General Revelation And God's Existence Doctrine
General revelation refers to the knowledge of God that is accessible to all humanity through nature, conscience, and human experience [3]. This form of revelation is distinct from special revelation, which is God's specific self-disclosure through scripture and divine acts, such as the incarnation of Christ [1, 4].
The concept of general revelation is rooted in the belief that God's existence and certain attributes can be perceived through the created order. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, discusses how the human mind is naturally imbued with the knowledge of God, and how this knowledge is displayed in the "fabric and constant Government of the Universe" [3]. The natural world, with its intricate design and order, points to a divine creator [6]. This aligns with biblical passages that suggest God's invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made (Romans 1:20).
While general revelation provides a foundational awareness of God, it is generally understood within Reformed theology that this knowledge is insufficient for saving faith [1]. Charles Hodge argues in his Systematic Theology that without the written Word (the Bible), people remain "without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world," indicating that general revelation alone does not lead to saving knowledge [1]. The "sun is not more obviously the source of light, than the Bible is the source of divine knowledge" [1].
Eastern Orthodox theology also affirms the concept of God's self-revelation, emphasizing the divine subsistence of God the Word as eternal and uncreated, possessing all the Father possesses [5]. This divine presence is not limited to special revelation but is also reflected in the created order.
The doctrine of general revelation highlights God's omnipresence and continuous involvement in creation, maintaining its existence [2]. However, it is crucial to distinguish this from the idea that all knowledge of God is equally accessible or that general revelation can substitute for the specific truths found in scripture [1]. The purpose of general revelation is to render humanity without excuse regarding God's existence and basic moral demands, but it does not convey the full redemptive plan of God [1].
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 30: known to them. Contrary to the Facts of Experience . 3. The doctrine in question is no less contrary to fact than it is to Scripture. The doctrine teaches that by the inward revelation of the Spirit saving knowledge of truth and duty is given to every man. But all experience shows that without the written Word, men everywhere and in all ages, are ignorant of divine things, — without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world. The sun is not more obviously the source of light, than the Bible is the source of divine knowledge. The a”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 49: that He can cause continuous existence is to deny his omnipotence. 3. This doctrine denies the existence of substance. The idea of substance is a primitive idea. It is given in the constitution of our nature. It is an intuitive truth, as is proved by its universality and necessity. One of the essential elements of that idea is uninterrupted continuity of being. Substance is that which stands; which remains unchanged under all the phenomenal mutations to which it is subjected. According to the theory of continued creation there is and can ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 14: 31 GENERAL INDEX OF CHAPTERS. BOOK FIRST. OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THE CREATOR. Eighteen Chapters 1. Connection between the Knowledge of God and the Knowledge of Ourselves. Nature of the connection. 2. What it is to Know God. Tendency of this Knowledge. 3. The Human Mind naturally imbued with the Knowledge of God. 4. This Knowledge stifled or corrupted, ignorantly or maliciously. 5. The Knowledge of God displayed in the fabric and constant Government of the Universe. 6. The need of Scripture as a Guide and Teacher in coming to God a”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 78: the Bible, without which it is a cold and lifeless corpse. Third Argument, from Particular Passages of Scriptures. Although, as appears from what has already been said, the doctrine of the incarnation does not rest on isolated proof-texts, but upon the broad basis of the whole revelation of God concerning the person and work of his Son, yet there are some passages in which this doctrine is so clearly stated in all its elements, that they cannot be properly overlooked in treating of this subject. To this class of passages belongs, — 1. The”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 53: Chapter VII.— Concerning the one compound subsistence of God the Word. We hold then that the divine subsistence of God the Word existed before all else and is without time and eternal, simple and uncompound, uncreated, incorporeal, invisible, intangible, uncircumscribed, possessing all the Father possesses, since He is of the same essence with Him, differing from the Father’s subsistence in the manner of His generation and the relation of the Father’s subsistence, being perfect also and at no time separated from the Fathe”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 4:11: O Lord--The two oldest manuscripts, A, B, Vulgate, and Syriac add, "and our God." "Our" by virtue of creation, and especially redemption. One oldest manuscript, B, and Syriac insert "the Holy One." But another, A, Vulgate, and Coptic omit this, as English Version does. glory, &c.--"the glory . . . the honour . . . the power." thou--emphatic in the Greek: "It is THOU who didst create." all things--Greek, "the all things": the universe. for, &c.--Greek, "on account of"; "for the sake of Thy pleasure," or "will." English Version is good Greek.”