christian thought. The task of the Christian thinker, then, is “to bring every thought captive to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5 nkjv) as revealed in Scripture. We must think, as well as live, Christocentrically (Phil. 1:21; Gal. 2:20).
The Bible Alone Reveals God As Redeemer
While general revelation manifests God as Creator, it does not reveal Him as Redeemer. The universe speaks of God’s greatness (Ps. 8:1; Isa. 40:12–17), but only special revelation reveals His redemption (John 1:14). The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1), but only Christ declared His saving grace (Titus 2:11–13). Nature may reveal the ages of the rocks, but only Scripture makes known the Rock of Ages.
The Bible Alone Has the Message of Salvation
In view of God’s general revelation, all men are “without excuse” (Rom. 1:20), for “all who sin apart from the [written] law will also perish apart from the law” (Rom. 2:12). General revelation is sufficient ground for man’s condemnation; however, it is not sufficient for his salvation. One can tell how the heavens go by studying general revelation, but he cannot discover from it how to go to heaven, for “there is no other name under heaven [except Christ’s] given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
In order to be saved people must confess, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in their hearts “that God has raised him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9). But they cannot call upon someone of whom they have not heard, “and how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Rom. 10:14). Thus preaching the gospel in all the world is the Christian’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20).
The Bible Is the Written Norm for Believers
Without the apostolic truth embedded in Scripture there would be no church, for the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20). The revealed Word of God is the norm for faith and practice. Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Of course, not all unbelievers have access to a Bible. Nonetheless, God holds them accountable to His general revelation. The reason there is justice in this is that “all who sin apart from the [written] law will also perish apart from the law,” since all people have God’s law in their hearts (Rom. 2:12, 14–15).
THE ROLE OF GENERAL REVELATION
While the Bible is all true, God has not revealed all truth in the Bible. Whereas the Bible is only truth, the Bible is not the only truth; some truth lies outside of it. Said another way, all truth is God’s truth, but not all God’s truth is in the Bible (see chapter 7). General revelation, then, plays an important role in God’s plan, and as such it has several unique roles.
General Revelation Is Broader Than Special Revelation
General revelation encompasses much more than special revelation. Most of the truths of science, history, mathematics, and the arts are not in God’s Word; the bulk of truth in all these areas is found only in God’s general revelation. While the Bible is scientifically accurate, it is not a textbook on science. The mandate for doing science is not a redemption mandate but a creation mandate; right after God created Adam He commanded him to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). Likewise, there are no mathematical errors in God’s inerrant Word, but then again there is very little geometry or algebra and no calculus in it either. Similarly, the Bible records accurately much of the history of Israel, but has little on the history of the world, except as it bears on Israel. The same is true of most every area of the arts and science. Whenever the Bible speaks in these areas, it speaks authoritatively, but God has largely left the discoveries of His truths in these areas to a study of general revelation.
General Revelation Is Essential to Human Thought
No one—even an unbeliever—thinks apart from God’s general revelation in human reason (see chapter 5). God is a rational Being, and man is made in His image (Gen. 1:27). Since God thinks rationally, man was given the same capacity. Brute beasts, by contrast, are called “irrational” (Jude 10). Indeed, the highest use of human reason is to love the Lord with “all our mind” (Matt. 22:37).
The basic laws of human reason are common to believer and unbeliever (again, see chapter 5); without them, no writing, thinking, or rational inferences would be possible. But nowhere are these laws of thought spelled out in the Bible. Rather, they are part of God’s general revelation and the special object of philosophical thought.
General Revelation Is Essential to Human Government
God has ordained that believers live by His written Law, but He has also written His law in the hearts of unbelievers (Rom. 2:12–15). Divine law in Scripture is the norm for Christians, but natural law is binding on all men. Nowhere in Scripture does God judge the nations by either the law of Moses He gave to Israel (Ex. 19–20) or by the law of Christ He enjoins on Christians; to think otherwise is the central error of theonomists (see House, DT).1
That sojourners in Israel had to abide by Jewish law (see Lev. 25:10f.) no more proves Gentiles are bound by the law of Moses than does the reality that Christians visiting Saudia Arabia have to abide by Qur’anic law prove that Christians are under the Qur’an. Both of these simply mean that visitors must respect the law of the land they are visiting.
The law of Moses, for example, clearly was not given to the Gentiles (Rom. 2:14). The psalmist explains, “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws” (Ps. 147:19–20). This is confirmed by the fact that, in spite of the many condemnations of the Gentiles’ sins in the Old Testament, never once were they condemned for not worshiping on the Sabbath or not bringing sacrifices or tithes to Jerusalem. Nonbelievers are bound by the law “written in their hearts”; while they have no special revelation in Holy Scripture, they are responsible to general revelation in human nature.
General Revelation Is Essential to Christian Apologetics
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, without general revelation there would be no real basis for Christian apologetics, for if God had not revealed Himself in nature, there would be no way to argue from the design evident within it to the existence of a Designer (known as the teleological argument for God’s existence, see chapter 2). Nor would there be any way to argue from the beginning or contingency of the world to the existence of a First Cause (known as the cosmological argument). Likewise, unless God had revealed Himself in the moral nature of human beings, it would not be possible to argue for a Moral Lawgiver. And, of course, without a God who can act in creating the world, there could be no special acts of God (miracles) in it (see chapter 3).
SOME OBJECTIONS TO GENERAL REVELATION
One of the most commonly heard Christian arguments against the objectivity of general revelation in natural law, as opposed to moral laws revealed in the Bible, is that natural law is not clear. Opponents claim that there is no place one can read of these natural laws. As the argument goes, they are vague, if not vacuous. Natural laws can be easily distorted by depraved minds.2 On the other hand, these Christians insist that the Bible is clear and not lacking in content.
Rebuttal of the Idea That Natural Revelation Is Unclear and Without Content
In their evangelical zeal to exalt God’s special revelation in the Bible, some have overstated their case. That the Bible is superior in content to natural revelation does not mean natural revelation is not perfectly adequate for its God-given task. True, sin impairs humankind’s ability to apply natural revelation to life. Yet this is not a defect in the revelation but in people’s refusal to accept it and order life according to it. According to Romans 1, natural revelation “is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (v. 19).
The problem with such persons is not that they do not apprehend the truth, but that “the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14). It is not that they do not perceive it, but that they do not receive it.3 The Greek word dekomai used in 1 Corinthians 2:14 means “to receive” or “to welcome.” When there is no welcome of the truth, they cannot “know” (Gr: ginosko) it by experience (v. 14).
Rebuttal of the Idea That Natural Revelation Is Distorted by Sin
As was shown earlier, God has clearly revealed Himself in nature and in the conscience of humanity. So the problem with unbelievers is not that they do not see the truth of natural revelation but that they shun the truth it reveals to them (Rom. 1:18). Rejecting revealed truth is not unique to unbelievers in their response to God’s general revelation; neither do believers always live according to the truth of God’s special revelation.
To claim that general revelation is inadequate because unbelievers have distorted it is to reject special revelation for the same reason. Peter, for example, tells us, “People distort [Paul’s writings], as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15–16). There is practically nothing that God has revealed in Scripture that has not been subjected to the same kind of misrepresentation as those moral truths He has revealed to all people in His natural law. There is no defect with either of God’s revelations; the problem is not with God’s revelation but with humankind’s rejection of it. The difficulty is not with God’s disclosure but with humanity’s distortion of it.
The existence of hundreds of religious sects and cults all claiming that the Bible is their revelation is ample testimony that even the teachings of supernatural revelation are not immune to misinterpretation or mutilation. In fact, the perversions of the teachings of the natural law (general revelation) among various human cultures are no greater than the perversions of the teachings of supernatural revelation among the various cults. Careful examination of both areas indicates that in spite of the clarity of both revelations, depraved human beings have found a way to deflect, divert, or distort God’s commands; therefore, the teachings of God’s Word have no more immunity from tortured contortion than does the reality of God’s world.
Rebuttal of the Idea That Natural Revelation Isn’t Identifiable
Others have argued that the Bible has an advantage over natural law in moral matters in that the Scriptures have a specifiable content. We know where to go to get a Bible, and we can read what it says, but where does one go to read about natural law? The biblical response to this question is twofold: It is “written on the hearts” of all men, and it can be seen in what they “do by nature” (Rom. 2:14–15, emphasis added). The first of these two manifestations is the inner side of the natural law and the latter the outer side. There are two areas in which the natural law is revealed: both external and internal. Natural law is made manifest externally in nature (Rom. 1), and it is revealed internally in human nature (Rom. 2).
External Manifestations of Natural Revelation Are Identifiable
Since this point has been discussed earlier (chapter 2), only brief comments about it will be made here. There are several ways in which God has indirectly revealed Himself externally in nature. These include the mutability (changeability), temporality, and order of the world. From these facts of our experience the great arguments for the existence of God are built, for if the world is temporal, then it must have had a beginning. But since human reason naturally believes, even from special revelation, that every event has a cause, there must have been a Cause of this temporal world. Theists will recognize this as the kalam (horizontal) cosmological argument for God.4 Likewise, if the world is contingent or dependent there must be a God, for what is dependent for its existence could not exist by itself. But nothing can actualize its own existence. Hence, there must be an Actuality outside of this changing world that actualizes the actual existence of all that exists but that could be nonexistent. In short, natural revelation involves the use of natural reason on the natural world.
Internal Manifestations of Natural Revelation Are Identifiable
What is written on perishable paper can be erased, but what is written on the heart of an imperishable person is not completely deletable. Virtually all theologians agree, no matter how Calvinistic they are, that the image of God is not completely destroyed in fallen humankind: It was effaced but not erased. This was true of Augustine and Calvin (1509–1564)5 and it is also true of Luther (1483–1546).6
The Bible is very clear that all human beings bear God’s image. As mentioned previously, it is wrong to kill (Gen. 9:6) or even to curse human beings (James 3:9) for this reason.
In the same way that we know God’s external natural revelation, we also come to know God’s natural revelation in our internal moral nature, the one “written on our hearts.” The natural moral law is written in a way everyone can read. No lessons in language are necessary, and no books are needed. Natural law can be seen “instinctively’ (Rom. 2:14 nasb). We know what is right and wrong by our own natural intuitions; our very nature predisposes us in that direction.
The most basic key to that natural moral law is found in human inclinations. Since we are made in God’s moral image (Gen. 1:27; 9:6; James 3:9), it is understandable that we have in our very nature a natural inclination toward knowing what is morally right. To be sure, as fallen beings we do not always follow it (Rom. 7) and, thus, have a natural tendency toward doing what is wrong. However, we know what is right instinctively, even when we do not do it. We know it by way of inclination, even when we do not perform it by way of action. Further, we know what is wrong deep down inside, even when we do not think it is wrong, for we know things by inclination even when we sometimes reject them by cognition. This is because our cognition is influenced by our depraved condition. Our choosing obscures our knowing.
To put it hermeneutically,7 we are inconsistent in our use of the proper principles of interpretation of these basic moral inclinations. This doesn’t mean that human reason is unnecessary for knowing what is right and wrong by natural revelation, for the natural moral law, while not without content, is minimal: It only informs us to do good and to shun evil. Human reason is necessary for two things:
(1) It puts specificity on the general moral law.
(2) It aids us in knowing what it means to utilize in order to attain the good end.
Another clue to understanding natural revelation is our basic moral inclinations. This is why our best understanding of the natural law comes not from seeing our actions but from observing our reactions: We know the moral law instinctively. We don’t have to read it in any book; we know it intuitively, written as it is on our own heart. So when interpreting the natural law, we must be careful to do so from reactions truly indicative of it. These are not necessarily the ones we do to others, but more often those that we desire to be done to us. Once again, Paul speaks to this point when he writes of the things we “do by nature” that “show” the moral law “written on our hearts” (Rom. 2:14–15).
Our moral inclinations are manifested in our reactions when others violate our rights; we don’t see the moral law nearly as clearly when we violate others’ rights. Herein is revealed our depravity. But again our sinfulness is not found in our inability to know what the moral duty is but in our unwillingness to do it to others.
The kind of reactions that manifest the natural moral law were brought home forcefully to me when a professor, after carefully reading a student’s well-researched paper defending moral relativity, wrote: “F. I do not like blue folders.” After receiving his grade, the student stormed into his professor’s office, protesting, “That’s not fair. That’s not just!” The student’s reaction to the injustice done to him revealed, contrary to what he wrote, that deep down inside he really did believe in an objective moral principle of rightness. The real measure of his morals was not what he had written in his paper but what God had written on his heart. What he really believed was right manifested itself when he was wronged.
Natural Law Is Expressed in Writings
If there were a natural inclination toward what is right, one would expect to see some sort of expression of this in human culture. But as is widely known, moral conduct is diverse from culture to culture. However, what is not as well known is that while human behavior differs greatly, human ethical creeds are significantly alike. Since human beings are not perfect, one would anticipate that their conduct would not always measure up to their creeds. The latter, though, is a much better indicator of the moral law than the former.
Contrary to popular belief, the great moral writings of the world do not present a total diversity of perspectives; indeed, there is a striking similarity among them. In fact, the resemblance within writings expressing the natural law is just as great as that within writings on the divine law. That is, the great ethicists have read general revelation with as much agreement as the great theologians have read special revelation. Within both groups there are conservatives and liberals, rightists and leftists, strict constructionists and broad constructionists. The stark truth is that it matters little whether it is the Bible that is being viewed, general revelation, or the United States Constitution. A bad hermeneutic can distort one as well as the other. The problem is not with divine revelation but with human misinterpretation of it. No revelation is immune from distortion by fallible and fallen human beings who wish to make it fit their own depraved desires and actions.
In spite of human misrepresentations of God’s general revelation, there nonetheless remains among non-Christian writers a general consensus on the nature of the natural law. C. S. Lewis has provided a noteworthy service in cataloging many of these expressions of the natural moral law (AM, appendix A). Of course, there also is diversity of ethical expression among the great cultures. But this diversity no more negates their essential unanimity regarding natural law than diversity of belief among evangelicals negates their unity on the essential Christian teachings.
INTERACTION BETWEEN GENERAL AND SPECIAL REVELATION
Since it is the task of a systematic thinker to organize all truth about God and His relation to His creation, both general and special revelation are needed. However, since special revelation overlaps with general revelation, it is necessary to discuss the interaction between the two. God has revealed Himself in His Word and in His world. His truth is found both in Scripture and in science. The problem is what we do when they seem to conflict. It is much too simplistic to conclude that the Bible is always right and science is wrong. Of course, the Bible is always right (see Part 2), but our interpretation of it is not.
An Important Distinction
When dealing with conflicts between Christianity and culture, we must be careful to distinguish between God’s Word, which is infallible, and our interpretation of it, which is not. Likewise, we must distinguish between God’s timeless revelation in His world, which is always true, and man’s current understanding of it, which is not always correct. The very progress of scientific understanding indicates that what was once believed to be true is no longer held to be so.
Two important things follow from these distinctions. First, God’s revelations in His Word and His world never contradict each other. God is consistent; He never talks out of both sides of His mouth. Second, whenever there is a real conflict, it is between a human interpretation of God’s Word and a human understanding of His world. Either one or both of these are wrong, but God has not erred.
Which Revelation Has Priority?
When conflicts in understanding God’s general and special revelations occur, which one gets the priority? The temptation might be to give precedent to the biblical interpretation because the Bible is infallible, but this overlooks the crucial distinction just made. The Bible is inerrant, but not all of our interpretations of it are without error. The history of interpretation reveals that God’s infallible Word is as subject to man’s fallible misunderstandings as is anything else. Likewise, the history of the arts and science exposes human misunderstandings of God’s general revelation that are as bad as the human history of misconstruing His special revelation.
This does not leave one in an impasse, for whenever there is a conflict between an interpretation of the Bible and a current understanding of God’s general revelation, priority should generally be given to the interpretation that is more certain. Sometimes this is our understanding of special revelation, and sometimes it is our understanding of general revelation, depending on which one is more thoroughly proven. A few examples will help to illuminate the point.
Some interpreters have wrongly concluded on the basis of biblical references to “the four corners of the earth” (e.g., Rev. 7:1) that the earth is flat. However, science has proven with certainty that this is wrong. Therefore, in this case the certainty in interpreting God’s general revelation takes precedence over whatever uncertainty there may be in interpreting these biblical references. “Four corners” can be understood as a figure of speech, and the Bible uses such literary devices (such as God having eyes, arms, and legs).
Others have claimed that the sun moves around the earth on the basis of Bible references to “sunrise” (Josh. 1:15) or to the sun’s “standing still” (Josh. 10:13). However, this interpretation is not necessary; these expressions may be only the language of appearance from an on-the-face-of-the-earth observer’s point of view (see part 2, chapter 15). Furthermore, since the time of Copernicus there is extremely good reason to believe that the sun does not move around the earth. Hence, we assign a higher probability to the heliocentric interpretation of God’s world at this point than to a geocentric interpretation of His Word.
Unfortunately some are willing to believe in a given interpretation of God’s Word, even if it involves a logical contradiction. But general revelation demands (by way of the law of noncontradiction) that opposites cannot both be true (see chapter 8). Therefore, we cannot believe that God is both one person and also three persons at the same time and in the same sense. Thus, monotheism so defined and trinitarianism (see volume 2) cannot both be true. We can, and do, believe that God is three Persons in one Essence, for even though this is a mystery, it is not a contradiction. Consequently, we can be absolutely certain that any interpretation of Scripture involving a contradiction is false.
However, there are times when an interpretation of Scripture should take precedence over even highly popular views in science. Macroevolution8 is a good example (see volume 2). It is virtually certain that the Bible cannot be properly interpreted to accommodate macroevolution. Or to put it the other way, it is most evident that the Bible teaches that God brought the universe into existence out of nothing (Gen. 1:1), that He created every basic kind of animal and plant (Gen. 1:21), and that He specially and directly created man and woman in His image (Gen. 1:27). In spite of the prevailing and trendy evolutionary views to the contrary, then, the Christian must give priority to this highly probable interpretation of Scripture over the extremely improbable theory of macroevolution (see volume 2).
Mutual Enrichment
Often there is no serious conflict between widely accepted biblical interpretation and the general understanding of the scientific world; rather, there is mutual enrichment. For example, knowledge of the content of the Bible is essential for much of Western art and literature. Furthermore, biblical history and world history overlap significantly, so much so that neither should ever be ignorant of the other. More neglected is the relationship between modern science and the biblical idea of Creation. In this connection it is important to note that the biblical concept of Creation helped give rise to modern science (see Whitehead, SMW, 13, and Foster, “CDCRMNS”). Of course, in the study of origins there is a direct overlap of, and mutual enrichment between, the scientific and biblical data.
In theology the interaction between biblical studies and other disciplines should always be a two-way street. No one provides a monologue for the other; all engage in a continual dialogue. Although the Bible is infallible in whatever it addresses, it does not speak to every issue. Furthermore, as we have seen, while the Bible is infallible, our interpretations of it are not. Thus, those in biblical studies must listen to as well as speak to the other disciplines. Only in this way can a complete and correct systematic worldview be constructed (see chapter 11).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Evangelicals believe the Bible is essential both to systematic thinking and to apologetics. It is the only infallible writing we have (see part 2). It speaks with unerring authority on every topic it covers, whether spiritual or scientific, whether heavenly or earthly. However, the Bible is not God’s only revelation to humanity. God has spoken in His world as well as in His Word. It is the task of the Christian theologian to appropriate the information from both and to form a worldview that includes a theocentric interpretation of science, history, human beings, and the arts. However, without God’s revelation (both general and special) as the basis, this task is as impossible as moving the world with no place to put one’s fulcrum. Without question, in building a solid systematic theology both special revelation and general revelation are necessary.
SOURCES
Bahnsen, Greg. Theonomy in Christian Ethics.
Butler, Joseph. The Analogy of Religion.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Craig, William. Apologetics: An Introduction.
Demerest, Bruce. General Revelation.
Foster, M. B. “The Christian Doctrine of Creation and the Rise of Modern Natural Science” in Mind, 43.
Geisler, Norman. “God’s Revelation in Scripture and Nature” in David Beck, The Opening of the American Mind.
———. Origin Science.
Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology (Vol. 1).
House, Wayne. Dominion Theology.
Howe, Frederic R. Challenge and Response.
Lewis, C. S. The Abolition of Man.
Locke, John. The Reasonableness of Christianity.
Luther, Martin. The Bondage of the Will.
Paley, William. Natural Theology.
Sayers, Dorothy. The Mind of the Maker.
Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologica.
Whitehead, Alfred North. Science and the Modern World.
1 Theonomy, literally “God’s law,” is the view that the Old Testament law is still binding today and is the divinely appointed basis for civil government (see Greg Bahnsen, Theonomy in Christian Ethics).
2 Bahnsen, 399–400.
3 Frederic R. Howe, Challenge and Response.
4 See William Craig, Apologetics: An Introduction.
5 See Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Part One.
6 See Luther, Bondage of the Will, Section 94, 244.
7 Specifically, hermeneutics is “the study of the general principles of biblical interpretation” (Webster’s Third New International Dictionary).
8 Macroevolution means total (large-scale) evolution from one-celled animals to human beings; it insists upon the common ancestry of all living things. Microevolution, by contrast, means small-scale changes within a certain type of life that has a separate ancestry from other types.
Geisler, N. L. 2002. Systematic theology, volume one: Introduction, Bible (64). Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, MN
