Natural Theology

Sovereign Grace Family Church

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October 11, 2015

00:00: With a word of prayer, let's open our Close our eyes and good Lord Father.
00:05: We thank you for the opportunity to again come together in this course in systematic theology and Have an opportunity to look at various types of theologies as we begin this course Father we have already examined Roman Catholicism and now as we move to the subject of natural theology.
00:26: I pray that you would give me Wisdom you would keep me from error That you would open the hearts of your people to the truth and that through this they would be Both instructed and built up in their faith We thank you for all of this and we give you glory honor and praise in Jesus precious name Amen Well, if you have your books Please open them to page four if you if you don't we have the page from the book photocopied When I first was going through this I said I said, you know I wonder if I'm going to be able to fill an entire session Just on the subject of natural theology because the book doesn't say a lot about it But at the same time as I was as I was this week preparing my own set of notes now I'm worried.
01:20: I'm not going to be able to get through it all in just one session, but that's the goal Today is to sort of go through everything on this section about natural theology in one sitting Let's go ahead and define what we mean by natural theology based on what the book is calling it in the definition the definition of natural theology is The attempt to attain an understanding of God and his relationship to the universe by means of rational reflection without appealing to special revelations such as the self-revelation of God in Christ and in Scripture so that is the definition of natural theology essentially to simplify all that that says is to can we or Are we able to come to a knowledge of God? naturally apart from any special revelation That's the question that natural theology seeks to answer you look like you want to interject No, I was just thinking of the scripture of course they wouldn't go to the scripture, but you know that God is revealed in manless without excuse Sounds to me like Sure and We are going to look at some of those scriptures in a moment because natural theology Doesn't come naturally people go and Produce natural theology as a belief system from what the scripture says Which is kind of seems like it would be ironic that they're coming to natural theology from what the scripture says All men are able to do all men have the capacity for so we're going to look at that in a moment because what we're going to discover is That natural theology.
03:19: I'm going to put something on the board for you to just kind of begin the brain slug natural theology deals with the antithesis between what we call general revelation And that's not revelation as in the book of Revelation, but how God has revealed himself in general revelation and what we would call special Revelation So these are the these are the two things that really are going to be the focus whenever we begin to kind of look at What do we mean by natural theology, and what do we mean by? Is natural theology? Sufficient to lead someone to a knowledge of the truth, and that's an important question because that's the real crux of the matter general revelation and special revelation I'm going to step back now.
04:15: We are talking about natural theology, but really natural theology comes from natural Revelation so if you want to under general revelation just in a in a sense you can call it general or natural revelation Now let's just kind of unpack what I'm saying here theology is How we understand God if Lagos is the is the word or the study of something? And if you think about theology it's the study of God and Natural indicates that which is that which is inherent or inborn or from nature so natural theology is from natural revelation and The question of course continues to be can a person understand God through natural revelation We're going to answer that question as we go, but let's look now on your paper at the epistemological Foundation first of all what is epistemology anyone know have you ever heard anyone say that? Epistemology you ever heard of epistemology epistemology is how we know what we know or How do we have the worldview or where did our worldview come from epistemology is dealing with? Worldview in fact in a couple weeks.
05:42: I'm going to be teaching at a local Private school they the teacher who is a pastoral friend of mine asked me to substitute teach for him for two Classes on the subject of worldview because that's what he teaches So I've got to prepare a little lesson that I'm going to be doing for two weeks there at his school But that's what epistemology is epistemology is How do we know what we know? And where do our worldview essentially come from where does it come from well the epistemological? Foundation for natural theology is this God is eternal unchanging sovereign holy Personal God creator of the universe all that we would give a hearty amen to I hope especially As much as we affirm as reformed Christians eternal and changing sovereign holy personal yes Okay, well we're getting there Again remember what I said earlier the natural theology doesn't come from nature Natural theology is something that people are extrapolating from Scripture and it's saying that other men can know this naturally That God is Well let's just go and let me read this he has everything in his control and through his eternal decrees from eternity has planned the Future it is done in such a way that he is not morally responsible for evil.
07:04: That's what they believe And all those things are true.
07:08: I would affirm everything in that epistemological foundation so based on that epistemology that worldview That God is eternal and changing sovereign holy personal and the Creator He's done everything in his control, and he's not responsible for evil, but yet He is in control of all things okay.
07:26: We would all agree with that at least at least it tacitly We'd say okay.
07:30: We agree on the basis of what that's saying knowing that We step out and say okay.
07:36: What about those people who have never been exposed to special revelation? That's that's that's what natural theology seeks to answer is you have those people who have received special revelation Which is a minority of the world Would you agree? Would you agree that the minority of the world has been exposed to special revelation? Yeah, I would have to say yes I would have to say that most of the people in China if they've heard anything about the Bible it has not been To the level or extent of course of what you guys have it certainly is not it is not the whatever But whatever special revelation they've been exposed to has probably been in a negative sense not in a positive sense, and it hasn't been preached to them in such a way as to Give them a right understanding of it So special revelation and then general revelation goes to everyone everyone is exposed to general revelation So the question is then is general revelation or natural revelation enough and here is the The next block on your sheet the revelation or the relation to reveal theology Natural theology deals with God's existence and attributes from sources common to all men and creation Tells us God exists logical reasoning teaches us that God exists Whereas revealed theology deals with specific truth discerned from the scripture natural theology requires reason alone Whereas revealed theology requires also faith and the illumination of the spirit.
09:17: That's an important sentence Natural theology requires reason alone that should tell us something about it right there that it's deficient Yes I'm used to the term naturalism Okay, not the same.
09:33: It's not the same as natural theology It's natural theology kind of like trying to bring naturalism into a Christian concept.
09:40: No naturalism is a focus on nature is a focus on that which is natural as being the the highest of virtuous things Naturalism is not the focus of natural theology natural theology When I get to explaining general and special revelation in a moment, it'll make it clear I'm just trying to go through what the book says first and then I'm gonna get to my notes Which I think will help clear some of this up the purpose of natural theology Natural theology can be used apologetically to prove the existence of God.
10:16: I Would not agree with that sentence but I I Understand what he's saying the writer here who has written this note.
10:27: He says natural theology can be used to apologetically Prove the existence of God.
10:32: I don't think that you can prove the existence of God I don't think that you can disprove the existence of God.
10:37: I do think that there is an element of faith That's always going to be involved the idea I I think it was I don't know it may have been Bonson, but No, it was Bonhoeffer who said He said a God who would allow us to absolutely prove his existence would be an idol God is higher than our understanding and there is a point at which we have to express faith.
11:02: So I said the idea of proving Whereas, you know, I heard Ray Comfort will say well you have a painting there's a painter you have a building There's a builder that's evidence of a creator.
11:13: Well evidence for something is not proof.
11:14: It's evidence We define evidence by that.
11:18: Yes, sir.
11:19: The Everyone will be without excuse.
11:22: Yes, everyone Everyone knows deep down that there's a God if they're a the absolutely because they suppress it.
11:29: Absolutely.
11:30: So it's like So camp, I mean, he's not gonna be this is well, nobody proved it to me.
11:35: Well, you knew it So here's your proof was in your heart.
11:39: Okay, but what you are doing is proving my point Okay, the evidence for God's existence God has placed there, right? So I don't need all this other thing to prove anything and I can't use these other things to prove anything What proves it is what's already there and I'm gonna get there in a minute under under general revelation.
11:56: The proof is already there My point though is that I can't take you to a rock and say this rock formation proves God's existence Well, there's an awful lot of evidence and it's like how well I said it's evidence.
12:10: I'm not arguing How much evidence do you need before it actually becomes? Yeah, but here's my argument Evidence is evidence for everybody.
12:21: Well, yeah, but here's my argument man doesn't need evidence Man doesn't need evidence because God has already Placed in his heart a knowledge of him to support a man's unbelief by simply offering him evidences and say you get to be the judge Does God exist or not is the wrong way to do apologetics? Because we're saying to the person here is the evidence you decide you're the judge.
12:43: No, you're not God has placed the knowledge of him in your heart.
12:47: You are a rebel not a judge.
12:48: So that's what I'm saying I take a different apologetic approach I take a presuppositional approach that God not only has revealed himself generally But he has revealed himself to every man in his heart of hearts and every man will be without excuse So I agree with you and I agree with you but in a different way So you're both right, but you're both wrong You're both right, I'm just saying when I see this man say natural theology Can be used to prove the existence of God.
13:18: I know what he's saying, but I think he's saying too much.
13:23: I Don't think the proof of the existence of God comes from evidence That might help that I think that I think the sentence itself is lacking So I love you guys.
13:34: You're both right.
13:35: I'm not I'm not Huh No, no, no, no, that's cool.
13:40: Yeah, that's what I want this interactive class Existence makes no sense.
13:46: There's no matter and energy Had to come from somewhere You can't have something from nothing anything the fact that there's anything here at all X knee below knee He'll fit that there's Latin out of my higher power nothing comes Okay Okay, I do want to move on I haven't got through my notes yet But I do like the second sentence here it says it also supports a real theology that I believe is true I believe that when we look at the natural world, it does provide a support of what the scripture says The Bible tells us and we're going to look at the scripture in a moment the heavens do what? Declare the glory so there is a natural thing that this that the world does to support the scripture the scripture tells us God is omniscient omnipotent omnipresent and and nature Testifies to that truth.
14:50: So yes, there is a hand-in-hand working between natural revelation and special revelation Okay, so Again, it goes on it says thus Natural revelation Wait a minute, where are we at? Okay, if the conclusions of natural theology are accepted then it would be reasonable also to accept revealed theological truth Thus natural theology has an evangelistic purpose.
15:17: What it's saying is if you can show God in Nature, you can lead someone to God in special revelation.
15:23: That's typically called evidential apologetics if you've ever read the book Evidence that demands a verdict by what is his name? McDowell is Josh McDowell and then there's the book By the guy you just mentioned Lee Strobel, which is Jesus on trial.
15:47: No The case for Christ and the case for faith both of those books are Coming from the evidentialist Perspective which says that we arrive at a knowledge of God by first starting at a neutral point Whereby we begin to examine all of the evidence and the evidence the preponderance of the evidence proves to us the existence of a God I Hope you see the problem with that because it doesn't prove any God specifically just a God generically And it's basing who is the judge? Man is the judge.
16:30: So while again, I don't deny that evidences are important I say evidences are always insufficient and they're unnecessary I did that because the man already knows God exists, huh? I started from zero.
16:44: I kind of did that when I was young I'm like, well, you think you know, I went I don't I know I know what you're saying.
16:51: I was Take pasta.
16:54: That's the question of the universe.
16:56: What's happening? What's happening? I never that's well, that's the thing.
17:14: I did not do because when I got there I said, okay Now what's what's the next step? Where am I going to find out the truth? Okay, that right here already had a presupposition that that was the truth.
17:27: So you are working on presupposition There is a God he would have left me some evidence.
17:32: Oh here Everyone I see this is the thing the scientist who doesn't believe in God will say I'm absolutely rational And I have no presuppositions.
17:41: I go where the evidence takes me but his first all All-encompassing presupposition is what's called anti-supernaturalism Because he's already determined what he will and will not accept his evidence So he's already telling us he has a presupposition He says I will go where the evidence tells me and I see but upon what basis do you determine? What is and what is not evidence? Well upon my own rational thinking so who then becomes the arbiter of truth you and if you are right And atheism is true Then all you are is a grown-up germ and why would you ever trust the brain? Which is simply the product that the the last result of a process of millions of years of random chance It's like a soda pop if you had diet pepper Diet, dr.
18:32: Pepper and a diet Mountain Dew and you shook them both up You would have a lot of mixing around molecules in those two bottles.
18:39: That's the same things going on in your brain Why trust that any more than you trust a bottle of soda pop if I put those two bottles of soda pop I hear open them up and said debate you would say that's stupid because neither one of them have any logical reasoning power How do you have logical reasoning power? Well through the process of evolution? What is it about evolution that makes you think your logic is correct? What is it about evolution that makes you think that you have any real ability to reason truth from error? It was CS Lewis I'm not a huge fan of but CS Lewis does say good things from time to time and one of the things that he did Reference he said the person who says they arrive at atheism from logic has to shut off the idea that they can do that It's impossible to arrive at atheism Logically because you're having to say that logic is something that you know for sure you have and yet You can't know anything in the naturalistic world view Because you can't know anything for sure is true because you don't know that you are not simply nuts How do you know that you're not nuts I? Think a good example of that is when they were the atheists were debating they say okay Let's let's debate, but I want you to leave out the scripture yeah Okay, we'll debate then you leave out your reasoning because that's where you're getting yours from if you leave out your reason Yeah, I don't allow that they say leave out scripture.
20:03: I say there's no way There's no way for the believer to leave out scripture And because the best we can do without scripture Is to prove is to prove by the preponderance of the evidence that there may be a God That's all you can do without scripture is prove by the preponderance of the evidence that there may be a God Based upon the evidence, and you don't know what God it is You don't know who he is or what he's done You just know the evidence points to the possibility of a God Okay, that's all the evidence can do That's why I say evidence itself is insufficient So now having said all that I want to move to the difference Between general revelation special revelation, and why is it that we would consider natural revelation or natural theology to be insufficient? Okay now very quickly I'm using two phrases interchangeably, and I should be clear Natural theology is what we do natural revelation is what God does God is the one who gives revelation Theology is how we understand his revelation you understand the difference Okay, there has to be a distinction not necessarily a separation But there has to be a distinction between that which is revealed by God and that which is Understood by man because would you agree that all that God reveals is infallible? Because God reveals it right, but would you also agree that we have not interpreted it infallibly yes Absolutely, so theology is the fallible interpretation of an infallible revelation.
21:47: Yeah, I should write that down.
21:49: That's not a pretty good It's a it's a theology is a fallible interpretation of an infallible revelation That's like that's going on a shirt, baby So let's look now at the difference between general revelation and special revelation general revelation is General in two ways and we're gonna kind of break down here.
22:14: It's general in two ways one It is general in its content And two it is general in its audience It's general in its content and it's general in its audience Let's talk first about content general revelation meaning that which comes by nature and by Simply by the world around us and what is within us the conscience Does not give specific information about God we don't discern the Trinity through natural revelation We don't discern the process or plan of salvation through natural revelation We don't come to the understanding of who Jesus Christ is who the Holy Spirit is or any of those things through natural revelation So the content this is why we call it general Revelation versus special revelation general revelation deals first with general content The second thing is the audience General revelation is not Limited to a special or specific people But general revelation is given to all people Now that is how it is general now.
23:27: Let's look how it is revealed So we'll go from over here that we talk about general.
23:31: It's revealed in two ways One it is revealed through immediate General revelation and immediate General revelation All right.
23:48: So let's talk for a moment about what those mean often when we think about the word immediate.
23:53: What do we think? Quickly, all right.
23:56: That's not what it means in this context.
23:59: Okay, just like Contend or content and and There are words to the same word can mean.
24:09: Yeah.
24:09: Yeah homonyms.
24:10: Well, this is it's the same word, but in this particular instance Immediate means through a mediary or intermediary Immediate means without a mediator or intermediary.
24:25: So when we talk about immediate general revelation We're going to look at our Bibles now.
24:31: We're going to open our scriptures together We're going to go we've already looked we've already mentioned Psalm 19 one, but I want somebody to read it So if somebody will open their Bible to Psalm 19 1 and then if somebody's doing that miss Anne looks like she's headed for it So why don't somebody else? Rob Psalm 97 6 and Then Don you you're looking to how about Romans 1 18 to 23? Okay.
25:02: All right, you've got 19 one Okay The word firmament there simply refers to the sky above us The sky proclaims his handiwork, so the heavens declare God's glory the sky above proclaims his Handiwork that he is actually the the the creator is seen in creation You know if you ever study science you see the massive amount of intricacies in even the basic human cell which is itself a Manufacturing plant for all of the things that you need to live But it's also the manufacturing plant for everything the tree out there needs to live and and everything around us is made up of these little plants of That manufacture and do and work.
25:55: They're called cells.
25:56: They're amazing things and yet they're on a microscopic level.
26:00: We didn't know existed until What? Electron microscope we knew they existed we couldn't see the inside them and so the electron microscope, you know before that what was a Darwin? He thought the cell was just a blob of protoplasm because they couldn't see in to it to know what it was that made it up That declares the glory of God All right So Psalm 97 6 says almost the same thing but a little differently who has that one the heavens declare his righteousness And all the peoples have seen his glory.
26:28: The reason why I pointed out that one is because who sees his glory All the people's it's not as if it's limited general revelation is not limited.
26:36: That's why it's called general It's not specific to an audience.
26:39: It's specific to everyone.
26:40: Everyone sees it and thus everyone is responsible to it That's the that's getting around to where we're going Thirdly brother done 18 to 23.
26:50: You got a long one For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God has showed it unto them For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things That are made even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations And their foolish heart was darkened Professing themselves to be wise they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God Into an image made light to corruptible men and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things.
27:41: Okay, so This tells us a whole lot and I could I could I could park here and camp out for weeks But just the general he says that the clear attributes of God namely his power And His nature have been given to us in the things that are made.
28:01: What do we know about God's nature simply from? creation Well one he's orderly Because nature itself is built on an order, right? he's powerful because nature itself think about the power that's in a simple lightning bolt a Lightning bolt, you know, we still can't generate the same energy the Mythbusters Television show they go to this plant because they wanted to they wanted to test lightning bolt How lightning bolts affect certain objects and whether you're in the shower Can it can a lightning bolt come through the the water and hit you those kind of things? You know things that we've heard about for years not don't take shower and rainstorm that kind of thing So they went to test it.
28:41: They went to a facility that generates lightning bolts And I remember the guy he said this is not a lightning bolt He said the very best we can do is only like 1% of what nature Can do of course, he would see nature I don't know who this man is, but you know that they would talk about nature in a very general way But you think about the power of a lightning bolt? Demonstrates the power of God only in a percentile not even a percentile It's not it's it's what God created if he created and how much more powerful is him who created than that which is created And that's the huh? Yeah, so you have that Testimony to the power of God and in this section it tells us something else.
29:28: It says they're without excuse Why are they without excuse? Because God has been so gracious as to show himself to all men and thus Mankind is what the Latin phrase Homo religiosus Homo religiosi.
29:45: Well, we know a homo sapien right, but it's homo sapien mean Well, but it means the thinking being that's what that's what but you're right it references mankind because we are the man We're the being that thinks So we're the thinking being homo sapien homo religiosus the religious being we're the only being in the world that Gets down on our knees and looks upward and expects someone to hear us You don't see cows out in the field Yeah, you don't see that, right? You don't see deer chanting in the forest you could make the case that that ability to think is the image of God Oh, absolutely.
30:25: I think certainly the ability to reason is The result of God's image, you know, what was the image of God is its intellect emotion and will Those three things which make up our humanity our ability to think our ability to emote or to care and our ability to decide and not be forced only by our Our Animals work off of Instinct thank you animals work off of instinct but human beings work off of Decision because even though it might be an instinct for us to do something we can make a decision not to do that thing Now we understand that that's limited We don't have absolute free will because our will has been disrupted by the fall But when man was created he had intellect emotion and will All three in differentiation from the rest of creation his intellect was much higher, you know, people say well how much higher? We're only 1% away from the monkeys, you know, you know what that 1% does It's it's a difference between throwing poop and going to the moon.
31:29: That's what that 1% is.
31:30: So it's pretty pretty Substantial 1% and plus that whole 1% thing is way off.
31:37: It's not correct But they'll say we're only 1% different from the monkeys it's a big 1% there's a lot built into that 1% It's gonna throw everything off someday if we get to the point where even the rocks cry out, yeah Yeah, he's the only one that God didn't speak into existence but that he created handmade That he formed Everything else he spoke in this game.
32:16: He spoke in that game, but he formed man from the dust of the ground and Breathe into his nostrils the breath of life.
32:21: There's a certainly a difference Creativity creatively the God with man.
32:26: All right, so general revelation Immediate means without the use of intermediary.
32:32: We don't need an intermediary Tell us what? That the world is created the world itself tells us that so there's no I'm sorry We need a media that world tells us this is immediate.
32:44: What's immediate immediate is Romans 2 So did I ask you me to find that I'm gonna read it just for the sake of time Romans 2 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law and all who have sinned under the law will be judged By the law for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God But the doers of the law who will be justified 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.
33:11: 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 on that day According when according to my gospel God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
33:29: So what's Paul telling us? He's saying there's something in every man That knows right from wrong and it's we call it the conscience, but what does conscience mean? It's it's it's actually based on the Latin construction Con meaning with Science means knowledge So the construction of conscience is simply that man has an innate knowledge and what's the knowledge of That which is right And that which is wrong.
34:04: We call this natural law oftentimes when we're doing Evangelism we'll talk about the Ten Commandments But really we don't have to appeal to the Ten Commandments We appeal to the natural law the law that's in man's heart See the natural law is enough to tell us it's wrong to steal.
34:22: It's wrong to murder.
34:22: It's wrong to hate.
34:24: It's wrong to lust We go back to Scripture and say Scripture agrees with this but you know this innately You ever look at a married man and say have you lusted in your heart? Yeah, he looks down because he knows You know, I don't want my wife to hear this.
34:43: But yeah Exactly the natural response is the shame first emotion after sin was shame so That's the difference between immediate and immediate general revelation immediate requires the intermediary immediate does not you have Immediate general revelation in your heart.
35:08: God has placed it there Specifically it doesn't come through looking at the trees or the bushes or the froggies or the toads It comes from God who has placed it there.
35:17: All right, and there by no man has an excuse Because God has given you Revelation from outside and Revelation from inside but here is the problem with general revelation.
35:32: It is Insufficient to save it is only sufficient to condemn This is why we were told to go and preach Because all man knows innately is that he's lost Why do we go with the gospel That the man who knows he's lost Can know how to be found right how to be safe That's why we go We don't go having necessarily to convince man that he's lost We go to bring him the good news that there's a remedy Now some people will deny that they're lost and that's why we use the gospel With the law the law helps a man recognize what he already knows, you know, why we use the law It's not to convince a man that he's a sinner.
36:22: It's to remind him that he's a sinner.
36:24: He already knows I like to convince anyone anything I simply have to bear witness with what their conscience already realizes that they because why do you think guilt is so universal? Why do you think depression drugs are so? so Just just what we just so full in our in our society Is it because every person that takes those drugs has a chemical imbalance? No, are there people who do? Yes, but is it because I think a lot of people need some place to find peace because their conscience is so tumultuous over the fact that they have a sense of lostness and No, hope It's there.
37:05: It's very much God's existence power and glory are displayed in general revelation now special revelation.
37:12: What's my time? Okay, let me just very quickly special revelation ain't hard to understand It's special in that it's directed at a specific audience and it involves specific content It comes to us through the audible word God spoke to Moses God spoke to all the people who saw Jesus baptized God spoke to Jesus Specifically God speaks to the Apostle Paul specifically through the Holy Spirit.
37:36: We know that there's the audible voice of God There is also the prophetic voice Because God will speak through someone God will speak to someone God will speak through someone when somebody stands up the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah says thus saith the Lord.
37:51: He is speaking.
37:52: God is speaking through him.
37:54: So we have the audible voice Or the audible word God speaks to and the prophetic word God speaks through then the inscripturated word God speaks through the writings, you know one thing I don't I don't And I wasn't here for your lesson on inspiration so know that if I say something that's going to contradict you I'm not I'm not doing so people would say that Paul was inspired I don't know if you said that when you're writing or were you teaching but I hear it a lot people say Paul's inspired I try not to ever say that Paul was not inspired what he wrote was inspired Paul's not called the honest us the scriptures It's the scripture that stay on his thoughts.
38:33: It is God breathed So God speaks through The written word it's not Paul or John or these others.
38:42: Are they holy men guided by the Spirit? Yes, are they are they being carried along by the Spirit? Yes, but what does God breathe what they wrote? Paul made mistakes in his life But what he wrote was inspired by God.
38:55: So like I said, I don't know if you had ever called it inspired I know I have at times but I meant his writing not his person their personalities Come through but what they write is exactly what God exactly.
39:08: It's kept from error.
39:09: It's it's it's preserved Yes.
39:12: All right.
39:12: So finally I want to finish up with this and I really wish I had more time for this But I do want to finish this today years ago.
39:19: Dr.
39:19: R.
39:20: C.
39:20: Sproul came into a small bit of controversy When he claimed that all revelation from God is inherently infallible because it is from God as such He claimed that both general and special revelation are infallible now.
39:31: I asked you that earlier But I want to know I want you know what when R.
39:35: C.
39:35: said this and a question-and-answer period it got huge controversy People said what do you mean natural revelation is? infallible Or general natural same thing He made note of the revolution that followed Copernicus's discovery that the earth is not the center of our solar system See it was Copernicus who went took the world from geocentricity to heliocentricity World's not the center of the universe and it was Copernicus that brought this into view and you know who convinced him? The church.
40:14: Why? Because they had a misunderstanding of Scripture.
40:18: Scripture doesn't teach the earth is the center of the solar system Doesn't even talk about the solar system.
40:22: I mean in a sense of of the way we understand the solar system Does that mean Copernicus is wrong? No, we know we know how the world we can see it we have telephoto lenses now Yeah, we have things that we can see.
40:37: So what does Copernicus do? Copernicus uses natural revelation to instruct the students of special revelation And see we don't like that We don't like but it does happen Students of natural revelation do have the capacity to correct the students of special revelation because both are fallible When I interpret the scripture I can interpret the scripture fallibly you agree I hope because I agree every time I preach what I say God keep me Perfect for I know I'm perfect.
41:20: No, I never said that.
41:21: I said God keep me from error because I know I'm error In ultimately what RC was trying to say and I agree with him and I'd be happy to send you guys the video of when He said this I've moving back and watched it.
41:30: All he's saying is that all truth is God's truth as Such as something is true.
41:35: It is revelatory It's coming from God when the Bible and the scientists disagree we stand with Scripture But that does not mean that we discount all scientific inquiry and all scientific discovery We use the same hermeneutic for science that we use for Scripture.
41:52: What's the hermeneutic of Scripture? Scripture interprets What's the hermeneutic for science Scripture interprets science When I look at the Bible and it doesn't tell me that there if there's a center of the universe When Copernicus makes a point that there is a center universe.
42:09: I have no reason to dispute that I have no reason to argue against that but when the Scientist tells me that man is not a special creation of God that he's simply a grown-up germ and he has no special Revelation or relevance in the universe I can look at Scripture and it says no God created man in his own image He does have a special relevance in the universe and you as a scientist are now at odds with God and you are wrong There is a difference So what I'm telling us we don't deny the students of natural revelation But we do understand that ultimately the highest authority is not nature or our interpretation of it The highest authority is God's Word Let's pray Thank you Lord for this study.
42:50: I pray that it's been fruitful for your people that you'll use it to grow us in our faith in Christ's name Amen Next week we get to study one of my favorite characters in all of human history Martin Luther Not Martin Luther King.