General and Special Revelation
Last November I announced the publication of the Whitefield Declaration of Faith, a tool that I hope will be useful for the teaching ministry of the church. To that end I have been working on a related project: an exposition of the Whitefield Declaration of Faith. The goal is to create a teaching tool that addresses each paragraph of this confession of faith with biblical-theological accuracy, depth, and accessibility to assist in the instruction of God’s people. Each section will contain not only an explanation, but also two verses of a relevant hymn for reflection and a series of study questions. Each section will be added here as a blog post and at whitefielddeclaration.com (a new page is currently under construction there for this project) as it is completed. Eventually this will be published as a book, with some additional resources.
For this first instalment we will be seeking to understand general and special revelation as taught in God’s Word and summarized in the WDF.
“Man should have known God from nature as Creator, as provider, and as Judge. Yet man needed the revelation of God’s grace to himself, and man needed to have this brought home to him irresistibly. God could not dwell with the sinner as a sinner; man was without God’s presence; he was without God in the world… In special revelation, God came down in power for the salvation of man. God Almighty no longer merely displayed his power to destroy, but even moreso displayed his power to save.”
~Cornelius Van Til, An Introduction to Systematic Theology, pp. 221-222.
WDF I.1 states:
Although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence, do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable;1 yet they are not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and of his will, which is necessary unto salvation:2 therefore it pleased the Lord at various times, and in diverse manners, to reveal himself, and to declare his will to his Church;3 and afterwards for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and of the world, to commit that revelation wholly unto writing;4 which therefore makes the holy Scripture to be most necessary;5 those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.6
1. Rom 2:1, 14-16; Rom 1:18-20, 32; Ps 19:1-6
2. John 17:3; I Cor 1:21; 2:13-14
3. Heb 1:1-2
4. Luke 1:1-4; John 17:17; 20:31; Rom 15:4; Matt 4:4, 7, 10; Isa 8:16, 20
5. II Tim 3:15; II Pet 1:19
6. I Cor 14:37; I John 5:13; I Cor 10:11; Heb 1:1-2; 2:1-4; Eph 2:20-21
Explanation
Revelation is communication in which that which is hidden is made known. Looking at everyday human interactions, revelation is seen in many different ways. Sometimes it is verbal. A conversation takes place where one person explains thoughts, actions, expectations, or ideas to another through words. Done well, words are a very effective revealer of what is going on in our minds. We also communicate in other ways. Facial expressions express our attitudes, approvals, and disapprovals. Gestures convey simple yes and no. Artistry -- painting, sculpture, music, even architecture -- can effectively communicate emotions and thoughts. The revealing of our own hearts, minds, and personalities can take many forms. Similarly, God communicates with his creation; his communication is called revelation. More directly, it is rightfully called God's self-revelation for it is God communicating himself to his creation. Understanding that revelation is God's self-revelation is crucial. Although it communicates things about the created world, including about ourselves, the ultimate purpose of all divine revelation, of any type, is to point creation back to him.
This communicatory self-revelation is normally divided into two categories: general revelation and special revelation.
General revelation is the topic of the very first statement of the Whitefield Declaration of Faith and can be defined as God revealing himself to humanity through the light of nature, creation, and his works of providence. General revelation is the first means by which people are able to learn about God. Consider the three forms this takes.
First, God reveals himself through the light of nature. Although it is not commonly used today, light of nature was, it appears, a rather common term among the puritans, and was frequently used without explanation. Some puritans, however, were helpful in explaining the term by comparing light of nature with light of grace. The overall idea was this: the light of nature is the natural faculties, because of the image of God in which humanity is created, by which people understand things; the light of grace is the spiritually changed and informed faculties given by God's good favor through the work of the Holy Spirit by which people are able to understand things spiritually. More simply put, the light of nature is our understanding as we have been created by God (and subsequently marred by Adam's sin) and the light of grace is our understanding as we are recreated in Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. Because people are made in the image of God, God has revealed something about himself in us through the ways we think and what we think. There is a light in us by nature. If that light were pure and unaffected by sin, then it would allow us to know God. More will be said about the image of God when we discuss WDF Chapter IV.1
Second, general revelation is seen in creation. Psalm 19, which explains both general and special revelation, begins by proclaiming "The heavens declare the glories of God," and Romans 1:20 similarly states, ". . . his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." God made all things, and thus all things bear the imprint and show forth the handiwork of the Creator. Just as we see the character of an artist in a painting, so also we see the character of God in creation.
And Third, God's very acts of providence proclaim God to people. God's acts of providence will be explained in depth in WDF V. For now, a brief, and helpful, explanation is seen in the Westminster Shorter Catechism's Q&A 11, which explains "God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions." God is not a sort of cosmic watchmaker who created the universe and then simply sat back to watch what would happen. The Creator remains actively and intimately involved in the workings of the things he has made. This is proclaimed many times in Scripture. One example is Hebrews 1:3, which states plainly that the eternal Second Person of the Trinity ". . . upholds the universe by the word of his power." With God so intimately involved in the sustaining of, and even the workings of, creation, that involvement necessarily shines through.
The light of nature, creation itself, and God acts of providence all communicate to humanity who he is. Paul, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, tells us that these things are even enough to make us and our sin inexcusable before the holy and just God.2 There is enough for us to know who he is and what he requires of us. And yet, a few verses earlier Paul also states that we suppress that truth in our unrighteousness.3 If human reason was pure and undefiled, powers of observation were not twisted by idolatry of self and other created things, and eyes were not blinded by sin, then humanity would know God through general revelation. Due to our own sinfulness, and the sinful nature we have inherited from Adam, general revelation is not sufficient for us to know God, to be saved from sins, or to bring glory to our Maker.
There was nothing outside of God (whether another being or an independent standard) that required, or even expected, God to communicate with his fallen creation. Yet according to his eternal plan, and in his gracious condescension to his rebellious enemies who were instead deserving of his wrath, he gave to us special revelation. Whereas general revelation is seen in the natural world and through God's ordinary working, special revelation is God's supernatural communication to people. This communication is necessary, but it is not necessary to God. Rather, it is necessary for us, that is for our salvation, and for the fulfilling of his eternal plan of salvation. If God has not spoken to us, we are fully without hope and await only a judgment of condemnation and destruction. Praise God that he graciously condescended to us so that we might instead have life in Christ!
Consider a few key points about special revelation:
Special Revelation is sufficient and necessary for salvation. Through it God communicates all that we need to know in order to him, to know ourselves, and in order for us to know how to be saved and how to live a life that glorifies and enjoys the Creator God. Without it no one is saved.
It was given at various times. Most of the books that are the focus of the world's religions were written over a short period of time: a few years, or a single individual's lifetime. The Bible, however, was written over the course of centuries by the hands of dozens of different people. Yet it maintains a consistent, non-contradicting message: the most important message that has ever been spoken, written, or read.
God used diverse manners to communicate himself and his plan to sinners through those whom he has chosen in history. Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley helpfully categorize these manners into four categories: verbal (verbal communication from God to man), visual (dreams, visions, and theophanies, or visible appearings of the Lord), providential (God's sovereign, and often miraculous, acts in history), and incarnational (the incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity).4
Special Revelation was recorded in history as Scripture, commonly called the Bible, and reveals God and his will to his Church.
The written form of Special Revelation has been and will be preserved (Isaiah 40:6-8).
Through Scripture God preserves, protects, and comforts his people (see footnote 4 above for Scripture references).
The canon of Scripture, and thus the giving of Special Revelation, is both complete and is closed. No new Special Revelation is given today, though God continues to use ordinary means5 to communicate to his people through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Although these topics will need to be addressed in more depth, for now remember that the Bible is sufficient and necessary, that it is a gift of God's gracious condescension, and that we ought to value it and use it for our spiritual growth and to glorify God, both individually and as we hear the Word of God read and preached each Sunday.
Reflection
As you reflect on these things, consider these verses of a hymn written by Benjamin Reddome in 1787:
God, in the gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known;
Where love in all its glory shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
Here sinners of a humble frame
May taste his grace and learn his Name;
May read, in characters of blood,
The wisdom, pow'r, and grace of God.6
Study Questions
Explain the differences between general revelation and special revelation. How does God use both to communicate to humanity?
Why is it said that special revelation is both sufficient and necessary? What is it sufficient and necessary for?
What is meant by “God’s gracious condescension” in the giving of special revelation? Give some specific examples of how this gracious condescension is found within the pages of Scripture.
Why is it essential that God’s special revelation has been committed to writing?
Footnotes:
1This understanding of the light of nature is found in quotes from two members of the Westminster Assembly: Anthony Burgess and William Twisse. Burgess stated, “Faith therefore, and the light of Nature go to the knowledge of the same thing different waies: faith doth, because of the testimony and divine revelation of God; the light of Nature doth, because of arguments in the thing it self by discourse. And faith is not a dianoeticall or discursive act of the understanding, but it's simple and apprehensive.” (Vindiciae Legis, p. 73, London: printed by James Young, for Thomas Underhill, at the signe of the Bible in Wood-street, 1647, reprinted by Reformation Heritage Books, 2011. Twisse similarly explained, “Never was it said, I presume, that a man regenerate had two understandings in him, by the one to understand things naturall, and by the other to understand things spirituall; but that by the same understanding he understands both, but by light of nature the one, by light of grace the other.” (Riches of God’s Love, p. 246, Oxford: Printed by L.L. and H.H. for Tho. Robinson, 1653.
2Romans 2:1, 14-16
3Romans 1:18-20
4For a helpful, in depth, treatment of this, see Beeke & Smalley, Reformed Systematic Theology, v. 1, pp. 271-276.
5WDF XV.1
6Benjamin Reddome, The Gospel of Christ.