General Revelation is the things God has revealed to all of humanity. The Apostle Paul said, “What may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19–20 NKJV) All of humanity can look around and see the evidence of God, it is revealed in His creation, order, and in human conviction, Paul builds on this thought in chapter 2, “for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.” (Romans 2:14–15 NKJV) John Wesely used the following example. “bearing witness—In a trial, there are the plaintiff, the defendant, and the witnesses. Conscience and sin itself are witnesses against the Heathens.”1 General Revelation alone reveals to us several important truths; through it, we can see that life on earth is temporary, that God created all things, and that humanity has a sin problem. These truths are all declared plainly in the scriptures, and they are also plain to anyone who looks around the world or at themselves, even if they have never opened a Bible. General revelation is simply that which God has revealed to all people, and if the person is reasonable and honest, it cannot be denied.
Special Revelation is the things God has revealed through His servants, the prophets, Apostles, and His Son. 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…”(NKJV) Special Revelation is what God, in His grace, has revealed to us. When Peter was talking with Jesus, he declared, “You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68 NKJV). Through general revelation, we can see that God made us and that humanity has big problems. But general revelation does not answer questions like “Who is God?” What can be done about sin? What is the end of all this? Why were we created? These are all questions the Bible tells us through special Revelation. David Guzik, in his commentary on Colossians, wrote, ‘You will only find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus. He has them all.” It’s not wrong to seek after wisdom and knowledge, but we must seek it all in Jesus.’2 In the book of James, it tells us there are only two types or sources of wisdom, one source is “earthly, sensual, demonic…” (James 3:15 NKJV), the other is “from Above.” (James 3:17 NKJV) It is this wisdom from above that we must trust in, if we want to understand the why questions. Still doubting? Pick up a Bible and read it for yourself; it is unmatched in wisdom, purpose, hope, and the chief authoritative spiritual book in the entire world, and it does answer all of life’s hardest questions with wisdom that is beyond this world.
- John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, Fourth American Edition (New York: J. Soule and T. Mason, 1818), 378.
- David Guzik, Colossians, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2013), Col 2:2–3.