Скачать или смотреть Topic Video: Aspects of General Revelation

How does God reveal Himself through people?

Explore how creation, history, and even weather reveal God's character—and what that means for us today.

For more videos like this, visit our channel:    / thirdmillvideos  

To find out more about our content or view transcripts for this video, visit our website:
Website: https://thirdmill.org

Follow us on social media:
Facebook:   / thirdmillennium  
Instagram:   / thirdmill  
X: https://x.com/thirdmill
LinkedIn:   / third-millennium-ministries  

Traditionally, theologians have spoken of God’s revelation primarily in two categories: special revelation and general revelation. The category of general revelation has included such things as history, the universe, weather, plants, animals and human beings.

It’s common for Christians to think about general revelation in very simple terms, as if every form of general revelation were alike. In reality, however, there are varying degrees of generalness and specialness within the category of general revelation. Some aspects of general revelation are common to all people, whereas others are restricted to very limited groups of people. Some aspects are rather vague in meaning, whereas others are particularly clear. Some aspects follow the natural order with very little indication of God’s active, daily involvement, whereas others clearly demonstrate God’s supernatural intervention.

Consider an example on the most general end of the spectrum — the widely viewed general revelation of the sun. Nearly everyone in the history of world has seen the sun and its effects. And in the sun, they have seen God’s self-revelation. This is perhaps the most general type of general revelation imaginable. But consider, also, that in seeing the sun and its effects, all human beings are thereby obligated to a specific ethical response.

Jesus described this response in Matthew 5:44-45 when he said:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

The fact that the sun rises on evil people, warms them, and causes their crops to grow, and that he sends rain on both the good and the bad, demonstrates that God is patient and kind, even toward sinners who hate him. And since all human beings are responsible to imitate God’s character, we are all responsible to love and pray for our enemies.

On the other end of the spectrum, consider an example that appears very similar to special revelation — the history of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Most of us consider the facts of these events to be part of special revelation. But, as we’ve already said, history is part of general revelation. When we see what events God allows and how he governs the world throughout time, we learn a great deal about him. And the history of redemption, particularly of the work of Jesus Christ, tells us a tremendous amount about God, ourselves, and salvation.

This type of general revelation is very similar to special revelation because it is rare and unusual. Not many people saw Jesus when he lived and died. And his life and death themselves were highly extraordinary; they were unlike any other human life or death. His resurrection, in turn, was undeniably miraculous. Nevertheless, they do not reach the level of special revelation because they do not communicate how we are to repent or what total commitment to God fully entails.

But if even the most general of general revelation is binding and authoritative, certainly the more special forms of general revelation are authoritative, too.

The Bible assures us that general revelation speaks clearly enough to teach us true things about God. It reveals the perfect standard of God’s character, and thus, serves as one of God’s revealed norms.