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Revelation — the idea that God discloses truths about the divine nature, purposes, and will to human beings — is central to most theistic religions. But how does God reveal? Through nature and reason, or through miraculous interventions and sacred texts? Is revelation a set of propositions to be believed, or a personal encounter to be experienced? This lesson examines the key distinctions between natural and special revelation, propositional and non-propositional models, the Barth-Brunner debate, and the status of the Bible as revelation.
General revelation (also called natural revelation) refers to knowledge of God that is available to all human beings through the natural world, human reason, and conscience — without the need for special divine intervention. The claim is that God has left traces or signs of the divine nature in the created order, accessible to anyone who reflects on them.
Key Definition: General Revelation — Knowledge of God available to all people through reason, the natural world, and moral conscience, without requiring Scripture, prophecy, or miraculous intervention.
The Apostle Paul articulated the concept of general revelation in Romans 1:20: "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." Paul's claim is that the natural world provides sufficient evidence of God's existence and nature that all human beings are accountable for responding to it.
St Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) built his philosophical theology on the foundation of general revelation. Aquinas argued that human reason, reflecting on the observable features of the natural world — motion, causation, contingency, degrees of perfection, teleology — can arrive at certain knowledge of God's existence and some of God's attributes. The Five Ways are exercises in reading general revelation through the lens of rational inquiry.
Aquinas held that general revelation is genuine but limited. Reason can establish that God exists, that God is one, incorporeal, and powerful, but it cannot reveal the distinctively Christian truths — the Trinity, the Incarnation, salvation through Christ. For these truths, special revelation is necessary.
William Paley's (1743–1805) design argument is a classic example of reasoning from general revelation. Paley argued that the complexity, order, and purposeful arrangement of the natural world — especially biological organisms — reveal an intelligent designer. The natural world is, in effect, God's "book" — a text that can be read by anyone with eyes to see.
John Henry Newman (1801–1890) argued that the voice of conscience is a form of general revelation. When we experience moral obligation — the sense that certain actions are demanded of us regardless of our desires — we encounter something that transcends human invention. The authority, urgency, and personal quality of conscience point to a personal God who commands and judges. Conscience is God speaking within the human soul.
Special revelation refers to knowledge of God that comes through particular, extraordinary divine acts — events in which God intervenes directly to communicate with human beings. Unlike general revelation, which is available universally, special revelation is directed to specific individuals, communities, or historical moments.
Key Definition: Special Revelation — Knowledge of God communicated through particular divine acts: Scripture, prophecy, theophanies (appearances of God), miracles, the Incarnation, and direct divine communication with individuals.
| Form | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Scripture | Sacred texts believed to be divinely inspired or dictated | The Bible, the Quran, the Torah |
| Prophecy | Messages delivered by individuals claimed to speak on God's behalf | Isaiah, Jeremiah, Muhammad |
| Theophany | A direct appearance or manifestation of God | The burning bush (Exodus 3), God's appearance to Moses on Sinai |
| Miracles | Extraordinary events attributed to divine intervention | The parting of the Red Sea, the Resurrection of Christ |
| The Incarnation | God becoming human in Jesus Christ | The central claim of Christianity — "the Word became flesh" (John 1:14) |
| Religious experience | Direct personal encounters with God | Paul's Damascus road experience, mystical visions |
In Christian theology, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is the supreme act of special revelation. In Jesus, God does not merely communicate information about the divine nature — God becomes personally present in human history. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes: "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1–2). Christ is not simply a messenger who carries God's words — Christ is the Word of God in person.
One of the most important debates in the theology of revelation concerns whether revelation consists of propositions (statements of truth) or personal encounter (an experience of God's presence).
The propositional model holds that revelation consists of divinely communicated truths — statements about God, morality, salvation, and the world that are literally true and authoritatively binding. On this view, the Bible (or other sacred text) contains God's words in propositional form — doctrines, commands, and teachings that the believer must accept as true.
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