Non-Biblical Examples of Universal Human Experience and Biblical Truth
The concept of universal human experience, when viewed through a biblical lens, often highlights the limitations of human understanding apart from divine revelation, while also affirming the capacity for general revelation. Certain aspects of human existence are common to all people, yet their full meaning or origin may remain obscure without specific biblical truth.
One such universal experience is the perception of the created world. While humanity can observe the natural world, the understanding that it was created by God is not inherently derived from this observation alone. Instead, it is "perceived with our spiritual intelligence" through faith, even though the act of creation itself is not directly witnessed [1]. The natural world can confirm this truth once it is apprehended by faith, but it cannot teach it independently [1]. This aligns with the idea that "the invisible things of him from... the creation of the world are clearly seen... being understood by the things that are made" [7]. The outward creation serves as an interpreter of faith in God, rather than its sole parent, with primary sources of faith existing within human consciousness [7].
Another universal human experience is the encounter with the divine, which often underscores human limitations. The Old Testament frequently describes divine visitations in human form, foreshadowing the incarnation of Jesus. However, it is not possible for human beings to fully comprehend God's holy presence and survive, as indicated by passages like Exodus 33:20 [2]. This suggests a universal human inability to fully grasp the divine without mediation or divine accommodation.
The human tendency to seek meaning and understanding, even through diverse or "strange" doctrines, is also a universal experience [4]. This search can lead to being "carried aside" by teachings that differ from the singular faith in Jesus Christ [4]. This highlights a common human vulnerability to various teachings and the need for grounding in established grace rather than external observances [4].
Furthermore, the biblical narrative itself is presented not merely as historical record but as illustrations for all time of God's methods, such as justification by faith [3]. This implies that the principles and experiences recorded in scripture, though specific to certain individuals or events, contain universal truths applicable across generations [3]. The experiences of figures like Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham, detailed in Hebrews 11, serve as examples of faith and its effects, providing a framework for understanding universal aspects of the spiritual journey [6].
The call to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" rather than conforming to "this world" speaks to a universal human struggle against external pressures and the need for internal change [5]. This transformation is not merely an outward disconformity but an inward spiritual change that makes the entire life new in its motives and ends [5]. This suggests a universal human capacity for spiritual renewal and the ongoing challenge of living distinctly from prevailing societal norms.
Sources
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 11:3: we understand--We perceive with our spiritual intelligence the fact of the world's creation by God, though we see neither Him nor the act of creation as described in Gen. 1:1-31. The natural world could not, without revelation, teach us this truth, though it confirms the truth when apprehended by faith (Rom 1:20). Adam is passed over in silence here as to his faith, perhaps as being the first who fell and brought sin on us all; though it does not follow that he did not repent and believe the promise. worlds--literally, "ages"; all that exists in tim”
- Jude (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Jude 13:19: 13:19-22 It is not possible for human beings to take in the full revelation of God’s holy presence and still live (cp. 6:20-24; Exod 19:21; 33:20). The Old Testament frequently reports divine visitations on earth in human form; these visitations foreshadow the full appearance of God on earth in the incarnation of Jesus.”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 4:23: Now, &c.--Here is the application of this whole argument about Abraham: These things were not recorded as mere historical facts, but as illustrations for all time of God's method of justification by faith.”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 13:9: about--rather, as oldest manuscripts read, "carried aside"; namely, compare Eph 4:14. divers--differing from the one faith in the one and the same Jesus Christ, as taught by them who had the rule over you (Heb 13:7). strange--foreign to the truth. doctrines--"teachings." established with grace; not with meats--not with observances of Jewish distinctions between clean and unclean meats, to which ascetic Judaizers added in Christian times the rejection of some meats, and the use of others: noticed also by Paul in Co1 8:8, Co1 8:13; Co1 6:13; Rom”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 12:2: And be ye not conformed to this world--Compare Eph 2:2; Gal 1:4, Greek. but be ye transformed--or, "transfigured" (as in Mat 17:2; and Co2 3:18, Greek). by the renewing of your mind--not by a mere outward disconformity to the ungodly world, many of whose actions in themselves may be virtuous and praiseworthy; but by such an inward spiritual transformation as makes the whole life new--new in its motives and ends, even where the actions differ in nothing from those of the world--new, considered as a whole, and in such a sense as to be wholly unattain”
- Hebrews (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Hebrews 11 (introduction): A definition of faith, Heb 11:1, Heb 11:2. What are its immediate objects, Heb 11:3. What are its effects, instanced in Abel, Heb 11:4. In Enoch, Heb 11:5, Heb 11:6. In Noah, Heb 11:7. In Abraham, Heb 11:8-10. In Sara, Heb 11:11. In their righteous posterity, Heb 11:12-16 In Abraham's offering of his son Isaac, Heb 11:17-19. In Isaac, Heb 11:20. In Jacob, Heb 11:21. In Joseph, Heb 11:22. In Moses, Heb 11:23-28. In the Israelites in the wilderness, Heb 11:29. In the fall of Jericho, Heb 11:30. In Rahab, Heb 11:31. In several of the judges, and in David,”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 1:20: For the invisible things of him from--or "since" the creation of the world are clearly seen--the mind brightly beholding what the eye cannot discern. being understood by the things that are made--Thus, the outward creation is not the parent but the interpreter of our faith in God. That faith has its primary sources within our own breast (Rom 1:19); but it becomes an intelligible and articulate conviction only through what we observe around us ("by the things which are made," Rom 1:20). And thus are the inner and the outer revelation of God the comp”