Concise Theology Chapter Three

GENERAL REVELATION -

God's Reality Is Known To All

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

  1. The Bible testifies to a two-fold revelation of God, the scriptures, and all of creation. The whole of Psalm 19 encapsulates this idea, devoting the first six verses to God's glory as reflected in the universe, and the last seven to God's glory as reflected in the Torah. Charles Hodge coined the terms "special" and "general" revelation to distinguish the two, because revelation in nature is general, intended for all, much like common grace, whereas the revelation of Scripture is special, intended for the elect, as is special grace.

  2. General Revelation refers to the phenomenon whereby God reveals himself to mankind through his creation. It includes both the external universe, which man perceives by his senses, and his own human conscience (Rom 2:14). Theology based on general revelation is sometimes called Natural Theology.

  3. Contrasting General and Special Revelation:

  4. What does man learn about God from His general revelation?

    In nature...

    1. God's omnipotence, seen in creation's vastness.

      "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 1:20

    2. God's omniscience, seen in creation's complexity.

      "How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." - Ps 104:24

    3. God's glory, seen in creation's beauty.

      "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." - Ps 19:1

    4. God's goodness, seen in his providence.

      "You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing." - Ps 65:9-13

      "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 14:17

    In man's conscience...

    1. God's holiness, seen in the human conscience that bears witness with God's law.

      "Indeed, 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, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." - Rom 2:14-15

    2. God's justice, seen in man's anticipation of judgment.

      "... slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." - Rom 1:30-32

    "A sense of divinity (sensus divinitatis) which can never be effaced is engraved upon men's minds...this conviction, that there is a God, is naturally inborn in all, and is fixed deep within, as it were in the very marrow."

  5. The limitations of general revelation:

    1. Subjectivity. It relies on fallen human reasoning, which is finite, fallible, corrupted by sin, biased against God - "... their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Rom 1:21. As a result man, with the same God-given reason by which he knows that God exists, suppresses the truth (Rom 1:18), and substitutes (exchanges in NIV) the truth with a lie (Rom 1:23).

      "In seeking God, miserable men do not rise above themselves as they should, but measure him by the yardstick of their own carnal stupidity, and neglect sound investigation... they do not therefore apprehend God as he offers himself, but imagine him as they have fashioned him in their own presumption."

    2. Silent regarding salvation. It does not speak to a solution to man's crucial problem: sin, guilt, and a need for forgiveness (soteriology).

  6. General Revelation and Evangelism:

    1. Proclaim, don't debate!

      Because of what the Scripture says concerning all men's knowledge of God through general revelation (this knowledge, without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, is mental ascent, not spiritual communion) we can assume, or presuppose the existence of God when sharing the gospel with unbelievers. It is not necessary to attempt to prove the existence of God philosophically to an atheist before presenting the claims of the gospel to him.

    2. Rely on the Holy Spirit.

      Since the knowledge of God by general revelation is suppressed, distorted, and willfully substituted with deception because of sin, man by nature loves evil and is hostile to God. Therefore, a clear, reasonable and irrefutable presentation of the truths of the Gospel are not sufficient for conversion. It is not just information that the sinner lacks, but the ability to believe and respond to it. Pray for God to make their spirits come alive and open their blind eyes.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

"NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark office by International Bible Society.

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Last updated: February 2, 1997