THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION

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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION

• General Revelation
• Special Revelation

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GENERAL REVELATION

• God Reveals himself in nature
• Psalm 8
• Psalm 19
• Romans 118ff

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GENERAL REVELATION

• God reveals himself in his image
• Reason
• Experience
• Genesis 128
• Psalm 84,5
• Romans 119

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GENERAL REVELATION

• God Reveals himself in History
• Providence
• Experience
• Tradition
• Isaiah 4313, 4426, 469-10

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GENERAL REVELATION VS. SPECIAL REVELATION

• Part of the Created Order vs. From without the
  Created Order
• Adapted to Humanity vs. Adapted to Sinners
• In Things vs. In Words
• Natural vs. Supernatural
• Theological vs. Soteriological

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Modes)

• Words, Genesis 128
• Theophanies, Exodus 1321,22
• Christophany, Genesis 167-13
• Visions, Genesis 1512
• Dreams, Genesis 2812
• Prophets, I Samuel 99

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Jesus, the Word of God)

• John 11,14,15,18
• Hebrews 11-3
• Matthew 315 517,18
• Matthew 2819,20
• Revelation 1911-16

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Perfections of Scripture)

• Per WCF
• Necessity, 1.1
• Authority, 1.4
• Clarity, 1.7
• Sufficiency, 1.5

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Key Texts)

• II Timothy 316
• All Scripture is God-breathed
• All Scripture is profitable
• Inspiration demands inerrancy
• II Peter 121
• More certain than eyewitness testimony
• Carried along by Holy Spirit

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Inspiration)

• Nature of Inspiration
• Dynamic
• Mechanical
• Organic
• Extent
• Partial vs. Plenary
• Thought vs. Verbal
• Organic, Plenary, Verbal

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Inerrancy)

• Refers to the Autographa only
• (Deuteronomy 1718)
• Inerrancy- relates to translations (Acts 2)
• Inerrancy- Why Do we Teach It?
• Not necessary for the existence of the Christian
  faith
• We teach it because Scripture teaches it

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SPECIAL REVELATION(Inerrancy)

• Does not demand correct grammar
• Does not exclude figurative language
• Does not require semantic/historical precision
• Does not require current scientific language
• Does not require verbal exactness in NT
  quotations from OT
• Does not affirm the ipsissima verba, but
  ipsissima vox
• Does not guarantee exhaustiveness of any account

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SPECIAL REVELATION

• If the testimony of Scripture on the
  doctrine of Scripture is not authentic and
  trustworthy, then the finality of Scripture is
  irretrievably undermined . . . . And we must not
  think that the finality of Christ remains
  unimpaired even if the finality of Scripture is
  sacrificed. The rejection of the inerrancy of
  Scripture means the rejection of Christs own
  witness to Scripture. Finally and most pointedly,
  then, the integrity of our Lords witness is the
  crucial issue in this battle of faith. John
  Murray, in The Infallible Word, 41-42

John Murray