Defenders: Doctrine of Revelation (Part 3): Relationship of General Revelation to Natural Theology

Summary

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Defenders Podcast: Doctrine of Revelation (Part 3): Relationship of General Revelation to Natural Theology

Date: September 22, 2021
Host: Dr. William Lane Craig
Series: Defenders Sunday School Class
Topic: The Relationship between General Revelation and Natural Theology—with an Introduction to Special Revelation

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Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. William Lane Craig and class participants delve into the nuanced relationship between general revelation and natural theology within Christian doctrine. The discussion centers on how knowledge of God available through creation and human conscience (general revelation) relates to the rational arguments for God’s existence developed in natural theology. The group critically examines scriptural passages—especially Romans 1—and explores the idea that perceiving God’s existence may be either an inferential process or more akin to direct perception. The episode closes with an introduction to special revelation, distinguishing its forms, scope, and discernment.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Definitions: General Revelation vs. Natural Theology

• General Revelation: The knowledge of God’s existence, power, and moral demands available to all people through nature and conscience.

• Natural Theology: The discipline of constructing rational arguments for God’s existence using only human reasoning, setting aside special revelation like Scripture.

  “Natural theology is the branch of theology which explores justification for God's existence apart from the resources of authoritative divine revelation.”
  — Dr. Bob [00:25]

2. Romans 1: Perception or Inference?

• Interpretive Debate: Does Romans 1 imply a logical inference to God (as in natural theology) or a kind of spiritual perception (direct recognition)?

• Textual Analysis: The class leans toward inference, referencing Paul’s language about “reflection on the things that have been made.”

• Connection to Greek Philosophy: The vocabulary in Romans 1 (“idios,” “Theotes”) implies influence or alignment with Hellenistic philosophical traditions.

  “It is by reflecting on the creation that one does perceive that this is created by God. So this would suggest that indeed there is a sort of inference involved here.”
  — Dr. Bob [03:49]

• Parallel with Wisdom of Solomon 13:1–9 (Read in full): Both texts emphasize that anyone who fails to recognize the Creator by reflecting on creation is “without excuse.”

  “From the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.”
  — Wisdom of Solomon (read by Dr. Bob) [07:44]

3. Paul’s Affirmation of Natural Theology

• Romans 1, Acts 14, Acts 17: Paul uses general revelation to hold all people accountable and affirm that evidence of the Creator is accessible through nature.

  • In Acts 14, Paul speaks to Gentiles in Lystra, pointing to nature as God’s witness.
  • In Acts 17 (Mars Hill), Paul connects Greek philosophy to biblical monotheism, stating that God made the world so people would “seek Him and perhaps reach out and find Him.”

  “So it seems to me that we do have, in Paul's thinking, an endorsement of the project of natural theology, that it is quite legitimate to construct arguments and evidence for God's existence.”
  — Dr. Bob [12:09]

4. Relationship between General Revelation and Natural Theology

• Key Distinctions:

  • General revelation: God’s self-disclosure via nature/conscience; universal, ongoing.
  • Natural theology: Human attempts to systematically articulate arguments from that data; fallible and subject to revision.

  “The arguments of natural theology are man made products. They are human creations and formulations.”
  — Dr. Bob [12:42]

  “You can recognize a Rembrandt through the traits of the artist… God is revealed in the created world that he has made.”
  — Dr. Bob [13:22]

• Accountability: General revelation—regardless of individual ability to build formal arguments—renders humanity “without excuse” in not recognizing God’s existence.

5. Class Discussion: Accountability and Suppression of Truth

• Romans 1:18–20: God’s “invisible qualities” are “plain” and “clearly perceived,” but people suppress this truth in unrighteousness.

  “That's the evidence. Not that everything is so plain, but just to what we know. We're held accountable for what we can see in it.”
  — Steve [16:36]

• Conscience and Creation: Paul references both as general revelation—attributes of God in nature and the moral law written on the heart.

  “So it's a fairly significant knowledge of God, I think, that is available through general revelation alone.”
  — Dr. Bob [17:36]

6. Seeking God and the Human Response (Acts 17)

• Emphasis on God’s desire for humanity to “seek Him, reach out, and perhaps find Him,” even before special revelation (the Gospel) is introduced.

  “God really wants us to think and try and reach out to him and find him in that way.”
  — Bruce [18:44]

  “As Paul says, every one of us is not far from Him. We live and move and have our being in Him.”
  — Dr. Bob [21:38]

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Transition: Introduction to Special Revelation

7. Nature and Types of Special Revelation

• Definition: Special revelation is “special” because it is clearer and fuller than general revelation.

• Three Main Forms:

  1. The Living Word (Jesus Christ) - The fullest human revelation of God’s nature (John 1:1, 1:14, 1:18).
  2. Written Word (Holy Scripture) - Universally applicable revelation (“All Scripture is inspired by God…” 2 Timothy 3:16).
  3. Particular Revelations (Dreams, visions, prophecies)—specific, time-bound communications.

  “Remember, we said that a revelation is the unveiling of something hidden so that it can be seen and known for what it is. Or more generally, a revelation is a communication from God.”
  — Dr. Bob [26:23]

• Applicability: Scriptural revelations are universal; particular revelations are not, being relevant only to the addressees.

8. Discerning Modern Particular Revelations

• Debate: Do such revelations happen today?

  • Some hold that after Scripture’s completion, particular revelations ceased.
  • Others (charismatics) believe such gifts or revelations continue.
  • Dr. Craig’s perspective: Open but cautious—do not rule out God’s freedom, but discern according to Scripture.

  “Who am I to say that God hasn't spoken to someone in a special way…? I'm not in a position to judge. I can only judge whether or not I've been given such a word or revelation.”
  — Dr. Bob [33:30]

  “[Be] open minded, but that doesn't mean you have to be gullible about these things.”
  — Dr. Bob [35:03]

• Principle of Consistency: Any particular revelation must be consistent with the revealed Word and the character of God.

  “All communication with God are consistent... So everyone can, as you say, can judge or discern whether, whether it's of God or not.”
  — Taewon [35:08]

• Biblical Direction for Discernment:

  “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God.”
  — Dr. Bob quoting 1 John 4:1 [36:26]

• Contemporary Example: Reports of visions among Muslims leading to faith where scripture is not accessible; connection to the pattern of early church reliance on particular revelation before widespread Scripture.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On inference in Romans 1:

  “There is a sort of inference involved here… through rational reflection upon creation that God's existence is perceived.”
  — Dr. Bob [04:02]

• On general revelation’s role:

  “God is revealed in the created world that he has made.”
  — Dr. Bob [13:41]

• On the distinction:

  “Arguments for God's existence are fallible and revisable… but that doesn't affect God's general revelation of himself in nature and conscience, which is sufficiently clear to render all men inexcusable.”
  — Dr. Bob [13:54–14:16]

• On discernment with modern revelations:

  “Be open minded, but that doesn't mean you have to be gullible.”
  — Dr. Bob [35:03]

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:25] – Definition of natural theology and its relation to general revelation
• [03:49–04:11] – Romans 1: Is knowledge of God an inference or perception?
• [06:23–09:23] – Parallels with Wisdom of Solomon 13:1–9 and inference from creation
• [10:08–11:40] – Paul’s use of natural revelation as a witness in Acts 14
• [13:22–14:19] – Analogy of artist/artwork and the relation of arguments to revelation
• [16:06–18:22] – Class Q&A: Accountability, suppression of truth, and the scope of general revelation
• [19:04–21:43] – Acts 17: God’s desire that humanity seeks Him; God’s proximity
• [22:00–25:40] – Overview of special revelation: Jesus, Scripture, particular revelations
• [26:23–30:27] – Distinction between universally applicable and particular revelations
• [32:59–35:08] – Judging claims of contemporary revelation; emphasis on humility and discernment
• [36:26–36:39] – Biblical call to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1)
• [37:29–38:07] – Example: Visions leading to faith among Muslims today

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Conclusion & What’s Next

The episode thoroughly explored the intersection of reason, revelation, and the scriptural witness to God’s self-disclosure. Dr. Craig and the class emphasized that general revelation provides a clear, universal testimony to God, while natural theology engages in rational formulation of arguments. Special revelation, in contrast, brings fuller clarity through Christ, Scripture, and at times, particular communications. Participants are invited to practice discernment, weighing all claims by the standard of biblical consistency.

Preview for Next Week:
A deep dive into the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture: evaluating how God has inspired Holy Scripture and exploring theories surrounding it.

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Transcript

[Dr. William Lane Craig]

Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. Today the Doctrine of Revelation, Part 3. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonablefaith.org We've been talking

[Dr. Bob]

about general revelation, and last time we looked at some of the functions of general revelation.

[Jim]

And today we want to turn to

[Dr. Bob]

the topic of the relationship and of general revelation to natural theology. Now, natural theology is that branch of

[Jim]

theology which explores justification for God's existence

[Dr. Bob]

apart from the resources of authoritative divine revelation.

[Jim]

Set aside what we know about God

[Dr. Bob]

from his authoritative revelation in Scripture, for

[Jim]

example, and what can be known about

[Dr. Bob]

God simply on the basis of human reason alone.

[Jim]

So the project of natural theology is to construct various arguments for God's existence.

[Dr. Bob]

And the question we want to ask now is what is the relationship between general revelation in nature and the project of natural theology of arguing for God's existence?

[Jim]

And the question that arises in this

[Dr. Bob]

context is how we should understand what Paul says in Romans chapter one about the knowledge of God that is available through his revelation, generally in nature and in conscience.

[Jim]

Namely, is this revelation such that it is an inference to God's existence from,

[Dr. Bob]

for example, the order in nature or just the existence of the creation or the moral law written on our hearts and our grasp of objective moral values and duties?

[Jim]

Do we then infer that God exists? Is there sort of argument here that Paul is presenting? Is he endorsing, in other words, the

[Dr. Bob]

project of natural theology in Romans 1?

[Jim]

Or rather is the knowledge of God

[Dr. Bob]

that is available through general revelation, more like perception.

[Jim]

That is to say, as you look at nature, you just sort of see

[Dr. Bob]

that it was created by God. It's not an inference to God's existence.

[Jim]

It's not an argument in, it's more like an insight. You look at nature or you sense the moral law within, and you simply

[Dr. Bob]

perceive in that God's existence and goodness.

[Jim]

It seems to me that either of

[Dr. Bob]

these is a defensible interpretation of Romans chapter one. But let me point out some reasons

[Jim]

to think that this is not just a perception, but that this is in fact an inference.

[Dr. Bob]

Notice that Paul says in chapter one and verse 20, ever since the creation

[Jim]

of the world, God's invisible nature, namely

[Dr. Bob]

his eternal power and deity, have been clearly perceived through the things that have been made.

[Jim]

And what Paul says in the Greek here is that these invisible things are

[Dr. Bob]

clearly perceived through reflection on the things that have been made.

[Jim]

It is by reflecting on the creation that one does perceive that this is created by God. So this would suggest that indeed there

[Dr. Bob]

is a sort of inference Involved here we do perceive God in creation, and

[Jim]

but it is through rational reflection upon

[Dr. Bob]

creation that God's existence is perceived.

[Jim]

And moreover, it's very interesting that this

[Dr. Bob]

passage in Romans chapter one bears a

[Jim]

great resemblance to Greek philosophical thought about

[Dr. Bob]

God and how God can be known through creation.

[Jim]

The Greek in this passage is among the clearest examples of classical Greek to

[Dr. Bob]

be found in the New Testament, which

[Jim]

suggests that it bears the imprint of Hellenistic or Greek philosophy. For example, the word idios for God's

[Dr. Bob]

eternal nature, When it speaks of God's eternal nature being perceived.

[Jim]

This is a Greek word which is

[Dr. Bob]

found only two times in the entire New Testament. It's not part of the normal vocabulary that you would find there.

[Jim]

Similarly, the word Theotes, which signifies the

[Dr. Bob]

divine nature when it says his eternal nature has been clearly perceived, is a word which is found only here in the New Testament.

[Jim]

It is unique.

[Dr. Bob]

It is a Greek word referring to deity, the nature or essence of God. Moreover, this passage in Romans 1 bears

[Jim]

a clear resemblance to an intertestamental Hellenistic Jewish work called the Wisdom of Solomon. Now, this is not part of the Bible.

[Dr. Bob]

It's not actually written by Solomon. It's an intertestamental work that is ascribed to Solomon, but is in fact an

[Jim]

example of Greek or Hellenistic Judaism that

[Dr. Bob]

existed during the intertestamental period prior to the advent of Jesus.

[Jim]

And I want to read to you

[Dr. Bob]

verses 1 to 9 of the Wisdom of Solomon, chapter 13. So the Wisdom of Solomon 13:1 9.

[Jim]

And notice the similarities between this passage

[Dr. Bob]

and what Paul says in Romans 1.

[Jim]

For all men who were ignorant of

[Dr. Bob]

God were foolish by nature, and they

[Jim]

were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists. Nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works. But they suppose that either fire or wind, or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or

[Dr. Bob]

the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.

[Jim]

If through delight in the beauty of these things, men assumed them to be gods, let them know how much better than these is their Lord. For the Author of beauty created them. And if men were amazed at their power and working, let them perceive from them how much more powerful is he who formed them. For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.

[Dr. Bob]

Yet these men are little to be blamed for.

[Jim]

Perhaps they go astray while seeking God and desiring to find Him. For as they live among his works, they keep searching, and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful yet again. Not even they are to be excused. For if they had the power to

[Dr. Bob]

know so much that they could investigate

[Jim]

the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?

[Dr. Bob]

That sounds like an echo of Romans 1, or better Romans 1 is an

[Jim]

echo of this passage. The author here speaks of how all people are without excuse for not recognizing the existence of the Creator because of his marvelous works, through reflection on which one can perceive their Creator, so that it's folly. It is inexcusable to worship the works themselves, or to think that these were

[Dr. Bob]

formed by gods, rather than to worship

[Jim]

the transcendent Creator who formed these works. And in the wisdom of Solomon, clearly the author is talking about a reasoned inference from the created works back to God as their Creator.

[Dr. Bob]

It is through the creation, through his works, that one can infer that God exists, and all men are responsible for making such an inference.

[Jim]

So this would suggest that what Paul

[Dr. Bob]

is talking about in Romans one may

[Jim]

well be an inference to God as

[Dr. Bob]

the creator, designer of the universe, the source of the moral law written within. And so this would be an endorsement of the project of natural theology. Moreover, look over at Acts chapter 14 and verse 17. Turn back to Acts 14.

[Jim]

17. This is a description of Paul and

[Dr. Bob]

Barnabas ministry in Lystra.

[Jim]

And the men of that city, seeing

[Dr. Bob]

the miracles that they had wrought, think

[Jim]

that the gods have come down from heaven. The priest of the temple of Zeus comes out to offer sacrifices to Paul

[Dr. Bob]

and Barnabas, thinking that these are gods.

[Jim]

And what Paul says is that this is not true.

[Dr. Bob]

Notice what he says in verse 15. We also are men of like nature with you, and bring you good news,

[Jim]

that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them. This is the Creator of the universe

[Dr. Bob]

that they ought to turn to.

[Jim]

And then in verse 16 in past

[Dr. Bob]

generations he allowed all the nations to

[Jim]

walk in their own ways. This is people who had only general revelation. God had not specially revealed himself to them. They had not heard of Christ.

[Dr. Bob]

He permitted the nations to walk in their own ways.

[Jim]

But in verse 17 yet he did not leave himself without witness. For he did good, and gave you

[Dr. Bob]

from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with with food and gladness.

[Jim]

Here Paul says that the seasons and the fruitfulness of nature, God's revelation in creation, is a witness even to these

[Dr. Bob]

Gentile nations, who had not yet heard

[Jim]

the gospel, so that he had provided evidence to them, even as he had

[Dr. Bob]

overlooked them in not yet bringing the gospel to. To them.

[Jim]

So it seems to me that we

[Dr. Bob]

do have, in Paul's thinking, an endorsement of the project of natural theology, that

[Jim]

it is quite legitimate to construct arguments

[Dr. Bob]

and evidence for God's existence.

[Jim]

Now if that's right, what is the

[Dr. Bob]

relationship then between general revelation and the arguments of natural theology? Well, clearly they're not identical.

[Jim]

They're not identical. The arguments of natural theology are man made products.

[Dr. Bob]

They are human creations and formulations.

[Jim]

And they will need to be redone

[Dr. Bob]

every generation as people continue to think and explore and reflect on these matters.

[Jim]

It is not a static project that is once and for all finished.

[Dr. Bob]

Every generation needs to reflect upon these matters in formulating good arguments for God's existence. But general revelation has been there from the beginning.

[Jim]

General revelation, I think, is, as it were, the traits of the artist in his artifact.

[Dr. Bob]

You can recognize a Rembrandt through the

[Jim]

traits of the artist that is in

[Dr. Bob]

his paintings and similarly with other artists

[Jim]

or the fingerprints of the potter that

[Dr. Bob]

are left in the clay.

[Jim]

God is revealed in the created world

[Dr. Bob]

that he has made.

[Jim]

And this then produces the stuff upon

[Dr. Bob]

which human beings can reflect and formulate arguments for God's existence.

[Jim]

So arguments for God's existence are fallible

[Dr. Bob]

and revisable and you can feel free to reject them if you're not convinced by them.

[Jim]

But that doesn't affect God's general revelation

[Dr. Bob]

of himself in nature and conscience, which is sufficiently clear to render all men

[Jim]

inexcusable for not recognizing the existence of

[Dr. Bob]

an eternal powerful creator and the demands of his moral law upon their hearts. Any discussion of that role or relationship between general revelation and natural theology? Yes, Jim. Well, we want to hear you if you're going to say something.

[Jim]

Yeah, let's get it on the tape.

[Dr. Bob]

I mean, there's no use asking something other people on the side of the room can't hear.

[Unknown Participant 1]

What was that reference? The Wisdom of Solomon.

[Jim]

Okay, it's the Wisdom of Solomon, chapter

[Dr. Bob]

13, verses 1 to 9. And I'm sure you can just google that and it will bring up a copy of it on the Internet for you to read. Fascinating passage, I thought, isn't it? It's just remarkable.

[Jim]

There are also passages in Aristotle where

[Dr. Bob]

he reflects upon

[Jim]

how God is revealed

[Dr. Bob]

in the created world that just sound like Romans 1. Paul was clearly in touch here with Greek philosophy, I think, and what Greek philosophers had said about how God's existence is evident through the created world. But the Wisdom of Solomon is certainly a striking Jewish passage on this.

[Jim]

Any other question or discussion about general

[Dr. Bob]

revelation, we'll Move next to special revelation. Any final thoughts about general revelation before we move on? Yes, there's a comment here from Steve.

[Steve]

So I'm trying to read this. In Romans 1:18, so it's saying the so is uncovered the anger of God from heaven on all irreverence, the unright of men, the ones the truth and unright holding down. Therefore the known of God is evident in them. So God. So it's saying that general revelation, everybody has some degree of truth from it and God holds you accountable for suppressing that and living it out in your life.

[Dr. Bob]

Yes.

[Steve]

So that's the evidence. Not that everything is so plain, but just to what we know. We're held accountable for what we can see in it.

[Jim]

Well, what he says is that it is plain.

[Dr. Bob]

He says in verse 19 God has shown it to them. And then in verse 20 he says it has been clearly perceived

[Jim]

and therefore

[Dr. Bob]

they are without excuse.

[Jim]

But you're quite right in saying in

[Dr. Bob]

verse 18 he says that people suppress this truth in their wickedness and moral darkness. They suppress this natural knowledge of God that's available through general revelation.

[Steve]

So the eternal power is plain and the splendor is plain. But what you're held accountable for is what you're suppressing because that's proof that you know it, because you're suppressing it.

[Jim]

That seems right.

[Dr. Bob]

Yes. Yeah. He says that God's

[Jim]

deity, his invisible

[Dr. Bob]

deity, and then he specifically names his eternal power as being perceived in the things that have been made. And then also over in chapter two, you get the moral law that is written on the hearts of all people as well. So you get attributes of God from creation, but then also these moral attributes of God too, from conscience. So it's a fairly significant knowledge of God, I think, that is available through general revelation alone.

[Jim]

The idea that you only know about

[Dr. Bob]

God through special revelation through the Bible or the Gospel, I think is completely foreign to the New Testament, indeed to

[Jim]

the whole Bible, which says that there

[Dr. Bob]

is a general revelation of God in nature as well as conscience that is available to everyone. Any other comment or discussion?

[Jim]

Good. Well, let's go on.

[Dr. Bob]

Well, okay, one comment here.

[Jim]

Yes, go ahead.

[Bruce]

Just a comment. I see the connection between this view of inferring God's existence from general revelation to God's desire for man to seek him out later on in Acts. I think there's a connection there where God really wants us to think and try and reach out to him and find him in that way.

[Dr. Bob]

Yes, let's look at that passage in Acts 17, because it's also relevant to what I quoted from Paul in Lystra,

[Jim]

where he says, God has not left Himself without a witness in Acts 17:22. And following you have Paul's address on Mars Hill in Athens. And specifically identified in the group of listeners to him are Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, ancient Greek philosophers who have come to hear Paul.

[Dr. Bob]

And as the questioner pointed out, what he says here is in verse 24,

[Jim]

the God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything, but He Himself gives to all

[Dr. Bob]

men life and breath and everything.

[Jim]

Here this is the God of Jewish might monotheism that he is proclaiming to these Greek pagans that God revealed in nature, has created the world. And he says that he has then

[Dr. Bob]

fixed the places that everyone should live

[Jim]

in verse 27, that they should seek God in the hope that they might feel after him and find Him. Yet he is not far from every one of us, for in him we

[Dr. Bob]

live and move and have our being. So Paul is saying that even to

[Jim]

these Gentiles who haven't yet heard the gospel, there is this knowledge of God that is available. And then notice again, in verse 30 we have the same expression, the times of ignorance. God overlooks, he overlooked this time of ignorance, but he hasn't left Himself without a witness, right? And then he says, now he commands

[Dr. Bob]

all men everywhere to repent, and he proclaims the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

[Jim]

So even during this time of ignorance,

[Dr. Bob]

as Paul calls it, when God overlooked

[Jim]

the sins of prior generations that had

[Dr. Bob]

not yet received a special revelation from him, he hadn't left Himself without a witness. And that is the witness of general revelation that reveals God to us.

[Jim]

So that, as Paul says, every one of us is not far from Him.

[Dr. Bob]

We live and move and have our being in Him.

[Jim]

And God's hope is that we'll seek him, reach out, feel for him, and perhaps find Him.

[Dr. Bob]

He says.

[Jim]

Well, now let's turn then to a

[Dr. Bob]

discussion of special revelation.

[Jim]

In what sense is special revelation special?

[Dr. Bob]

What do we mean by the word special in this context?

[Jim]

Well, again, two things. First, it means that God reveals Himself

[Dr. Bob]

more clearly than he has in general revelation, and secondly, that it is a fuller revelation of Himself to human beings. So special revelation is given with a clarity and a fullness of the nature and purposes and plans of God than can be had through general revelation alone.

[Jim]

Here we have greater clarity, more information about who God is now what are the various types of special revelation? Well, typically theologians will say that God's

[Dr. Bob]

special revelation comes through His Word.

[Jim]

It is through the Word of God, as opposed to nature, that God specially reveals himself. And that Word can take two forms. Either the living Word, Jesus Christ, who

[Dr. Bob]

is the full revelation of God, or

[Jim]

else Holy Scripture, which is the written word of God. Concerning Jesus Christ as God's Word, see

[Dr. Bob]

John, chapter 1 and verse 1, John chapter 1 and verse 1.

[Jim]

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[Dr. Bob]

And then in verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us,

[Jim]

full of grace and truth. We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

[Dr. Bob]

And then verse 18.

[Jim]

No one has ever seen God, the

[Dr. Bob]

only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. And in fact, the best manuscripts of verse 18 say the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

[Jim]

So here Jesus Christ is declared to

[Dr. Bob]

be the Word of God, the very expression of God in human flesh, to

[Jim]

reveal to us God's grace and truth

[Dr. Bob]

in this fuller way than is available through general revelation.

[Jim]

And as for the revelation of God in holy scripture, see 2nd Timothy 3,

[Dr. Bob]

16, 2nd Timothy, chapter 3 and verse 16.

[Jim]

Here Paul writes, all Scripture is inspired

[Dr. Bob]

of God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

[Jim]

And the notion there of being inspired means literally God breathed. Scripture is God breathed, so it becomes God's Word to us.

[Dr. Bob]

So special revelation can take the form

[Jim]

of Jesus Christ, who fully reveals God

[Dr. Bob]

the Father to mankind, but then also God's revelation in Holy Scripture.

[Jim]

Now, as I say, that's usually as

[Dr. Bob]

far as folks go with regard to special revelation.

[Jim]

But it seems to me that there's

[Dr. Bob]

a third form that special revelation can

[Jim]

take, and that is what I would call particular revelations.

[Dr. Bob]

Particular revelations.

[Jim]

And these would be revelations in dreams, visions, prophecies, and so forth. It seems to me that these fit our definition of what a revelation is.

[Dr. Bob]

Remember, we said that a revelation is

[Jim]

the unveiling of something hidden so that it can be seen and known for what it is. Or more generally, a revelation is a communication from God. And Scripture, I think, abundantly testifies to the fact that God communicates to people via dreams, visions, prophecies, and so forth that are not in Holy Scripture and that are obviously not Jesus Christ. For an example of this, look at

[Dr. Bob]

First Corinthians 14, First Corinthians 14, 26, 29, 30.

[Jim]

Here Paul is laying down regulations for how worship should proceed in these New Testament churches. When they gather together, there would be prophets who would claim to have a revelation from God and would speak in these assemblies. And Paul gives some regulations here about how these prophets are to behave.

[Dr. Bob]

First Corinthians 14, verses 26 and 29 to 30.

[Jim]

What then, brethren, when you come together? Each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

[Dr. Bob]

Verse 29.

[Jim]

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is being said. If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. So here Paul uses the word revelation to describe these New Testament prophets who

[Dr. Bob]

communicated some word from the Lord.

[Jim]

And Paul gives advice on how these prophets are to behave and and he tells the people who are sitting there to listen to them critically, to weigh

[Dr. Bob]

whether or not this really is a word from the Lord, whether or not this is a genuine revelation or prophecy.

[Jim]

So it seems to me that there are these particular revelations. And what differentiates them from Holy Scripture, I think, is that even though God's revelation in Scripture is special in that it is clearer, it is fuller, nevertheless it is still general in the sense of its applicability. It applies to everyone. The truths that are laid down in Scripture are applicable universally. So the revelation in Scripture is universally

[Dr. Bob]

applicable, but these particular revelations are not universally applicable applicable.

[Jim]

These are made at a specific time and a specific place for the people involved there.

[Dr. Bob]

If God, for example, gives someone like

[Jim]

Paul a revelation to come over into Macedonia and preach the Gospel, that's a revelation given just to Paul that he's obligated to obey. That doesn't mean that you're obligated to

[Dr. Bob]

go to Macedonia and and preach the Gospel.

[Jim]

These particular revelations are not universally applicable, but are intended just for the time

[Dr. Bob]

and place and persons that were there and received them.

[Jim]

So these seem to be the ways in which God specially reveals Himself, in

[Dr. Bob]

addition to general revelation through his Son

[Jim]

Jesus Christ, who is the full revelation

[Dr. Bob]

of God the Father through his revelation

[Jim]

in Holy Scripture, and then these particular

[Dr. Bob]

revelations through prophecies, dreams and visions and so forth.

[Jim]

Any question then about

[Dr. Bob]

these forms of special revelation?

[Unknown Participant 2]

Well, it seemed like that in the early days that you would have to have more particular emphasis on revelation, on special revelation, because the Scripture wasn't written yet. So Paul, when he says my gospel, he's giving them an oral tradition when he relates that. So it would seem like that would be in use before Scripture was penned and then afterwards Scripture kind of becomes the standard by which you.

[Dr. Bob]

Yes, I think Bruce is making a very good point and you notice that

[Jim]

I didn't address the issue, but whether

[Dr. Bob]

or not these particular revelations still occur today, our charismatic brethren believe that God does give these kinds of special words to people.

[Jim]

Other Christians would say, I think as

[Dr. Bob]

Bruce did, that once the canon of Scripture was given and we had God's revelation in the New Testament, that then there was no further need for these

[Jim]

particular revelations, which would have been very

[Dr. Bob]

important prior to Scriptures being written down and widely disseminated.

[Jim]

So I'm leaving that an open question at this point. I'm just looking at the New Testament

[Dr. Bob]

material on this question and it does seem to me that at least in the New Testament period, that, and I

[Jim]

would say in the Old as well, that God on occasion did specially reveal

[Dr. Bob]

himself in these ways, whether or not he still does so today.

[Jim]

Yes, Taewon.

[Dr. Bob]

Oh, I'm sorry, Taewon, We've got another question on this side first.

[Julie]

Julie, I just had a question and I think that you basically answered it, but there are so many people that are saying that they're getting messages or revelations or prayers, prophecy from God based on dreams and things that they're having. And what's your take on that? You know, unless it's. Yeah, because you sort of answered my question. But what's your philosophy on these types of individuals?

[Dr. Bob]

I think that attitude is an attitude of humility with respect to, to people claiming these things. Namely the New Testament teaches that these sorts of things did occur in New Testament times.

[Jim]

And I'm not convinced by the arguments that say that they've ceased. When you look at the so called cessationist arguments, they're not very convincing, I

[Dr. Bob]

think, to say that God doesn't do this anymore.

[Jim]

So I feel who am I to

[Dr. Bob]

say that God hasn't spoken to someone in a special way, given them a dream or a word or something of that sort? I'm not in a position to judge. I can only judge whether or not I've been given such a word or revelation.

[Jim]

Now, of course, if this person claims

[Dr. Bob]

to have some word from God that

[Jim]

is contrary to scripture, for example, I know cases of people who say God told me it's all right to divorce

[Dr. Bob]

my wife and marry this other woman

[Jim]

in the church, this is his will for me, that's contrary to scripture. And you know then that that is

[Dr. Bob]

this person's own subjective impression because God doesn't contradict Scripture, which is the universally applicable revelation.

[Jim]

But in other cases where someone says, for example, you hear this all the time. God told me to speak to this

[Dr. Bob]

person sitting next to me on the airplane or in the restaurant and I shared with him and this person came to Christ. Who am I to say that God didn't do that?

[Jim]

Maybe that was just a prompting from the Holy Spirit.

[Dr. Bob]

Certainly that could take place.

[Jim]

But in other cases, people do claim to have actual information

[Dr. Bob]

from God and

[Jim]

I just feel like I have to be open to it, but not so

[Dr. Bob]

open minded that my brains fall out.

[Jim]

You're open minded, but that doesn't mean

[Dr. Bob]

you have to be gullible about these things.

[Taewon]

Yes, Tiwan, now I agree with you. A lot of people. Well, first of all, Ephesians talk about the oneness and the one Spirit, the one God and one. The oneness is that all communication with God are consistent. So whether it's special revelation or it's the living word or scripture, they are all consistent. And so, and I don't think God is boxed in by human mind. Say you cannot go beyond what is already written. So God can still work in ways beyond our, beyond our understanding, but it's all consistent. So it's consistent with the living word, it's consistent with the scripture. So everyone can, as you say, can judge or discern whether, whether it's of God or not.

[Dr. Bob]

Yes. I want to second what Tawan said about the importance of discernment here.

[Jim]

Let me just quote from First John

[Dr. Bob]

chapter 4 and verse 1.

[Jim]

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God. For many false prophets have gone out

[Dr. Bob]

into the world, so we're called upon to be discerning. Dr. Bob, I know we're running out

[Unknown Participant 3]

of time, but I think this is one support of particular revelation in the present day is the fact that many, many Muslims are coming to Christ in the Middle East. And I follow this because of my interest in prophecy in the Middle East. And this is from many different countries and from sources that I trust. They have visions and they are, they come to Christ. I mean, they are saved just as you and I are. They know the real and they got that from a vision. Well, they don't have scripture there. It's illegal. It's a threat to their life. So as Bruce was bringing up in the early days, we didn't have scripture. Now for them, we're kind of back like the early days. So I think we are getting particular revelation.

[Jim]

Yes.

[Dr. Bob]

Okay, thank you, Bob.

[Jim]

And I think that does relate to what I said last week about the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant not occurring instantaneously worldwide. But it occurs as the Gospel message

[Dr. Bob]

geographically spreads from 1st century Palestine throughout

[Jim]

the world, so that people such as Bob mentioned are in a sense still living in this earlier period, these times of ignorance that God overlooked, where these sorts of special revelations as well as

[Dr. Bob]

general revelation might be more important.

[Jim]

Well, next week, what we'll talk about then is Scripture, and we will look at theories of the inspiration of Scripture with a view toward formulating a defensible theory of how God has inspired Holy Scripture.