In this first post in a series of five about the doctrine of Scripture–bibliology–I’d like to introduce you to general revelation and special revelation. In later posts I want to look at the Trinity, sin, salvation, and the church. But before discussing those topics I want to describe for you general revelation and special revelation. Here are a brief outline and definition of those terms. 

Photo Credit: Chris Yarzab

BIBLIOLOGY
General Revelation and Special Revelation

I. GENERAL REVELATION

The phrase “general revelation” means that God’s revelation is available to all people at all times. It is something seen in creation and our everyday lives. Here are a few other definitions of general revelation:

“General revelation includes all that God has revealed in the world around us, including man.” (Ryrie, Basic Theology, 31)

“General revelation comes through observing nature, through seeing God’s directing influence in history, and through an inner sense of God’s existence and his laws that he has placed inside of every person.” (Gruedem, Systematic Theology, 123)

In King David’s 19th Palm he speaks about God’s general revelation through creation. C.S. Lewis called Psalm 19 “to be the great poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world” (C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms [San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins, 1958], 73). Let’s take a look: