Skip to main content

unity of divine revelation

I have finished Carl Henry's exposition (in three volumes of the six in God, Revelation and Authority) of his 15 theses about God's self-disclosure, or the "God who speaks and shows."  Masterful.  

 One excerpt today, regarding not just the truthfulness of God's revelation (corresponding to reality) but also its consistency (or, coherence).  Very helpful in presenting God's truth in a pluralistic (relativistic) society.  

 Thesis #4. "The very fact of disclosure by the one living God assures the comprehensive unity of divine revelation."

 "The polytheistic religions played off one deity against another.  On the presupposition of many competitive gods there can be no unified divine revelation.  The sense of the Hebrew Shema ('the Lord our God is one God') may well be that Yahweh cannot be split up into such multiple divinities.  From the very outset the self-revealing God of Scripture stands out as Creator and Lord of all.  God who makes himself known in revelation is the one sovereign God.  Elijah knew that the issue at Carmel was God or Baal, not God and Baal.  The Bible relates the whole of history to this one God.  In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul underscores this very point: 'Do you suppose God is the God of the Jews alone?... Certainly of Gentiles also, if it be true that God is one' (Rom. 3:29-30).  Only the fact that the one sovereign God, the Creator and Lord of all, stands at the center of divine disclosure, guarantees a unified divine revelation.  While this revelation awaits completing in the future, the knowledge 'in part' given prophets and apostles is nonetheless trustworthy and coherent however incomplete it may be.  Divine revelation is reliable and consistent, or it would not be revelation.  The capstone revelation of the end-time will confirm all past and present disclosure of God.  The fact of revelation by the one sovereign God assures the comprehensive unity of God's disclosure." 

 ~ Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation And Authority, II:9

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Prie...
Post a Comment
Read more

a brief history of bcf

Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, or BCF as it is popularly known, was founded in November 1969. Prior to this time several families had been meeting for Bible study and prayer, with a particular concern that the Lord raise up an effective biblical ministry to the students of the Virginia Tech campus. Growing from these meetings, the Lord led them to begin a public ministry on Sunday mornings. The Wesley Foundation agreed to the rental of their facilities, and the first meeting was held in November 1969, with about 30 people in attendance. Since the first meeting BCF has been greatly blessed by the Lord and has seen a steady growth in ministry and in numbers. Two other local churches were formed in part from BCF. In 1974 the Lord led Houston Couch, who at that time was an Elder in BCF, to leave and start Dayspring Christian Fellowship. In 1980 Max Harris, who was a regular attender at BCF, was encouraged by the Elders and members to start a ministry which has now become Grace Cov...
2 comments
Read more

evangelicalism over the next decade

I've been contemplating Michael Spencer's blogs on the future of evangelical churches in America ( iMonk blog ). His three articles on his predicted collapse of evangelicalism are found here . It is important, I believe, to read all three articles. I find myself in agreement with much he has to say. Here are a few quotes... The determination to follow in the methodological steps of numerically successful churches will be greater than ever. The result will be, in the main, a departure from doctrine to more and more emphasis on relevance, motivation and personal success….with the result being churches further compromised and weakened in their ability to pass on the faith. ... For some time, we’ve been at a point that the decision to visit a particular evangelical church contained a fairly high risk of not hearing the Biblical Gospel. That experience will be multiplied and expanded in the years to come. Core beliefs will become less and less normative and necessary in evangelic...
6 comments
Read more