Knowing God
Knowing God How do babies know how to eat? It is by pure instinct alone that we learn how to eat; it comes naturally to us. We can almost say that eating comes through general revelation. One can call general revelation natural revelation, not because it comes naturally to us but because it takes place within the realm of nature. General revelation comes through natural means, observation of the physical universe, reasoning and human conscience. Christians have used this term to describe the knowledge of God, which is plainly available to all mankind (McGrath, 2007).
But what is general revelation when it comes to Theology? We live in a society full of questions; the internet has made it possible for many of the answers to be at our fingertips. It is purely logical that one might wonder what or who God is. General revelation is God making Himself known in a variety of ways to all mankind (Johnston, 2007). When we speak of general revelation we are speaking of the way that God chooses to reveal Himself to us through His acts of creation. There is a Bible basis for this found in the Psalms (19:1-3, New International Version). The heavens tell us daily of the glory of God and the work of His hands without speech or words but they still tell us of their creator. The constant and adequate design of this universe, speaks of a designer who had a purpose in mind. The order in which things function tells us of the intention of God; we can consider the planets that stay within their orbits, or we can think of the seasons, the light and the darkness, we can even think of how animals live off a food chain that is specific to each group. All of these things are not a mere coincidence but the proof of a Creator that is bigger than the creation (McGrath, 2007). However, knowing someone does not explain the purpose of that someone.
Although general revelation tells us that there is a God, it fails to explain who this God is. We cannot know how we can get to this majestic
But what is general revelation when it comes to Theology? We live in a society full of questions; the internet has made it possible for many of the answers to be at our fingertips. It is purely logical that one might wonder what or who God is. General revelation is God making Himself known in a variety of ways to all mankind (Johnston, 2007). When we speak of general revelation we are speaking of the way that God chooses to reveal Himself to us through His acts of creation. There is a Bible basis for this found in the Psalms (19:1-3, New International Version). The heavens tell us daily of the glory of God and the work of His hands without speech or words but they still tell us of their creator. The constant and adequate design of this universe, speaks of a designer who had a purpose in mind. The order in which things function tells us of the intention of God; we can consider the planets that stay within their orbits, or we can think of the seasons, the light and the darkness, we can even think of how animals live off a food chain that is specific to each group. All of these things are not a mere coincidence but the proof of a Creator that is bigger than the creation (McGrath, 2007). However, knowing someone does not explain the purpose of that someone.
Although general revelation tells us that there is a God, it fails to explain who this God is. We cannot know how we can get to this majestic
References: Alemany, J. J. (1985). General Revelation: Historical Views and Contemporary Issues. Estudios Eclesiásticos, 60(232-233), 264-265. Grenz, S. (2000). Theology for the community of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman 's. Howard, D. (2010). A critical analysis of general revelation. Criswell Theological Review, 8(1), 53-75. Johnston, R. K. (2007). Discerning the Spirit in culture: observations arising from reflections on general revelation. Ex Auditu, 2352-69. McGrath, A. E. (2007). The christian theology reader. (4th ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.