Three Important Distinctions in “What We Can Know”
We make decisions every day. We do so under the auspices of a created person in the image of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, a sinner who struggles living consistent with the gospel, and a sufferer who is an active responder to pressures from within and without. As such, when we make decisions, the stakes are high. As we determine what is best in the countless number of decisions to live for the glory of God, each of these decisions impacts our relationship with God, relationships with those around us, and our own personal sanctification. In order for us to navigate the difficulties of daily living, we must make three important distinctions in “What we can know.”
An Overview and the Importance of Decision Making for the Glory of God
Before we review the three important distinctions in “What we can know,” it is important to understand why we need to make those distinctions. The Apostle Paul provides us an overview of both the process and its importance. Notice what he writes:
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Phil 1:9-11).
In this text take note of the following key principles related to decision making:
- The goal is for the follower of Christ’s love to abound more and more. As stated, this love would include both vertical love for God and horizontal love for others. This love should be increasing continually.
- How does love abound more and more? In knowledge and all discernment. Here, Paul refers to the capacity through applied wisdom to take the Word of God and practice applying it in everyday situations. As the follower of Christ learns the Word, he or she practices applying it. Over time, this disciple grows in discernment as well.
- The goal of this discernment is to test what is excellent so that we can live an authentic Christian life. In other words, we use our discernment to test available options before us in order to determine what is the best decision. As we do this, we live a life of sincerity and authenticity before Christ and others.
- Over time, our lives are filled with the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God. According to the Apostle, this fruit comes from Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we test the options available to us in a particular situation in hopes of making decisions that honor and glorify God through Jesus Christ. If we hope to be successful at this endeavor, we must make three important distinctions in “What we can know.”
Three Important Distinctions in “What we can know”
As we strive to make decisions that honor God and bring Him glory by Jesus Christ, we must grow in our knowledge and discernment. Of course, this begins with reading, meditating, and memorizing God’s Word. In addition, we seek to apply what we are studying on a consistent basis. As we do this, we must make three important distinctions in “What we can know.”
Special Revelation
Special Revelation refers to the Word of God. Although in times past, it could also include dreams, visions, or direct communication from God to various individuals, for the Christian today, Special Revelation refers to the Word of God given to mankind to help us think and act in ways that honor God (2 Tim 3:16-17). In this term, Special relates to the recipients of the truth, and Revelation refers to the communication from God to man.
Special Revelation is absolute truth (John 17:17). Through it, Jesus explained that individual disciples are sanctified. As followers of Jesus, we receive and understand the Word of God as truth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
General Revelation
General Revelation refers to the the voice of God in nature. In other words, General Revelation points out what can be known about God through the world around us. In this term, General relates to the recipients of the truth, and Revelation refers to the communication from God to man.
More specifically defined, General Revelation is God’s voice through nature that goes out to every person who has ever lived (Ps 19:1-6). Regardless of where one lives or what language one speaks, General Revelation declares to them through the celestial and terrestrial worlds the glory of God. Through these, the voice of God reveals His eternal power and divine nature (Rom 1:19-20). Essentially, General Revelation declares, “There is a God and He is powerful.”
Knowledge
Knowledge refers to what we can know through our own cognition, cogitation, research, study, observation, experience, education, or reason. In other words, Knowledge relates to facts, information, and skills a person may know. Both followers of Christ and non-followers of Christ have equal access to the knowledge available in the world. However, for the follower of Jesus Christ, we have greater opportunities to honor God with our knowledge since, as the Proverbs teach, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7). In essence, the fear of God provides the lens through which we best engage the world around us.
Knowledge is not revelation from God. God does not reveal knowledge to us; instead, we discover it, observe it, explore it, are taught it, and engage it from a human perspective. It is not truth, per se, but rather is useful to the extent that we can know something either better or worse than we did before.
As technology increasingly changes, our access to human knowledge also changes. At this point, the knowledge base provided to us through technology is incredible. We can learn everything from the way kidneys function to the next lunar or solar eclipse at the tough of a button. Many times, we can even watch video on one of many platforms that help explain some aspect of knowledge to us.
As a function of human reasoning and exploration, God allows us to grow in knowledge as a function of His grace to us as those in the image of God.
In relationship to Philippians 1:9 above, the term Knowledge as used here is different than the term knowledge used by the Apostle Paul. Paul referred specifically to our practical knowledge gained through applied wisdom from God’s Word. Whereas, Knowledge at the categorical level refers to facts, information, or skills a person may know.
How Do These Distinctions Help Us?
When you seek to follow Christ as a faithful and loyal disciple, understanding these three distinctions is vital.
Special Revelation provides us God’s absolute truth and functions as our divine authoritative guide from God to us for living life to His glory. Special Revelation is solely known as absolute truth. Anything else you can know through intuition, reason, dreams, visions, deduction, induction, experience, observation, experiments, empiricism, or in any other way is subject to and underneath the authority of the Word of God. As the Word of God, the Bible provides us our belief system, values, lens through which to view the world around us, and instructs us in righteous living.
General Revelation provides us the reminder each day through nature that we have our being, enjoy living, and function on this planet underneath the kindness of God. Observing nature allows us to declare along with it the glory of God. We look at the sun, moon, stars, and our planet as evidence to the power of God and His existence. Therefore, as we go about our daily lives, General Revelation reminds us to live our lives gratefully as an extension of the grace of God.
Knowledge serves to help us live on a practical basis each day. Knowledge provides for us the facts and fruit of those facts that make serving God easier. The practical achievements provided by use of this Knowledge often make life on this planet more enjoyable, pleasurable, and doable. We use cell phone, computers, refrigeration, and so many things daily. None of these things rise to the level of truth, nor do they rise to the level of what should determine how we live; yet, we use our knowledge under the authority and through the lens of the Scriptures. In other words, the Scripture provides us the world view through which we use whatever facts, information, observations, or skills provided to us through human effort.
As we seek to make decisions then for living, we begin with absolute truth from God’s Word as our standard and authority. We are reminded as we do these things through General Revelation of our living before God in His creation as a manifestation of His grace to us. Further, we interact with the corpus of human knowledge cautiously as we seek to test and approve what may be excellent to live life with righteous fruit for the glory of God.
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