TENSION: The Bible is All True and Everything True About Life is Not in the Bible
Icebreaker: What causes you to stand in awe of God? Being in the mountains? Walking along the seashore? Working in the garden?
Introduction:
The reality that the Bible is all true and everything true about life is not in the Bible, is a tension to be managed. It is the tension of balancing our understanding and application of God’s “special revelation” and His “general revelation” in our Christian walk.
Revelation is the doctrine (set of beliefs) of God making Himself and relevant truths known to mankind. Revelation is of two kinds: general and special. General revelation is available to all men and is communicated through nature, conscience and history. Special revelation is revelation given to particular people, at particular times and comes chiefly through the Bible and Jesus Christ. —Zondervan Topical Bible 1969
Special Revelation (Bible and Jesus Christ)
- How does God’s Word defend itself as special revelation? (II Timothy 3:16. II Peter 1:19-21)
2. What is the purpose of special revelation? (Romans 10:17, II Timothy 3:17)
3. Why is God’s special revelation like a sword for spiritual corrections (Hebrews 4:12) and battles (Ephesians 6:17)?
4. Why is Jesus Christ the ultimate “special revelation” from God? (John 1:1-4, 18:37)
5. What are our responsibilities toward God’s special revelation?
General Revelation (Everything True About Life)
6. How does God’s creation point to His reality as God the divine Creator and Provider? (Acts 14:15-17)
7. How would you describe God’s general revelation to a little child? (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20)
8. What does general revelation reveal about God during times of pandemics, natural disasters and/or calamities? (Isaiah 45:6-8)
9. What place does evolution theory have in God’s general revelation?
Read Romans 1:18-23
10. Why can’t the secular world and some believers accept God as the author of science (general revelation)? (Psalm 14:1)
11. How has world philosophy changed from Sir Isaac Newton’s understanding of God and science to today? (Isaac Newton discovered gravity in 1665)
He (Sir Isaac Newton) has been called “the greatest scientific genius the world has known.” Yet he spent less time on science than on theology. —CHARLES E. HUMMEL – CHRISTIANITY TODAY
12. How has God’s general revelation shaped your world view and values?
Managing the Tension
13. Are special and general revelation on equal terms in identifying God’s will? Explain.
14. Why is it that people choose science or the Bible and not both? To what extent has this caused the decline of the Christian church?
15. Anti-biblical is an idea against biblical truth and non-biblical is “True about life, but not in the Bible” – Pastor Dave Flaig. How are we as Christians to discern the difference?
16. How can we (individuals, families and churches) better prepare our youth and adults to live in harmony with faith and science/philosophy/art/medicine?