General Revelation, Special Revelation, Their Authority, and Their Relationship to One Another
General Revelation
The bible distinguishes between two types of revelation, that being general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is that which is revealed in nature. This revelation is experienced by all men as they live in the world. When the Psalmist writes, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork,” (Psalm 19:1) he is making an explicit statement about the reality of creation: it screams that there is a God who created all, that he is righteous (Psalm 50:6) and that because of this all the people of the Earth have seen his glory (Psalm 97:6). General revelation is also the term used to describe the implantation of God’s law in the hearts of all men. Paul explains it this way:
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Romans 2:14-15
God has so implanted his law in all men so that all people know what is right and wrong from the start. Their conscience is aware that stealing and murder are wrong because it is informed by God’s law instinctively, and it is through a process of hardening their conscience that these people eventually begin to think otherwise.
General revelation meets the needs of all living creatures to give them general knowledge about the God who created them, and the general purpose of this revelation is to show two things: God’s power and his divine nature, as Paul explains.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Romans 1:20.
The authority that general revelation possesses is one of guiltiness. It leaves all men of all ages and places, without excuse for their denial of God. It is not sufficient for salvation, however it is adequate for a person to observe and then move from it to seek God fully. With general revelation God has removed any and all excuses from man for not seeking and worshiping the one true living God alone. This is because man will never be able to say that he was unaware not that a God existed. What tragically happens instead, is man actively and intentionally suppresses the truth of God in his heart and then alters the meaning of all that God has created. Creation is so overtly and obviously screaming the undeniable truth that a supreme being exists and has created all that we see that those who do such idiotic things have become fools declaring to be wise (Romans 1:22).
Special Revelation
Special revelation, on the other hand, is the very word of God. This kind of revelation God has provided for the purpose of leading those who did not know God to a saving knowledge of himself. It is in the bible alone where we learn how to love and obey God. In the bible alone we learn of God’s redemptive plan for sinners through Jesus Christ, and it is through the bible that the Holy Spirit of God speaks to the hearts of his people. We learn from the bible the duties that God requires of man, and how to worship him appropriately, in a way that pleases him - because the Bible allows us to know God. Special revelation comes with the idea that we are not capable of discovering these truths ourselves, but rather are deeply in need of God to reveal them to us.
Special revelation has as its authority the very word of God, written down by God for the benefit of God’s people. The bible reveals to us the person and work of Jesus Christ, and how in history he has lived perfectly to fulfill the just requirement of the law, died in the place of sinners who broke God’s law, and rose from the dead proclaiming victory of all his enemies and ours, proving that he is the Son of God worthy to be praised for all eternity! And also, that the truths of scripture are applied to the mind and heart of individuals by the Holy Spirit. Special revelation is what saves a person; he or she is saved by the word of Christ, and by no other means (Romans 10:17).
Both general and special revelation are supernatural in their origin. They find their origin in and from God, therefore being divine as from God. And these two Go hand in hand. Many times throughout the Gospels creation is used by Christ for the purpose of parables and teaching. In Proverbs it is God’s creation that is used to show us wisdom, after all it was created by the wisdom of God. Additionally, these two types of revelation intersect in the reality that they both are intended to culminate in the worship of the one true living God. General revelation is intended to find its purpose in showing a person the brilliance of God and to push him into communion with God. Special revelation is intended to secure the end for which man was created, which is the eternal worship and communion with God.
Conclusion
The one true and living God is not far off, aloof, sleeping on a cloud, and leaving us to our own devices. He is living and active, and he speaks, guides, directs, animates, and creates. We are called to recognize Him for the glorious, majestic, powerful, and terrifying God that He is! He is the one who has created the sun in all its power and might, but is also the one who created the tiny sparrow. He is the one who spoke the universe into existence, but also speaks to us now, at our tables, and in our hearts by his Spirit and his word.
