WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.140 Now, let's look at what do we mean by general 00:00:03.140 --> 00:00:05.980 revelation. Let me start with a simple question 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:10.439 I'd ask you. When I say general revelation, what 00:00:10.439 --> 00:00:14.060 am I talking about? I don't mean dreams, visions, 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.640 or prophets. We'll get to those in other chapters. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.359 Here, I mean this. What has God shown all people, 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.820 everywhere, all the time, just through the world 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:28.280 they live in and the conscience inside them? 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:31.820 General revelation is God's witness in creation 00:00:31.820 --> 00:00:36.119 and in conscience. It is general because it goes 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.700 out to all people in all places at all times. 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:43.939 It is still revelation. God really is speaking. 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:47.759 But, and this is crucial, it is not enough to 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:51.780 save you by itself. How does God speak through 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:54.740 the world he has made? So let me ask another 00:00:54.740 --> 00:00:58.240 question. When you walk outside and see the sky 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:02.700 or feel the seasons change, is God saying anything 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:06.519 to you there? The Bible's answer is yes. The 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:09.420 very first line of scripture says, In the beginning 00:01:09.420 --> 00:01:12.959 God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:16.840 chapter 1 verse 1. That means everything we see 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:20.659 carries the fingerprint of its maker. Psalm 19 00:01:20.659 --> 00:01:23.840 says, The heavens declare the glory of God, the 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:27.040 skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.180 day they pour forth speech, night after night 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:33.700 they reveal knowledge. Psalm 19 verses 1 and 00:01:33.700 --> 00:01:37.560 2. So in God's view, the sky is not just background 00:01:37.560 --> 00:01:41.340 scenery. The heavens are talking. Day after day, 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:44.319 night after night, they are telling the truth 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:47.530 about God. Let's think about ordinary examples. 00:01:47.689 --> 00:01:50.950 You see a sunrise or a sunset, the colors, the 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:53.530 timing, the regular rhythm they quietly preach. 00:01:53.810 --> 00:01:57.989 God is wise, powerful, and faithful. The seasons 00:01:57.989 --> 00:02:01.250 keep coming, seed time and harvest, cold and 00:02:01.250 --> 00:02:04.829 heat, summer and winter. Genesis chapter 8 verse 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:08.250 22. That steady rhythm says someone reliable 00:02:08.250 --> 00:02:11.210 is running this. You eat dinner tonight. You 00:02:11.210 --> 00:02:14.270 drink clean water. You laugh with a friend. In 00:02:14.270 --> 00:02:18.430 Acts chapter 14 verse 17, Paul says, God has 00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:21.689 not left himself without testimony. He has shown 00:02:21.689 --> 00:02:25.150 kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops 00:02:25.150 --> 00:02:28.050 in their seasons. He provides you with plenty 00:02:28.050 --> 00:02:31.650 of food and fills your hearts with joy. Paul 00:02:31.650 --> 00:02:34.550 goes even further in Romans. He says that what 00:02:34.550 --> 00:02:38.189 can be known about God is plain to people because 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:41.569 God has made it plain to them. For since the 00:02:41.569 --> 00:02:44.370 creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, 00:02:44.810 --> 00:02:47.849 his eternal power and divine nature have been 00:02:47.849 --> 00:02:51.370 clearly seen being understood from what has been 00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:55.050 made so that people are without excuse. Romans 00:02:55.050 --> 00:02:58.710 chapter 1 verses 19 and 20. So if I sum that 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:01.669 up in simple language, I'd say this to you. Creation 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:05.889 is a constant sermon about God. It tells everyone 00:03:05.889 --> 00:03:09.569 there is a God. He is powerful. He is wise. He 00:03:09.569 --> 00:03:13.120 is good. You depend on him. Even the person who 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:15.960 says, I don't believe in God, still has to live 00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:18.719 in a world that is ordered, rational, and beautiful. 00:03:19.060 --> 00:03:21.520 They trust that the universe will behave tomorrow 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.580 the way it did yesterday, that logic works, that 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:27.659 beauty matters. Those are not random. They fit 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:30.719 a world made by a wise creator. How does God 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:34.039 speak through my conscience? Now let me raise 00:03:34.039 --> 00:03:36.780 the next question. Does God only speak outside 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:40.289 us in creation? or does he also speak inside 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:44.409 us scripture says he speaks inside us through 00:03:44.409 --> 00:03:47.750 conscience romans chapter two verses fourteen 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:52.349 and fifteen says this indeed when gentiles who 00:03:52.349 --> 00:03:55.879 do not have the law do by nature things required 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:59.039 by the law. They show that the requirements of 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:02.740 the law are written on their hearts, their consciences 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:05.780 also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:08.900 accusing them, and at other times even defending 00:04:08.900 --> 00:04:12.319 them. So what is conscience? It is that inner 00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:17.240 sense of ought. It is your built -in moral censor 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:21.079 that approves what is right, condemns what is 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:24.519 wrong, and makes you feel guilty when you cross 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:28.500 a line you know you should not cross. This is 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:31.560 not just something we pick up from society. Cultures 00:04:31.560 --> 00:04:34.860 can influence how we express morality, but the 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:37.540 fact that people everywhere talk about justice, 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:42.230 fairness, right. and wrong comes from the way 00:04:42.230 --> 00:04:46.910 God made us in his image. So when someone says 00:04:46.910 --> 00:04:49.189 that's not fair or that was wrong, what are they 00:04:49.189 --> 00:04:51.610 really doing? They are reaching up to a standard 00:04:51.610 --> 00:04:54.430 higher than themselves. They are saying there 00:04:54.430 --> 00:04:58.250 is a real right and wrong that many people, including 00:04:58.250 --> 00:05:01.670 themselves, often break. If there is no God, 00:05:01.829 --> 00:05:05.129 that word ought has no firm ground. Without a 00:05:05.129 --> 00:05:07.829 holy lawgiver, you ought to do this just means 00:05:07.829 --> 00:05:11.889 I'd prefer that you do this. But inside, we all 00:05:11.889 --> 00:05:15.310 know that murder is not just unpopular, it is 00:05:15.310 --> 00:05:19.209 wrong. Keeping promises is not just traditional, 00:05:19.629 --> 00:05:23.389 it is good. That deep sense points back to a 00:05:23.389 --> 00:05:26.589 God whose moral law is written on the heart. 00:05:27.149 --> 00:05:29.850 So general revelation in conscience tells us 00:05:29.850 --> 00:05:33.910 there is a holy God whose law stands over us. 00:05:34.089 --> 00:05:36.569 We know the difference between right and wrong 00:05:36.569 --> 00:05:40.050 in a basic way. We know we have not fully kept 00:05:40.050 --> 00:05:44.810 what we know. That's why guilt stings. So what 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:47.790 exactly does general revelation actually achieve? 00:05:48.050 --> 00:05:51.029 Now someone might ask, all right, so God speaks 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:53.589 in creation and conscience. What does that really 00:05:53.589 --> 00:05:56.329 accomplish? Let me answer that in three parts. 00:05:56.779 --> 00:05:59.800 First, general revelation makes God's existence 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:03.579 and character obvious. Through creation, we see 00:06:03.579 --> 00:06:08.079 his power, wisdom, and goodness. Romans 1 .20, 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:15.180 Acts 14 .17, Psalm 19 .1 -4. Through conscience, 00:06:15.459 --> 00:06:18.860 we see his holiness and his moral law written 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:24.870 on our hearts. Romans 2 .14 -15. Second, general 00:06:24.870 --> 00:06:27.889 revelation takes away every excuse. Paul says 00:06:27.889 --> 00:06:31.389 in Romans chapter 1 verse 20 that people are 00:06:31.389 --> 00:06:34.829 without excuse. There will never be a person 00:06:34.829 --> 00:06:39.089 who can stand before God and say, I had no clue 00:06:39.089 --> 00:06:42.750 you were there. The problem is not that the evidence 00:06:42.750 --> 00:06:46.310 is too small. The problem is that we do not want 00:06:46.310 --> 00:06:49.209 to bow to the God that the evidence points to. 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:52.779 Romans chapter 1 verse 18 says we suppress the 00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:56.439 truth in unrighteousness. Third, general revelation 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.259 supplies what we sometimes call borrowed capital. 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:02.800 Here's what I mean. Anytime an unbeliever appeals 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:06.779 to reason, to morality, to meaning, anytime they 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:10.199 say you shouldn't lie, Science must be honest. 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:14.139 Love matters. Justice matters. They are using 00:07:14.139 --> 00:07:18.300 ideas that fit a world created and governed by 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:21.000 the God of the Bible. Those concepts are like 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:24.040 tools borrowed from God's toolbox. Without a 00:07:24.040 --> 00:07:28.240 rational, moral, personal creator, there is no 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:31.959 deep reason to trust reason, to treat humans 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:35.300 as having real worth, or to say some things are 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:39.509 truly right or wrong. So even when people argue 00:07:39.509 --> 00:07:42.509 against God, they are standing on ground that 00:07:42.509 --> 00:07:45.769 only exists because God is real and has revealed 00:07:45.769 --> 00:07:48.750 himself. So general revelation does something 00:07:48.750 --> 00:07:52.430 very important. It makes God inescapable. It 00:07:52.430 --> 00:07:54.509 shows that we are dependent and accountable. 00:07:54.769 --> 00:07:58.470 It exposes our guilt when we ignore him. But 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.930 if general revelation is so clear, why isn't 00:08:01.930 --> 00:08:04.899 it enough to save? Now this is a crucial question 00:08:04.899 --> 00:08:08.000 I want you to feel. If general revelation is 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.500 so clear, why doesn't God just save people that 00:08:11.500 --> 00:08:15.300 way? The answer is, general revelation is designed 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:19.040 to show us that we need saving, not to actually 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:22.579 save us. Let me be very specific. First, general 00:08:22.579 --> 00:08:25.639 revelation does not reveal the gospel of Christ 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:29.680 in a saving way. Creation can tell you God is 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:33.440 powerful and good. Conscience can tell you you 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:36.919 are guilty and accountable. But the cross and 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:39.840 resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.379 of forgiveness by faith in Him, those do not 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:46.659 come from looking at a sunset or feeling guilty. 00:08:46.860 --> 00:08:49.700 Those come from special revelation, from God 00:08:49.700 --> 00:08:52.580 speaking in Scripture and in His Son. 2 Timothy 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:56.620 3, verse 15 says, The Holy Scriptures are able 00:08:56.620 --> 00:08:59.860 to make you wise for salvation through faith 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:04.070 in Christ Jesus. Romans chapter 10 verses 14 00:09:04.070 --> 00:09:08.070 to 17 says, People cannot believe in Christ unless 00:09:08.070 --> 00:09:11.509 they hear about him, and they hear about him 00:09:11.509 --> 00:09:15.610 through the word that is preached. Second, general 00:09:15.610 --> 00:09:19.009 revelation cannot tell you how a sinner can be 00:09:19.009 --> 00:09:22.450 forgiven and made right with God. Your conscience 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:24.830 can tell you that you're dirty, but it cannot 00:09:24.830 --> 00:09:27.789 tell you how to be washed. The mountains cannot 00:09:27.789 --> 00:09:31.190 tell you. There is therefore now no condemnation 00:09:31.190 --> 00:09:34.409 for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans chapter 00:09:34.409 --> 00:09:38.090 8 verse 1. Only the gospel can say that. Third, 00:09:38.269 --> 00:09:41.230 general revelation exposes guilt but does not 00:09:41.230 --> 00:09:45.250 provide grace. The same apostle who wrote Romans 00:09:45.250 --> 00:09:49.210 chapter 1 about God's witness in creation also 00:09:49.210 --> 00:09:52.870 wrote Romans chapter 10 about the necessity of 00:09:52.870 --> 00:09:56.169 preaching Christ. General Revelation leaves us 00:09:56.169 --> 00:09:59.110 knowing that we are without excuse. Special Revelation 00:09:59.110 --> 00:10:02.549 announces that in Christ there is mercy. So, 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:06.009 I'd put it to you like this. General Revelation 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:09.590 is a loud warning siren and a powerful pointer, 00:10:09.809 --> 00:10:12.889 but it is not the lifeboat. It tells you that 00:10:12.889 --> 00:10:15.450 God is there and that you are in trouble. It 00:10:15.450 --> 00:10:17.610 does not tell you God's saving plan in Christ. 00:10:17.870 --> 00:10:20.769 For that, we need the Bible and the Gospel. Doesn't 00:10:20.769 --> 00:10:23.870 general revelation really lead into church tradition? 00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:27.190 Now let's handle some objections. Like Paul does, 00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:30.470 raise the question and then answer it. First 00:10:30.470 --> 00:10:33.049 one, from a Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox 00:10:33.049 --> 00:10:37.090 angle, but if God reveals himself through creation 00:10:37.090 --> 00:10:40.309 and conscience, isn't that revelation supposed 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:44.029 to be completed and interpreted by the church's 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:47.549 tradition and magisterium or holy tradition? 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:50.980 Doesn't this all naturally flow into the one 00:10:50.980 --> 00:10:54.379 visible church? Here is how I'd answer that. 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:58.679 I would say, yes, God truly reveals himself in 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:01.580 creation and conscience. The Bible says that 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:05.759 clearly. But I would also ask, what exactly does 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:08.799 he reveal there? Romans chapters 1 and 2 tell 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.000 us, in creation we see his eternal power and 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.500 divine nature. Romans chapter 1 verses 19 and 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:19.440 20. in conscience we see his law written on our 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.320 hearts and our thoughts accusing us romans chapter 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:26.179 two verses fourteen to sixteen so general revelation 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:30.659 reveals his power goodness and holiness and our 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:34.710 guilt it does not reveal the full gospel Then 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:37.309 I would point us to Romans chapter 10 verses 00:11:37.309 --> 00:11:41.610 14 to 17. Paul says people cannot call on Christ 00:11:41.610 --> 00:11:45.549 unless they hear of him and that faith comes 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:49.570 by hearing the word about Christ. And to 2 Timothy 00:11:49.570 --> 00:11:53.389 chapter 3 verse 15 which says the scriptures 00:11:53.389 --> 00:11:56.909 make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ 00:11:56.909 --> 00:11:59.870 Jesus. So general revelation needs scripture 00:11:59.870 --> 00:12:02.769 and the gospel to interpret it rightly and to 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:06.200 bring salvation. Historically, early Christians 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:09.600 did appeal to creation and conscience when they 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.899 spoke with pagans. They would say, look at the 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:15.940 world, look at your own heart, you know there 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:19.399 is a God and that you are guilty. But they did 00:12:19.399 --> 00:12:23.039 not then say, therefore, submit to our institution 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:27.139 as an additional stream of revelation. They drove 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:29.720 people to the apostolic message about Christ. 00:12:30.330 --> 00:12:33.070 So what is the problem if we say general revelation 00:12:33.070 --> 00:12:35.509 plus ongoing church tradition gives us the full 00:12:35.509 --> 00:12:38.929 picture? The problem is this. We have now made 00:12:38.929 --> 00:12:42.529 our confidence rest not only on God's universal 00:12:42.529 --> 00:12:47.230 witness and his written word, but also on a developing, 00:12:47.429 --> 00:12:51.629 humanly administered authority that can change 00:12:51.629 --> 00:12:54.909 over time. That new authority is not universal 00:12:54.909 --> 00:12:57.990 like creation and not fixed like scripture. It 00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:00.860 is by nature unstable. So I would gently say 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:04.279 general revelation leads us toward the God of 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:07.720 scripture and the gospel, not toward an extra 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:11.539 stream of revelation that stands alongside or 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:14.919 above scripture. Doesn't general revelation just 00:13:14.919 --> 00:13:18.679 prepare people for new scriptures? Another objection, 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:22.220 often from Mormon friends, sounds like this. 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:26.580 We agree God reveals himself in nature and conscience. 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:30.179 We call that the light of Christ. But we say 00:13:30.179 --> 00:13:32.600 this is only the beginning, meant to lead people 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:35.139 to latter -day prophets and additional scriptures. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:39.100 Why is that wrong? I would answer this way. Yes, 00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:41.179 God gives all people some moral and spiritual 00:13:41.179 --> 00:13:44.019 awareness. But what does the Bible say that awareness 00:13:44.019 --> 00:13:47.620 is for? Romans chapters 1 and 2 present it as 00:13:47.620 --> 00:13:50.379 a witness that God is there and that people are 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:53.779 without excuse. It is not described as a pointer 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:56.779 to a new set of prophets who will rewrite or 00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:00.019 upgrade what God has already said. Hebrews chapter 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:03.059 1 verses 1 and 2 tells us that God did speak 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:05.320 in many ways in the past through the prophets, 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:08.740 but in these last days he has spoken to us by 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:12.639 his Son. Jude verse 3 says the faith was once 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.600 for all entrusted to the saints. That sounds 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:18.080 like a completed deposit, not an open -ended 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:21.200 stream. The early church understood itself as 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:24.220 guarding that apostolic deposit, not waiting 00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:27.259 for a second round of scripture that would fix 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.440 problems in the first. So what happens if we 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:33.899 use general revelation as a stepping stone to 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:37.320 justify new scriptures that can change or override 00:14:37.320 --> 00:14:40.620 the old? We have made all revelation permanently 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:44.039 unsettled. If yesterday's revelation can be replaced 00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:47.940 by today's, there is no final word. That collides 00:14:47.940 --> 00:14:50.700 with the idea that God is wise, truthful, and 00:14:50.700 --> 00:14:52.799 able to give a sufficient, stable revelation. 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:56.039 So I would tell you, general revelation should 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.740 drive people toward the once -for -all gospel 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:02.080 of Christ, not toward an endless chain of new, 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:05.500 competing scriptures. Can't science and evolution 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:09.980 explain nature and conscience without God? Next 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:12.659 objection, from a naturalistic point of view, 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:16.419 you don't need God to explain nature. Science 00:15:16.419 --> 00:15:19.840 explains the universe. Conscience is just evolution 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:23.519 and social conditioning. Why call any of that 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:27.220 revelation? Let me answer that carefully. The 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:29.580 Bible is very clear that creation and conscience 00:15:29.580 --> 00:15:32.799 are God's own testimony. Psalm 19 verses 1 to 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:36.320 4 says, The heavens declare His glory. Acts chapter 00:15:36.320 --> 00:15:40.200 14 verse 17 says, He has not left Himself without 00:15:40.200 --> 00:15:43.909 witness, giving rain and joy. Romans chapter 00:15:43.909 --> 00:15:46.629 1 verse 20 says his attributes are clearly seen 00:15:46.629 --> 00:15:49.649 in what has been made. Romans chapter 2 verses 00:15:49.649 --> 00:15:52.769 14 and 15 say his law is written on the heart. 00:15:52.990 --> 00:15:56.529 Now think about science itself. Science assumes 00:15:56.529 --> 00:16:00.649 a real ordered world, stable laws of nature, 00:16:00.850 --> 00:16:03.710 rational minds that can understand that order 00:16:03.710 --> 00:16:07.340 and moral obligations like honesty in reporting 00:16:07.340 --> 00:16:11.600 results. Morality assumes that some things really 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:15.080 are right or wrong, that justice is not just 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:18.480 personal taste, that human beings have dignity 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:22.220 that should be respected. All of that fits perfectly 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:26.600 if there is a rational, moral creator who designed 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:31.639 this universe and made us in his image. If instead 00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:35.159 everything is just matter and energy plus blind 00:16:35.159 --> 00:16:37.899 processes, you can say this is what happens, 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.120 but it becomes very hard to say this ought to 00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:44.840 happen or this is true and that is false in a 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:48.139 deep, binding way. You can describe behavior. 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:52.299 Grounding oughts and truth is much harder. So 00:16:52.299 --> 00:16:54.860 the naturalist is in a strange position. They 00:16:54.860 --> 00:16:58.320 rely on God's gifts, logic, order, moral awareness 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:01.500 to function and then deny the God who makes those 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:03.980 things intelligible. That's what I mean when 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:06.980 I say general revelation exposes a kind of inattention. 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:10.119 Without the God who speaks through creation and 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.059 conscience, science and morality do not have 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:16.599 a solid foundation. With him they do. Since everyone 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:20.299 has conscience and sees nature, aren't all sincere 00:17:20.299 --> 00:17:23.900 religions valid? Another common objection goes 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:27.940 like this. Everyone sees nature. Everyone has 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:31.059 a conscience. So doesn't that mean all sincere 00:17:31.059 --> 00:17:34.700 religions that respond to those things are equally 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:38.059 valid paths to God? Let's ask what scripture 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:42.059 says. Romans chapter 1 verses 21 to 25 says that 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:44.940 although people know God, they do not honor him 00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:48.460 as God or give thanks. Instead, they exchange 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:52.019 his glory for images and idols. The Bible does 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:55.759 not say many beautiful religions are equal ways 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:59.680 of following general revelation. It says false 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:04.039 religions are distortions of God's witness, swapping 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:07.819 the true God for created things. So general revelation 00:18:07.819 --> 00:18:11.079 does not approve idolatry. It condemns it. It 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:14.460 shows that people had enough light to know God 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:18.700 as creator, but they chose to worship substitutes. 00:18:19.180 --> 00:18:22.039 Now, if someone says all sincere religions are 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:24.819 equally valid, they are really saying that contradictory 00:18:24.819 --> 00:18:29.140 claims can all be true. One religion says there 00:18:29.140 --> 00:18:32.599 is one personal God. Another says there are many 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:35.960 gods. Another says there is no personal God at 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.720 all. They cannot all be true in the same sense 00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:42.059 at the same time. To insist they are all true, 00:18:42.299 --> 00:18:45.400 you either have to throw out the basic rule of 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.410 logic, the law of non -contradiction, or you 00:18:48.410 --> 00:18:51.890 have to redefine true to mean meaningful for 00:18:51.890 --> 00:18:55.170 that person, which is not how scripture or ordinary 00:18:55.170 --> 00:18:59.809 life uses the word. That move undercuts the rational 00:18:59.809 --> 00:19:03.490 and moral structure we all rely on, a structure 00:19:03.490 --> 00:19:07.609 general revelation itself displays. So, I would 00:19:07.609 --> 00:19:11.130 say, general revelation explains why humans everywhere 00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:14.410 are religious, but it also explains why we are 00:19:14.410 --> 00:19:17.849 idols makers. It does not endorse all religions 00:19:17.849 --> 00:19:21.309 as equal. It rebukes us for twisting God's clear 00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:25.049 witness. So, what is the real problem? Is it 00:19:25.049 --> 00:19:29.029 lack of evidence or suppression? At this point, 00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:31.750 I want to ask you a key question. Is the problem 00:19:31.750 --> 00:19:35.190 that God hasn't spoken loudly enough, or is the 00:19:35.190 --> 00:19:38.710 problem that we do not want to hear? Romans chapter 00:19:38.710 --> 00:19:43.150 1 verse 18 says, people suppress the truth in 00:19:43.150 --> 00:19:46.569 unrighteousness. The evidence is there, in the 00:19:46.569 --> 00:19:50.210 sky above, in the food on the table, in the conscience 00:19:50.210 --> 00:19:53.470 within. The issue is not neutral minds trying 00:19:53.470 --> 00:19:57.000 their best. The issue is hearts. that do not 00:19:57.000 --> 00:20:01.359 want the true God to be God. There is no neutral 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:04.599 ground. People either receive general revelation 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.779 as a witness to the true God and are driven to 00:20:07.779 --> 00:20:10.480 seek further light, or twist that revelation 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:14.039 into self -worship and idolatry. When we then 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:17.859 add extra authorities like ever -developing tradition 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:21.279 or new books of scripture, we can actually move 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:24.799 people away from trusting the God who has clearly 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:28.200 spoken in creation, conscience, and his completed 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:31.339 word, and toward trusting human institutions 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:34.920 or prophets who can change their message. That 00:20:34.920 --> 00:20:37.559 is why I keep saying, our confidence must rest 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:40.880 finally on God's revelation, not on human replacements 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.279 for it. So what should we do with all of this? 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:46.710 Let me end this with a simple, so what? First, 00:20:46.869 --> 00:20:51.130 let creation lead you to worship. The next time 00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:54.750 you see a sunrise, feel the season shift, or 00:20:54.750 --> 00:20:58.970 taste a good meal, remind yourself God is speaking. 00:20:59.289 --> 00:21:04.509 This is his kindness. Don't let it pass as just 00:21:04.509 --> 00:21:09.250 nature. Let it turn into thanks and praise. Second, 00:21:09.450 --> 00:21:12.230 listen to your conscience and let it drive you 00:21:12.230 --> 00:21:15.369 to Christ. When your conscience stings, don't 00:21:15.369 --> 00:21:18.869 only try to silence it. Recognize that God is 00:21:18.869 --> 00:21:22.970 using it to say you are not okay on your own. 00:21:23.269 --> 00:21:26.210 General revelation will bring you to the point 00:21:26.210 --> 00:21:29.609 of knowing you are guilty. In later chapters, 00:21:29.690 --> 00:21:33.829 we'll see how special revelation scripture and 00:21:33.829 --> 00:21:37.029 the gospel shows you the way of forgiveness. 00:21:37.410 --> 00:21:39.930 Third, use creation and conscience wisely in 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:42.680 evangelism. When you talk with someone who doubts, 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:45.799 begin where they already live. Ask them why they 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:48.240 trust reason, why they think justice matters, 00:21:48.380 --> 00:21:51.099 why beauty moves them, why they speak in terms 00:21:51.099 --> 00:21:54.200 of right and wrong. Gently show them that these 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:56.859 things make sense in a world created and ruled 00:21:56.859 --> 00:21:59.319 by the God of the Bible, and then point from 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:01.859 that shared ground to the good news of Christ. 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:05.660 General revelation means nobody lives in a universe 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:08.799 where God is silent. He is already speaking in 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:11.539 the world and in the heart. But it also means 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:15.420 nobody will be saved by that general light alone. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.940 For that, we need the brighter, sharper light 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:22.400 of his special revelation, his word written and 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:25.640 his son given, which we will unpack in the chapters 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:26.240 to come.