Interest has been expressed for questioning the assumptions of Christian Theology. The core assumption of theology is that God reveals aspects of himself to mankind and that these revelations are trustworthy. Therefore, we will begin by examining the doctrine of divine revelation.
Revelation is a translation of the Greek work apokalupsis (ἀποκάλυψις). It literally means an uncovering and typically refers to the revealing of something that was previously unknown. God is inherently unknowable but has revealed aspects of Himself to mankind, referred to as divine revelation. The theological term for the unknowability of God is ineffable. We can only know things about God to the extent that He wants us to know things about Him. God therefore reveals aspects of Himself in two ways: through general revelation and through special revelation. General revelation is how God reveals aspects of Himself through the physical universe and through human nature. Theological systems based on general revelation are termed natural theologies. Special revelation is how God reveals additional aspects of Himself to specific individuals such as prophets and apostles. These special revelations are recorded in the Bible.
GENERAL REVELATION – PHYSICAL CREATION
The universe as we understand it strongly points to an intelligent creator. On a galactic scale this is evidenced by the “fine tuning” of many physical parameters where the slightest change would have prevented life from ever occurring. Examples include the strength of gravity, the strength of the strong nuclear force, the strength of the weak nuclear force, the relative masses of quarks, and global cosmic energy density. It can be argued that the probability of these parameters being such that life exists is essentially zero without an intelligent creator.
Darwin’s theory of evolution is often used to explain how life on earth began and ultimately resulted in humankind through random physical processes. But this view is highly oversimplified and often amounts to a faith-based secular religion rather than established science. A close examination reveals that it is highly improbable that life as we know it developed through random genetic mutations and natural selection. First, the fossil record (though incomplete) shows that the development of new species has not been gradual as Darwin suggested would be the case. Rather, species have historically emerged in spurts, referred to as punctuated equilibrium. Second, there are biological phenomenon that require components that could not have evolved independently. This is referred to as irreducible complexity, and strongly points to an intelligent designer. General revelation from biological phenomena, as for cosmic phenomena, also points to an intelligent creator.
GENERAL REVELATION – HUMAN NATURE
General revelation through human nature begins with the question, “Do people have free will?” Everyone, of course, has a sensation of free will. You feel that you choose what to eat for breakfast, what clothes to wear for the day, and whether to make a selfish or an altruistic choice. This sensation of free will could either be due to actual free will or the illusion of free will. All Christian theological systems believe that people have actual free will, as free will is necessary for moral accountability. Opposed to this is the belief in determinism, which can be based on both philosophical and scientific arguments. Determinism argues that people cannot have true free will since all of our choices are predetermined by the state of the universe and its physical laws.
For free will to exist, there must be something that transcends the physical universe and/or its physical laws. That is, there must be something that is “extramundane.” This leaves two logical choices with regards to free will. You can either (1) believe in a deterministic universe and no free will; or (2) believe in free will and an extramundane source of this free will. General revelation therefore reveals that our free will, if it is not illusory, points to an extramundane reality.
In addition to free will, humans also have an innate sense of morality. If you believe that some moral choices are better than other moral choices, you must also believe that there is an ultimate moral standard to which moral choices can be compared. This moral standard cannot be inherent in a deterministic universe because moral choices are impossible in a deterministic universe. Therefore, the source of this moral standard must be extramundane. General revelation from our moral awareness, as with free will, requires the existence of something extramundane that determines moral standards. Something that determines moral standards and makes us aware of these moral standards also presumably cares about the moral decisions that we make. Therefore, this extramundane source of moral standards must be something like a person.
In summary, general revelation strongly suggests a reality that exists beyond the physical universe, a powerful intelligence that created the universe, an intelligence that sets moral standards, an intelligence that gives us an awareness of moral standards, and a personal intelligence that cares about our moral behavior. All of these general revelatory conclusions are compatible with Christianity, but special revelation is required to know more about the Christian God.
SPECIAL REVELATION AND THE BIBLE
The Bible clearly states that Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Logos in Greek; see Jn 1:1). In this sense, the Bible is not the Word of God itself but the apostolic and prophetic witness to the Word of God. Certain people in Biblical times received special revelation from God, which was eventually recorded either by the person receiving the special revelation or by somebody else familiar with the special revelation.
Many people believe that the Bible is completely without error, even down to each word. These people describe the Bible as “inerrant.” Many other people believe that the Bible is completely without error in all spiritual matters. These people typically refer to the Bible as “infallible.” The infallible camp does not see the Bible as a history or science textbook, but a theological textbook. There may be scientific or historical misrepresentations, but these misrepresentations do not in any way impact the validity of the spiritual message. The infallibility position also maintains that the Bible never contradicts itself on theological issues.
Others, typically liberal theologians, view the Bible as a fallible book written by well-intentioned but fallible authors. They believe that the Bible is useful for understanding what these authors were trying to communicate to their intended audience, but not for much more. Those that see the Bible in this way tend to dismiss all miraculous accounts, as they assume at the outset that miracles are not possible.
Orthodox theological systems generally assume that the spiritual content of the Bible was guided by the Holy Spirit to result in an authoritative work that contains everything that God wants us to know about Him and his relation to creation. Furthermore, it is usually assumed that revelation in the Bible is typically progressive. The spiritual message of the Bible is always reliable, but more about God is revealed in parts that were written later. For example, theological content in the New Testament will be consistent with the Old Testament, but will typically provide additional understanding, sometimes significantly more.
In summary, the spiritual content of the Bible is the record of God’s special revelation to individuals. The Bible describes these specials revelations occurring in a variety of ways such as through God speaking directly to people, through visions, and through dreams. Since these special revelations are recorded in the Bible, the Bible serves as the witness to God’s special revelation. God wants us to know more about Himself than is possible through general revelation. He has therefore given us the Bible through which we can gain a much deeper understanding of Him and His relationship to creation. This website generally assumes by faith that the spiritual content of the Bible is reliable and authoritative and is God’s primary tool for Christians gaining theological insights based on special revelation.
Leave a Reply