Doctrine of Revelation

general revelation according to Geisler

General Revelation - Geisler

•  God has, since the beginning of time, revealed Himself to all generations, aside from the special revelation of His Word.

Romans 1:19-20

“Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly see, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”

General Revelation

•  Through nature, humans, and history God has given humanity insight to some of His attributes.

•  A proper working knowledge of His general revelation is

critical to know the purpose it serves in the plan of God to redeem mankind.

•  In contrast to the Bible, general revelation serves to compliment all truths contained in Scripture as well as every truth found outside of it.

“While the Bible is all true, God has not revealed all truth in the Bible” - Norman L. Geisler

•  In this regard general revelation is important in the areas of human thought, government, and Christian apologetics.

General Revelation

Important to human thought •  Man was created in the image of God. (Gen 1:27) •  As a result, humans have been given the capacity to be creative and think

rationally. –  Though not specifically addressed in the Bible, this human attribute is common to

all and is therefore part of God’s general revelation.

General Revelation

Important for government •  Void of any law by way of special revelation , Gentiles are bound to the law

written upon their heart.

•  Romans 2:8-11 clearly states God’s impartial and righteous judgment upon all who are in violation.

General Revelation

Important for apologetics •  Had God not made His general revelation apparent to mankind, there

would be no starting point for the believer to engage the lost. – No evidence or thought of design, causation, or morality

General Revelation

•  Although general revelation is limited and unable to solely bring one to salvation, it does provide the individual with a foundational framework from which to begin.

•  Since the fall of man all who are born, are born into sin and therefore the lens by which they view the world is skewed.

•  Paul stated that even nature itself is eagerly awaiting its own redemption from the effects of sin – (Romans 8:19-21)

•  While sin does not negate the general revelation of God, it does effect one’s cognizance of Him.

General Revelation

•  That said, those who suppress God’s truth to live according to their own fleshly impulses have no excuse. As Paul stated in Romans 1, they know the truth and will endure the consequences of ignoring it.

•  At the same time, this does not relieve Christians of their duty to take ownership of the Great Commission given by Christ.

•  The world still needs to hear about Jesus and how, through him they can receive forgiveness of sin and have a personal relationship with God.

General Revelation

Romans 10:14-15 “ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? “

General Revelation

general revelation according to Erickson

“General revelation is God’s communication of himself to all persons at all times in all places.”

The Nature of Revelation

1.  It’s universally available. 2.  The content of the message.

General in two senses:

1.  Nature- The universe is creative and impressive, pointing to an impressive Creator.

2.  History- If God is at work in the world and is moving toward certain goals, the trend should be evident in history (Ex. People of Israel)

3.  Constitution of the human being- The physical structure and mental capacities of humans, as well as moral and spiritual qualities point to God’s character.

Three Loci of General Revelation

“It [natural theology] maintains not only that there is a valid, objective revelation of God in such spheres as nature, history, and human personality, but that it is actually possible to gain some true knowledge of God from these spheres—in other words, to construct a natural theology apart from the Bible.” –pg. 180-181

Natural Theology

1.  There is an objective, valid, and rational general revelation.

2.  The integrity of the person perceiving and learning from the creation.

3.  There is a congruity between the human mind and the creation about us.

Assumptions of Natural Theology

It is possible, without a prior commitment of faith to the beliefs of Christianity, and without relying on any special authority such as an institution (the Church) or a document (the Bible), to come to a genuine knowledge of God.

The Core of Natural theology:

Grace

Nature

Thomas Aquinas

•  Cosmological proof

•  Teleological argument

•  Anthropological argument

•  Ontological argument

Arguments for God’s Existence

Karl Barth

1.  God’s revelation is exclusively in Jesus Christ.

2.  Genuine revelation is always responded to positively rather than being ignored or rejected.

3.  Knowledge of God is always redemptive or salvific in nature.

•  God has given us an objective, valid, rational general revelation of himself.

•  Humans do not clearly perceive God in the general revelation.

•  General revelation evidently does not enable the unbeliever to come to the knowledge of God.

General Revelation and Human Responsibility

•  There is a common ground or a point of contact between the believer and the nonbeliever.

•  There is a possibility of some knowledge of divine truth outside the special revelation.

•  God is just in condemning those who have never heard the gospel in the full and formal sense.

Implications of General Revelation

•  General revelation serves to explain the worldwide phenomenon of religion and religions.

•  Since both creation and the gospel are intelligible and coherent revelations of God, there is harmony between the two

•  Genuine knowledge and genuine morality in humans are not their own accomplishments

Implications of General Revelation Cont.

How does the doctrine of general revelation shape your understanding of unbelievers and

salvation?

Two Scenarios

•  General Revelation is enough for a person to be saved.

•  A person can only be saved through Special Revelation (The Gospel).

3 Assumptions •  We must operate under the assumption that all people KNOW God.

(Romans 1:19-20)

19 Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it

plain to them. 20 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 people are without excuse.

3 Assumptions •  We must also operate under the assumption that all people have

REJECTED God. (Romans 1:21-23)

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for

images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

3 Assumptions •  We must finally operate under the assumption that we are all GUILTY of sin.

(Romans 3:9-12)

9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already

made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one

who seeks God. 12  All have turned away, they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good, not even one.

Salvation Through General Revelation

•  The number one question: What about people who have "never

heard?”

Salvation Through General Revelation

•  The number one question: What about people who have "never

heard?”

•  In both Romans 1 and Psalm 19 we see how God reveals himself to

ALL people through creation…so that “we are without excuse.”

Salvation Through General Revelation

•  The number one question: What about people who have "never

heard?”

•  In both Romans 1 and Psalm 19 we see how God reveals himself to

ALL people through creation…so that “we are without excuse.”

•  You can know ABOUT God and not KNOW God.

Salvation Through Special Revelation •  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and nobody will

come to the Father except through Him.” (John 14:6)

Salvation Through Special Revelation •  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and nobody will

come to the Father except through Him.” (John 14:6) •  It’s so sad that people who have never been given a chance to

respond to the Gospel because they have never heard it will die. Surely God will have mercy on them.

Salvation Through Special Revelation •  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life and nobody will

come to the Father except through Him.” (John 14:6) •  It’s so sad that people who have never been given a chance to

respond to the Gospel because they have never heard it will die. Surely God will have mercy on them.

•  Narrow is the path that leads to eternal and only few will find it. Matthew 7:13-14

How does general revelation shape our understanding of MISSIONS?

Why do we do missions? •  We Are Commanded by Christ: –  “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Why do we do missions? •  No Justification in General Revelation or the Law: –  Paul makes it clear that no one can satisfy the requirements of the law

(Romans 3) –  The purpose of the law is not to justify us, but to make us aware of our

sin. –  “Thus in effect the general revelation serves, as does the law, merely to

make guilty, not to make righteous” (Erickson p. 198)

Why do we do missions? •  Those without Christ are hopelessly lost: –  “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under

heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Why do we do missions? •  Because so many have not heard: –  2,986 UUPG’s

(no known witness) *190 million people

–  2,986 UPG’s ( less than 2% Christian) *3.9 billion people

Why do we do missions? •  They must hear, in order to be saved: (Romans 10:14-15,17)

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Southern Baptists & General Revelation

•  “Be it further RESOLVED, That we oppose the false teaching that Christ is so evident in world religions, human consciousness or the natural process that one can encounter Him and find salvation without the direct means of the gospel…

•  Be it finally RESOLVED, That we confess Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that we commit ourselves to proclaim the good news of eternal life through Jesus Christ to everyone everywhere” SBC - June 1993

General Revelation & Inclusivism “Those also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of

their own do not know the gospel of Christ or his church, yet sincerely seek God and, moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do his will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience”

•  Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)

General Revelation & Inclusivism

"We do know that no person can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved by Him.”

•  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

General Revelation & Inclusivism “I think everybody who knows Christ, whether

they're conscious of it or not, they're members of the Body of Christ... They may not even know the name of Jesus but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think that they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven. ”

•  Billy Graham, Interview by Ray Schuller, 1997

General Revelation & Inclusivism “Missions then is less about the

transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there [...] So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst ”

•  Rob Bell

It’s IMPORTANT that we understand the truth of what scripture says about the lost, and our responsibility

and urgency in proclaiming the gospel to them.

How does the doctrine of general revelation assist in sharing the Gospel with a nonbeliever?

1. It Does: a. Declare The Glory of God (Ps. 19: 1)

b. Proclaim the message of God’s existence to the entire world (Ps. 19: 2-4)

c. Reveal God’s wrath against man’s unrighteousness ( Rom. 1: 18)

WHAT GENERAL REVELATION DOES Do

1. It Does: d. Show His power and divine nature (Rom.1:20)

e. Declare the just condemnation of mankind (Rom.1:20)

WHAT GENERAL REVELATION DOES Do

WHAT GENERAL REVELATION DOESN’T Do

1. It Does Not: a. Provide a means of escaping God’s judgment

(Rom. 2:3)

b. Restore us to a right relationship with God (Rom.1:18)

1.  Paul’s Areopagus Address to the Athenians (Acts 17: 22-32)

a. Paul makes use of man’s religious nature – one of four modes of general revelation cited by Erickson

b. We all worship something or someone as part of our nature, why

not meet The One worthy of worship?

GENERAL REVELATION In witnessing

2. Historical Revelation - which Erickson sites as another mode of General Revelation has been used often.

a. God’s preservation of Israel

b. Preservation of Christianity through terrible adversity

c. We have all received providential good totally without merit.

Would we not want to know The Provider of such grace?

GENERAL REVELATION In witnessing

3. Erickson sites humans themselves as God’s third mode of general revelation. a. “ …for we are fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14)

b. “… we are His workmanship” (Eph. 2:10)

c. The complexity of the human brain and its vast capabilities are strong evidence of a divine creator (Geisler, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist)

d. Mankind shows a universal propensity for worship (Erickson)

GENERAL REVELATION In witnessing

•  1. General Revelation can be useful in witnessing to an unbeliever by:

a. Presenting evidence for a divine creator from examples in natural, historical, human, or religious revelation

b. Helping an unbeliever recognize their innate sense of right/wrong. Justice, or morality as evidence of a divine creator

CONCLUSION

•  1. Limitations a. It is useful only as a means to prompt someone to

consider the validity of special revelation. b. It is not capable of leading someone to a saving

knowledge of Christ in and of itself. c. Neither general nor special revelation can be effective without the direct involvement of the Holy Spirit.

CONCLUSION